New Hires & Promotions
The Webb Companies would like to announce the hiring of four new positions: Mike Bredensteiner, as the maintenance supervisor; Logan Browning, as a property accountant; Denise Gilliland, as a senior accountant; and Clay Sizemore, as an asset manager.
Downtown Lexington Partnership board of directors have named Allen McDaniel as the organization’s new executive director.
Anna S. Papero, Ph. D., has been named the new executive director of the Child Development Center of the Bluegrass, located on the campus of the University of Kentucky.
WesBanco Inc. has promoted Abdul Muhammad as its central Kentucky market president while maintaining his current responsibilities as regional sales manager of its central Kentucky and southern Indiana markets.
Kentucky American Water has named Jason Case manager of operations for the company’s northern division.
The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA) board of directors has added six new directors. For a second consecutive year, Jeffrey Bloom, managing partner of Bloom Racing Stable, will serve as president of the TAA. The directors beginning service in 2023 are Price Bell, general manager of Mill Ridge Farm; Bonnie Comerford, veterinarian at Tiegland, Franklin, & Brokken; Joe De Francis, HISA director and managing partner of Gainesville Associates LLC; Georganne Hale — returning for a second term — vice president of racing development of Maryland Jockey Club; Ric Waldman, president of Ric Waldman Thoroughbred Consulting Inc, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association member; Mark Simendinger, former development manager and general manager of Kentucky Speedway, former member of Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and former president of Turfway Park.
Lexington Real Estate Company founder, Phil Holoubek, has been appointed to the board of the Congress for the New Urbanism.
Fox 56 News has promoted Justin Logan to chief meteorologist. Aside from Logan, Fox’s now expanded weather team includes Justin Esterly, Payden Hinkle, Chris Johnson and David Aldrich.
Commerce Lexington has named its 2023 executive board and officers. The 18-member fiduciary board for the organization will be led by board chair Cassidy Rosenthal, Stites & Harbison’s Lexington office executive member. Other members of the executive board, as well as officers, include: Kevin Atkins (city representative); Tucker Ballinger (vice chair, the business and education network); Carla Blanton (vice chair, public policy and regional engagement); Keeana Boarman (at-large member); Steve Byars (board chair-elect); Jonathan Caldwell (at-large member); Kimra Cole (vice chair, membership and engagement); Luther Deaton (vice chair, economic development); Larry Forester (vice chair, community and minority business development); John Gohmann (immediate past chair); Toa Green (vice chair, leadership development); Branden Gross (general counsel); John Mahan (regional representative); Danny Murphy (vice chair, communications); Bob Quick (board secretary); Daryl Smith (at-large member); and Debbie Smith (treasurer).
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival announced the addition of Stacy Pritchard as the new vice president of distillery relations, as well as the election of Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.’s Cordell Lawrence to vice chairman of the board.
VisitLEX has announced the following five new hires: Martina Barksdale, director of communications; Jenna Erickson, destination services manager; Leslie Miller, vice president of marketing; Mary Jane Speer, marketing content manager; and Sarah Ritter, executive assistant. VisitLEX announced the following two promotions on the marketing team: Erin Hilton, director of tourism; and Julie Schickel, director of visitor services. VisitLEX also announced four promotions on the sales team: Stephen Barnett, Sandy Johnson, Roseanne Mingo and Becca Rogers have all been promoted to directors of destination sales.
The Board of Trust for the Bingham Program for Excellence in Teaching at Transylvania University has named John Norton Williams Jr. as its executive director.
Kentucky Community and Technical College System President Paul Czarapata has been elected to lead the 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global) board for 2023.
Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator (PVA) David O’Neill has been elected president of the Kentucky PVA Association. In that capacity, O’Neill will also serve on the Kentucky Association of Counties board of directors.
Susan Davis and newly licensed Realtor Lee Gottschalk recently joined the Commonwealth Real Estate Professionals team; and Elissa LaPrelle has been promoted to office coordinator within the agency.
Kelley Nisbet has been installed as the 2023 president of Bluegrass Realtors.
Mediocre Creative has added two new team members: Olivia Kalinowski as content manager, and Trevor Holder in business development. In January, Mediocre received a World Brand Design Society award for its work on Taco Tico’s brand identity.
CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group – Cardiology welcomed Fred Hamlin, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, to its practice at Saint Joseph Jessamine and in Lebanon. Hussam Hamdalla, MD, has also joined the CHI Saint Joseph Medical Group – Cardiovascular team in Lexington, Nicholasville, Mount Sterling and Lebanon.
Landrum & Shouse has welcomed the addition of associate attorneys Nancy Kasko and Zonya Myers to the firm’s Lexington office.
Dentons has added Anthony J. Cieri as a partner in Lexington in the firm’s corporate group.
JRA Architects has promoted Inga Hardman, AIA, and Matt DeLuca, AIA KYCID, to associates at the Lexington office. Sam Montgomery, AIA also recently joined the Lexington office team.
Kudos
Bluegrass Families First, a Lexington- based nonprofit, has named Melanie Tyner-Wilson as recipient of the 2023 Jean Sabharwal Award. The annual award recognizes an individual or group who has demonstrated passionate advocacy for Lexington’s children and families.
