GUIDA APPOINTED: Anthony J. Guida Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Guida of Steubenville, has been appointed to a four-year term on the House Advisory Committee on Student Financial Aid on recommendation of U.S. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio.

The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Aid is an independent source of advice and counsel to Congress and the Secretary of Education.

Guida is senior vice president of strategic development and regulatory affairs at the Pittsburgh-based Education Management Corp., where he is a member of the executive committee.

EDMC has more than 96,000 students and is among the largest providers of private, post-secondary education in North America, with 88 locations in 26 states and Canada.

Prior to joining the firm in 2002, Guida was chief financial officer and general counsel of the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute. He was a shareholder and member of the commercial litigation section of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corp., a regional Pittsburgh law firm. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton with a bachelor's degree in accounting and earned his law degree in 1986 at the University of Cincinnati.

Guida became a member of the Career Colleges Association Board of Directors in 2004 and is co-chair of the organization's federal affairs committee and chair of the audit committee.

He and his wife Carol and their four sons reside in Pittsburgh.

PRODUCE OPEN HOUSE: Farmer Frank's Produce, a new produce store opening at 702 Main St., Follansbee, will hold an open house at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Complimentary appetizers will be served, and officials with the Follansbee Chamber of Commerce will be on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

OUTSTANDING: Lisa Hensley, a sales associate with Howard Hanna Mortimer Realty, has been presented the Champions Club Award for Outstanding Sales and Listing Achievement for the second quarter of 2008.

Robin Viola, broker and owner of Howard Hanna Mortimer Realty said, "Lisa is a leader and innovator, empowering local home buyers and sellers with valuable information while helping them to make informed real estate decisions. She has become a valued and trusted resource in the Weirton community for the knowledge, dedication and professionalism she exhibits. Lisa is a major contributor to the success of the Weirton Howard Hanna office and is currently ranked the number one Realtor for the Hancock and Brooke County Tri-State Multiple Listing Service."

Lisa is a five-year winner of the National Sales Excellence Award given to the top 5 percent of Realtors Nationwide and has been a consistent Champion Club award winner.

Howard Hanna Mortimer Realty, 3328 West St., Weirton, may be contacted at (304) 748-8400.

FAITH BREAKFAST: The Faith in the Future economic development initiative will hold its annual nondenominational prayer breakfast Nov. 21, featuring Danny Abramowicz, a retired NFL wide receiver and Steubenville native.

Abramowicz has dedicated his post-football life to helping people learn how to improve their spiritual health and dedication to God, in addition to business interests. He is host of a show, "Crossing the Goal," on the EWTN Global Catholic Network.

Faith in the Future was founded several years ago as a way to bring people of all faiths together to recognize and seek the help of God in guiding economic development in Jefferson County.

The breakfast will be held at The Rose on Lovers Lane in Steubenville and will begin at 7:30 a.m. Reservations may be made by e-mail at steubenvilleprayerbreakfast@gmail.com or by calling (740) 282-1132.

(Send news items or photographs for inclusion in the Sunday Business section to Paul Giannamore, Business Editor, 401 Herald Square, Steubenville, OH 43952; or fax to (740) 284-7355. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Questions? Call Giannamore at (740) 283-4711, ext. 357.)

MTR names Jacobs chairman

CHESTER - MTR Gaming Group has elected Jeffrey P. Jacobs chairman of the board of directors, and three new members have been named.

Steven M. Billick and Raymond K. Lee will fill two new seats created by amendment to the board's bylaws on Oct. 30 to increase the number of directors from seven to nine. Stanley R. Gorom III will fill the seat vacated by Ted Arneault's resignation Oct. 31.

Billick is a principal with Inglewood Associates LLC, a consulting firm focused on delivering turnaround management, litigation support and related services. He previously was executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer of Agilysys Inc., a publicly traded distributor of computer hardware and software. He also has served as president and CFO of Signature Brands USA and was a partner in the accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche. He will serve on the MTR audit and compensation committees and as a representative on the company compliance committee.

Lee is president and CEO of Pure Foods, headquartered in Akron. He also is a CPA and was a tax partner with Deloitte & Touche. He will serve on the MTR audit, succession and nomination committees.

Gorom is a partner with the Cleveland law firm of Hahn Loeser & Parks, with substantial experience in his practice in the gaming industry.

Progress Alliance adds temp staffers

STEUBENVILLE - Progress Alliance has added several new faces through a Temporary Assistance to Needy Families grant and interns from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Alyssia M. Milano, a graduate of Steubenville High School, has joined the Progress Alliance staff as a part-time receptionist and secretary through the grant obtained from the Jefferson County Department of Job and Family Services. Her goals include pursuing a future job working in government.

Franciscan University of Steubenville is providing six students to assist Progress Alliance, the public-private economic development partnership serving Jefferson County.

The students include Brian D'Amico, Rob Shircliff, Jason Gast, Kyle Beauregard, Paul Laudiero and Joanna Styczenski. D'Amico is attending various meetings around the county to distribute information on Progress Alliance.

The other five are involved with the university's Students in Free Enterprise chapter and will be working with Ed Looman, Progress Alliance executive director, in planning the first Best of Jefferson County Awards Dinner, scheduled for March.

CPA society adds college aid podcasts

COLUMBUS - The Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants has launched a series of podcasts aimed toward helping manage debt for college students through its Financial Fitness Ohio initiative.

Topics include: Learning how and when to use credit cards in college to establish credit; knowing how the use of credit affects credit scores and how bad credit scores can affect the student's life; learning how to create a game plan for paying off credit card and loan debt; and learning how to avoid getting into financial trouble.

The podcasts are available for download from www.financialfitnessohio.com.

Employer honor nominations open

WASHINGTON - Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve has opened nominations for the 2009 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

National Guard and Reserve members and their families are encouraged to nominate employers who have gone above and beyond in their support of military employees.

Nominations will be accepted at www.freedomaward.mil through Jan. 19.

The 2009 recipients will be announced in the spring and honored in Washington in September.

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

For information about the nomination process, visit the Web site or contact Beth Sherman, ESGR Public Affairs, at (703) 380-9717.

Consumer's counsel opposed rules

COLUMBUS - The Office of the Ohio Consumer's Counsel said revised rules governing electric service adopted Wednesday by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio do not provide enough protections for residential customers.

The Ohio Consumer's Counsel, the state's residential utility consumer advocate, along with other consumer groups had wanted to see stronger standards for service reliability, rules enforcement, better consumer protections and a mandated public reporting process.

From staff reports