Names & notes

Friday, April 4, 2008

Realtor Collette Lusk recently joined EXIT Landmark Realty in White Plains.

Lusk has lived in the Southern Maryland area for more than 35 years.

She has more than 13 years of experience as a corporate accountant with a mortgage company, according to a press release.

She is active in the community serving as a National Night Out neighborhood coordinator. She volunteers with 4-H, PTA and a gifted parent advisory committee, and is a certified horseback riding instructor.

‘‘I made the best choice in joining EXIT Landmark Realty. I am impressed with the many tools they offer agents to better serve clients and also their commitment to professional development,” she said in a press release. ‘‘I am most impressed with their interactive distance learning lab. It allows me to receive training from national trainers in our office. My highest priority as a Realtor is to provide buyers and sellers with exceptional service.”

McConnell, Wootanearn real estate honors

Fred McConnell and Bill Wootan, local Realtors with Century 21 H.T. Brown, have been inducted into the Master Sales Society with the designation of master sale professional.

In January, McConnell and Wootan completed three days of training and took an oath to uphold the high standards and code of conduct that the Master Sales Society demands. Less than 1 percent of all Realtors nationwide have earned this distinction, according to a press release.

Floyd Wickman, founder of the Master Sales Society, led the three-day Master Sales Academy in Chicago.

The academy teaches how to build lifetime client relationships through service and abiding by core values.

‘‘Fred and Bill’s commitment to education shows in the glowing recommendations from their clients and their willingness to refer Fred and Bill to their friends and family. We are proud of Fred McConnell and Bill Wootan and to have them as part of our team,” said Charles Davis, manager of Century 21 H.T. Brown’s Waldorf office, in the release.

Famous Dave’s Weeden back from seminar

Demetrius Weeden, manager of the Waldorf Famous Dave’s barbecue restaurant, recently returned from a national Famous Dave’s training seminar and management workshop in Minneapolis which was attended by more than 125 Famous Dave’s general managers and area directors nationwide.

Six breakout sessions provided the managers with tools they could bring back to their restaurant operations. The workshop also focused on how managers can stay relevant with guests in the competitive restaurant industry with its ever-changing expectations and demands.

‘‘The workshop enabled me to network with other Famous Dave’s general managers who also share the passion that our founder, the real ‘Famous Dave,’ has instilled in all of us. And I found the breakout sessions very applicable to what we do in the Waldorf restaurant to make it ‘famous’ for our guests each and every day,” Weeden said in a press release.

Anderson selectedfor Leadership Maryland

Lorrie Anderson, owner of Country Florist of Waldorf and a resident of Port Tobacco, has been selected for the Leadership Maryland Class of 2008, according to a company press release. Leadership Maryland is an independent, educational, nonprofit organization designed to inform top-level executives, from the public and private sectors, about the critical issues, challenges and opportunities facing the state of Maryland and its regions. Anderson is one of 52 statewide leaders selected to participate in the eight-month program.

Following a two-day opening retreat in April, participants will attend five two-day and one one-day intense sessions focusing on issues, such as, economic development, education, health and human services, criminal and juvenile justice, environment and multicultural⁄diversity. More than 100 experts representing business, government, education and the nonprofit community will serve as panelists and guest speakers.

‘‘The participants represent a broad spectrum of highly qualified executives from an extraordinary group of statewide applicants,” said Nancy Minieri, president of Leadership Maryland, in the release. ‘‘After participating in a comprehensive range of experiences over the next year, these leaders will serve as important participants in the unified effort to shape Maryland’s future.”

Younker joins SMBN

Bobbi Younker, owner of MYB World-Wide of La Plata, has joined the Southern Maryland Business Network.Ê

Younker specializes in gift albums designedÊforÊgeneral and special occasions.

Younker has already accepted duties on the SMBN orientation and membership committee .

Criswell earns awardfrom General Motors

Harry E. Criswell III of Criswell Chevrolet was named a General Motors Dealer of the Year and presented with the Jack Smith Leadership Award.

Criswell is one of only 115 GM dealers – out of 6,700 in the United States – who were recognized for sales performance and superior customer service.

The Jack Smith Leadership Award is named after the retired GM chairman and chief executive officer who founded the Dealer of the Year program. The award, a Steuben crystal obelisk, represents excellence and high achievement and was presented to each of the winners.

‘‘In honoring Harry Criswell III, we recognize that he has reached the pinnacle of success in our dealer network, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate this achievement. Criswell Chevrolet Inc. has successfully blended extraordinary sales and customer service into one dealership,” said Mark LaNeve, group vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing, GM North America, in a press release.

Lowe named agent of year

Carolyn Lowe of Century 21 H.T. Brown Real Estate was recently named agent of the year. A 20-year veteran in the industry, Lowe excels in customer service, knowledge of the business and attention to detail, , according to a company press release.Ê

Manager Charles Davis said Lowe is an agent of excellence and integrity and is well deserving of the award, according to the release.