Feb 4, 2024 By Rick Shrum 4 min read

Aaron Silverio

Travis Wade

Peter Patsakis

Mark Ingersoll

The Washington County Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for the 2024 Washington County ATHENA Leadership Award.

The award, according to the chamber, honors “individuals who inspire women to achieve their full potential and encourage women’s business leadership in the region.”

This will be the 21st year the award will be presented in the county. Crown Castle is the local sponsor. The application deadline is 4 p.m. March 1.

84 Lumber

Expansion continues to be the byword at the nation’s largest privately held building materials supplier.

North Strabane-based 84 Lumber Co. just opened a new components plant in Winter Haven, Fla. – its primary components plant in the Sunshine State.

Florida, typically a strong market for 84 Lumber, “is an area where we are targeting immense growth,” Ken Kucera, vice president of Installed Sales and Manufacturing, said in a statement.

The 80,000-square-foot facility includes state-of-the-art roof and floor truss building equipment and will employ more than 80 associates. The plant will cover the central Florida market, including Tampa and Orlando.

84 Lumber also recently opened truss plants near Atlanta, Ga., and Columbia, S.C., and a new door shop in Denver, Colo. It plans to open stores in California.

The company also has announced that area manager Mark Ingersoll will move to its Western Division and oversee facilities in California, Nevada and Arizona.

Maggie Hardy, CEO and owner of 84 Lumber, said in a statement: “His accomplishments as a seasoned leader in our Southeast division, coupled with his commitment to the success of the company, makes him the best choice to manage our opportunities out west.”

Ingersoll joined 84 Lumber in February 1992 as a manager trainee in Depew, N.Y., and in 2002 was named as an Area Manager, overseeing 84 Lumber sites in Florida and Georgia.

Peacock Keller

Peacock Keller, a full-service law firm based in Washington, has added Peter T. Patsakis as an associate attorney. He plans to focus his practice on development of energy generation projects and the acquisition, sale and trade of commercial real estate assets.

Patsakis graduated from Duquesne University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He earned his Juris Doctorate from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University in 2011. Patsakis is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Peacock Keller was founded in 1925.

Community Bank

Community Bank promoted Travis Wade to market executive for eastern Ohio and appointed Aaron Silverio as banking associate.

Wade, an Ohio Valley native with more than 12 years of experience in the banking sector, has been an integral member of the Community Bank team for the majority of his career. His extensive background in delivering financial products and services to commercial and business clients in the region has earned him recognition as the commercial banker of the year at Community Bank on two occasions. He is a graduate of the University of Mount Union and resides in St. Clairsville, Ohio, with his wife, Mollie, and two daughters.

Silverio, a graduate of West Liberty University and champion wrestler, has more than nine years of banking experience in the Ohio Valley. He has joined the commercial banking team, where he will provide strategic financial solutions to business clients. He resides in Shadyside, Ohio, with his wife, Olivia, and young son.

School grants

The Highmark Foundation is taking applications for the 2024-25 School Grants Program. The program will make up to $500,000 available for students in kindergarten through grade 12 in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The program, according to a news release, strives to create healthier school environments “that result in positive, sustainable and lasting change through comprehensive strategies.”

Highmark Foundation President Yvonne Cook said in a statement: “This multifaceted program equips schools with resources that develop healthier and safer school environments. The foundation “recognizes the value of early intervention and preventive health programs and appreciates the vital role schools play to promote students’ health, safety, education, and well-being.”

Public, private, parochial and charter schools, and vocational high schools throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia may apply.

The online application can be found at https://highmarkfoundationrfp.versaic.com/.