• The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut has announced that its anniversary ball on Nov. 5 will feature a "Century Hall" to highlight those businesses that have reached the centennial mark.

Member business owners interested in participating by displaying posters along "Century Hall" should contact Meghan Akeman at makdeman@chamberect.com or call her at (860) 701-9113.

The chamber's anniversary ball will be held at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa. Tickets are available at the chamber headquarters in Waterford.

• Josephine Esposito, president of the Friends of the Library at the Public Library of New London, has been awarded the Friends of Connecticut Libraries Individual Achievement Award for 2010.

Josephine Demarco Esposito, or "Josie" as she is known, has been president of the Friends of the Public Library of New London since 1982. Library Director Suzanne Maryeski praised Esposito and the most recent event she organized, a successful wine and cheese fundraiser held at the home of Linda Mariani and David Neusner.

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Friends of the Library or wishing more information should contact the library director at (860) 447-1411, extension 5.

• The Mystic River Building Co. has announced it has leased 3,600 square feet at a new location at 67 New London Turnpike, Route 184, in Mystic.

The new office includes 1,600 square feet of office space, featuring exposed post-and-beam frame. In addition, the firm has a new 2,000-square-foot shop area featuring cathedral ceilings and a loft area.

Norton Wheeler, the company's owner, said the addition of the shop will allow the business to produce more work in-house. The Mystic River Building Co. specializes in new-home construction, as well as additions, historic renovation projects, commercial renovations and land development.

• Attorneys Dale P. Faulkner and Shelley L. Graves have renamed their New London law firm Faulkner & Graves P.C.

Faulkner and Graves are joined in their personal injury trial practice by attorney Kara M. Burgarella.

Faulkner, a longtime local trial lawyer, recently celebrated his 47th year of practice. He has been included in The Best Lawyers in America for 25 years. Graves is also listed in the category of civil litigator. Both were recently informed of their inclusion in the upcoming 2011 edition.

The name change resulted from the resignation of attorney Thomas W. Boyce Jr. Boyce and attorney Jennifer Mullen have joined the Hartford-based law firm of Halloran & Sage LLP, which has opened a New London office on Broad Street.

• JohnPaul Morales has joined the Mystic office of Wells Fargo Advisors as a vice president-investment officer and branch manager.

The investment office is located at 86 Denison Ave., Suite 1, in Mystic. Morales can be reached at (860) 572-2882 or via e-mail at JohnPaul.Morales@wellsfargoadvisors.com. His website address is www.JohnPaulMorales.wfadv.com.

• Pfizer Inc. volunteers, along with those from the Avalonia Land Conservancy, combed the shores of Sandy Point in Stonington this past week to catalog and remove about 300 pounds of trash as part of an international effort to rid the world's waterways of unsightly and dangerous debris.

The event, which included 41 volunteers, was sponsored by Save the Sound and Project Oceanology. Avalonia's volunteers assisted in the cleanup while educating Pfizer volunteers about the island's history and the human impact on the environment. For more information on statewide cleanups leading to the 25th Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day on the Sept. 25, visit www.ctenvironment.org. For more information on the teams involved in the Sandy Point Cleanup visit www.avalonialandconservancy.org or www.oceanology.org. Contact Shell Vera at (860) 686-1464 or Michelle.Vera@pfizer.com to inquire about how Pfizer's Community Service Events Team may be able to help your agency next year.

• The Arc of New London County will host an official grand opening for its General Store and Bakery from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 16 at 52 Sacred Heart Drive in Groton.

Located in the Thomas J. Sullivan Employment Transition Center next to Sacred Heart School and Church, The Arc General Store operates daily from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., selling coffee and baked goods prepared by Arc participants and pastry chef Sharon Foret.

Also on sale at the store are jewelry, crafts, custom greeting cards and more, the majority created by Arc program participants. Arc specialty items such as T-shirts, sweat shirts and coffee mugs also can be purchased at the store.

• Matthew Shafner of Suisman Shapiro Attorneys at Law has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2011 in the field of workers compensation law.

Shafner is part of a select group of lawyers included in Best Lawyers for 10 years or longer.

Shafner is a nationally recognized lawyer in the fields of asbestos injury, personal injury, maritime injury and workers' compensation. He was admitted to practice in Connecticut, the federal Courts of Appeals in the 1st and 2nd Circuits and the U.S. Supreme Court. Suisman Shapiro Attorneys at Law is located at 2 Union Plaza in New London. It can be reached at (860) 442-4416. Its website is www.suismanshapiro.com.

• The Community Economic Development Fund will host a loan workshop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 16, at the Norwich Community Development Corp., 77 Main Street.

CEDF provides flexible financing and business support to Connecticut start-ups as well as small and micro-businesses that often cannot obtain conventional financing from a bank. The workshop will give information on the loan application process to entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses who wish to borrow money through CEDF.

