Business Notes
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Business Notes

Christine Kirby is the president and chief executive officer of Mortgage Banking Systems. This promotion was effective as of May 1.

Kirby has more than 15 years of experience in the areas of financial management and executive management. She was executive vice president for the past three years. Before joining Mortgage Banking Systems, Kirby ran several successful small businesses.

Paul Whitt, the former president and CEO, will move out of daily operations to become a consultant to the company.

<lst>The Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce upcoming meetings are as follows:

Every Tuesday, a Lunch and Lead Tip Group allows members to meet and network, share leads and mingle, 12:15-1:30 at the Hyatt DoubleTree Hotel at Tysons, 7801 Leesburg Pike. R.S.V.P. to Harvey Silverman, 703-319-8806.

Every Friday, a Business-to-Business Tip Group meets, 12:15-1:30 p.m. at Shula's Steakhouse, 8028 Leesburg Pike, in the Tysons Corner Marriott. R.S.V.P. to Jodi Scholes, 703-255-1500.

The membership drive has been extended until May 31. The member who recruits the most new members will win a getaway at Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino and Retreat. New members will receive 14 months of membership for the price of 12, as well as a copy of the business database compact disc.

The Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce upcoming meetings are as follows:

June 2, Board of Directors meeting, 5:15 p.m., in the Community Room, Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road.

June 5, installation lunch, 11:30 a.m., at Flemings Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 1960 A Chain Bridge Road. The cost is $30 for members, $35 for non-members.

June 10, marketing committee meeting, 4 p.m., at Coldwell Banker Brokerage, 6832 Old Dominion Drive.

June 11, Rise 'N' Shine networking breakfast, 7:30 a.m., at Cafe Oggi, 6671 Old Dominion Drive. $15 for members, $20 for non-members.

June 12, membership committee meeting, 11:30 a.m., in the Community Room, Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road. Lunch by Kazan's Restaurant, with a lunch fee.

June 17, technology committee, 5:30 p.m., in the Community Room, Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road.

June 18, business mixer, 5:30-7:30 p.m., at Virginia Commerce Bank, 1356 Chain Bridge Road.

June 20, brown bag lunch with the executive director, new member and prospective member orientation, 12 p.m., in the Community Room, Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road.

June 25, education committee meeting, 8:30 a.m., in the Community Room, Governmental Center, 1437 Balls Hill Road.

The Greater McLean Chamber of Commerce reservation policy states that payment must be made in advance or at the door. No-shows will be billed unless the reservation is canceled 48 hours in advance. A $25 fee will be charged for returned checks.

Business and Profession Women of Greater Fairfax will host Kathy Hannon, general manager of Tysons Corner Center, for a discussion titled "Shopping - From a Business Perspective" at its monthly dinner meeting on Tuesday, June 3, 6:30-9 p.m., at Tysons Corner Embassy Suites, 8517 Leesburg Pike, Vienna. Reservations are $25. For information and reservations, call 703-471-4604.

The Hungarian Trade and Investment Conference will take place on Thursday, May 29, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., at The Tower Club, Tysons Corner. The conference will feature a delegation of the Hungarian government introducing opportunities presented by Hungary to the Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. metropolitan area technology community.

Stephan Quinn Cassaday, CFP, CFS, president of Cassaday & Co. Inc., a McLean-based financial planning and investment management firm, will receive the 2003 Leadership Award from the National Capital Chapter of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) during the chapter's annual gala on June 30. Peers in the planning progression give the award to the member whose contributions to the overall success of the chapter merit exceptional recognition. Cassaday served on the board of directors of the FPA for 11 years, during which he introduced several new FPA initiatives, including the annual FPA Gala. The gala serves as a fund-raising event for the Good Samaritan Foundation, an area charity.

Bank of America is opening a new Tysons Corner banking center, located 1934 Old Gallows Road. The 1960 Gallows Road Bank of America location will be relocated to the new banking center, which will feature six lobby teller stations, two walk-up and two drive-up automated teller machines and a night depository. To celebrate the banking center's opening, customers will be offered a free companion airline certificate when opening any personal or small business checking account; a 1.9 percent introductory annual percentage rate for qualified applicants who open a Bank of America credit card; a $200 Bank of America Visa gift card for customers who take out a mortgage; a $75 Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse gift certificate for opening a home equity line of credit; and free, unlimited online bill pay when signing up for online banking.

The banking center's hours will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Patrick Jourdan recently joined the architecture firm of Davis Carter Scott Ltd. and will work with Douglas Carter and his design team in their McLean office. Jourdan has 25 years of national and international design experience, beginning his career with a master’s degree in architecture from Ecole National Auperieure des Beax-Arts in Paris and master planning commissions that include theme parks, retail entertainment complexes, corporate campuses and mixed-use urban development. Davis Carter Scott is the largest locally owned architectural and interior architectural firm in the D.C. metropolitan area.

