ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Fort Worth-based GCG Marketing has hired Katie Aurelio as copywriter and Stephanie Brueggerhoff as account executive.
Aurelio joins GCG’s creative team and will support creative direction and lead copy development for a multitude of clients, primarily in health care. On the account service team, Brueggerhoff will play an important role in day-to-day client communication and project management for health care clients.
BANKING & FINANCE
Jeff Harp, president and CEO of Trinity Bank, has announced new assignments and promotion for four of the bank’s employees. Bobby Evartt has been promoted to senior vice president, Lori Brantley and Dana Key Allred were promoted to vice president and Brenda O’Keefe was promoted to lobby services manager.
CONSTRUCTION
Key Construction has announced that Steven Wells will relocate from the company’s Wichita, Kansas, office to lead the Key team in Fort Worth as vice president/general manager. Key Construction has had an office in Fort Worth for 14 years and plans to grow its Texas operations.
EDUCATION
Jose Frayre, a former employee of the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas, and a culinary arts teacher at Polytechnic High School, earned the Fort Worth Independent School District’s Chair of Teaching Excellence in the Career and Technology field. Frayre’s first career in the restaurant industry inspires his new career of teaching students critical life skills through culinary arts.
The career and technology chair was sponsored by Crescent Real Estate LLC for the 12th year. Crescent owns The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas hotel. Suzanne Stevens, managing director and chief financial officer of Crescent, presented the award to Frayre.
“We were impressed with how Jose encourages his students to hone skills and talents, individually and as a group – skills that are critical and applicable to their future success regardless of their post-graduation path,” said Stevens.
NONPROFITS
Jeff Fehlis will join The American Cancer Society as executive vice president of the South Region, based in Dallas. He will be responsible for driving development and implementation of the society’s mission and income strategies across eight states, and engaging corporate executives, high-level donors, and leadership volunteers in furthering the fight against cancer.
The American Cancer Society’s South Region includes Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
“I am excited to join the American Cancer Society as we work to fulfill our mission of leading the fight for a world without cancer,” said Fehlis. “Society volunteers and staff are a tremendous, caring and dedicated group of people, and I look forward to working alongside them.”
Fehlis graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in business administration. He spent more than three decades working in the airline industry.
The Fort Worth Police Officers’ Award Foundation re-elected its executive committee at its annual meeting on Nov. 2.
Re-elected were Foundation veteran Larry Anfin as board chairman; Tim Gilpin as vice chairman, and Carolann Morris as secretary/treasurer. Re-elected for another three-year board term were Bret Helmer, Barney B. Holland Jr. and James Powell.
Advisory Committee members named to one-year terms were: Joyce Capper, Vincent Davila, Bob Jameson, Tracie Kenan, Hank Lattimore, Ralph Mendoza, Carol Savage-Jones, Jared Sloan, Sarah Walker and Sharen Wilson.
The foundation is a nonprofit that recognizes and promotes the professionalism and excellence of Fort Worth Police Officers. The foundation is in its 37th year.
The Down Syndrome Partnership of North Texas board of directors has named Michelle Crim as the organization’s new executive director.
“Michelle’s expertise in strategic planning, successful fundraising, relationship building and growing organizations are exactly what we need,” said Cory Boggess, board president. “Her passion for advocating for the rights of and inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome in the community made her an easy choice.”
SafeHaven of Tarrant County has been awarded a $3,000 grant by the Texas Bar Foundation for its 2017-2018 fiscal year. This support for SafeHaven’s “Foundations for the Future” program will allow the organization’s legal staff to maintain its expertise in family law and give clients adequate legal representation in the Texas court system.
MANUFACTURING
Fort Worth-based Kobi Electric, a leading manufacturer of commercial and industrial energy-efficient lighting, has appointed lighting industry veteran Peter Weller as vice president of strategic accounts and planning.
Weller will be responsible for maintaining and expanding relationships with strategically important customers. He will also collaborate with the Kobi’s management team on future products and provide input on research being conducted to develop new technologies.
Weller previously worked for industry leaders such as Osram Sylvania Inc., H.E. Williams Inc., TCP Inc. and Lumenergi Inc. During his career, his sales strategies and leadership have created new sales channels and product lines that generated long-term relationships as well as hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
Send newsmakers to Robert Francis at rfrancis@bizpress.net.