ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, April 13, 1997 TAG: 9704140123
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: NAMES & CHANGES
SOURCE: COMPILED BY MARY LINN
AEP promotes manager
AEP names manager for Ky. district
JOHN A. COFFEY III, manager of American Electric Power Co.'s Rocky Mount district, has been named customer service superintendent for the company's Pikeville, Ky., district, effective May 1.
Coffey has managed AEP's operations in the Rocky Mount area since 1992 when he became the area supervisor.
In his new position, he will coordinate the realignment of the company's Williamson, W.Va., operations into the Pikeville district, which will then have approximately 78,000 customers. The Rocky Mount district has about 23,000 customers.
Coffey has been with AEP since 1987 when he joined the company as an electrical engineer in Roanoke.
BANKING
RICHARD A. SHOEMAKER has been elected chairman of the board of First Virginia Bank-Franklin County. He succeeds T. KEISTER GREER, who has retired after serving as chairman for 20 years. Shoemaker continues as president and chief executive officer of the Franklin County bank. Greer will continue to be on the holding company board of First Virginia Banks Inc., a position he has held for 21 years.
BUILDING SUPPLIES
The Virginia Building Material Association recently elected new officers at its annual convention. They include GEORGE W. LESTER II of Lester Home Center in Martinsville, who was elected national director, and TOM BISHOP of Berry Home Center in Chilhowie, who was elected to the board of directors.
CHILD CARE
SARAH GILL, a lead teacher at HoneyTree Early Learning Centers' 460 East location, has earned the child development associate credential awarded by the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition in Washington, D.C.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
ELAINE P. McCAULEY, operations manager with Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. in Roanoke, has successfully passed the general sales supervisor exam and will manage compliance administration and operations for a branch of 21 stock brokers.
HEALTH CARE
Internal Medicine Associates, Roanoke Valley Medical Clinic and James J. Gooding, M.D., have merged to form Physician Associates of Virginia P.C. Officers of the corporation are DR. ROBERT B. MOUNTCASTLE JR., president; DR. GARY E. GLONTZ, vice president; DR. ROBERT B. SEAMON, secretary; DR. DIANE WIGGINS, treasurer; and DR. GERALD W. ROLLER, chairman of the board.
MICHAEL W. RIDENHOUR, a Roanoke audiologist, recently has been awarded the doctor of audiology designation by the Audiology Foundation of America.
Housecall Hospice of Salem has appointed SARA BROWN regional administrator for its Roanoke and Martinsville offices, JANE HOOVER volunteer coordinator and JO EGGERS community liaison. Brown has worked with the Cancer Center of Southwestern Virginia and Gentle Shepherd Hospice. Hoover continues as a health educator with Lewis-Gale Clinic. Eggers formerly worked as field operations coordinator with Green Thumb Inc., a federally funded training program.
TED PETROCCI of Roanoke has completed his training in auricular acupuncture at Lincoln Hospital in New York and is certified as an acupuncture detoxification specialist.
HOSPITALITY
PREM JAIN has been named director of restaurants at the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, where he manages the Regency Room, the Pine Room Pub and room service operations. Jain, who has more than 20 years of restaurant experience, has been trained in international protocol and has held management positions at the Holiday Inn, Four Seasons and Westin Hotel in Ottawa. Also at the hotel, LINWOOD D. CAMPBELL has been appointed director of catering. Prior to his new position, Campbell was the senior catering sales manager for the Omni Charlottesville Hotel and director of catering for the Radisson Hotel Lynchburg.
INSURANCE
VICKIE BIBEE of Roanoke has been elected vice president of Scott Insurance. Bibee, who has 19 years of experience in the insurance industry, has been with Scott since 1983. As vice president, she will continue to manage and develop commercial clients with an emphasis on the manufacturing segment of the market. Lynchburg-based Scott Insurance has offices in Danville, Richmond, Roanoke, Greensboro, N.C., and Bermuda.
CONNIE BEEKMAN of Roanoke has been awarded professional certification as an associate in claims by the Insurance Institute of America. Beekman is loss management director for Chaney, Thomas, Stephenson & Hill Insurance Brokers.
WALTER L. DODSON III, a Modern Woodmen of America representative for the Roanoke area, has attained the fraternal insurance counselor designation. The fraternal life insurance society is based in Rock Island, Ill.
LAW
WILLIAM R. RAKES, managing partner of the Roanoke law firm of Gentry, Locke, Rakes & Moore, has been elected chairman of American National Lawyers Insurance Reciprocal Risk Retention Group, the endorsed professional liability carrier for the Virginia State Bar and other bar associations. As chairman of the board, he also sits on the company's board of directors.
PHILIP G. GARDNER, a partner in the Martins-ville firm of Gardner, Gardner, Barrow & Sharpe, has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Gardner has been practicing law for 24 years.
WILLIAM HARVEY CRAIG of Stuart recently was elected president of the Virginia Magistrates Association. Craig has been a magistrate for the 21st Judicial District, which includes Martinsville and Henry and Patrick counties, since 1982. He was elected first vice president of the magistrates' association in 1994.
MANUFACTURING
SUZANNE G. SHORTEN has joined Mod-U-Kraf Homes Inc. of Rocky Mount as human resources manager. She formerly was a human resources specialist for the Talley Group of Staunton. Also, KEVIN SETTLES has joined Mod-U-Kraf as territory sales manager for the company's expanding market of eastern Tennessee.
TECHNOLOGY
RON DAVIS has joined Synchrony Industrial Controls Inc. in Roanoke as a sen-ior engineer. Davis' background includes extensive experience in plant floor automation and data collection systems. In addition to supplying industrial automation systems, Synchrony develops advanced control systems for NASA, the U.S. Air Force and aerospace companies.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
KAREN RAMSEY has been named vice president of human resources for Cox Communications in Phoenix. Ramsey joined the Phoenix division of the company in 1996 as director of employee relations. Prior to relocating to Phoenix, Ramsey was human resources manager of Cox Communications in Roanoke, where she worked for eight years.
TRANSPORTATION
WILLIAM E. "CHIP" HOLDREN JR. has joined the Greater Roanoke Transit Company as assistant general manager succeeding KATHRYN V. WEIKEL, who was promoted to general manager. Holdren most recently was employed by Rubatex Corp. in the insulation business unit and has more than 17 years of experience in management and sales. The transit company operates Valley Metro, the Roanoke bus system.
Information on personnel changes of interest to people in business should be sent to this column, c/o The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010.
LENGTH: Long : 151 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshots) Coffey, Shoemaker, Greer, Gill, Ridenhour,by CNBPetrocci, Jain, Campbell, Bibee|, Rakes, Gardner, Craig, Shorten,
Settles, Davis, Holdren.