SMALL BUSINESS

Kenny McMahen, outside sales professional at FASTSIGNS of Fresno, received the Bronze Sales Award at the 2016 FASTSIGNS Outside Sales Summit, recently held in Arlington, Texas. The Bronze Sales Award recognizes Outside Sales Professionals who achieved sales between $300,000 and $499,999 from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. With more than 615 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers worldwide, 90 Outside Sales Professionals received this award.
The California State Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors would like to announce that Roy Massey of Fresno’s Principal Financial Group has been elected to be president-elect of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors California for 2016 – 2017. He will assume duties of President on July 1, 2017.

---

EDUCATION

Retired executive vice president and general counsel of Mitsubishi James E. Brumm leads the 2016 class of accomplished Fresno State alumni who will be recognized Oct. 15 at the Fresno State Alumni Association’s Top Dog Alumni Awards Gala at the Save Mart Center in Fresno. Brumm will receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award for his success in international law and business, as well as his leadership in corporate responsibility, human rights and the environment. Service to the University and community will be recognized with the Arthur Safstrom Service Award, presented this year to Valerie A. Vuicich, administrator of the Career Technical Education/Fresno Regional Occupation Program for the Fresno County Office of Education and a champion of Fresno State and the Central Valley.
Fresno’s Christopher Morse has been elected to the board of governors of the California State University, Fresno Foundation, a private, nonprofit public benefit corporation established in 1931. Morse is the partner in charge of the Fresno office of accounting firm Moss Adams, which merged July 1 with his prior firm of Morse Wittwer Sampson, LLP.

BANKING & FINANCE

Sierra Bancorp, the holding company of Bank of the Sierra, that its board of directors has expanded the number of authorized directors to ten and approved the appointment of three new board members effective September 15, 2016. The newly-appointed directors, namely Robb Evans, Vonn R. Christenson, and Laurence S. Dutto, Ph.D., were also appointed as directors of Bank of the Sierra by the Bank’s Board.

 
GOVERNMENT

Mayor Ashley Swearengin and City Manager Bruce Rudd have announced that Brian Spindor has been named the City of Fresno’s new Assistant Director for the Department of Public Utilities. Spindor, who will start work effective Sept. 12, will be responsible for asset management and oversight of the City’s water and wastewater facilities as well as ensuring compliance of legal mandates for all water operations. Spindor is an accomplished professional with over 30 years of experience in civil engineering, asset and performance management, public health and safety, and the operations and maintenance of water, wastewater and stormwater systems.

Fresno County Assessor-Recorder Paul Dictos announced the appointment of JoAnn Ebisuda to the position of Assistant Assessor-Recorder. Ebisuda joined the Assessor’s Office in 2001 as an appraiser and progressed to senior appraiser on Aug. 11. She has served in all areas of appraisal in the Assessor’s Office. She received a Bachelor of Science degree, with emphasis in accounting and finance, from the University of San Francisco, and an associate of science degree in mathematics from Kings River Community College.

NON-PROFITS

Proteus, Inc., a non-profit, community-based organization serving farmworkers and other low-income participants, announced that its board of directors has selected Robert A. Alcazar as its new chief executive officer. Alcazar, who currently serves as Proteus’s executive director/COO, succeeded Michael E. McCann, the organization’s current CEO, on Sept. 2.