• The Main Street Facelift Project continued Saturday when Operation New Hope, a community development corporation, teamed up with LISC's EPIC program, the Junior League of Jacksonville and local artist and Florida State College at Jacksonville professor Dustin Harewood to help revitalize the Springfield neighborhood. Volunteers (right) added 350 square feet of Harewood's original artwork to boarded window's to complete a blighted building's (left) transformation.
• Gov. Rick Scott announced the 2012 Innovators in Business Award winners and two regional businesses were recognized. Utilipath and its founder and managing member Lindon Hayes was presented with a Governor's Innovators Under 40 Award. The new category recognizes residents under the age of 40 who own or lead a Florida company with annual revenue of $1 million and have created at least 10 jobs since January 2011. ALM Technologies Inc. in Nassau County received a Newcomer Award, for companies new to Florida that began operations since January 2011.
• Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti has scheduled additional town hall meetings with parents and community members about his vision for the school system. Each starts at 6 p.m. and are scheduled for Jan. 8 at Englewood High School; Jan. 15 at Ribault High School; Jan. 17 at Raines High School; Jan. 22 at Ed White High School; and Jan. 24 at Mandarin High School.
• Gov. Rick Scott received a presentation Tuesday from Gray Swoope, secretary of commerce and Enterprise Florida president and CEO, about the state's job creation the past year. Competitive projects created 25,144 jobs, up 30.4 percent from 2011, according to a news release. The release also presented the year's "key job announcements" and Bi-Lo Winn Dixie was listed as the only area deal, creating 100 jobs and retaining 891 positions, while creating a capital investment of $81 million.
• Advertising agency Burdette Ketchum has hired Autumn Berrang as vice president of client services and promoted Donia Crime as vice president of public relations and social media. Berrang will build and manage client relationships, guide program strategy and activation and lead the firm's account staff. Crime has been with Burdette Ketchum since 2009 and will lead the agency in public relations, social media strategy, crisis communications and business development.
• The Dalton Agency, a Jacksonville-based national advertising and public relations agency, announced that LEGOLAND Florida has selected it to provide national public relations and social media services for the rapidly expanding Central Florida theme park. The park features more than 50 rides, shows and attractions and a new water park.
• RailAmerica Inc. filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the state Tuesday that it could lay off 50 transportation and warehousing employees from Feb. 5-Sept. 30. Jacksonville-based RailAmerica was acquired by Greenwich, Conn.-based Genesee & Wyoming Inc. on Oct. 1. Although Genesee now owns the company, control of RailAmerica has been placed in a voting trust until the U.S. Surface Transportation Board gives final approval of the merger of the two short-line railroad operators. That approval is expected in early 2013.
• Marketing and public relations firm Clockwork Marketing has hired Nathalie Lobefaro as an account executive. She handles the day-to-day and strategic management of her clients' public relations and marketing. Lobefaro graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in public relations.