• Pfizer Inc. volunteers assisted the Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut in Niantic with some large improvement projects earlier this month.

Forty Pfizer employees worked at the museum on June 10 and 11 and washed all the windows and weeded the museum's gardens. They also scraped, sanded, and primed the exterior of the building in preparation for a fresh topcoat. Some of the volunteers are planning to return to the museum on their own time to complete the paint job. In addition, the Pfizer volunteers brought their own ladders, paintbrushes, and window-cleaning supplies, saving the museum additional costs.

Christy Hammond, the museum's executive director, said similar work would have cost the museum between $25,000 and $30,000 with outside contractors.

For information about the Pfizer volunteer program, contact Michelle Vera at michelle.vera@pfizer.com. For information about the Children's Museum of Southeastern Connecticut, call (860) 691-1111 or visit www.childrensmuseumsect.org.

• Secor Volvo in New London has been named a 2009 recipient of the Volvo President's Club Award from Volvo Cars of North America.

The Volvo President's Club, in its eighth year, acknowledges the superior performance of the top 10 percent of Volvo retailers nationwide. Charlie Secor is the dealer-principal of Secor Volvo. He is one of 35 Volvo President's Club members who led the way in achieving or exceeding their business objectives in customer satisfaction, sales and service.

Volvo Cars of North America provides marketing, sales, service, technology and training to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States and Canada. Secor Volvo's Web site is www.secorvolvo.com. The dealership is located at 575 Broad St. in New London and can be reached at (860) 442-3232.

• The Builders Association of Eastern Connecticut will hold a chili cook-off and classic car show on Building Officials Night on Wednesday from 5 to 9 p.m. at New London County Landscaping's outdoor showroom at 25 Stockhouse Road in Bozrah.

State Building Inspector Lisa Humble is the featured speaker, and also is challenging all BAEC members to the chili cook-off.

Reservations can be made by calling the BAEC office at (860) 859-3518. The cost, which includes dinner, is $20 for BAEC members and $30 for nonmembers.

The Builders Association of Eastern Connecticut is a nonprofit professional trades organization serving the building industry and the public in New London and Windham counties. For information, visit its Web site at www.baec.net.

• An event-marketing webinar is scheduled for noon on Thursday in the Waterford office of the Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut at 914 Hartford Turnpike, Route 85.

Mark Bevington of Ninedot will present the program. For those taking part at the chamber office, he will lead a roundtable discussion.

There is a fee of $20 for chamber members taking part at the office and $50 for those doing so at their own computer. Contact the chamber for additional details, or to register call (860) 701-9113 or visit www.chamberect.com.

• Bill Thorndike, co-founder and former publisher of the Mystic River Press and more recently a communications specialist at Pfizer Inc., has joined Randall, Realtors as an agent in its Mystic office.

A longtime Mystic resident, Thorndike also has worked as a reporter for The Day as well as a reporter and editor for the Norwich Bulletin during a 25-year media career. As communications manager for Pfizer's R&D division, and later for its Comparative Medicine group until last year, he was responsible for editing a network of global websites.

Thorndike can be reached at Randall, Realtors' Mystic office by calling (860) 572-9099 or via

e-mail at bthorndike@randallrealtors.com.

• Verizon Wireless, through its HopeLine service, has awarded the Women's Center of Southeastern Connecticut with a $1,000 grant to support the center's emergency transportation fund, which provides victims with the financial support to obtain transportation to leave an abusive situation and arrive safely at a confidential shelter.

The HopeLine program recycles no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and accessories. Those interested in donating phones to the program can either drop off the phone or other items at a local Verizon Wireless store or can download a free postage-paid shipping label at www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

Proceeds from the HopeLine program are used to provide wireless phones and cash grants to local shelters and nonprofit organizations that focus on domestic violence prevention and awareness.

• Kevin Power of Coastal Home Inspection will be the featured speaker at the BNI Mystic chapter's meeting on Thursday.

Power will discuss the importance of using a home inspector when buying or selling a home. The Mystic BNI chapter meets at the Mystic Hampton Inn on Hendel Drive each Thursday at 7 a.m. For more information, call (860) 573-0580 or visit www.bnimystic.com.

• Richard McCormick has been named the new store manager of the Jos. A. Bank Clothiers store at the Waterford Commons oulet on Route 85.

He had served as the firm's store manager at the clothier's Canton-Avon location.

As store manager, McCormick will handle the day-to-day planning and coordinating of the store's operations and events.

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc., established in 1905, is one of the nation's leading retailers of men's classically styled tailored and casual clothing, sportswear, footwear and accessories. The company has more than 475 stores in 42 states and the District of Columbia, a nationwide catalog and an e-commerce website that can be accessed at www.josbank.com.

• Nicholas Algiere of Westerly has been awarded the Westerly Community Credit Union's Robert M. Bewlay Memorial Scholarship.

The scholarship is named in honor of the credit union's former vice president, Robert M. Bewlay, for his 35 years of dedication and service to the community credit union.

Algiere is a graduate of Westerly High School and will be attending Worchester Polytechnic Institute in the fall.

In addition, Bryan Poston of Charlestown has been awarded the credit union's Joseph N. Cugini Scholarship. The scholarship is named on behalf of the credit union's former president, CEO and chairman of the board Joseph Cugini. Cugini retired in 2000 after 41 years of service to the Credit Union.

Poston is a graduate of Chariho High School and will be attending University of Rhode Island in the fall.

• Your Success, located at 1057 Poquonnock Road, 2nd floor, in Groton, will host a grand opening at 2 p.m. on Friday.

The business specializes in photography, photo restoration, photo manipulation, graphic Design, web design, art design, photo art, advertisement, database design and administration for Microsoft access and Microsoft SQL servers.

During the grand opening, the firm will unveil its photography, photo art and wood decoration (Russian style) exhibition. For information about the grand opening festivities, call the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce at (860) 572-9578.

• lia sophia local advisers Bethany Seidel of Oakdale and Laura Brown of Waterford were recently honored as Excellent Beginnings Program Achievers for their sales accomplishments and professionalism.

The advisers were honored for their first 15 weeks of sales levels and by sharing lia sophia with other new advisers. For further information, visit www.liasophia.com or call (800) 487-3323.

• Realty 3 will host a grand opening on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at 77 Main St. in the Stonington Borough.

Realty3 is a multi-office boutique firm that has been representing buyers and sellers in Connecticut for more than 50 years. For more information, visit the firm online at www.realty3ct.com.