Kudos

CEO of Icagen is honored for excellence in fundraising

Kay Wagoner, chief executive of Icagen, was honored for excellence in fundraising by Women in Bio. The Bethesda, Md., organization helps foster entrepreneurship and the professional development of women in the bioscience industry.

Under Wagoner's leadership, the Durham drug development company has raised more than $60 million in the past two years.

Icagen started selling stock to the public in February 2005. The initial public stock offering raised about $40 million and was the first IPO by a Triangle company since September 2002.

Two months ago, the company attracted $22 million in a private placement of stock from a group of venture capital firms, hedge funds and other investors.

The cash is expected to last through the end of 2008, when Icagen expects to have late-stage clinical testing data for its sickle-cell therapy. Positive test results would allow the company to ask for regulatory approval of the sickle-cell drug. The regulatory filing would trigger a cash payment from partner Johnson & Johnson.

Teresa S. Hall, a principal with Clark Nexsen in Raleigh, has been elected into the membership of Construction Professionals Network of North Carolina.

DuPont received the Industrial Biotechnology Leadership Award from the N.C. Biotechnology Center. The award honors achievement in technical endeavors, business leadership, the translation of new technologies into commercial markets, support for education and community service.

Shawn B. Besanson, broker-owner of Realty World-Triangle Living in Raleigh, won first place from HomeLife Communities' Keys to Your Dreams program for selling the most HomeLife Communities homes in 2006. Kevin McVicker, also of Realty World, placed second.

Ashlee Lawson, franchise operator of the Chick-fil-A restaurant at North Hills In-Line Unit, was awarded the Symbol of Success Award at the Chick-fil-A annual meeting in Scottsdale, Ariz. As the chain's highest honor, the award recognizes operators who successfully achieved aggressive sales goals over the previous year.

Thomas E. Brinley, Chad Brinley and Robert Brinley, owners of Brinley's Grading Service in Garner, won the seventh annual Contractor of the Year Award sponsored by trade magazine Equipment World and construction equipment manufacturers Caterpillar and Wacker Corp.

Mary Gallagher, vice president of global professional services at SciQuest in Morrisville, has been included in Supply & Demand Chain Executive's 2007 Provider Pros to Know. The list is composed of individuals who have helped raise the profile of supply chains and increased the importance of supply chain as a strategic function within the enterprise.

S&ME in Raleigh won two Engineering Excellence Awards in a competition sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina. The awards honor engineering achievements that demonstrate the highest degree of merit and ingenuity.

John C. Pittman, director of the Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine, attended "A Practical Application of Treating Adult Hormone Deficiencies -- Advanced Course." The seminar was sponsored by the International Hormone Society and the Bio-Identical Hormone Society.

Susie Gilmore of Creative Photo Design in Raleigh received the Court of Honor Award for her painting of Caitlyn Ellis of Sanford entitled "Sooo Soft" at the annual convention of the Professional Photographers of North Carolina.

East Coast Equipment in Winterville was presented with the John Deere Manager's Club award given by John Deere and Co. as a result of excellence in sales, service, parts and financial operations.

Nine lawyers with Ellis & Winters have been recognized in the 2007 edition of N.C. Super Lawyers. The publication included a feature on Dick Ellis, who was named to the Top 100 and Top 10 lawyers in North Carolina. Leslie O'Toole was named to the Top 100 and Top 50 Female lawyers in North Carolina and Matt Sawchak was named to the Top 100 lawyers in North Carolina.

Tastefully Simple consultant Deborah Marcinkiewicz of Chapel Hill won three awards from the direct sales gourmet food company: Top 10 Recruiter, Top Team Sales and Top 10 Sales.

Raleigh-based Landquest announced that Brook Ridge, a New Hampshire community for residents ages 55 and older, was named the Best New Land-Lease Community in the United States at the 2006 National Industry Awards. Landquest was responsible for all aspects of the project.

John Hancock Life Insurance Co. sold more long term care insurance than any other carrier in 2006, according to a survey by LIMRA International. Also, John Hancock had the highest growth rate of the top 10 carriers in its retail business.