Management Changes:
Perennial Inc. (Toronto provider of strategic and creative retail solutions) has named Fred Henderson head of its new Perennial Solutions Inc. unit, which helps retail clients build new stores, retrofit existing ones and roll out display and signage programs. Henderson was formerly with Loblaw Properties Ltd.
Carter & Burgess Consultants Inc. (Fort Worth, Texas, architecture and engineering firm) has hired John Rufo as an associate and architectural group manager in its Boston retail and distribution unit. Rufo was previously with Arrowstreet Inc.
Chicago Metallic Corp. (Chicago manufacturer of ceiling and doorframe systems and specialty products) has hired Brooks Williams as its Eurostone product manager.
Martin Professional (Aarhus, Denmark, manufacturer of computer-controlled entertainment lighting equipment, speaker systems and smoke machines) has named Peter Dahlin to its area sales management team. Dahlin will provide sales support for Martin's Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets.
Business Briefs:
WD Partners (Columbus, Ohio, retail architecture and engineering firm) has opened offices in Waltham, Mass., and Atlanta.
Stark Wallcovering (New York wall-surfaces firm) has launched Surfaces Contract Wallcovering, a new division to serve the contract and hospitality industry.
Cubellismarco (Northville, Mich., retail design firm) has redesigned Grab and Go, a dining hall at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Changes to the 2000-square-foot space include a new floor plan and updated lounge/lobby area.
Associations:
The National Retail Federation Foundation (NRFF, Washington, D.C., research and education arm of the National Retail Federation trade association) has received a $2.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to develop a curriculum to train 44,000 workers in the retail industry.
Awards:
Dow BioProducts Ltd. (Elie, Man., producer of environmentally friendly building and construction materials) has awarded first prize in its GreenInteriors Student Design Design Competition to the University of Manitoba's Tamara Nyysola and Corina Penner for “Sweet Wheat,” an integrated bed, table and shelving system made from Dow's Woodstalk Gold MR fiberboard. Honorable mentions in the competition went to: Arizona State University's Meghan Pollard and Yadira Alvarado for “Interplay,” a display/storage structure; Arizona State's Lu Ann Lowery and Yuki Nakai for “Light and Shadow,” the design for a portable divider/privacy screen; California College of the Arts' Jennifer Butler for the “Thoreau Center for Sustainability” at a redeveloped hospital; and Kansas State University's Rebecca Ruggles for the “Elipsis” portable cocktail table.