MAN OF EXCELLENCE: Rex Crawley, head of the department of communication at Robert Morris University, has been chosen as one of the New Pittsburgh Courier 2009 Men of Excellence.

Each year, the newspaper recognizes African- American men who have demonstrated success in their professions, are positive role models whose contributions encourage others, and are active in community service or organizational involvement. Crawley was honored in the education category. He will be recognized along with the other honorees on Nov. 19 during a reception at the Rivers Club in downtown Pittsburgh.

"Just knowing the incredible professionals who have received this award, and to be named among people I consider to be the best and brightest, means a lot to me," said Crawley, an associate professor of communication and assistant dean of the School of Communications and Information Systems at RMU.

Crawley, who earned a doctorate in intercultural communications from Ohio University, as well as a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree in public administration, is the chairman of RMU's Council on Institutional Equity, whose mission is to ensure that all members of the campus community have equal access to the university's programs and services.

He also is codirector of the Black Male Leadership Development Institute, a program run jointly by RMU and the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh. The institute gives African American teenagers the opportunity to spend a week at RMU's Moon Township campus, where they participate in workshops and other activities designed to instill good communication, leadership and personal management skills. The program is funded by the Heinz Endowments.

His research focuses on the experiences of African-American men and black masculinity as a social construct.

Crawley is actively engaged in community service, and has served as the chapter leader for the Pittsburgh alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

He currently serves as the president of the Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund of Western Pennsylvania, which awarded more than $250,000 in scholarships last year.

JOINS FIRM: Billy Petrella has joined Tri-State Financial Services, registered sales office of Walnut Street Securities Inc., a MetLife company, as a financial adviser.

Petrella joins Tri-State Financial Services from First Inventors where he was promoted from registered representative to account associate before graduating from Robert Morris University. He previously has worked for Huntington Bank and is the co-owner of Village Sleep Center in Steubenville. Petrella is a contributing board member of the Community Improvement Corp., a member of the Steubenville Lions Club and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. He is pursuing a master's degree from Robert Morris and is engaged to be married to Nikki Zimnox, with plans to reside in the Steubenville area.

Tri-State Financial, founded in 1985, is licensed in 14 states for life insurance, health insurance, fixed annuities and long-term care planning.

Its four full-time employees are based at Suite B, 100 Welday Ave., Wintersville, and may be reached by calling (740) 264-4466 or (800) 264-6381.

(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 or via e-mail at pgiannamore@heraldstaronline.com. We cannot guarantee the return of photographs. Questions? Call Giannamore at (740) 283-4711, ext. 357.)

Regional duties for Jones rep

STEUBENVILLE - Cory Wingett, an Edward Jones financial adviser in Steubenville, recently was named a support specialist for financial advisers by the firm's regional leader.

Wingett may be reached by calling (740) 283-6558.

OSU seeks African American nominees

COLUMBUS - Nominations are being sought for Ohio State University's African American Alumni Awards, which will be presented in four categories during the OSU All Decade African American Alumni Reunion, scheduled for April 30 through May 2.

The categories are:

Frank W. Hale Honorary Leadership Award for devotion to the African American community at Ohio State.

Jesse Owens Influential Athlete Award for consummate athleticism and humanitarianism.

Samella Lewis Professional Achievement Award for career accomplishments and community service.

Larry Williamson Distinguished Service Award for influencing positive change in services to minority students.

The nomination period closes on Jan. 31. For information on nominating an alumnus, visit www.ohiostatealumni.org/reunions/africanamericanreunion.php.

Tax break could help area residents

WHEELING - The Internal Revenue Service is sponsoring a public event to educate and assist taxpayers who may qualify for the Health Coverage Tax Credit in the Northern Panhandle and Eastern Ohio.

IRS personnel will be available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the McLure House Hotel, 1200 Market St., Wheeling

The credit allows eligible individuals to pay only 20 percent of their health insurance premiums every month.

Those eligible include displaced workers eligible for Trade Readjustment Allowances under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Act, such as displaced steelworkers; or those who receive benefits from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. and are between the ages of 55 and 65.

For information, call the Health Coverage Tax Credit Customer Contact Center at (866) 6288-4282.

Progress Alliance wants county's best

STEUBENVILLE - Progress Alliance is accepting nominees for the 2010 Best of Jefferson County Awards, to be presented during the annual banquet in March.

Nomination forms are available on the Progress Alliance Web site, www.theburb.org or at the Progress Alliance office at 630 Market St., Steubenville.

Keynoter named for prayer event

STEUBENVILLE - The Rev. Phillip Makari will deliver the keynote address at the fifth annual prayer breakfast sponsored by Faith in the Future.

The event is scheduled for Nov. 20 at 7:30 a.m. in The Rose, 680 Lovers Lane. The suggested donation for the event is $5 per person.

Makari will speak on "The Biblical Call to Thanksgiving."

Reservations may be made by sending an e-mail to 2009prayer-breakfast@gmail.com or by calling (740) 282-1132 by Nov. 16.

CIC schedules November session

STEUBENVILLE - The Community Improvement Corp. Board of Trustees, which oversees the operation of the Progress Alliance economic development organization, will meet Nov. 17 in the offices of the Jefferson County Job and Family Services, 125 S. Fifth St.

Frank Bovina, transit manager of the Steel Valley Regional Transit Authority, will be the featured speaker.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m.

Wal-Mart tips DVD price war

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart is upping the ante heading into the holiday season, trimming the online preorder prices of some upcoming DVDs following last month's price cut on books.

The move led rivals Amazon.com and Target to reduce the prices of some of their online preorder DVDs, which pushed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to take a few more cents off its offerings.

The world's biggest retailer said late Thursday that it would lower the online prices of new DVDs such as ''Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince'' and ''Star Trek'' to $10.

But when Amazon reduced some of its DVD prices to $9.99, Wal-Mart shot back by lowering its DVDs to $9.98 as of Friday morning.

Cadillac to swap advertising agency

NEW YORK - General Motors Co. said Thursday it narrowed down its list of candidates to handle advertising for Cadillac to six agencies, a month after announcing it was dumping the luxury brand's longtime ad partner.

The Detroit automaker said it will hold visits with the candidates in Detroit before Thanksgiving, with finalists making presentations to company executives in January.

Cadillac spokesman Nick Twork declined to comment on whether the company has a deadline for making a final pick.

The agencies on the short list are: BBH in New York, DDB in Chicago, Gotham in New York, Richmond, Va.-based The Martin Agency, McKinney in Durham, N.C., and Publicis in New York.

Twork declined to say why GM has short-listed those firms.

GM announced in early October was ending its partnership with the boutique agency Modernista!, ending its nine-year partnership with the Boston firm.

Modernista! was the brains behind some well-known Cadillac ads, including several attention-grabbing spots for the Cadillac CTS starring actress Kate Walsh.

From staff and wire reports