John Hirabayashi and Dawn Lockhart have been appointed to the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Jacksonville Branch, according to an announcement by Community First Credit Union.
Hirabayashi is president and CEO of Community First. Lockhart is president and CEO of Family Foundations of Northeast Florida Inc. Both will serve through December 2018 and up to six years if reappointed.
Community First Credit Union opens branch at Five Points Village
Community First Credit Union on Monday opened a full-service branch at Five Points Village in Riverside.
Located at Margaret and Post streets, it’s the credit union’s 18th branch and first in the neighborhood.
The 3,000-square-foot branch is a new design for the credit union and is a first to provide a “community room” for small businesses, organizations, nonprofits, clubs and other groups to hold meetings and have co-work space. It will have four full-time employees.
The credit union also continues renovations of its branches in 2016, including the Arlington branch on Merrill Road.
The McCormick Agency, Client Focused Media merge
The McCormick Agency, a public relations firm, and Client Focused Media marketing agency have joined forces.
The McCormick Agency has been in business for more than 27 years and adds a public and media relations element to Client Focused Media.
Paul McCormick, the agency’s president and founder, will manage the public relations division of Client Focused Media.
In a news release, McCormick said he had been looking for a company to partner with and considered Client Focused “the perfect partner.”
Mike White, Client Focused CEO, in the news release said the move meets the “ever growing public relations needs that our clients have.”
With the move, the public relations department will be located at Client Focused headquarters at 1611 San Marco Blvd.
Bestselling author coming to town
James Rollins, a New York Times bestselling author for “The Bone Labyrinth,” will be in Jacksonville next week for a speaking engagement.
The event starts at 7 p.m. Jan. 14, at Bookmark, 220 First St. in Neptune Beach.
Rollins has a background in evolutionary science, with his latest fictional work creating a human/gorilla hybrid that’s an experiment on learning how human intelligence began.
The New York Times’ book review described the author as “what you might end up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.”
Mellow Mushroom opens new restaurant in River City Marketplace
Hungry pizza eaters on the Northside have another option.
Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers recently opened in the River City Marketplace area at 15170 Max Leggett Parkway. The business is owned by John Valentino, who owns several other Jacksonville-area Mellow Mushroom locations.
The menu features the brand’s signature pizza, calzones, salads and more, while the décor depicts a variety of transportation-based industries, like the railroad and airport.
During its Friends and Family Night, part of the proceeds will go toward the Boys and Girls Club.
Barnack joins Speech and Hearing Center as development director
Nicola Barnack has been named development director for the Jacksonville Speech and Hearing Center. She will be responsible for fund development for the nonprofit that serves children, adults and seniors in the areas of speech pathology and audiology.
She most recently served as area director of the North Florida Region for the American Lung Association of the Southeast.
Barnack has a bachelor’s in communications from the University of North Florida.
The center was founded in 1949 by the Junior League of Jacksonville. It’s located at 1128 N. Laura St.
Pollo Tropical launches kids promotion
Pollo Tropical has launched a “kids eat free” on Tuesdays promotion.
Guests who purchase an adult meal will receive one free Kids Meal, for children 12 and under. Children must be present at the time of purchase.
There are five Pollo Tropical restaurants in the Jacksonville area — Regency, Mandarin, the Northside, Gate Parkway and Southside.
Edward Waters College to kick off 150th celebration
Edward Waters College will kick off its sesquicentennial celebration at 11 a.m. Jan. 20 on the campus’ centennial lawn.
That event will feature a balloon release and cake-cutting ceremony with President Nat Glover, faculty, staff and students, along with a performance by the Triple Threat Marching Band and EWC Concert Choir.
The college formerly was Brown’s Theological Institute and was founded in 1866 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church to educate newly emancipated slaves. The name was changed to Edward Waters College in 1892.