Newsmakers

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Advertising/Public Relations

Michele Parker has joined Los Angeles-based Kalis & Savage Advertising as an account supervisor. She previously worked at Saatchi & Saatchi in Torrance, where she handled the Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. account. Client accounts she will handle in her new position include Alpine Electronics, Noah’s New York Bagels, and Southern California Savings.

Banking/Finance

Grocery Preferred Bank has named Allej H. Court as first vice president. In his new position, Court will be responsible for lending and market development for the Los Angeles-based company. Prior to joining the company, he held senior executive positions with City National Bank, Imperial Bank and Manufacturers Bank.

Imperial Bank has promoted Thomas Shinkle Jr. to senior vice president of commercial loan administration. In his new position, Shinkle will be responsible for the company’s diverse health care loan portfolio. His activities will include targeting markets, setting lending parameters, underwriting and structuring transactions and monitoring loan performance. Prior to joining Imperial Bank, Shinkle founded the Health Care Finance Group at First Union National Bank.

Entertainment/Media

Jeff Killingsworth has been named senior vice president of media for MGM Distribution Co. in Los Angeles. In his new position, Killingsworth will oversee all aspects of media placement for upcoming MGM and United Artists films in the North American markets. He previously was senior vice president for Western International Media.

Bahman Naraghi has been named senior vice president of planning and operations for Universal Pictures. Naraghi will be responsible for all planning and development activities for the motion picture company, as well as strategic planning. He previously was senior director of corporate development for the Universal City-based company.

Eric Hughes has been named vice president of production for Universal Pictures. In his new position, Hughes will be responsible for acquiring and developing movie projects. Prior to this assignment, he was creative executive of production for Turner Pictures.

Health Care

Building Blocks Pediatric Home Health Services has named Lucy Gutierrez as vice president of business development. In her new position, Gutierrez will be responsible for securing contracts and forming strategic partnerships with managed care payers in Los Angeles County. She previously was vice president of business development for the Visiting Nurses Association of Los Angeles.

High Technology

Angela J. Johnson has been named vice president of investor relations and corporate communications at Spatializer Audio Laboratories Inc. of Woodland Hills. She has also been appointed an officer of the company and its subsidiaries as secretary. The company designs and licenses audio, data storage and other advanced technologies.

Patrick A. Diamond has been hired as vice president of business development for Simi Valley-based HT Communications Inc. Diamond held a similar position with Frame Relay Technologies Inc. of Costa Mesa. He will be in charge of establishing partnerships with distributorships and industrial clients for the company,which develops ISDN technology.

Law

Ruth D. Kahn has been named a partner at Lane Powell Spears Lubersky LLP of Century City. In her new position, Kahn will focus her practice on product liability, toxic tort and business litigation. She has been with Lane Powell since 1993. Kahn formerly was a senior litigation associate with Howarth & Smith in Los Angeles.

Michael D. Berk and Bruce Speiser have joined the Los Angeles law office of Pircher, Nichols & Meeks, a national real estate law firm, as partners. Both attorneys specialize in litigation. Both Berk and Speiser come to Pricher, Nichols from the law firm of Rogers & Wells in Los Angeles. Prior to that, both were litigation partners at McKenna & Fitting.

Real Estate

Cory Kristoff has been appointed general manager of Arco Center in downtown Long Beach. In the new position, she will be responsible for the management and operations of the 430,000-square-foot office complex.

MGC Architects has named Marcelo Ruben Igonda as director of design of the Los Angeles-based firm. He brings 30 years of experience to the company in urban design, industrialized buildings systems and computer applications to design. His past projects include the Arco Plaza twin towers in Long Beach and the Plaza Tower in Costa Mesa.

Alan S. Pekarcik has been named senior vice president of Kilroy Realty Corp. Also, Tyler H. Rose has been named senior vice president and treasurer. Prior to joining the Los Angeles-based brokerage, Pekarcik worked as a broker for Voit Commercial Brokerage. Rose previously was a senior vice president and treasurer for Irvine Apartment Communities.

Retail

Ralphs Grocery Co. has named George Boyle as vice president of manufacturing. In his new position, Boyle will be responsible for the Compton-based company’s manufacturing facilities, which include creamery, bakery, commissary/deli kitchen and meat. He previously was director of supply chain logistics for the Vons Cos.

Travel/Tourism

The Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau has named Kristin Reickel to be director of eastern region sales. She previously served as senior sales manager of the Chicago Omni Hotel. In her new position, Reickel will manage government, corporate and association sales activities in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Steven King has been named director of group sales for the Universal City Hilton and Towers. King previously worked in a similar position at the Doubletree Hotel at Los Angeles International Airport. In his new job, King will be responsible for development and solicitation of advance group business from all markets.

Donald Putrimas has been installed as president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Putrimas is vice president and controller of Warner Hollywood Studios. Putrimas takes over the role of chamber president from Steve Lew, vice president of Universal Studios Inc.

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