BRIEFLY IN BUSINESS

Model home designer website work awarded

Costa Mesa-based Studio Design Group Interiors was selected last week as a Silver Award winner for the Nationals Competition.

The competition, presented by the Nationals Sales and Marketing Council of the National Assn. of Home Builders, is for new-home sales and marketing professionals and communities.

The Costa Mesa model home interior design and merchandising studio was one of five Silver Award winners in the best website category. The company’s website is now eligible to win the Gold Award, which will be given at a Feb. 7 gala award ceremony in Florida.

The Nationals is a 26-year-old competition that awards excellent new-home sales and marketing campaigns by individuals, home builders and councils.

The 7-year-old studio serves home builders in the Southwest. For more information or to check out the winning site, go to www.sdginteriors.com.

Employment posters available in Costa Mesa

The Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce has a limited amount of updated employment posters for local businesses to purchase.

The new posters have four mandatory changes for 2007, including the new minimum wage rates for 2007 and 2008, the Employment Development Department Notice to Employees, CalOSHA’s Safety and Health Protection on the Job and the Employee Polygraph Protection Act.

The deadline to display the posters is Jan. 1, and it must be displayed where employees can read it.

To buy a poster from the chamber or for more information, e-mail Sandy Roy at sroy@costamesachamber.com or call (714) 885-9090.

Newport attorney named associate of year

The Building Industry Assn. of Southern California, Orange County Chapter, recently named Mark Himmelstein as a 2006 associate of the year.

The Huntington Beach resident is a partner at the Newport Beach-based law firm Newmeyer & Dillon LLP. His areas of practice include real estate litigation, construction contracts and risk management for businesses and real estate firms. This year he served on the board of directors and co-chaired the membership committee of the Building Industry Assn. in Orange County, a nonprofit trade association.

During his time with the association, he helped add 50 new members. He plans to lead the committee again next year.

For more information, go to www.ndlf.com.

Local businesses tops in diversity

Three local businesses were named by DiversityBusiness.com as top diversity-owned businesses in the state and country.

Costa Mesa-based Vortex Industries Inc. landed itself in the 13th spot for the state and 97th in the country. The company, which specializes in repairing commercial doors, is owned by a woman.

The Mischler Financial Group in Corona del Mar wound up as No. 40 on the veteran-owned business list. The company, which reported over $2.8 million in annual sales is owned by a disabled veteran.

Joining Mischler Financial on the list was Costa Mesa-based Armite Laboratories at No. 80, which is also owned by a disabled veteran. The company makes chemical products.

DiversityBusiness.com is an organization of businesses throughout the country. The website has 32,000 members.