QUICK TAKES

GOLD AWARD: Liberty Mutual Group has awarded its Property and Casualty Gold Award to Lori Thomson, a marketing assistant with Nikolas Kamarados, a certified financial planner at Ohio Valley Financial at 929 Main St., Follansbee.

Thomson, a Weirton resident, attended Penn State and has been with Ohio Valley Financial since 2008. Thomson is an exclusive property and casualty marketing assistant for Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group, the eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S.

Thomson may be contacted by calling (304) 748-3156 or lori.thomson@prudential.com.

NOMINATIONS: Ohio Coatings Co. in Yorkville is among the 104 Ohio employers nominated for a 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Some 112 Ohio National Guard and Reserve service members nominated their employers for the award, the highest recognition given by the government to employers for outstanding support of employees in the Guard and Reserve.

Local employers also nominated include Akron-based FirstEnergy.

PARKs official: Paul A. Redford has been named District 1 and lodge/resort administrator, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources announced.

Redford is stationed in the DNR Parks and Recreation Section office in South Charleston. He is a graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, earning his bachelor of science degree and a master's in business administration there. He worked from 1984 through 2009 at Oglebay Park, serving as operations attendant and shift supervisor, as a park ranger, construction project coordinator, manager of finance and park security and capital projects/safety manager.

He has experience in grant writing and administration, security, safety and risk management, construction administration and contract management. His district includes the 10 state parks with lodges and four additional areas.

FLORAK TALKS: The first in a series of four lectures with lessons on managing human behavior and a humorous twist will be delivered by Dr. Edward Florak, retired president of Jefferson Community College and a licensed psychologist and professional trainer and counselor for Family Service Association, at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the Eastern Gateway Community College Pugliese Training Center, 110 John Scott Highway.

RSVPs may be made by e-mail to info@jeffersoncountychamberofcommerce by Tuesday.

The first talk in the series is entitled, "Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps." Additional workshops in the series include:

April 8 - "Do You Know What Your Behavioral Style Is?"

May 13 - "How to Coach and Manage People with Different Behavioral Styles."

June 3 - "Customer Service - What Do Behavioral Styles Have to Do With It?"

The cost for each workshop is $10.

Registration for the first event will be open from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. with the workshop to run from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

ASSISTANCE HONOR: The Edison Electric Institute honored FirstEnergy Corp. with an Emergency Assistance Award for restoring service to two neighboring electric utilities' service areas following an ice storm in January 2009.

FirstEnergy sent 215 company employees to assist two electric utilities in Ohio and Kentucky after the late January 2009 snow and ice storm severely damaged electric delivery systems. FirstEnergy sent crews Jan. 28, 2009, and they stayed on until service was fully restored Feb. 9, 2009.

(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.)

Health conference comes to Bethany

BETHANY - The Ohio Valley Chapter of the West Virginia State Health Education Council will hold a seminar on current trends in community health from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 26 at the Mountainside Conference Center.

The cost is $34 for participants, who may receive five hours of continuing education credits from the West Virginia Certification Board for Addiction and Prevention Professionals, state Board of Examiners in Counseling, state Nursing Board, state Board of Social Work Examiners and National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.

Also participating are the Northern Panhandle Medical Reserve Corps, Bethany College, Brooke County Health Department, Weirton Medical Center, West Virginia Rural Health Education Center, West Virginia University Extension Service and West Virginia Northern Community College.

Because space is limited, participants are encouraged to register early. For information, call (304) 845-3300.

Ohio tops for new, expanding sites

STEUBENVILLE - Site Selection magazine awarded Ohio its Governors Cup for 2009, the fourth consecutive year that the state led the nation in new and expanded business facilities, according to the weekly Progress Alliance newsletter.

It's the eighth time Ohio has earned the recognition since 1993.

The award is based on corporate location projects that meet one of the following criteria: Capital investment of at least $1 million; creation of at least 50 new jobs; or adding at least 20,000 square feet of new floor area.

Ohio won with 381 projects; Texas was second with 374; Michigan, 371; Pennsylvania, 333; and Tennessee, 234 to complete the top five.

From staff reports