Movers & Shakers: New hires, promotions, honors, new businesses [Gazette, The (CO)]

- Two Colorado Springs businesses, Mech One and Copestone General Contractors, are among the recipients of Pinnacol Assurance's fifth annual Circle of Safety Awards. A total of 50 policyholders from across the state were honored for their exemplary performance in safety, loss control and financial and claims management. Pinnacol Assurance is Colorado's leading workers' compensation insurer.

- Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Southern Colorado was the recipient of three awards presented by Mr. Rooter Corp. during the 2012 International Convention held in Grapevine, Texas. Owner Charlie Hall brought home the Excellence in Mentoring and Top Gun awards, while operations manager Troy Bunn received the Service Leader of the Year designation. The Top Gun award represents the top 10 percent of Mr. Rooter Plumbing owners across North America. The Excellence in Mentoring award is presented each year to a franchisee who is proactive in seeking ways to mentor and assist other franchisees in the development of their business and expertise. The Service Leader of the Year award goes to the associate who best sets an example for other team members, provides outstanding customer relations and demonstrates a high level of work performance; Bunn was selected for the award out of 1,500 managers throughout North America.

- RE/MAX Properties announced the addition of four broker associates. Renee M. Jones has been in Colorado Springs since 2008; she and her husband relocated from Philadelphia. Before working in the real estate profession, Jones was a financial adviser with Ameriprise Financial for more than 20 years. She is working out of the RE/MAX south office at 2630 Tenderfoot Hill Street. Brittany Hadlock, a military wife, is a new agent and is part of the RE/MAX Properties intern program; she is also working out of the south office. Mark Reyner has been involved in various facets of the real estate industry for the last 12 years, including title insurance, development and marketing. He is a member of the Pikes Peak Range Riders, past board member of the Colorado Springs Housing and Building Association and a past junior representative of the El Paso Club. He is working out of the north office, 1740 Chapel Hills Drive. Gerald Luarca has joined the Sherri Hopper Team at RE/MAX Properties and is working out of the south office.

- Ent Federal Credit Union announced the hiring of Rick LaFave as director of mortgage lending. LaFave came to Ent from H&R Block, where he served as a district manager and franchise consultant for five years. He has a bachelor's degree from William Carey University and has been in the financial services industry for more than 14 years.

- William D. Nelson, partner at the law firm of Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP, has been appointed to the Colorado Springs TheatreWorks Advisory Board. TheatreWorks, founded in 1975, is the regional theater company affiliated with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs; the board is an advisory, non-fiduciary board that supports the staff in outreach, fundraising and programmatic aspects of the organization.

- The McGrew/Baker Wealth Consulting Group at UBS in Colorado Springs - financial advisers Kelly McGrew and Todd Baker, along with their senior registered client service associates, Peggy Hampton and Heidi Reyes - have been recognized as NABCAP Premier Advisors. The designation is awarded annually by the National Association of Board Certified Advisory Practices, a nationally registered nonprofit organization established to serve the needs of the investing public by helping identify top wealth managers. The evaluation process assesses 20 categories of practice management, which include areas such as customer service, risk/investment planning philosophy and fee/cost structure.