(SAVANNAH, GA) Our Coastal Empire Weightlifting team is holding a garage sale fundraiser for travel and equipment on Saturday April 7th at 28 East 62nd Street off Derenne Avenue from 8 AM to 12 PM. Please contact Kerri Goodrich at (912) 507-7106 or  kerrigoodrich@comcast.net: <mailto:kerrigoodrich@comcast.net>  to coordinate pick up for donated items.

(SAVANNAH, GA)  Melaver, Inc. has redesigned the web site for Abercorn Common, the first retail center in the United States to become LEED certified. In addition to everything from traffic count information and tenant highlights, the site also details the sustainable features of Abercorn Common that make this center over 30 percent more energy-efficient than a typical center, saving tenants money on utility bills. Abercorn Common is located at Abercorn Street and White Bluff Road.
http://www.abercorncommon.com

(SAVANNAH, GA) Two experts from Melaver, Inc. are speakers at a leading conference on environmentally responsible design and development. The ninth annual Greenprints: Sustainable Communities by Design conference takes place March 22-23 in Atlanta.

Tommy Linstroth, Head of Sustainable Initiatives for Melaver, Inc., will give a presentation about How to Avoid Losing 10 LEED Points (the U. S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification). He will also lead conference-goers in a tour of Oakland Park, a Melaver, Inc. green building project in Atlanta with retail on the ground floor and condominiums on the higher floors. The project is a joint development with Regent Partners.

Scott Doksansky, Director of Portfolio Management for Melaver, Inc., will be part of an interactive Design Charette for Earthcraft Light Commercial, an alternative to LEED development for a small business using Earthcraft energy saving principles.

Greenprints remains the Southeast region’s most thought-provoking forum on sustainable building science. The Green Building Conference and Tradeshow attracts practitioners, policy makers, building owners and concerned citizens interested in the exploration of better ways to link planning, architecture, construction and the use of natural resources. It was founded by Southface Energy Institute, a nonprofit corporation with a longstanding reputation for providing sound environmental education and outreach programs.

Linstroth is responsible for spearheading all of Melaver, Inc.’s sustainable real estate developments, including one of the first sustainable projects in the U.S. which is also cited on the National Historic Register and the first all-retail sustainable development in the country. Since then, he has taken responsibility for adding another 13 sustainable projects to the company’s pipeline, with a market value of roughly a quarter of a billion dollars making him responsible for one of the largest sustainable portfolios in the U.S.

Linstroth makes sure Melaver, Inc. develops in ways that meet the triple bottom line (returns that are profitable not only financially, but also socially and ecologically) and also works to reduce the impacts of the company’s business operations efforts that have led to inclusion in the EPA’s Climate Leaders’ Program and Green Power Partnership. He also has primary responsibility for sustainable education and outreach in the Savannah community, both within and outside the company. He is a regular speaker on sustainable development throughout Georgia and the Southeast. Linstroth is the founder and president of the Savannah Chapter of the US Green Building Council, a 501 c 3 organization dedicated to improving the built environment in Savannah and the coastal Southeast.

Doksansky is charged with oversight of all the property management functions, as well as the acquisitions and dispositions for the firm. He was a participant and Speaker at the Spring 2006 BOMA International National Association of Building Owners and Managers and Harvard University’s Emerging Leaders in Real Estate.

Melaver Inc. is a third-generation, family business devoted to commercial real estate: office, retail, showroom, and warehousing. Melaver was awarded the first LEED certification in Savannah for their historical renovation of the Whitaker Building, located on the corner of State Street and Whitaker Street, received LEED CI (commercial interiors) certification for its corporate offices on Barnard Street.
www.melaver.com
Contact: 912.236.0781

(SAVANNAH, GA) Women’s roller derby league, the Savannah Derby Devils, take on Jacksonville’s First Coast Fatales at 8 p.m ., Friday, April 6 at Supergoose Sports, 3700 Wallin St. Tickets are $12 at the door; $10 advance through savannahderby.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006. For information, contact Kelly Trnka at 912-220-9744 or derbydevils@gmail.com.

(Okatie, SC) - Chief Operating Officer of Biopsy Diagnostics laboratory, Kevin McGuire, describes his job as demanding. “That is a capital “D” on demanding,” said McGuire. Since first opening their laboratory doors nearly four years ago, McGuire has seen his responsibilities grow exponentially. In addition to overseeing such far-reaching departments as billing, gross examination, histology and marketing, he is also the “Sergeant Major” for Medical Director, Dr. Peter White. “He says get it done and I get it done,” said McGuire. “It’s not easy, but it is that simple.”McGuire has been with Bx-Dx since the beginning. He was one of three employees hired by Dr. White, the lab’s founder, before the lab ever opened. In order to fulfill his vision of a patient-driven pathology laboratory, Dr. White’s focus has always been on the hiring of caring, charming, hard-working individuals regardless of their background, and personally training them himself.

McGuire is one of those individuals. He accepted the position of Director of Pathology Outreach for Bx-Dx at the end of 2002 and essentially helped build the lab from the ground up. He, along with Dr. White, spent countless hours installing cabinets, countertops, sinks and laboratory equipment. At last, the state-of-the art diagnostic pathology laboratory, Biopsy Diagnostics, was born.

You could certainly say that McGuire has paid his dues. After spending the first year maintaining computer systems, repairing equipment, covering for absent employees and marketing, McGuire was promoted to the COO of the lab.

