NGDA Interactive Communications has named John Talanca Jr. as president. Talanca, who previously served as a vice president with Gerbig, Snell/Weisheimer & Associates, will oversee and lead all day-to-day business and financial operations of NGDA. He will also be responsible for assessing future business opportunities and aligning NGDA’s services to better support the needs of Gerbig, Snell/Weisheimer & Associates, the parent company of NGDA. Wil Schroter, founder of NGDA, remains the company’s CEO.
Jeffrey L. Copeland, president and COO of Elford Inc., has received the 1998 Cornerstone Award by the Builders Exchange of Central Ohio. This award, given annually since 1954, honors individuals whose contributions to the local industry and community are exemplary. Copeland has been with Elford Inc. for nearly 20 years and has spent more than 30 years in construction. He is a past Builders Exchange President’s Award recipient, has served on the Builders Exchange board for seven years and on Westerville’s Business Advisory Council for three years, has been president of the Westerville Board of Education for two years, and has served as an industry representative on the Department of Trade and Development’s Building Regulations Review Team for two years.
Richard V. Patchen, founding partner of Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP, has been awarded the 1999 Bar Service Award for his record of commitment to the bar. This is the highest honor awarded by the Columbus Bar Association. Patchen, who has spent 40 years in the legal profession, has served on the Columbus Bar Association Board of Governors, and for 10 years has been the volunteer business lawyer of the association. He presided over the incorporation of the association and the formation of its for-profit subsidiaries. Patchen is also an active member of the American and Ohio State bar associations and a fellow of both the Columbus and Ohio State bar foundations.
The American Marketing Association Columbus Chapter has named Doug Ross, an assistant dean at Franklin University, as its Marketing Educator of the Year. Ross was selected for his efforts in marketing Franklin University’s new Master of Science degree in marketing and communication.
Frank Wojcik has been named vice president and chief investment officer for Fifth Third Bank. In this role, Wojcik directs Fifth Third’s investment strategy in Central Ohio and oversees the portfolio management for personal and institutional trust assets.
Chris Vlahos has been promoted to senior vice president, director of media services for Lord, Sullivan & Yoder Inc. Vlahos has been with LSY since 1988.
“For the past 11 years, Chris has led LSY’s Media Services in delivering the very best in contemporary media thinking for our clients,” says Robert Bender, chairman and CEO of LSY. “Chris has also contributed greatly to our new business efforts, and he has accepted many other special assignments beyond media to help LSY’s growth.”
NEXTLINK Columbus has hired Timothy Cleary as director of finance. Prior to joining NEXTLINK, Cleary was manager of financial services with Time Warner Communications, where he oversaw the development of the financial services department.
The Columbus chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators has presented Bronze Quill awards of excellence to Marcella Hochwalt-King for Bank One’s “The Wire” newsletter; Shelly Kiser for Metro Parks’ 1997 annual report; Gary Stelluti and Jan Hafer for the Columbus Medical Association Foundation’s 1997-98 annual report — 40th anniversary; Sandy Clary of Clary Communications for AirNet System Inc.’s annual report; Sandy Clary of Clary Communications for The Capital Center Fund Development brochure; Kelley Communications Group Inc. for the 1998 KCG Summer Splash invitation; Marcella Hochwalt-King of Bank One for her “High Tech Makeover” technical writing piece; Robert Loomis of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for his “Liugino’s Uses its Noodle to Create Safety Success” feature piece; Lord, Sullivan & Yoder Public Relations for its “Meeting Global Logistics Needs” speech; Kelley Communications Group Inc. for its “How the Qwest was One” advertising and marketing piece for Qwest Communications; Marcy Design Group for its FITNE newsletter; Kelley Communications Group Inc. for its Modern Medical Inc. corporate brochure; Kelley Communications Group Inc. for its Mayo Clinic print advertisements; Jill Fazekas of Gerbig, Snell/Weisheimer & Associates Inc. for her Team Read poster; Gary Stelluti and Jan Hafer for the Columbus Medical Association Foundation’s 40th anniversary video; Greg Krivicich of Marcy Design Group for “The Key to Responsibility” multimedia program; Erin DeVassie of Lord, Sullivan & Yoder Public Relations for The James Cancer Hospital Web site; Kelley Communications Group Inc. for its “How the Qwest was One” overall campaign; Jill Fazekas of Gerbig, Snell/Weisheimer & Associates Inc. for her Kroger Co. media relations campaign; Kim Scher of Lord, Sullivan & Yoder Public Relations for her “Restoring America’s Log Cabins” campaign for Aurora Foods Inc.; Jennifer Robison of Marketing Works Inc. for RDP Foodservice media relations; and Jim Kapp of Lord Sullivan & Yoder Public Relations for “Mrs. Butterworth’s Breakfast Over America” tour for Aurora Foods.
Robert D. Weisman, a partner with Schottenstein, Zox & Dunn, has been elected secretary of the Prevent Blindness Ohio Board of Directors.
Susan B. Schnitz, a CPA and owner of Perfect Balance, a check-writing service, has been elected to a three-year term on the Board of Trustees of the Leo Yassenoff Jewish Community Center.
Ralph Spitzen, director of enterprise management services at TDCI Consulting, and Eric Jolley, production coordinator for Capitol Manufacturing Co., have been named Members of the Year by the Columbus APICS Chapter.