Business Notebook: 3-31

3/31/2013

ACHIEVEMENTS

■ Denny Staude has been named director of packaging for Lima-based Wannemacher Packaging, with responsibility for day-to-day operations of the company’s packaging facilities in Lima, Van Wert, and Upper Sandusky.

■ Uckele Health & Nutrition has been named one of the 2013 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business. The nutritional supplement company will be honored in Lansing on May 2.

■ Plante Moran, which has offices in Toledo and 20 other cities, has been recognized as Employer of the Year by the International Accounting Bulletin for the second year in a row.

Business Achievements, with news of management promotions, corporate board appointments, and awards runs each week. Send announcements by email to business@theblade.com or by fax to 419-724-6147. Write “Business Achievements” in the message field.

CALENDAR

■ The Toledo Real Estate Investors Association will hold its annual real estate trade fair 7-9:30 p.m. April 9 at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 4256 Secor Rd. Among the industries represented will be heating and cooling, painting, carpeting, insurance, attorneys, and accounting. Cost: Free. Information toledoreia.com or call Anna Mills at 419-283-8427.

■ The Center for Innovative Food Technology will host a food-safety seminar 8 a.m.-noon April 13 at the Northwest Ohio Cooperative Kitchen, 13737 Middleton Pike, Bowling Green. The speaker will be Shari Plimpton, Cost: $25 per person/$40 for two. Registration: ciftinnovation.org, or 419-535-6000 ext. 140, or rsvp@ciftinnovation.org.

■ The Board of Trustees of the Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative Inc., a nonprofit, member-owned electric utility serving 12,900 consumers in nine northwest Ohio counties, will celebrate its 75th birthday at an open house on April 19 from 2 to 4 p.m., at the HWEC offices at 1399 Business Park Drive South, North Baltimore.

■ A Tax Strategy Workshop will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. April 25 at BG Christian Academy, 1165 Haskins Rd., Bowling Green. David Hammack, a CPA and partner at William Vaughan Co., will discuss strategies to minimize tax burden for health-care professionals, tax-saving ideas for farmers, and strategies for basic annual tax planning. Cost: Free. RSVP: Email slee@bgchristian.org or call 419-308-3615.

Notice of business meetings must be received by The Blade 10 days before the event. Send items by email to business@theblade.com or by fax to 419-724-6147. Write “Business Calendar” in the message field.

TRANSITIONS

■ Two local marketing companies, Connect4Sales Inc. and McGhee Fundraising Consultants, announced they have combined operations and work forces. Connect4Sales is located at 4428 Secor Rd., Toledo, and McGhee Fundraising is at 2620 Centennial Rd., Sylvania. The two companies employ about 16 people.

Business Transitions, which include business moves and openings, should be sent by email to business@theblade.com or by fax to 419-724-6147. Write “Business Transitions” in the message field.

AREA PATENTS

The following U.S. patents were granted to Monroe and Lenawee County Michigan inventors in January, 2013:

#8,364,373 Method for controlling internal combustion engines in hybrid powertrains; Christopher E. Whitney, Commerce, Mich.; Jeffrey M. Kaiser, Highland, Mich.; Dennis A. Light, Monroe; Anthony H. Heap, Ann Arbor, and Honghao Tan, Ann Arbor; assignors to GM Global Technology Operations LLC, Detroit.

#8,361,912 Hood, dash, firewall, or engine-cover liner; Thomas L. Block, Howell, Mich.; Lee A. Staelgraeve, Lambertville; Jeffrey A. Tilton, Goshen, Ky., and Paul W. Poole, Huntersville, N.C.; assignors to Owens Corning Intellectual Capital LLC, Toledo.

#8,348,825 Andy Partridge, West Sussex, Great Britain; Ralph Bodenburg, Bochum, Germany; E. Ishmael Parsai, Ottawa Hills, and John J. Feldmeier, Monroe; assignors to Varian Medical Systems UK Limit, West Sussex, Great Britain; Varian Medical Systems Haan GmbH, Haan, Germany.

#8,360,222 Transmission braking and four-wheel locking for hydraulic hybrid transmission equipped vehicles; James A. O’Brien, II, La Salle, Mich.; assignor to Limo-Reid Inc. Deerfield, Mich.