Top agents and employees were rewarded for their hard work and dedication to the company at the Century 21 Properties Plus Awards Breakfast held at the Hibernian Hall in Charleston. The company rewarded the following top agents with a free cruise: Jackie Wall, Dianne Broom, Kimberly Lease, Debbie Mansfield, Candace Palmer, Debra Simmons, Brenda Winters, Suzanne Scholz, Philip Hapke, Donna Converse, Nancy Rehm, Faye Merritt, Tenia Cattles, Jeff Bills, Margaret Billmyer, Ron Henderson, Bobette Fisher, Drew Sineath and Suzie Baird. The Rookie of the Year Award winners were Suzie Scholz, Johns Island office; Heather Lord, Metro North office; Pat Neuhaus, Mount Pleasant office; and Lori Pope, Summerville office. The Employee of the Year Award was presented to Cathy Morris, North Charleston corporate office.

MassMutual announced that its Charleston agency, under the leadership of general agent Nick Gavalas, received the Crystal Achievement Award. The company award recognizes the agency for continuous growth in production, new agents and persistency during the previous year.

Century 21 Properties Plus Inc. recognized Kimberly Lease as its top producer for 2005. Lease has been with the company for six years and was a recipient of the 2004 Centurion award.

The board of the South Carolina Arts Commission announced the 2006 recipients of the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Awards, the official Governor’s Awards for the Arts. These annual awards recognize outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts in South Carolina and are the highest honor the state gives in the arts. The honorees, in their categories, are: Arts in Education: Christine Sides Fisher, Rock Hill; Arts Organization: Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, Hilton Head; Government: The S.C. Department of Mental Health: The Art of Recovery, Columbia; Individual: Marvin-Joe Merck, Clemson; Individual Artist: Bob Doster, Lancaster; Special Award: Charles Wadsworth, New York, N.Y.; and Lifetime Achievement: David Sennema, Columbia.

Michael Bruner, a professional lampworker from James Island, received the Niche award from Niche magazine in the goblet category for his Venetian cellist piece.

Hagood Morrison, senior vice president of business development at CaroLinks, completed the Dale Carnegie High Impact Presentations course.

Richard T. Livingston, CPA, Gamble Givens and Moody LLC, received the Certified Fraud Examiner designation. CFEs are knowledgeable in four areas critical to the fight against fraud: Fraudulent Financial Transactions, Criminology & Ethics, Legal Elements of Fraud and Fraud Investigation. The ACFE awards this designation to select professionals who meet a stringent set of criteria, including character, experience and education. EXiT Realty Charleston Group, a local real estate company with four offices across the Charleston area, ended the year with top results among all 41 EXiT Realty franchises throughout both North and South Carolina. With 231 transactions, Ashley Bowers, based in the company’s Sullivan’s Island office, completed the most transactions of any agent throughout the region. The company as a whole also had the highest number of transactions of any franchise throughout the Carolinas, with a total of 492. Additionally, EXiT Realty Charleston Group was at the top of the pack in gross commissions for 2005, placing second, with a total of roughly $1.86 million.

The South Carolina Supreme Court has certified Nexsen Pruet attorneys Mary L. Hughes and John F. Emerson as Specialists in Employment and Labor Law. The designation, which required Hughes and Emerson to pass an interview and a written examination, brings the number of Nexsen Pruet lawyers who are certified in employment and labor law to eight.

TripAdvisor.com Travelers’ Choice Awards recognized the French Quarter Inn as the No. 1 ranked luxury property in the United States.

The Bank of America announced its 2005 Mortgage Awards. The Platinum Award is based on mortgage production in the top 5% of the nation. These winners are Joann Terrell, Neil Ferguson, Kathy Warner, Ben Black, Matt Snipes and Ashley Gallman. Mark Schepp was named National Rookie of the Year. Harry Smith was named Sales Manager of the Year. Rose Lawless and Alan Greer qualified for the Chariman’s Club. The President’s Club winners were Judy Risher, Stephen Perry and Ann Karesh Baker.

