Miller-Davis Company has hired Paul Pagano, recent Western Michigan University (WMU) Civil Engineering graduate, as a Project Engineer.  He will assist Project Superintendents with field operations and is currently assigned to Decatur Public School’s $12 million Bond Program.  While at WMU, Pagano was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Associated General Contractors (AGC) student chapters and captain of the 2009-2010 ASCE Concrete Canoe team.

The law firm of Miller Canfield announces that Harold J. Decker, of counsel in the Kalamazoo, Mich. office, was elected to the board of trustees of Kalamazoo College. Decker is a 1967 graduate of Kalamazoo College and a 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award Honoree.

At Miller Canfield, Decker represents clients in many forms of litigation and is the leader of the Intellectual Property Group. His representation of clients includes development and implementation of litigation readiness plans, responses to governmental and regulatory agency inquiries, records management programs, and pro-active discovery strategies.  Recently he was named one of the Best Lawyers in America in commercial litigation and biotechnology and a “Thought Leader in the Law” by Business Review West Michigan.

Decker has also served as the general counsel and interim president and chief executive officer of The American National Red Cross, vice president of Corporate Litigation and Product Stewardship at Pharmacia (formerly Upjohn), and adjunct professor of law at the Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

Decker received his J.D. and his LL.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in the states of Michigan, California and the District of Columbia.

The law firm of Miller Canfield offers businesses, governments, nonprofits, individuals and families a broad array of integrated legal and business services in over 55 areas.  With Michigan roots for 158 years and a global reach for two decades, the firm has 370 lawyers throughout offices in Michigan, Illinois, Florida, New York, Ohio, Canada, Mexico, Poland and China. For more information, visit www.millercanfield.com.

With three slots still to be filled, Tom Schleuter, president and chief executive officer of Keystone Bank, has been appointed to the KVCC Foundation Board of Trustees.

He'll be filling one of the four trusteeships being vacated by four members who have served the maximum of three three-year terms.  They are:
 
* Dawnanne Corbit, senior sales manager at Ship-Pac Inc. and the reigning chairwoman of the board.
* Attorney Catherine Metzler, a partner in the law firm of Miller Johnson.
* Charles Wattles, the board treasurer who is a principal in the Arcadia Investment Management Corp.
* James Weber, chairman of Weber Specialties in Schoolcraft.

Replacing Corbit as chairman of the board will be Jeff Gardner, president of the Gardner Group.  Moving up as vice chair is attorney Michele Marquardt.  The new treasurer is David Tomko, PNC Bank's regional president for Southwest Michigan, while Larry Leuth, president of First National Bank of Michigan, will remain as board secretary.

New three-year terms were extended for Gardner, and for trustees Ed Bernard and David Jarl.  The three remaining vacancies will be filled by the end of the summer, according to executive director Steve Doherty.

He also reported that the foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum to host guest lecturers and special programs that will complement the upcoming nationally touring exhibition on race.
 
*Race:  Are We So Different?* has been booked into the downtown-Kalamazoo museum from Oct. 2 through Jan. 2 and a 30-percent hike in attendance is expected.

Miller-Davis Company, General Contractor and Construction Manager, welcomes Matt Postma as Project Superintendent.  He is responsible for planning, supervising and monitoring field construction activities and is currently assigned to Gull Lake Community School’s Middle School project.

Postma has been in the construction industry for 10 years, is a LEED Accredited Professional and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Management from Michigan State University.

Roger C. Gietzen, MD, has joined the Borgess Brain & Spine Institute as Medical Director of the Borgess Stroke Center .

In his new role, Dr. Gietzen oversees all inpatient neurological care and manages the day-to-day treatment and recovery of stroke patients hospitalized at Borgess Medical Center .

A University of Michigan graduate with Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Dr. Gietzen completed his medical education at Wayne State University College of Medicine in Detroit, Michigan.  He fulfilled an internship at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, and completed a neurology residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Most recently, Dr. Gietzen served as Stroke Program Director, Neurology Department Head and Neurophysiology Lab Director at Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey, Michigan.

Dr. Gietzen is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

The Borgess Brain & Spine Institute brings together the specialists of Borgess Neurology , Borgess Spine and Neurosurgery of Kalamazoo into a comprehensive team.  The Institute provides prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including minimally invasive techniques, along with rehabilitation for disorders of the brain, neck, back, nerves, carotid artery, head and spine injury and stroke in an integrated model of care.

For more information, please visit spine.borgess.com .  

Owen D. Ramey has become a shareholder in the Kalamazoo law firm of Lewis Reed & Allen P.C. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Michigan University in 1971 and his Juris Doctor degree from The University of Detroit in 1975. Mr. Ramey practices in the areas of civil litigation, family law, business law and liquor control law. Mr. Ramey is a member of the Kalamazoo and Allegan County Bar Associations, and the State Bar of Michigan. He has served as an officer for the Kalamazoo County Trial Lawyers Association and was a founding member.

Charles Cornelius, President and CEO of Educational Community Credit Union (ECCU), is pleased to announce the recent promotion of Gina Chiechi to Branch Manager for the credit union’s Main Office located at 1551 South 9th Street in Kalamazoo. Chiechi’s new responsibilities include managing the daily operations and supervision of personnel for ECCU’s Main Office.

Gina has worked for ECCU since 2006 and was promoted from Assistant Branch Manager at the credit union’s 9th Street Main Office. Her previous experience includes serving as a Mortgage Loan Officer at Centennial Mortgage and Funding, Inc. in Kalamazoo and at TCF Mortgage Corporation in Portage, and as a Branch Manager and Assistant Vice President at Standard Federal Bank in Kalamazoo. Gina Chiechi and her family reside in Kalamazoo, Michigan.