Pat Blakney received the Agency Hands in the Community award for her commitment to volunteering in the community. With this award comes a $500 grant from The Allstate Foundation for the Alaska PTA, where Blakney volunteers. The grant from the Allstate Foundation will provide support for the work of Alaska PTA. Through the "Agency Hands in the Community" grant program, Allstate agents and financial specialists are recognized for outstanding commitment to community service with a $500 donation to the charitable organization where they volunteer. To qualify for the grant, agents must show evidence of volunteer work that has had a positive impact on the local community. Established in 1952, The Allstate Foundation is an independent corporation funded by contributions from the Allstate Insurance Co. Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations that seek to improve the quality of life in communities across the country.

Jennifer Abbott, former director of the Small Business Administration's Alaska Women's Business Center, was named March 21 as the new coordinator for small business regulations. She will be reviewing proposed regulation changes within the departments of Commerce, Health and Social Services, Labor and Workforce Development, as well as some regulations of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Abbott will work with regulators within the defined state agencies to analyze the economic impact of proposed regulations on small businesses and ensure there are no redundancies in regulations.

Amy C. Lea is the new senior area manager for the U.S. Small Business Administration's Southeast Alaska district office. Lea is the local contact for members of the business community throughout Southeast, and will provide assistance regarding SBA-guaranteed loans, contracting programs and other business resources. Certified as an economic development finance professional by the National Development Council, Lea holds a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences from Cornell University. She spent the last five years working for the Wyoming Women's Business Center, where she directed a statewide individual development account program, and provided business coaching and training. The Southeast Alaska office, formerly located at 100 Savviko Road in Douglas, has moved to a new, more accessible location in Juneau at 3100 Channel Drive, Suite 317. The telephone number remains (907) 586-8714.

Residential Mortgage LLC has hired Mary Jo Pippin as a loan officer. Pippin has 25 years of combined real estate and mortgage lending experience with 13 years of mortgage originating experience and 12 years of real estate sales experience. She is a lifelong Alaskan.

Rob Neuroth has been named Wells Fargo Business Banking relationship manager for Anchorage. Neuroth has served high-net-worth Wells Fargo customers as an investments officer and Institutional Trust Services relationship manager for more than eight years. He has earned the distinction of Certified Investment Management Analyst and is a member of the Investment Management Consultants Association. Wallace Thomas has been named to replace Neuroth as relationship manager for Wells Fargo Institutional Trust Services. Thomas has more than eight years of experience in wealth management, insurance services and retirement planning in Anchorage. He joined Wells Fargo in November 2004, serving as a personal banker at the Anchorage main store. He is a Certified Financial Planner and earned a Chartered Financial Consultant degree from The American College.

Alaska Industrial Hardware Inc. Alaska's largest and locally owned hardware distributor, has promoted Mike Kangas to president and general manager. Kangas has held several positions over his 26 years with the company, including his last position as vice president/director of purchasing. Corey Grubb has been promoted to vice president/director of sales. Grubb was the manager of the company's wholesale division, General Hardware Distributors, for the last seven years and has been with the company for 22 years. Ron Bagley has been promoted to director of store operations. Bagley has been with the company for 21 years and has held several management positions within the company. Carol Methonen has been promoted to accounting manager. She has been with the company 24 years, most recently working as office manager. Joseph Kueter as been promoted to manager of the company's wholesale division. Kueter has been with the company for 11 years. Lars Swenson has been promoted to the new position of outside sales manager for store operations. Swenson has been with the company for eight years as an account executive. Phil Robinson has been promoted to the position of director of purchasing. Robinson has 23 years of experience in the hardware industry, most recently as the Alaska region representative for Makita USA Inc. Jeff Clapp has been hired as the director of warehouse operations. Clapp is a retired Air Force officer with 21 years of logistical experience and a master's degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage in global supply chain management. Terry Shurtleff has been hired as the director of finance and has been appointed as the secretary/treasurer of the corporation. Shurtleff has 15 years of experience in the construction equipment industry and an MBA from Alaska Pacific University.