Commerce Lexington Inc. presented its annual Community Impact Award to Luther Deaton, president and CEO of Central Bank, and chairman, president and CEO of Central Bancshares. Ray Daniels of Equity Solutions Group has been honored with the Volunteer of the Year award.
Alltech Crop Science announced the acquisition of Ideagro, based in Murcia, Spain. The partnership joins two leading platforms to accelerate soil and crop research, and to enhance biological and other microorganism-based offerings to Alltech Crop Science customers throughout the world.
Marsha Norman, Suzan-Lori Parks, both accomplished playwrights, screenwriters, and Pulitzer Prize winners, and Richard Taylor, former Kentucky Poet Laureate (1999-01) and 2018 recipient of the Thomas D. Clark Medallion, are among this year’s inductees into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame. The 2023 Hall of Fame class will also include two posthumous Kentucky writers: romantic poet Madison Cawein, known as the “Keats of Kentucky,” and Harlem Renaissance poet, writer of short stories and journalist Blanch Taylor Dickinson. The induction ceremony will take place at 7 p.m. on March 23 at the Kentucky Theatre.
Bluegrass Realtors has named Deni Hamilton, an agent with Coldwell Banker McMahan in Georgetown, as Bluegrass Realtors’ Realtor® of the Year for 2022. Christy Rock, an agent with Milestone Realty Consultants in Georgetown, has been presented the Good Neighbor Award. The 2022 President’s Award has been presented to Bonnie Mays, broker/owner of United Real Estate; Dwan Taylor, executive director of Realtor-Community Housing Foundation; and Justin Landon, CEO of Bluegrass Realtors for their dedicated service to the association over the past year.
For its community involvement and a $3 million investment to build fiber broadband in the county’s rural communities, the Jessamine Chamber of Commerce named highspeed fiber-broadband provider Kinetic 2023 Business of the Year.
McBrayer PLLC member Kathryn A. Eckert has been selected by Meritas, the premier global network of business law firms, to serve on the Meritas U.S. Leadership Committee. The committee develops strategies and action plans to maximize involvement and engagement of the network’s United States member firms.
McBrayer PLLC member Keeana Sajadi Boarman has been named to the Commerce Lexington executive board for 2023. Boarman will serve as an at-large member.
The Farm Credit Mid-America board of directors is pleased to announce the Farm Credit Administration has given preliminary approval for the merger of Farm Credit Mid-America and Farm Credit Midsouth.
Bluegrass Tomorrow has announced the recipients of its 2023 Vision Awards. Castle and Key founder Will Arvin will receive the Vision Award for Preservation and Adaptive Use. University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto will receive the Vision Award for Education. Kris Kimel, founder of Humanity in Deep Space, will receive the Bluegrass Legacy Award for Entrepreneurship and Technology. The Robert N. Clay Presidents Award for most valuable board member will be presented to Blaine Early of Stites & Harbison. More Vision Awards to be presented include Ray Daniels (Vision Award for Diversity), CentreWorks (Spirit of the Bluegrass Vision Award), Nancy Cox, University of Kentucky (Vision Award for Agriculture and Sustainability), Clark Foundation (Vision Award for Community Enhancement), Chenault Winery-Madison County (Vision Award for Agricultural Entrepreneurship).
The historic downtown Lexington Opera House recently broke its record for most events in a calendar year; previously, the most events in a year was in 2015 with 162 performances. In 2022, the Lexington Opera House broke the record with a total of 166 performances.
The Kentucky Equine Economic Project (KEEP) announced the following new additions to its board of directors: Hallie Hardy, executive director of Horse Country in Lexington; Kim Smith, founder and executive director of Second Stride in Crestwood, Kentucky, and owner and operator of Moserwood Farms in Prospect, Kentucky; and Rob Tribbett, vice president of the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association in Lexington and general manager of Watercress Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Additionally, the KEEP board of directors elected Red Mile COO/ CFO Shannon Cobb. Cobb joins returning board chair Case Clay in the leadership of the organization. The KEEP board of directors also welcomed three new representative members: Mindy Coleman, Jockeys’ Guild; Conor Lucas, Revolutionary Racing; and Gerry Duffy, Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers’ Club.
Be Medispa was honored with the Sapphire award from global industry leader Merz Aesthetics. The distinction is presented only to the company’s highest-ranking practices in the U.S. Be Medispa’s injectable services ranked first in Kentucky and top 15 nationwide.
John Chamness of Energy Insurance Agency was recognized as one of the top 25 independent insurance agents in the Insurance Journal’s 2022 Agents of the Year.
Landrum & Shouse LLP announced several attorneys from their Lexington office have been selected to the 2023 Kentucky Super Lawyers list. Pierce W. Hamblin who also made Top 50 for the state of Kentucky in mediation and arbitration, Leslie P. Vose who also made Top 50 for the state of Kentucky and the Top 25 Women of Kentucky. Elizabeth A. Deener, Larry C. Deener, Michael E. Hammond, Bradley C. Hooks, John R. Martin, John G. McNeill, Daniel E. Murner, R. Kent Westberry, Elizabeth J. Winchell and Bennett E. Bayer were also recognized as Super Lawyers. Justin Baxter was recognized as a Rising Star.