• Leadership Jacksonville will honor MaliVai Washington and Quinton White as community trustees at the 16th annual Celebration of Leadership event. Celebration 2011 is planned 6-9 p.m. April 7 at the Hyatt Downtown. Washington is founder of the MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation and White is executive director of the Marine Research Science Institute at Jacksonville University.
• “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is coming to Clay County this month and Ark Remodeling & Construction and J.A. Long Design Builders will join the ABC TV program’s project. The name of the family won’t be released until the week of Jan. 24.
• Jacksonville-based Petticoat-Schmitt Civil Contractors won two awards from the National Utility Contractors Association, its National Community Service Award for donating equipment, materials, manpower and money to Seamark Ranch and a William H. Feather Safety Award for its safety record.
• Four attorneys joined the Marks Gray law firm. Robert Gobelman, Mary Bland Love, Ronald Wasilenko and Michael Kendall bring backgrounds in medical malpractice defense, workers’ compensation defense and civil litigation defense.
• The Mississippi State University and University of Michigan football teams previewed the Latitude 30 entertainment center during their trip to town for the Gator Bowl. The center opens to the public today.
• The overall Jacksonville area office vacancy rate worked out to be 22 percent at yearend, said Cushman & Wakefield.
• The Central Business District Downtown office vacancy rate ended the year at 20.7 percent, with the Northbank at 24.3 percent and the Southbank at 11.6 percent.
• Meanwhile, the suburban rate ended at a 22.6 percent office vacancy rate, with the largest market, Butler/Baymeadows, at 22.9 percent.
• Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute physician William G. Pujadas was listed in the nationally recognized “Becker’s Orthopedic & Spine Review” magazine as one of the top 100 orthopedic and spine physician leaders in the United States. Pujadas is a founding member of JOI and practices joint replacement, spine and sports medicine at the San Marco office.
• Jacksonville-based Acosta Sales & Marketing promoted Vilma Consuegra to vice president of corporate communications. She will lead all companywide internal communication, brand, public relations and corporate marketing initiatives. Consuegra joined Acosta in 2002 as director of corporate communications.
• 2011 resolution: Don Shea
Executive Director, Jacksonville Civic Council
“To reach a better balance between work and family, achieving excellence in both areas.”