In an age of fast paced medical care where patients often feel like a mere number, Biopsy Diagnostics is a lab with a refreshing approach. “It has been the goal of the laboratory, as well as my personal goal, to provide rapid and accurate pathology results to the local community,” McGuire said. “I realize how difficult it can be to wait for test results to come back, and at Biopsy Diagnostics, we pride ourselves on not making patients wait.”

At Biopsy Diagnostics they are always searching for effective ways to facilitate this goal. Signs hanging over each doorway in the lab read “Behind every specimen waits a worried patient,” reminding staff members of their priority each day.

In light of this, one of the things that Dr. White wants McGuire to do is increase the efficiency of bringing anatomic specimens from doctor’s offices into the lab located in Okatie, SC. “This was no problem our first two years,” reports McGuire. “But as our patient service area has grown, so have our logistical challenges.”

Added to McGuire’s resume, is pilot. McGuire recently earned his private pilot’s certification. He will soon begin studying for his commercial pilot’s license, which will enable him to begin flying specimens from distances of hundreds of miles back to Biopsy Diagnostics. “Our goal is 24-hour turnaround on biopsies to decrease patient worry,” McGuire said. “This is a future innovation that we plan to incorporate that will aid in that process,” said a smiling McGuire. One gets the impression, too, that he may just really enjoy flying.

(SAVANNAH, GA) Chatham County’s 2nd Electronic Recycling Event March 31st 9 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Chatham County along with all of the municipalities will participate equally in a one-time electronic recycling event. This event is scheduled for March 31st 2007 from 9am-1pm. The main site for this event will be at Lake Mayer in Savannah with satellite sites scattered throughout the County. The County and all of the municipalities are working toward a common goal of removing hazardous materials from our landfills and need your support. Please come out to turn in any electronic equipment you may have sitting at your home or office!! If you have any questions please call David Nash, Chatham County’s Environmental Program Coordinator, at 652-6856. *There will be a $10 fee for recycling TV’s.

(BLUFFTON, SC) Sally Hale Robinson has joined the Bluffton office of Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty as Broker-in-Charge.

A Bluffton resident, Robinson has extensive experience in the Low Country, working for a real estate firm in Hilton Head for 18 years. Her responsibilities included all of the operations of 12 branch offices, staff supervision, and comprehensive real estate responsibilities from listings to contracts. Robinson has more than 25 years experience as a Realtor and broker. She also was in sales including being marketing manager for a real estate company in Mississippi and was manager of group sales with Hilton Hotels in Augusta securing conventions.

Robinson has a degree in pre-school and early childhood education from the University of South Carolina. She holds a Mississippi Broker’s license and a South Carolina Broker’s license. She is a Graduate, Realtors Institute (GRI) and is a member of the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors and Hilton Head Multiple Listing Service.  She is a volunteer with United Way as well as other civic organizations.  She is in Who’s Who of American Women, the Marquis 1987-1988 edition.  She and her family belong to the Church of the Cross (Bluffton).

Known for its tradition of integrity, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty specializes in fine luxury residential and commercial properties in Savannah and the Low Country of Georgia and South Carolina. Founded in 1981, Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty is noted for outstanding service to its clients, thorough knowledge of Savannah and the South Carolina Low Country, and excellent staff, in addition to having one of the region’s top property management departments. The owners are natives of Savannah who have more than 60 years’ combined experience in real estate. The offices are located at 9, 13, and 17 West Charlton Street on Madison Square in Savannah and 6 Bruin Street in Bluffton, S.C.

For more information, call Celia Dunn Sotheby’s International Realty at (912) 234-3323 or visit www.celiadunnsir.com. To contact the Bluffton office, call (843) 836-3900.

(SAVANNAH, GA) Melaver’s Crestwood Building on Crestwood Parkway in Duluth, Georgia, won the BOMA Earth Award in Atlanta on Wednesday, March 14th.  The Crestwood Building is a five story 94,000 sq. ft. full service office building located just off I-85. The Earth Award recognizes excellence in environmentally sound office building management.

To earn the award, building management teams must successfully implement
government programs; practice tenant outreach; manage hazardous waste and
environmental risks; establish emergency response, recycling, water and
energy-conservation plans; ensure indoor air quality; and implement
green-purchasing practices.

Verification comes through a presentation of practices and on-site inspection
conducted by a group of property management professionals. This award qualifies Melaver’s Crestwood building for competition at the Southeast Regional Conference in Miami and could go to the international level. BOMA is the Building Owners & Managers Association.

Melaver Inc. is a third-generation, family business devoted to commercial real
estate: office, retail, showroom, and warehousing. Melaver was awarded the first
LEED certification in Savannah for their historical renovation of the Whitaker
Building, located on the corner of State Street and Whitaker Street, received
LEED CI (commercial interiors) certification for its corporate offices on
Barnard Street.
www.melaver.com

The Small Business Chamber & The Pooler Chamber of Commerce cordially invite you to a Spring Networking Social, where East meets West! Enjoy a beautiful outdoor setting, tour Savannah Tech’s new airport facility and network with other business professionals. Thursday, April 5, 2007, 5;30pm – 7:30pm at Savannah Tech Crossroads technology Campus, 190 Crossroads Parkway, Pooler. Great hors’deorves and networking. Price $20 per person. Paid RSVPs – A must by April 2nd. To insure your reservation, mail your check to SBC, PO Box 13785, Savannah, GA 31406. For more information e-mail info@smallbusinesschamber.org.

(SAVANNAH, GA) Savannah Country Day School features sports psychologist and best-selling author, Dr. Bob Rotella “Success is an Attitude” Tuesday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. $7 Advance purchase, $10 at the door, and $5 for students and seniors. Call 912-961-8828, or visit www.savcds.org.