Business

The Ford Store Morgan Hill is among an elite group of Ford and Lincoln dealerships to be recognized with the 2011 President’s Award and Ford Motor Credit’s Partners in Quality Award. These prestigious awards honor dealerships that have excelled in automotive retailing for the year, by providing exceptional customer service and satisfaction. The Ford Store Morgan Hill is currently the No. 1 retail volume Ford dealership in the Bay Area. Ford Motor Company’s President’s Award recognizes dealers who have excelled in achieving superior sales, service and vehicle ownership experiences to their customers. The Ford Store Morgan Hill is the only dealership in Northern California to receive this award in the past eight years.

Matthew Carvalho, of Gilroy, is a first-time, self-published author and “Old Hope Road” is his first novel. “Old Hope Road” follows the life of Dominic Mercy, an orphan who makes his home on a fictional Caribbean island. Mercy is Defense Attaché to the island's president. Following a political conspiracy, an unknown group attacks the presidential palace. As the conspiracy unfolds, Mercy's childhood and rise to the highest office is revealed through a series of flashback vignettes. This sparks a desire to find his 'kin'. Author Carvalho, who works as a manager for a Silicon Valley medical equipment manufacturer, has a bachelor’s degree in international relations and a master’s degree in diplomacy/global commerce. “Old Hope Road” is available in both paperback and Kindle formats through Amazon. The author welcomes fans to follow “Old Hope Road” on Facebook.

The big scissors and red ribbon were brought to the Gilroy Prep School Flea Market and Carnival event on April 28. Surrounded by students, Principal James Dent cuts the ribbon. The school provides a world-class education to students of Gilroy. Beginning with kindergarten through second grades, GPS will expand to K-8 over the next six years. For information, visit gilroyprep.com.

EverBank announced that Chris Hoch has joined the retail lending division as a mortgage loan officer. Hoch will work out of EverBank’s Santa Clara and San Benito offices. He will offer residential mortgage solutions to local customers and build awareness of EverBank’s products and programs in the local community. Hoch has more than 23 years of experience in the mortgage industry. He belongs to the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors, the Women’s Council of Realtors and is a board member of Community Media Access Partnership.

Cyclonix Inc. recently celebrated its sixth anniversary and its best first quarter ever. Warren Lopez, vice president of Cyclonix, shared the news at the company’s annual team dinner and awards ceremony. In addition, Cyclonix named Julie Budde and Adam Lopez its Employees of the Year. Greg Bailey won the Murphy Award for symbolizing the spirit of Cyclonix and Billy Flick was named rookie of the year.

Brad Ledwith, from Ledwith Financial Wealth Management recently attended the MASTERS Conference, an event for top advisors hosted in Washington, D.C., by LPL Financial, the nation’s number one independent broker-dealer. “Attending the MASTERS Conference helps demonstrate our firm’s commitment to continuing education,” Ledwith said. “Through this event, I gained insight into many of the latest financial strategies and trends that will allow me to continue putting my clients’ best interests first.” 

Dr. and Mrs. Bakri Musa were instrumental in helping the Santa Clara County ROP Dental Program create this new training facility. With the scissors is instructor Susan Rozas and guests included Abby-Ortiz Baldwin and Dr. Dave Matuszak (Chamber Board of Director) from Santa Clara County ROP Office; Chamber President/CEO, Susan Valenta; Economic Development Corp. President, Tammy Brownlow; current and future students.

A little GPA padding. A slight fib on a job title. A clerical error on dates.

Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce board members, ambassadors, friends and family celebrate the ribbon cutting event at Odeum Restaurant, 17500 Depot St. in Morgan Hill. Odeum is an upscale Mediterranean restaurant headed by Michelin Star Chef Salvatore Calisi, offering a modern twist on Greek and Italian favorites. For more information, visit www.odeumrestaurant.com or call 408-782-5151.

For the sixth year out of the past eight, financial-services firm Edward Jones ranks highest in investor satisfaction with full-service brokerage firms, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Full Service Investor Satisfaction Study. The study measures overall investor satisfaction with full-service investment firms based on seven factors: investment advisor; investment performance; account information; account offerings; commissions and fees; website and problem resolution. Edward Jones also received high marks in the "Account Information" category, an important factor in the study. Edward Jones' overall score climbed 15 points over last year, highest among the 14 largest firms rated, as well as 28 points above the industry average. The 2012 Full-Service Investor Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 4,378 investors who primarily invest with one of the 14 firms included in the study. The study was fielded in February 2012.