The Herd: New hires and promotions for 1.27.10

Departures:

Sue Ann “SAM” Messmer will retire Feb. 1 from her positions at VCU as vice president for University Relations and Chief of Staff, Office of the President. Messmer came to VCU in 1972 and has served in numerous capacities throughout the university, including faculty member in the Art History department, associate dean and director of graduate studies of the School of the Arts, assistant vice provost for continuing studies and public service, vice provost for continuing studies and public service, vice provost for community and international programs and vice provost for university outreach.

New hires
Alex Cherlin has joined Compound Profit in development. Compound Profit provides working capital and equipment to companies. Cherlin was previously with Maquet Getinge Group. He graduated with a degree in finance from the University of Florida.

Law

Kevin D. Pomfret joined LeClairRyan as a partner in the intellectual property, corporate service and venture capital practices. He was recently at Cantor Arkema. Prior to attending law school, Pomfret worked on developing the U.S. intelligence community’s imagery collection and exploitation requirements. Pomfret also served as a satellite imagery analyst and a Soviet analyst for the U.S. government.  He is a graduate of Washington & Lee University School of Law and Bates College in Maine.

Real estate

Karen Treanor joined the staff of the Richmond Association of Realtors and Central Virginia Regional MLS as director of marketing.  Treanor was previously with REIN, Inc., the multiple listing service that supports real estate professionals in Hampton Roads. Treanor holds a BA in economics from West Virginia University and an MBA from Old Dominion University.

Banking

C&F Bank has announced a handful of promotions:

Donna Mathews has been promoted to assistant vice president, construction lending.

Maureen Medlin, director of marketing, has been promoted to the title of vice president.

Patrick D. Hanley was voted to the board of directors at Xenith Bankshares. He is a former senior VP and CFO of Overnite Corporation. He is currently engaged in consulting, private equity investing and as an active board member with a number of civic and philanthropic organizations. Hanley also serves on the Board of Directors of NewMarket Corporation (NYSE).

Higher Education

Patricia M.C. Brown, a health care administrator, will serve as 2010 leader-in-residence at the University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies. An attorney and Richmond alumna, Brown is president of Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins HealthCare LLC and senior counsel for the Johns Hopkins Health System. Brown is a 1982 graduate of UR and received her law degree at the University of Baltimore. Prior to joining Hopkins in 1994, she served as Maryland assistant attorney general and taught health care law at the University of Baltimore.

Marketing

PUNCH, a marketing firm, hired David Mizelle as a graphic designer. Mizelle is a graduate of the VCU School of the Arts.

Please send HR notices to TheHerd@richmondbizsense.com. Please tell us the name of the new hire, his or her position, and where he or she went to college in the body of the email.

The Herd: New hires and promotions for 1.20.10

Departures:

Six government relations staffers have left LeClairRyan for the local office of Echert Seamans Cherin and Mellott.

Thomas Lisk has left LeClairRyan for the government relations division at Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott. Lisk lobbies the General Assembly on behalf of the hospitality industry and is an expert on ABC laws. You can read a Q&A with him here. Lisk studied at Washington & Lee as both an undergraduate and law student.

David W. Clarke also left LeClairRyan for Echert Seamans Cherin and Mellott. He handles telecommunications, insurance and real estate issues. He attended UVA as an undergrad and the University of Richmond for law school.

Richard L. Savage has left LeClairRyan for Echert Seamans Cherin and Mellott. He focuses on administrative law and government relations. He ha served in various capacities for the attorney general of Virginia. He attended Radford University as an undergraduate and received a law degree from Wake Forest and an MBA from William and Mary.

Three non-lawyers started at Eckert Seamans Cherin and Mellott:

May H. Fox brings more than 25 years of government experience. She has worked for Gov. Wilder as well as the state Department of Health and Human Resources. She received a master’s degree from Boston College and an undergraduate degree at Sweet Briar College.

Nicole Riley also joined the firm. She has worked for former attorney general Jerry Kilgore and Gov. Bob McDonnell. She went to Roanoke College.

Lisa Foster handles research and assists with governmental strategies. She went to VCU.

Williams Mullen added 17 attorneys. Only the Virginia ones are listed below:

Igor M. Babichenko has joined the firm’s Norfolk office, where he will on labor and employment law. He received his law degree from University of Miami and his undergraduate degree from Georgetown.

Rachel J. Baylis joined the firm’s Norfolk office, where she will focus on general corporate and business law matters. Prior to attending law school, Baylis was a lieutenant in the United States Navy. She received her law degree from Stanford Law School and her undergraduate degree from the United States Naval Academy.

Jeffrey D. Chadwick has joined the firm’s Richmond office, where he will on the income taxation of businesses and their owners. Chadwick attended law school at the University of Richmond. He received his undergraduate degree from Baylor University.

Anne C. Foster joined the firm’s Richmond office, where she will focus on assisting health care providers with general health care and corporate matters. Prior to joining Williams Mullen, Foster worked with Capital One, performing corporate compliance. Foster attended UVA as an undergraduate and a law student.

Samuel J. Hawley joined the firm’s Virginia Beach office, where he will focus on mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. Hawley received his law degree from Washington & Lee and his undergraduate degree from Old Dominion University.

Michael R. Hipps joined the firm’s Norfolk office, where he will focus on international trade matters. Hipps went to law school at the University of Richmond and was an undergraduate at Dartmouth College.

Kiana M. Jamison joined the firm’s Richmond office, where she will focus on mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. Jamison attended Yale as an undergraduate and UVA for law school.

