The following is a list of achievements by businesses and individuals in the Ann Arbor area:

• ArtServe Michigan, Michigan’s statewide nonprofit arts-advocacy organization, recently announced Dorrie Milan has joined the team as creative industries associate. Milan most recently served as membership/program coordinator for The Arts Alliance in Ann Arbor and also has co-owned Curtain Call Dance Studio in Canton for the past 11 years. Milan is a resident of Plymouth.

• A group of Eastern Michigan University students is awarding grants to local nonprofit organizations as part of a project made possible through a $5,000 grant from Women in Philanthropy at EMU. The Student Grant Project will award $500 each to 10 nonprofits in the Washtenaw County service area to help improve their fundraising and marketing capabilities. Nonprofit organizations interested in applying can go to the EMU Nonprofit Leadership Alliance website, www.americanhumanics.emich.edu, to download an application. For information, email humanics@emich.edu or call 734-487-1612.

• The University of Michigan received an Arbor Special Tribute Award for excellence and innovation in human resources during the 2011 Arbor Awards for Excellence on Tuesday, March 8. U-M was recognized for a new streamlined enrollment process for its retirement savings plan that simplifies the process for employees and decreases paperwork and errors. Joan Moore, Ann Arbor resident and president of the Arbor Consulting Group, which sponsors the awards, made the award to Steven Sindlinger, assistant director for benefits at U-M. The Arbor Consulting Group Inc., a national human resource management consulting firm based in Northville, founded the Arbor Awards for Excellence program in 1996 to recognize excellence in human resources.

• Ann Arbor-based production company RDR Radio has chosen Orange Egg Advertising, also based in Ann Arbor, to represent RDR;s Acoustic Café syndicated music program. Acoustic Café will work with Orange Egg to pursue regional and national sponsors, particularly Michigan-based companies with a national reach. The program can be heard on Detroit’s WDET, 101.9 FM or online at www.Acafe.com.

• The Key Bank branch at 1478 Chelsea-Manchester Road in Chelsea is now offering free to area residents a conference space that can hold up to 15 people. Community groups only need to request the space in advance. For more information, contact branch manager Brandon Barefield at 734-475-9155.

• On March 2, Gov. Rick Snyder announced appointment to the various boards, including the appointment of Ypsilanti resident Jim Fink to the Domestic Violence Prevention and Treatment Board. Fink is an attorney with Fink & Valvo. Snyder also announced appointments the Michigan Economic Growth Authority Board, including Michael Finney, former president of an Ann Arbor SPARK, a public-private partnership focused on economic development.

• Todd Clark was named chairman of the 2011 Campaign for Community for United Way of Washtenaw County. Clark is the chief operating officer and Washtenaw community president at United Bank and Trust.

• BioMedware, an Ann Arbor-based company that conducts research and develops software for the environmental and health sciences, has launched its new website: www.biomedware.com. The site was designed and developed by DesignHub Inc. of Saline. DesignHub also created the new logo for BioMedware.

• Profiles International Inc. hosted its 20th Anniversary World Conference - ‘Celebrating our Past and Charting our Future,' including an awards dinner to recognize the performance of their top strategic business partners. One of the honorees was Ypsilanti resident Mike Kestly of Kestly Development. Kestly was selected from more than 750 strategic business partners his outstanding sales and customer service performance in 2010.

• The U.S. Department of Energy recently awarded $138,389 in grant money to Pittsfield Charter Township to retrofit the Robert A. Lillie Administration Building with energy conserving triple-cell window shades to minimize energy loss. Township officials estimated the windows will cut energy loss by up to 20 percent in both winter and summer and that the investment should pay for itself within six years.

• Two of the most influential chemists of the last decade are University of Michigan professors, according to a new independent analysis based on the number of citations researchers' papers received. Professors Nicholas Kotov and Charles Brooks are included on the Thomson Reuters Science Watch list "Top 100 Chemists, 2000-2010." Kotov is a faculty member in the departments of Chemical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. Brooks is the Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Professor of Chemistry and a faculty member in the biophysics program. Kotov also ranked in the top 25 most influential materials scientists.

• Three new agents have joined Edward Surovell Realtors Ann Arbor office at 1898 West Stadium Boulevard: Ginny Miller of Saline, Tyler Weston of Ypsilanti and Dan Carroll of Saline.