Carlyn & Co. Interior Design of Great Falls was awarded the "Pillars of Industry" National Interior Merchandising Award at the 12th annual National Association of Home Builders conference held last March in Boca Raton, Fla. Judges honored Carlyn & Co. for their extraordinary design efforts on behalf of JPI, the developer of the community, for their Carlyle Mill project in Alexandria.

The "Vienna Dining & Lodging Guide" for 2003 is now available. The guide showcases dining choices to be found all around town, and features everything from fast food to ethnic selections to fine cuisine.

Lara, Shull & May Ltd. will partner with The Capital Trust Co. of Delaware, an independent trustee that assists professional advisers in serving the trust needs of their clients, for a new strategic alliance to offer personal trust services. In addition to managing assets where the trustee is an individual or a bank, Lara, Shull & May will now be able to offer the benefits of corporate trusteeship while preserving clients’ ability to continue to use customized investment management. Lara, Shull & May Ltd., is an independent, full-service tax and investment planning firm and broker-dealer located in Vienna.

Bowers Construction Group Inc. received high honors in the "Entire House" division of this year's Regional Contractor of the Year awards. Bowers Construction Group is located in McLean and is a member of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

Toastmasters International District 27 invites area businesses, service organizations, churches, schools and government agencies to take advantage of its Speakers Bureau, a free public service that helps to take the risk out of hiring a speaker. Speakers can present speeches on topics including motivational and inspirational topics, self-esteem, government issues, women’s issues, technology, marketing, real estate and international relations. With enough notice, some members can also give a custom presentation.

The initial contact through the Bureau is free. If the organization decides to call the speaker back after the speaker has performed at its function, it then coordinates call-backs with the speaker directly. For a complete list of topics and speakers, visit www.geocities.com/D27bureau, or call Kerri Kannan at 703-609-9738.

Leading specialty retailer Talbot’s plans to open its first Talbot’s men’s store in the D.C. metro area. The 3,900-square-foot Talbot’s men’s store is expected to open in September at Tysons Corner Center in McLean. It will be the sixth Talbot’s men’s store nationwide.

For the fourth consecutive year, Acumen Solutions, a management and technology consulting firm in Vienna, has kicked off its Project Wellness program, a corporate initiative designed to promote camaraderie, personal accomplishment and the mental and physical well-being of each participant. Each participant sets a personal goal for himself that can be accomplished within a six-month period. Coworkers then build unity, feel the support of their company and establish a sense of teamwork that enriches their commitment to the organization, besides being healthier people.

April was The Craftmark Group's best month in its sales history. With 77 total net sales, Craftmark Homes and Craftstar Homes combined hit a sales landmark. As of April, The Craftmark Group completed 227 home sales, putting it on track to meet or exceed last year's total sales of 551.

Carlyn & Co. Interior Design of Great Falls captured nine Merchandising Achievement in Marketing Excellence (MAME) awards and four Awards of Merit at the awards ceremony on May 1 in Tysons Corner. The MAME awards, considered the most prestigious regional marketing awards in the building industry, honor excellence in merchandising, sales achievement, overall marketing and advertising in the Washington metropolitan area.

Robert Q. Montgomery has joined McLean Insurance Agency as a senior account executive. Montgomery will be responsible for developing the firm's relationship with the high technology industry as well as with accounts in other market segments. Montgomery specializes in all aspects of commercial insurance, including intellectual property rights, directors and officer's liability and errors and omissions insurance for both public and private companies. McLean Insurance is an independent agency and a member of the Sitkins 100, offering commercial, personal and benefits insurance packages from major insurance providers.

The Town of Vienna has introduced a Web site for the residents of Vienna, www.ILoveVienna.com. The Web site lists local organizations, places of worship, schools and neighborhood events. Residents are encouraged to register on and use the site and add their own events for other residents to see.

The Vienna-Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce is commencing advertising sales for its new Vienna-Tysons Chamber Directory and Relocation Guide. The directory provides a showcase for the local business community, access to community resources and business networking information. For more information about the directory, call the Vienna-Tysons Chamber of Commerce at 703-281-1333 or visit www.vtrcc.org.

The employees of Atlantic Realty Cos. recently participated in “Fans for Families,” a project that collects fans for low-income families without air conditioning. Atlantic Realty collected cash donations and fans May 5-9, then delivered their collection to Fairfax County Child Protection Services Department in the Fairfax Government Center. Atlantic Realty plans to also contribute presents to a local homeless shelter for Christmas in July and plans to participate in Habitat for Humanity and Adopt-A-Family.

Theodore J. Georgelas, a commercial real estate developer and chairman at Sector Communications in McLean, was elected to serve on the board of directors of United Bankshares Inc. Georgelas will serve until the 2004 annual meeting.

Timothy L. Hill, acting chief marketing officer, was appointed to the board of directors for LanpherWilson Corp., a consulting firm in Reston. Hill is also president of Hill Partners in Great Falls.