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Surdam accorded Coldwell honor
Lynda Surdam of Manchester, a sales associate in the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office in Manchester, has been recognized with the Coldwell Banker International President's Elite award.
The honor is awarded to the top 2 percent of approximately 85,000 Coldwell Banker sales associates worldwide.
Surdam will be recognized at a celebration later this month at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
"Lynda is among an elite group of local real estate professionals within the local real estate community, and I am pleased to honor her with this distinguished award," Pat Villani, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New England, said in a statement. "I anticipate another year of milestone achievements from her in 2012. She continues to give her clients the highest level of service, and their needs are her first priority."
Surdam is an active volunteer, serving the Hooper Fund as a trustee, and numerous other community organizations.
Franklin joins J. Barrett & Co.
Paul Franklin has joined J. Barrett & Company in the Gloucester office.
Franklin, a former inventory analyst, has helped clients successfully buy and sell real estate throughout the North Shore for more than three years.
"Joining an independent real estate firm like J. Barrett is an opportunity to better help my clients," Franklin said in a statement. "As an independent firm, all decisions are based on the client's individual needs. All decisions are local and are the result of thoughtful discussions. They do not follow rigid corporate directives."
A Rockport native and resident, Franklin is active in community organizations, including the Beverly/Salem Elks Lodge. He is a member of the Massachusetts Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and has a Green Designation from NAR's Green Resource Council. He is also a notary public for the commonwealth.
BankGloucester names officer
Mark Grenier, vice president and senior commercial banking officer for BankGloucester, has announced the promotion of Amy Mitchell to business banking officer. In her new position, Mitchell will develop commercial deposits and loans while continuing to support the operating needs of the commercial loan department.
A 15-year veteran of banking, Mitchell started as a teller and held several positions in retail banking before becoming commercial banking assistant several years ago. She earned her Commercial Lending Diploma from the American Institute for Banking and has completed several commercial banking courses through the Massachusetts Banker's Association.
When asked what she likes best about working at BankGloucester, Amy replied, "I love helping business customers find solutions that fit their needs."
A resident and active member of Gloucester's community, she is a board member of Cape Ann YMCA, and she and her husband Noel and their two children are active in the Riverdale Rockets Youth Organization.
Essex Heroes dinner honors Leonard
The Essex Heritage Hero award, established to recognize the special contributions made by individuals within the Essex County National Heritage Area whose commitment embodies the mission to protect, preserve and promote the region's rich historic, cultural and natural resources will this year honor the achievements of Tom Leonard.
A Salem native and Danvers resident, his life of service to the the community, the region and the state often flies under the public's radar, but his achievements and leadership roles are many.
Long an advocate for heritage preservation in Essex County, Leonard's long and distinguished career with Salem Five reinforced his community leadership, and he has worked closely with area elected officials and business groups to raise awareness of the dedicated efforts for this region and has been instrumental in advancing the preservation and promotion of area resources.
The Essex Heritage Hero award will be presented within a tribute dinner format, on Wednesday, May 9, at the Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, 181 Essex St., Salem. Cocktail hour starts at 6:30 p.m.
Massachusetts gas prices drop 4 cents
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts drivers are finally getting some relief at the pump.
AAA Southern New England reports that the price of self-serve, regular gasoline dropped four cents in the past week to an average of $3.85 per gallon.
The current price matches the national average and is still nine cents per gallon more than a month ago.
AAA found self-serve, regular selling for as low as $3.73 a gallon to as high as $3.99.
On Monday, gas prices on Cape Ann ranged from $3.91 to $3.96 for regular.
To find the lowest gas prices on Cape Ann, visit www.gloucestertimes.com/gas.
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