Kudos

Durham leads magazine's best places to retire

Durham tops Black Enterprise magazine's list of the 20 best places to retire, based on quality of life, affordable health care and other considerations.

The magazine considered a number of factors in tabulating its "20 Best Places to Retire" list for the October issue.

Other top locations -- Charlottesville, Va.; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Nashville, Tenn.; Lexington, Ky.; Roswell, Ga.; and Columbia, Mo. -- also received the magazine's best score for quality of life, which incorporated housing prices, public schools, crime levels, traffic congestion and commercial air access.

Asheville, ranked 11th, ahead of Gahanna, Ohio, and below Indianapolis.

The Triangle routinely ranks high in lists ranking the places to live and work, and experts say the region's reputation helps draw more job seekers and retirees, boosting the economy.

The Black Enterprise rankings, in a survey created by the magazine's editors, gave cities 40 percent of the total score for quality of life, 20 percent for health care and 15 percent each for taxes and leisure. Arts and culture and climate each accounted for 5 percent of the total score.

Editor-In-Chief Derek Dingle said the goal was to show readers solid retirement options that let them stretch their retirement dollars. Many of the cities are near metropolitan areas with access to historically black universities "where they can engage in leisure and arts and cultural activities, areas for our audience that had some African American orientation."

Awards, recognition, certifications

Robert M. Eastmann was recognized for providing exceptional client service at focus08, an industry conference hosted by LPL Financial. Eastmann was named a member of LPL Financial's Freedom Club, comprising the top 10 percent of more than 11,000 investment professionals.

Claudette Rhodes-Greger of Greger Realty in Morrisville will be awarded the certified international property specialist designation by the National Association of Realtors at the association's annual convention in Orlando, Fla., on Nov. 8.

Barry W. Tribble of BWTribble.com in Marion won honorable mention in the furniture category at the Veneer Tech Craftsman Challenge Woodworking Competition in Atlanta. Andrew Prioli of Cedar Ridge High School won an honorable mention in the student design category.

Cary Audio Design's Cinema 11V has been named 2008 Product of the Year by Electronic House magazine. Cinema 11v provides connectivity for external hardware devices and displays video formats.

S.C. Garrett Co. of Raleigh was honored for sales excellence by Republic Powdered Metals, which provides reflective roof coatings. The company achieved sales of more than $2 million in 2007 and was among 25 businesses nationwide inducted into the Republic Century Club. In addition, Stan Garrett won a Republic's Founders Award for dedication and Carter Garrett was named a Republic Future Eagle for sales excellence.

Charles E. Rodes, director of the Aerosol Exposure Program at RTI International, has been named an RTI senior fellow. The program provides professional opportunities for exceptionally talented staff committed to science, technology, research and policy analysis in support of RTI's mission to improve the human condition.

ShopBot Tools in Durham, which manufactures robotic tools for the woodworking industry, was selected as a finalist for the Challengers Distinguished Achievement Award at the Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair in Atlanta. ShopBot was recognized for its continuous advances in affordable woodworking machinery.

Brian Shelton, retired director of N.C. State University's College of Agriculture and Life Science, Poultry Science Extension, won the Golden Skillet Award at the N.C. Poultry Federation's annual banquet and awards program. The Golden Skillet Award is the Egg Council's top award, presented to those who have gone beyond the call of duty to support the North Carolina egg industry.

The Freelon Group Architects received 2008 Society of Marketing Professional Services Marketing Communications Awards at the SMPS/PSMA conference in Denver, Colo. Reilly Communications and The Freelon Group received first place for media relations campaign. The Freelon Group also won Best of Show.

Brand Fuels' vice president Danny Rosin was named to Counselor magazine's hot list of key players in the promotional products industry. Rosin is one of 37 in the Advertising Specialty Institute to be honored by the magazine in its August issue. Brand Fuel has offices in Durham, Morrisville and Norfolk, Va.

The Umstead Hotel and Spa's gift shop was recognized as the 2008 Gold Winner in Visual Merchandising at the 57th Annual Retailer Excellence Awards ceremony in New York. Gift & Decorative Accessories magazine hosts the annual awards.

Hutchens, Senter & Britton, which has offices in Fayetteville, Wilmington, Clayton and Charlotte, received the Diamond Award of Excellence from USFN-America's Mortgage Banking Attorneys, which recognizes industry leadership, staff development and client relations. In all, 34 law firms received the award.