Gifford podiatric surgeon Dr. Nicolas Benoit in June was elected president of the Vermont Podiatric Medical Association, a professional organization for Vermont podiatrists and a state chapter of the American Podiatric Medical Association.

Dr. Benoit’s appointment is a one-year position that will have him overseeing the group’s budget and other matters and also possibly lobbying in Vermont and Washington, D.C. “I look forward to furthering interest, education and professional excellence around podiatric medicine and health,” Dr. Benoit said.

SymQuest Group, Inc., is pleased to announce today that Benjamin R. Mercer has been hired as a Field Support Engineer.

Mercer is a graduate of Champlain College with a major in Computer Networking and Information Security. When not supplying his customers with excellent support, Benjamin enjoys fishing, sailing and hiking. He is originally from Falmouth, ME.

“I am looking forward to being a part of the SymQuest support team,” stated Mercer, “because I know they are committed to giving their customers the highest quality products and service available.”

Reggie Greene, Senior Vice President, Merchants Bank, announced the appointmentof Kathryn Leech as Vice President and Corporate Banking Officer serving the Bennington County market for Merchants Bank. Kathy will maintain offices at both the Bennington and Manchester branches.

John A. Russell of South Burlington, a 1970 graduate of Saint Michael's College, and well known realtor in Vermont, was named the college’s alumnus of the year at Reunion 2010 award ceremonies held June 12 on the college campus in Burlington.

Ann Nygard of East Burke returns to lead the USDA grant-funded Incubator without Walls (IWoW), a collaborative project involving Lyndon State College, the USDA, the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC) and businesses in the Northeast Kingdom. Nygard was IWoW’s inaugural director, launching the incubator in 2007. She comes back to her native Northeast Kingdom after a two-year commitment as associate director with National Geographic Society’s Center for Sustainable Destinations in Washington, D.C.

Leddy Group, the regional leader in staffing solutions and business resource consulting services, recently promoted Jason Cable to Regional Vice President, where he’ll oversee operations in the company’s Rutland, Burlington and Middlebury,VT offices.

In his new role, Cable will be responsible for staffing and development for Leddy Group across Vermont. Previously, Cable spent six years as a Resource Specialist with the company.

Larry Sudbay, President and Chief Executive Officer of SymQuest® Group, Inc., is pleased to announce that Justin M. Sheehy has been hired as an Account Executive to work in the Rutland region.