NEWSMAKERS

Accounting

Good Swartz Brown & Berns has hired Robert H. Bernstein as partner-in-charge of the firm’s new business management services unit. Based in the firm’s San Fernando Valley office, Bernstein will lead the new practice area that will offer clients services including personal bill paying, insurance evaluation and wealth management. He previously was partner-in-charge of business management services at White, Zuckerman, Warsavsky, Luna & Wolf.

Banking and Finance

Soeren Rytoft has been appointed to the Los Angeles office of Metzler/Payden LLC, where he will be senior vice president, responsible for advising U.S.-based retail and institutional clients on international investment strategies. He also will serve on the investment committee for Metzler/Payden funds. Rytoft previously was director of international marketing at Metzler Asset Management in Frankfurt.

Greely Snowden will lead the new U.S. Bank branch in Baldwin Hills as assistant vice president and branch manager. Snowden, a Baldwin Hills native, most recently worked for Wells Fargo as a client service officer.

Construction

Tishman Construction Corp. of California has promoted Glenn Skanderup to executive vice president and chief operating officer of its Western region. He will be responsible for the overall administration and operation of the Western regional office in Los Angeles. Skanderup also will retain his role as construction executive for selected projects, including the St. Regis Hotel Museum Tower in San Francisco and the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas. He has been with the company since 1985.

Bremco Construction has hired William O. Lewis as vice president and general manager of the firm’s Southern California office in Long Beach. He will be responsible for sales, design, engineering, purchasing, accounting and construction. He was formerly vice president and general manager with Austin Co.

Consulting

RBF Consulting has promoted Ernest Wade to vice president. He previously was manager of the surveying and mapping department of the firm’s Temecula office. Wade will continue to serve RBF’s clients in the Inland Empire. RBF is a consulting firm for the design and construction industries.

Entertainment

Orphanage Inc., a visual effects and animation services company for motion picture and television production, has appointed Amy Israel head of production. Israel was formerly senior vice president of acquisitions and co-productions for Miramax Films.

Government

Eric Brown has been appointed deputy mayor for human services, responsible for community development, cultural affairs, aging, human relations, disability, and the Commission on the Status of Women and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena. Brown most recently was a special assistant to the Mayor, managing several city departments including Community Development and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

Law

Weston Benshoof Rochefort Rubalcava & MacCuish LLP announced the promotion of Peter A. Nyquist to partner with the firm’s environmental strategy and litigation department. Nyquist will focus on clients in environmental litigation and regulatory enforcement actions involving federal and state environmental statutes. He joined the firm in 1998.

Christopher Greenleaf and Robert Slaughter have been promoted as partners of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP’s Los Angeles office.

Media

Stephen Suess has been hired as information technologies director at LA Weekly. Suess previously was IT director for Liberation Publications where he was responsible for all computer and communication systems.

Real Estate

Dick Poladian has joined Lowe Enterprises as chief financial officer and chief administration officer, overseeing accounting and reporting systems and directing human resources, risk management, information systems and legal services. He had most recently been managing partner for the Pacific Southwest at Arthur Andersen.

Douglas Moreland has been hired by Playa Vista as senior vice president of development, responsible for overseeing the Phase II entitlement process for The Village plan and supervising the company’s public affairs and government relations efforts. He spent the past 11 years at Walt Disney Co. leading the team involved in the creation of Disney’s technology creative campus and renovation of Edison Stadium.

Retail

Discount supermarket chain Food 4 Less announced three organizational changes in the company’s Compton-based headquarters. Bryan Kaltenbach has been promoted to vice president of store operations, responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company’s 127 units in California and Nevada. Tim Mulhall will be responsible for the produce, meat, deli and bakery departments in his new role as vice president of perishables. Daryl Zgodzay has been appointed vice president of sales and marketing for Northern California and Las Vegas, and will oversee all sales and marketing activities for stores in those areas.

J. Robert Scott, a custom interior furnishings and fabrics company serving corporate, retail and hospitality settings, has appointed C. W. Bill Rouse as vice president of sales and marketing. Rouse will be responsible for overseeing sales staff in showrooms across the United States and in London, Montreal and Toronto. He previously was president of Rouse Associates Consulting.