For the Week of July 15th

Store Openings/New Contracts:

Cowan & Associates (Columbus, Ohio, design firm) has been retained by Charles Penzone Inc. to design a new Grand Salon at the Polaris Centers of Commerce in Columbus. The project is a renovation of an existing freestanding building.The design firm recently completed design and construction for the renovation and expansion of Orr's Jewelers in Pittsburgh, as well as for the remodel of The Diamond Cellar's flagship store in Dublin, Ohio.

Mother Works Inc. (MWI, Philadelphia maternity retailer) opened its newly remodeled 2000-square-foot A Pea in the Pod shop on Macy's third floor of Herald Square (New York) in June. The shop, designed by Cowan & Associates and MWI, features new prototype standards. The Mimi Maternity mall store concept is also being updated by the team, in order to meet changing customer demographics in the market place.

Management Changes:

Two Twelve Associates (New York design firm) has hired Sarah Haun as director of marketing and communications.

BHDP (Cincinnati architecture firm) announced that Robert Carbon has joined as an intern architect in its Workplace Group.

ArchitecturePlus Intl. (Tampa design firm) has hired Michael Northcutt as manager of rollout services. He has over 12 years experience in various phases of architectural design, document production, project management, construction management and administration.

Cowan & Associates (Columbus, Ohio, design firm) has hired Eric Denny as construction services director. Denny has 21 years of commercial construction experience.

Business Briefs:

Apogee USA (New York mannequin and fixture manufacturer) has announced the opening of a regional sales office in Philadelphia. Leonard Bunch, who previously worked for Bay Area Display San Francisco, E.T. Cranston Mannequins and Zafero Studios, will function as a regional sales representative. The new office is at 1919 Chestnut St., Ste. 1321, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Phone: 215-241-5068; fax: 215-241-0635; e-mail: len123@earthlink.net.

Visual Lighting Technologies (Mission Viejo, Calif., fiberoptic lighting manufacturer) has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with Roblon Fiber Optics of Denmark to distribute and sell Roblon's lighting equipment throughout the U.S.

International Paper (Statesville, N.C., graphic artfoam panel manufacturer) has completed the sale of its Decorative Products Division to a private investment firm. The newly formed business, Nevamar Co. LLC, is led by president and ceo Jim Tees, and continues to be headquartered in Hanover, Md. The company will continue to offer high-pressure laminates, low-pressure panels and decorative metal-surfacing products.

Relocations:

ColorSpace Designs (Denver surfacing and graphics manufacturer) to 3773 Cherry Creek North Dr., Denver, CO 80209. Phone: 303-331-6434; fax: 303-399-6480; e-mail: info@colorspacedesigns.com.