To attend, contact Scott Arnold at (203) 235-2333, extension 2020.

• Citizens Bank customers and colleagues contributed enough school supplies for more than 300 new backpacks to be filled and donated to the Connecticut Association of Foster and Adoptive Parents through the bank's Gear for Grades program, which ran from July 19 through August 6.

The collection of basic school supplies - pencils, pens, crayons, glue sticks, rulers, erasers, scissors, spiral notebooks - took place in each of the 51 Citizens Bank branches in Connecticut. Across New England, nearly 23,000 backpacks were filled with supplies and distributed to kids working with a variety of local nonprofit organizations.

• Advanced Improvements has organized a daylong opening celebration on Sept. 15 at the company's new showroom and location at 61 West Main St. in Mystic.

The open house runs from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at 5:30 p.m. The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut will be conducting the ribbon cutting, along with the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce.

A full-service contractor since 2002, Advanced Improvements has extensive experience on a range of projects from residential to large commercial ones.

• The Dime Bank Foundation has awarded $5,000 to the Emergency Basic Needs and Case Management Program sponsored by Catholic Charities, Diocese of Norwich.

The program provides services to individuals and families in need of food, shelter, clothing, utility assistance, transportation, medications, information and referral. Clients are assisted with immediate needs as well as with developing a plan of self sufficiency for the future. The Dime Bank Foundation is part of the Norwich-based Dime Bank, which has offices throughout southeastern Connecticut and in Westerly.

• Southern Exposure, with stores in Olde Mistick Village and at the Shops at Water's Edge in Westbrook, has been named "Official Outfitter" for the second annual High Hopes Hoedown Event in Old Lyme on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Southern Exposure is donating a percentage of sales to High Hopes on related gear to Hoedown attendees (cowboy boots, Ryan Michael Apparel, belts, western jackets and native American jewelry). The in-store Hoedown promotion is in effect through Sept. 11 at both the Mystic and Westbrook Southern Exposure locations. Southern Exposure has also donated a pair of Lucchese Cowboy Boots to the Hoedown raffle, and is an official ticket outlet for event ticket and raffle ticket sales for the Hoedown. Southern Exposure is owned by Lu and Les Lupovich, who are in their 16th year of business.

For more information about the Southern Exposure in store promotion for the Hoedown, call the Mystic shop at (860) 572-1007 or Westbrook at (860) 399-4445, or via e-mail at info@shopsouthernexposure.com. For details on the Hoedown event, visit www.highhopestr.org or contact Sara Qua at squa@highhopestr.org.

• BNI Mystic on Thursday will hear a presentation from Sean Cronin of the Wireless Zone in Groton.

Cronin will discuss Wireless Zone's services for small business. Visitors are welcome. The chapter meets at its new location, Groton Inn & Suites, every Thursday at 7 a.m. More information is available at www.bnimystic.com.

• A Business After Hours hosted by the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce will be held at Thai One On at 56 Whitehall Ave., Mystic, on Tuesday, Sept. 14.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. The cost to attend is $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Attendees are encouraged to bring a nonperishable food item to donate to the Pawcatuck Neighborhood Center. To register, contact the chamber at (860) 572-9578 or

e-mail triciawalsh@mysticchamber.org.

Join the chamber at 5 p.m. before the Business After Hours event for a Network for Success presented by Barry L. Runyan, president of PrimExcellence.

• Greg Aquino of North Stonington has joined Barnum Financial Group's Warwick, R.I., office as a financial services representative.

Aquino graduated from Bryant University, earning a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting and legal studies.

He is a member of the Bryant Alumni Association and holds his Series 6 Securities Registration and is licensed to sell life and health insurance in Rhode Island.

• The Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce is accepting nominations for its Employer of the Year and Community Service awards, which are presented at its Annual Dinner on Dec. 9 at MGM Grand at Foxwoods.

Award nomination forms can be downloaded from the Greater Mystic Chamber of Commerce's website at www.mysticchamber.org.

The Community Service Award is awarded to a special individual or organization for outstanding service to the community of greater Mystic. The Employer of the Year award is presented to an employer for outstanding service to his or her employees. For more information, call the chamber at (860) 572-9578.

• Press releases for the Business in Brief column, which runs each Sunday, should be sent to businessbriefs@theday.com.

Submit all items for consideration by Wednesday morning for publication in the following Sunday's business section. Generally, press releases should be no more than two to three paragraphs in length because of space limitations. Remember to include pertinent information, such as your company's telephone number, hours of operation and website address.

For general questions about Business in Brief submissions, call Anthony Cronin, The Day's business editor, at (860) 701-4326 or send an e-mail to a.cronin@theday.com.