• Program Director Cassie Mann and Managing Director Suzi Peterson are this year celebrating their 10th anniversary as the executive directors of Ann Arbor Civic Theatre.

• Hobbs+Black Associates, an architectural firm headquartered in Ann Arbor. was awarded the Tucson Medical Center’s West Hospital project in Tucson, Ariz. The West Hospital building program consists of multiple projects including construction of a new West Hospital and redevelopment of the west side of the 122-acre campus, including a new parking structure. Design of the West Hospital began in January, and the total project cost is predicted to be $100,000,000.

• Paul Choukourian has been tapped to head Colliers International's Detroit region as managing director. Choukourian will oversee the Detroit and Ann Arbor offices. Choukourian most recently served as the director of leasing and market development for KIRCO in Troy. He will be based out of Colliers' Detroit office.

• Affinia Global Filtration recently received the NAPA Auto Parts 2010 "Spirit of NAPA" Award, which is the auto parts company's highest honor for supplier service and performance. The 2010 award is the eighth time that NAPA has presented its top honor to Affinia's filtration business unit. Affinia Group's North American operations are based in Ann Arbor.

• Dr. George J. Brewer was recently named senior vice president of research and development for Ann Arbor-based Adeona Pharmaceuticals Inc. Brewer joins the Adeona management team after serving as the chairman of the company's Scientific Advisory Board for seven years.

• University of Michigan professor Andy Hoffman is among 20 environmental researchers in North America selected as one of 20 Leopold Leadership Fellows for 2011. Fellows are chosen for their outstanding qualifications as researchers, demonstrated leadership ability and strong interest in communicating beyond traditional academic audiences. Hoffman, the Holcim (U.S.) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at U of M's Ross School of Business and School of Natural Resources and Environment, specializes in research on the cultural and insti-tutional aspects of environmental issues for corporations, governments and nongovernmental organizations. Hoffman, who also serves as associate director of U-M's Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, has published eight books and more than 90 articles and book chapters on environmental and social issues as they relate to business.

• Michael Turner has been hired as volunteer and event coordinator for the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor (formerly The Wellness Community). In this new part-time position, Turner will work on volunteer staffing and training and fundraising event coordination.

• Christine Jefferies, 25, and her mother, Kathy Jefferies, recently completed the purchase of the Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee Co. at 2891 Jackson Ave from former owners Paul and Jared Smith. Christine Jefferies is the first Great Lakes employee to start as a barista and work her way up to store owner and is part of the first women-owned Great Lakes franchise. The local Great Lakes Chocolate and Coffee Co. chain was founded in Sturgis, Mich. in 2002, now with locations in Ann Arbor, Lansing, Sturgis and Kimberly, Wis.

• Ann Arbor-based Borders will recognize March as "Kids' Reading Month" with a number of events to celebrate and promote children's reading and engagement. Additionally, Borders' Spring Charity Drive started March 1 and runs through April 30. Borders stores are partnering with hundreds of charities and nonprofits nationwide to deliver hundreds of thousands of new books and stuffed toys donated by customers at the cash register. Through its 2010 charity drives, Borders delivered more than 1.5 million books and stuffed toys to charities.

• After nearly five years of business at 500 E. Eisenhower Parkway, Natural Body Health & Wellness has moved to a new location just down the road, at 361 W. Eisenhower Parkway. Formerly known as Migun Ann Arbor, Natural Body Health & Wellness offers an array of new equipment and therapies for natural whole-body health. The company will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Sunday, March 13.

• Brewed Awakenings Café opened in Saline on March 1, and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. March 5. The cafe is located in the Country Creek Shopping Center on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Moon Road.

• Michelle Yurcak, president of Premium Event Services in Ypsilanti, recently received the highest designation of the event planning industry. The newly attained credential of Certified Meeting Professional distinguishes Premium Event Services as having expertise in planning, managing and organizing professional events.

• Gretchen Elwell, a veteran retail professional, has joined the sales team at Ann Arbor Carpets and Fine Floors. Elwell, an Ann Arbor resident, most recently served as a branch manager of a local lighting and electrical supplier.

• E-mail items for People, Achievements and Paparazzi to business@annarbor.com . Sign up for the weekly Business Review email newsletter here.