Sales manager Ben Schuyler and real estate agent Kim Cope of Weichert, Realtors—Dean-Kelby recently completed the organization’s requisite advanced training at the Weichert Management Academy in New Jersey.

Nancy C. Stice, a financial practitioner with Cornerstone Financial Strategies LLC, recently earned the Certified Financial Planner certification. This certification is awarded to individuals who have met the CFP board’s education, examination and experience requirements, have agreed to adhere to high standards of ethical conduct and have completed the board’s biennial certification requirements.

Senior Business Consultant Gregg Taylor has earned membership into the elite Million Dollar Club during Administaff’s 20th anniversary and national conference in Houston.

Century 21 Properties Plus recently recognized Candace Palmer with the Fred McKay Award. The Fred McKay Award, given in memory of Fred McKay, is an annual award presented to an associate or employee who exemplifies McKay’s spirit of giving back to the community in the form of volunteer work for Lowcountry organizations. Palmer earned the award through significant contributions to the community with St. Philips Episcopal Church where she is a member of the prayer chain, greeter’s ministry, and she cooks for the tea garden. She also supports various Greyhound rescue organizations and Water Missions International.

Shoshanna Szuch, owner and creative director of Charleston Marketing, has achieved the Distinguished Toastmaster designation. Distinguished Toastmaster is achieved after participating in a rigorous training program on both a state and national level. As a result of her participation with Toastmasters International, Szuch developed an educational program for small businesses, “Planned Marketing for Growth.”

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough honored four firm attorneys with the 2005 Claude M. Scarborough Jr. Award during the firm’s annual retreat. The Scarborough Award, named for Nelson Mullins’ chairman emeritus, honors firm attorneys who have made a special commitment to pro bono service. This year’s winners were Andrew Block, Valerie Umberger, Peter Phillips and Susan Quist.

Schmitt Walker Architects has received the Firm Award from the American Institute of Architects, South Carolina chapter, in recognition of its design excellence, significant body of work and for a continuity of service to the public that has made a lasting influence on the practice of architecture in state. The company also received an Honor Award for design excellence for the design of a four-level 13,500-square-feet mechanical building addition to the Basic Sciences Building at the Medical University of South Carolina.

The United States Chamber of Commerce presented Rep. Henry Brown, R-SC, with its “Spirit of Enterprise” award for his strong support for a pro-economic growth legislative agenda in the first session of the 109th Congress.

Maj. W. Jeffery Davis, a civil engineering professor at The Citadel, was named the 2005 Charleston Engineer of the Year by the Charleston Engineer’s Joint Council at this year’s annual banquet. The honor is awarded to an engineer elected from a pool of nominees who have made significant contributions to the engineering field.

Jacqueline H. Adamson, regional vice president for Roanoke Trade Services Inc., has been named the 2006 “Woman of the Year” by Charleston Women in International Trade. A founding member of CWIT, Adamson was also recognized by the Maritime Association of the Port of Charleston with its “Beacon” lifetime achievement award for distinguished service to the port. Tina Garrett, past president of the Advertising Federation of Charleston, was presented the 2006 Tom Alexander Silver Medal Award during the ADDY Awards.

During its recent Corps Day festivities, The Citadel awarded Palmetto Medals to Fred Lewis Price Jr., graduate of the class of 1975, of Columbia, and Frederick Ogden Nash, graduate of the class of 2006, of Hilton Head Island.

The South Carolina State Housing Authority awarded Heritage Trust’s First Mortgage Department the Small Broker of the Year Award. The department produced $2 million in loans under the SCSHA program, a 330% increase from the previous year’s totals.

Charleston’s Irvin-House Vineyards took home three Bronze Metals for Tara Gold, Magnolia and Palmetto wines at The Wines of the South 2005 Wine Competition.

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