Ryan C. Kenrick joined the firm’s Richmond office, where he will focus on financial services and real estate matters. Kenrick went to law school at William and Mary and studied as an undergraduate at UVA.

Katherine W. Payne has joined the firm’s Richmond office, where she will focus on general government affairs. Payne went to law school at the University of Richmond and attended William and Mary as an undergraduate.

Joseph R. Pope has joined the firm’s Richmond office, where he is an associate in the firm’s litigation practice. Prior to joining the firm, Pope served as a law clerk to the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the Honorable Harvey E. Schlesinger, United State District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and the Honorable Stephen S. Mitchell, United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Pope attended law school at the University of Richmond School of Law and received his undergraduate degree from Queens College.

Jeffrey F. Riddle has joined the firm’s Virginia Beach office, where he will focus on general corporate and business law matters. Prior to attending law school, Riddle was a principle and founder of several entrepreneurial enterprises. In 1985, Riddle received a B.S. in electrical engineering from VMI. He received his MBA from William and Mary in 1991 and his law degree from William and Mary in 2009.

Ashley W. Winsky joined the firm’s Virginia Beach office, where she will focus on labor and employment litigation as well as commercial litigation. Winsky went to George Mason for law school. She attended Virginia Tech.

William A. Wozniak has joined the firm’s McLean office, where he will focus his practice on government contracts. Prior to joining the firm, Wozniak worked as a contracts administrator for Northrop Grumman. Wozniak went to law school at George Washington and studied at Virginia Tech as an undergraduate.

Please send HR notices to TheHerd@richmondbizsense.com. Please send in the body of the email and not as a PDF.

Monday Q&A: Time to advertise happy hour?

A new Republican governor in Virginia could mean new opportunities for businesses in the Commonwealth. Perhaps no enterprise has more to gain than independent liquor stores, should ABC be disbanded. And more flexible rules will finally let pubs advertise their happy hour specials on a placard or sign outside their establishments.

Tom Lisk is a longtime lawyer with LeClairRyan who also lobbies the General Assembly on behalf of the hospitality and restaurant industries. Read more

McDonnell still leads fundraising from Richmond businesses

Republican Bob McDonnell is still raising more cash from the Richmond business community, but Democratic candidate Sen. Creigh Deeds has been busy playing catch-up.

Deeds received more than $130,000 from local companies and trade associations in second-quarter fundraising, according the Virginia Public Access Project. Large donations from Verizon ($50,000) and Altria ($25,000) came rolling in after Deeds won the primary. Read more

LINC Recognizes Outstanding Volunteers

At its annual Lunch In The Garden held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on May 14, 2009, LINC recognized two local lawyers, one local law firm and an individual who provided exceptional volunteer support to the organization over the past year. Catherine B. Strauss, President of the Board of Directors and John (Jack) M. Robb, III, Esquire, of LeClairRyan  made the presentations.

The Krista Latshaw Pro Bono Service Award, named for a dedicated LINC volunteer attorney to honor her legacy of commitment, sacrifice and humility; was presented to Michael C. Cooper, Esquire, of Spotts Fain. When asked about his involvement with LINC, Mr. Cooper said “it’s rewarding to help people who truly need assistance, and I believe that such individuals should be concentrating on getting well rather than worrying. Even the briefest call to a LINC client is greeted with thanks and relief, and it’s clear that addressing even these minor legal matters make a significant, immediate different to their lives.”

The 2009 Long Term Service Award was presented to Deborah M. Costello, Esquire, an attorney whose private law practice focuses on Domestic Relations, Wills and Collaborative Law. She began working with LINC over 10 years ago, being one of the first attorneys to take on a LINC case in her area of practice. She has drafted countless bedside wills for terminally ill patients, and volunteers their time to teach other LINC attorneys. She is also a past LINC Board Member.

The 2009 Outstanding Law Firm Award was presented to Williams Mullen. In presenting the award, Jack Robb noted that “Williams Mullen’s service to LINC has been personal, timely and a virtually guaranteed referral. In particular, Andy Nea is Williams Mullen’s pro bono partner, and this award is well deserved thanks to Andy’s efforts and those of the WilliamsMullen attorneys working with him. Williams Mullen not only takes on a relatively large number of LINC cancer-patient referrals, but Andy has promised us that when we cannot find another attorney, Williams Mullen will find one. This guarantee ensures that any cancer patient coming to LINC needing an attorney will get one.” Jim Meath, Vice-Chair of Williams Mullen accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

Marcia LaMaskin, a long time volunteer and event coordinator for LINC, was surprised to be recognized with the President’s Award for Volunteerism. Ms. LaMaskin was singled out for her extraordinary service to LINC over the course of several years, taking over event planning and working endless hours to produce both the annual luncheon and the organization’s fall event, It’s In the Bag. It was noted that Ms. LaMaskin also brought friends and colleagues who have become valued members of the LINC community. Read more

New ABC program may eventually soften the hated 45% ratio

Virginia legislators can raise a drink to the conclusion of another General Assembly. And to all the time they spent debating blue laws.

In fact, out of more than 15 new laws regarding the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, six made specifications pertaining directly to blended alcoholic beverages or their vendors.

But the often-ridiculed law that requires restaurants to sell a minimum dollar value of food based on liquor sales has shown extraordinary staying power, in part because a powerful beer and wine lobby opposes upsetting the status quo. Read more

First Market Bank bought by Union Bankshares

Richmond-based First Market Bank was acquired by Union Bankshares Corp. in an all-stock deal valued at about $100 million. The new holding company will move its headquarters from Bowling Green to Richmond, although that will only bring a few jobs downtown. Read more