Kudos

Magazines praise family-friendly companies

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is one of four employers based in the state that made Working Mother magazine's 100 Best Companies list this year.

Others include Bank of America, Wachovia and Pitt County Memorial Hospital. GlaxoSmithKline and IBM, employers with large Triangle operations, also made the list.

Working Mother's compilation recognizes employers that have family-friendly policies and perks, despite the sagging economy, including child care, parental leave and flexible schedules.

Such benefits -- and winning recognition for them -- can help employers recruit and keep top talent.

Meanwhile, Carolina Parent, a Triangle-based magazine, recognized Blue Cross as one of 40 family-friendly companies.

Other Triangle employers on its list include Arysta LifeScience, Capitol Broadcasting, Cato Research, Cisco Systems, Duke University Health System, Expedite Group, IBM, Primrose School, Progress Energy, Rex Healthcare, Rho, SAS Institute, SciQuest, UNC Health Care, EPA and WakeMed.

Awards, recognitions and certifications

Mathnasium Learning Centers recognized business owner Denise McCann with two Best Center Growth Awards at its fourth annual international franchise convention. Winners were selected based on operational and financial growth. McCann's two centers, Mathnasium of Cary and Mathnasium of Brier Creek, won the award in the categories of centers open for one year and centers open less than one year.

Juli LaDue, creative director at Hummingbird Creative Group in Cary, has been recognized for volunteering with Durham Public Schools. She was awarded a certificate of appreciation for her work in the classroom and as a chaperone on field trips.

Alliance of Professionals & Consultants of Raleigh was presented with the Southeastern Region, Minority Service Firm of the Year award from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Triangle Eye Physicians received the 2008 Best of Raleigh for Laser Vision Correction award from the U.S. Local Business Association. The award is given to local companies that enhance the positive image of small businesses through service to their customers and community.

Sen. Elizabeth Dole received a Best of Congress Award from Working Mother Media and Corporate Voices for Working Families. The award recognizes congressional excellence in supporting working families through legislation and by employing family-friendly policies in their offices. Recipients are featured in the August/September 2008 issue of Working Mother magazine.

Salon Moxie, a hair salon in North Raleigh, received the 2008 Parents' Picks Award for Best Teen Hair Cut in Raleigh in Nickelodeon's first annual awards program for family-friendly services. Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect.com is an online resource for parenting advice and the community.

Lawrence T. Foley with First Citizens Bank and Trust in Raleigh achieved Accredited Senior Appraiser status with the American Society of Appraisers.

Michael D. Ruff, vice president of pharmaceutical development at Metrics in Greenville, received a clinical doctor of pharmacy degree from the Shenandoah University Bernard J. Dunn College of Pharmacy.

The top 10 firms in the Vault Guide to the Top 50 Management and Strategy Consulting Firms are: McKinsey & Co., The Boston Consulting Group, Bain & Co., Booz & Co., Monitor Group, Mercer, Deloitte, Oliver Wyman, PricewaterhouseCoopers and L.E.K. Consulting. Vault.com is a career information media company.

Tom Ross, president of Davidson College and former executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, won a Defender of Justice Award in the special honoree category. State Rep. Jennifer Weiss of Cary won in the Legislative Advocacy category; Juvencio Rocha Peralta Jr. of Amexcan in Greenville and Beloved Community Center in Greensboro won in the Grassroots Empowerment category; Jane Perkins of the National Health Law Program in Chapel Hill won in the Litigation category; and Charlotte Observer staff members Ames Alexander, Kerry Hall, Franco Ordonez, Peter St. Onge and Ted Mellnik won in the category of Policy Research and Advocacy. Defender of Justice Awards honors those who strive to make North Carolina a fairer and more just state.

Stewart Engineering in Raleigh received a Society of Marketing Professional Services National Marketing Communications Award in the feature writing category. The SMPS awards recognize excellence in marketing and communications by professional services firms in the design and building industry. Mary Ann Baldwin, director of marketing for Stewart, received the award at the SMPS National Conference Awards Gala in Denver, Colo.

Cortney Dice of Chapel Hill earned a doctor of chiropractic degree from Logan College of Chiropractic. Dice will serve patients with her father, Dr. Wayne Dice, until January, when she plans to open a practice in Raleigh.

Duke Energy and Progress Energy were listed in Site Selection magazine's annual Top Utilities in Economic Development. The designation is based on 2007 performance in four categories: capital investment, job creation, capital investment per capita and jobs over 10,000 in population.

Roy Roberts, president and chief executive officer of Alliance of Professionals & Consultants, received the Minority Service Firm of the Year Award at the National Minority Enterprise Development Week conference, which was held in Washington.