From new hires and promotions to industry awards, here’s a roundup of achievements by businesses and individuals in the greater Ann Arbor area:

• Dr. Jonathan D. Trobe, professor with the University of Michigan Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and professor with the University of Michigan Department of Neurology, has been awarded the 2013 Kaiser Permanente Award for Excellence in Teaching in clinical sciences. The honor recognizes exemplary commitment to the education of medical students. One of fewer than 15 individuals to be board-certified in both ophthalmology and neurology in this country, Dr. Trobe developed innovative teaching materials and taught medical students, resident physicians, and practitioners across the world in both specialties for more than 30 years.

• Ann Arbor-based CFI Group May 20 announced a new partnership with mortgage advisory firm STRATMOR Group. Together the two companies have created a new survey tool that captures mortgage borrower feedback and allows lenders to measure, benchmark and respond to borrower satisfaction.

• The Department of Veterans Affairs recently announce the appointment of Paul Bockelman as the new network director of the VA Veterans Integrated Service Network 11, based in Ann Arbor and serving Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Northwestern Ohio. Bockelman will oversee delivery of health care to more than 386,000 veterans and 12,000 employees.

• Ann Arbor-based Huron Valley Financial recently announced it has opened a new office in Jackson, its sixth office across the state, located at 833 Laurence Ave. The new office's staff will include two mortgage specialists who have experience in the Jackson area, Susan Greiner and Kiernan Brown, as senior mortgage bankers.

• Con-way Freight, an Ann Arbor-based less-than-truckload trucking company and subsidiary of Con-way Inc., in mid-May announced plans to build a new 96-door, 47,000-square-foot freight service center in Fond du Lac, Wis.

• In related news, Con-way Freight, was named LTL Carrier of the Year by Technicolor Home Entertainment Services.

• Nonprofit Enterprise at Work, a nonprofit headquartered in Ann Arbor, has been awarded a $1,500 grant from the Comerica Charitable Foundation to support the Board Connect program, Catalysts for Change. The grant will allow NEW to expand its programming to assist nonprofit organizations in the areas of diversity, inclusion and equity.

• The Michigan Venture Capital Association's annual research report, a compilation and analysis of investment activity, shows that compared to the national trend of declining VC funds and activity, funding activity and fund sizes in Michigan continued strong and steady growth last year. In 2012, Michigan jumped from 25th to 15th in the national VC ranking - one of the largest increases in venture funding last year. The MVCA is headquartered in Ann Arbor.

• Perry Nursery School of Ann Arbor received a grant of $3,500 from the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor. The grant will provide hands-on learning experiences to 96 at-risk preschool children during the summer program, Days of Discovery. In related news, the Ann Arbor Senior Center is again the recipient of a grant from the Kiwanis Club of Ann Arbor Foundation Inc. The $4,000 grant is being used to showcase Michigan musicians, artists, authors, historians and more on Sunday’s at the center through a program called the Ann Arbor Cultural Arts and Education Series.

• The Arotech Corp. Board of Directors in early May announced that as of Oct. 1, 2014, Robert S. Ehrlich will step down as CEO, and Steven Esses, currently president, will become CEO of Arotech. Ehrlich will continue to serve on the board of directors as chairman. Arotech is headquartered in Delaware, with corporate offices in Ann Arbor and research, development and production subsidiaries in Alabama, Michigan and Israel.

• State Rep. David E. Rutledge will continue his support of the Alzheimer’s Association 17th Annual Ann Arbor Charity Golf Outing by chairing this event for the 17th straight year, this year set for July 8 at Travis Pointe Country Club in Ann Arbor.

• The new University of Michigan Water Center in mid-May awarded 12 research grants, totaling nearly $570,000, to support Great Lakes restoration and protection efforts. The two-year grants of up to $50,000 will support efforts to track the remediation of harmful algae blooms; assess the effectiveness of techniques to control non-native weedy plant invasions; study chromosomal damage in tree swallow nestlings; and monitor fish responses to restoration activities, among other projects. A second round of larger grants, of up to $500,000 each, will be awarded later this year. The $9 million U-M Water Center was formed in October as a center of U-M's Graham Sustainability Institute.

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