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Hi everyone. Happy spring and hope all of you are surviving the great economic downturn. These are sure challenging times. Here are the updates from our colleagues.

A KCC west gathering initiated by Pek Lee in October. From left: Denise Kagan, Jim Pondel, Pek Lee Choo, Mushtaq Merchant, all EMP-49
Georgy Olivieri EMP-49
Stacy Turner EMP-49 and John Martin '95

GO Initiatives (goinitiatives.com), founded by Georgy Olivieri, has been certified as a women's business enterprise by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council. Her management consulting firm, GO Initiatives, has generated results for manufacturers and service organizations through unique marketing strategies, sales initiatives and training programs. GO Initiatives has developed a specialty practice in sustainability. That includes consulting and connecting firms' people, products and processes to their customers.

GO Initiatives is working to share sustainability practices from early adopters in other industries within the beauty industry, a relative latecomer. Georgy, a LEED accredited professional, is establishing the salon's carbon footprint and providing energy recommendations for a leading Chicago salon. The case study is due to be published in Salon Today this spring. GO Initiatives' work for client Kimball Office was featured in "PR News, Going Green: Case Studies in Outstanding Green Business Practices."

Stacy Turner married John Martin '95 in May 2008.

Congratulations are in order for George R. West for his appointment as president of H20 Applied Technologies in December. West has more than 20 years experience in the energy and performance contracting markets and will be responsible for overseeing the continued growth of H2O Applied, expanding its strategic vision and increasing its market reach nationally.

Arlene Westbrook was promoted from vice president of the qualified retirement plans administrative team to senior vice president at GreatBanc Trust Company.

Claudia Saran joined KPMG's Chicago office as a partner, leading the national people and change group within KPMG's advisory practice. KPMG's People and Change teams specialize in working with clients in the areas of organizational and cultural transformation, change management, organization design, leadership/talent management and human resource function optimization. Saran comes to KPMG from Archstone Consulting, where she served most recently as a principal, specializing in organizational effectiveness.