PROVIDENCE – The charitable arm of the Rhode Island Bar Association is seeking applications for two $20,000 scholarships for first-year Rhode Island law school students. more

Dustin Hoffman’s character in “The Graduate” may not have dedicated his life to plastics, but it worked out well for William Murray, the Lincoln native named president of Teknor Apex Co. last month. If the world is going to continue to rely on plastics in the future, the Pawtucket polymer technology company and leading U.S. maker of garden hoses is working on the compounds of the future. more

Could rental houses owned and managed by deep-pocketed hedge funds and big investors be the post-bust steppingstones to homeownership for huge numbers of renters? more

Parents, teachers, professors, first senior-level supervisor: Besides being the authority figures that represent the average professional’s life course through childhood, schooling, and an entrance into their career field, these people share another trait. more

David M. Gilden made his connection with Providence as a Brown University student, then went to Boston to earn his law degree. But Rhode Island had gotten a hold on this Connecticut native. He recalled it as “a bit of an experiment” when he took a chance on the Ocean State as the place where he would settle. more

Eric Mack, an associate in Edwards Wildman’s Providence office, was recently selected to serve on the Rhode Island Supreme Court Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Commission. Mack’s practice focuses on the defense of private employers in a variety of employment disputes. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Urban League of Rhode Island and is on the board of trustees at St. Andrew’s School and the Highlander Charter School. A member of the Federal Bar Association, Mack holds a law degree from Tulane University Law School. more

Jena Touray, vice president of operations for The Maids, is responsible for six Maids locations, including The Maids of West Warwick. The location’s Blue Team was recently selected from more than 800 teams as 2012 Team of the Year at The Maids Growth Summit, held in Las Vegas. The award is given to a team that consistently displays exceptional quality while performing job functions, and best reflects the ideas and standards of The Maids. Touray, a Woonsocket resident, has been with The Maids since 2010 and currently leads a management team of eight and 100 hourly employees. more

At 23 years old, DeCastro Landscaping President Gairad DeCastro always has to be at the top of his professional game when he meets new customers. more

Fran L. Giatas was recently selected as the 2013 Administrative Professional of the Year by the Providence chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals. Giatas is employed as the executive assistant to the president of Care New England Health System, and in the past was the senior executive assistant to the president of Butler Hospital. She has served 31 years in high-level leadership positions, acting as the prime contact for board trustees and corporation members in both roles. Giatas joined IAAP in January 2011 and has since assisted on various committees and served as treasurer and chair of the bylaw committee. During her tenure with the chapter, she has been designated as a member of excellence and has also received the “be the best” award from the New England district director of IAAP. Giatas holds the certified administrative professional designation. more

While new construction has yet to recover from the end of the real estate bubble, home improvement is thriving for companies like Woonsocket’s Moonworks that have the skills and reputation to attract new clients. President Jim Moon, pictured above, started the company in 1993 with a single product, gutter guards. He’s since grown the firm, which now employs 90, and its services. Moonworks also does roofs, installs replacement windows and, most recently, energy-efficiency retrofits. Gutters, however, are still the main product, accounting for roughly half of current sales. more