San Jose, CA (PRWEB) April 19, 2012

Ultra Fragrances, a premier online retailer of designer fragrances, cosmetics and skin care products, is very pleased to announce their recognition of world-class customer service from STELLAService, an independent provider of customer service ratings for online businesses.

With several recognitions and awards received from other customer satisfaction rating companies under their belt, Ultra Fragrances has recently been awarded with the prestigious “Excellent Service Award” from STELLAService. Wow-ing customers has always been the number one priority for Ultra Fragrances and earning such a highly regarded award is an honor for this expanding fragrance retail company.

With so many e-retailers to choose from, it is sometimes difficult to choose which one can provide an overall positive shopping experience. STELLAService was established to help online shoppers choose the best retailers to shop from. As stated in their website, they “created the most robust evaluation methodology ever assembled — stress testing more than 300 different elements of the online customer experience.” They have a team of trained analysts (disguised as real customers) to evaluate and rate the customer service quality of each online retailer by engaging in a multitude of interactions with them. According to STELLAService, “Our rating process is rigorous. So much so, that more than 50% of the companies we rate are not eligible to display the STELLAService seal. Only those online stores that make the customer experience a top priority across key service metrics and features are awarded the STELLAService seal.”

Ultra Fragrances now displays their STELLAService Excellent seal in their website to show their commitment in providing the best customer service in the eCommerce industry.

About Ultra Fragrances:

Since 2005, Ultra Fragrances has been providing perfume to beauty junkies a unique and extensive inventory of designer perfumes, body products, and hair and skin care products worldwide. With thousands of customers being served every day, Ultra Fragrances has become the leading retailer of sought after perfumes and beauty finds online. Visit their website for the latest trends in beauty, fragrances and more at http://www.ultrafragrances.com

About STELLAService:

STELLAService is an independent customer service ratings provider that rates the customer service of e-retailers in today’s online shopping universe. They the most robust evaluation methodology ever assembled — stress testing more than 300 different elements of the online customer experience. To learn more about their online customer service ratings, visit their website at http://stellaservice.com/

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebultra-perfume-skincare/best-customer-service/prweb9405106.htm

Staff Reporter

For Brian Lecker, Sunday’s Sporting Life 10K run was the culmination of a long-held dream coming true.

Lecker, who turned 60 on May 1, weighed 305 pounds about 18 months ago when he decided to start exercising more regularly. Sunday morning, he crossed the finish line weighing 220 pounds.

PHOTOS: Sporting Life 10K

For Lecker’s big moment, he chose the Sporting Life 10K Run for Kids with Cancer because his partner of 10 years is a survivor of metastatic breast cancer.

The run raised $1.9 million for Camp Oochigeas, a camp for children with cancer, as well as its in-hospital facility at Sick Kids and after-school camp at Ooch Downtown in Toronto.

“It just made sense,” said an emotional Lecker at the finish line after being greeted by some family members. “And we did it.”

The Toronto interior designer quit smoking three years ago, then started walking on a treadmill, then jogging last August. He weighed 240 pounds when he did his first run, a 5-kilometre trek last December. He lost 20 more pounds training for Sunday’s run, in which he beat his previous personal-best time by four minutes and raised some money for Camp Ooch.

Lecker was one of more than 22,000 people turned out to walk, run or wheel the 10 kilometres downhill from Yonge St. at Castlefield Ave. to the finish line at Fort York. That’s up from about 14,000 participants last year.

“We’re thrilled with the support that we’ve had here,” said Diana Gourley, Camp Oochigeas development officer, adding that this year, for the first time, all net registration proceeds are going toward the camp.

Mitchell Sarjeant, 15, is an Ooch veteran: he has attended the camp for seven years and will be a leader-in-training there this summer.

Mitchell had a brain tumour when he was 8 years old, but after two surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation, he has been healthy since 2007.

He is now in Grade 11 at Eastview Secondary School in Barrie and is on the alpine ski and tennis teams. He ran Sunday’s race with his father John, mother Krista and sister Reagan, 12.

Mitchell, who raised $3,000 leading up to Sunday, said Oochigeas is an amazing place not only for children to recover, but where cancer isn’t a common conversation topic because the campers are in the same boat.

“Kids don’t have to worry about that, they just get to enjoy all these awesome activities,” he said. “It’s such an amazing place . . . It’s a place where people care for each other.”

As planned, 6-year-old Nolan Hathway, the boy celebrating the end of years of cancer treatment on Saturday, joined his mom Erin for the last 300 metres of the run along with a handful of other supporters in flourescent orange shirts.

Nolan was also on stage post-race in Confederation Park accepting a cheque on behalf of Camp Oochigeas, where he will be spending a week this summer. He has previously only visited on weekends.

“Seeing him on on stage knowing everything Camp Ooch has done for him and our family, and seeing him collect the cheque, was awesome,” Erin Hathway said. “You couldn’t ask for a better Mother’s Day present.”

Before any runners crossed the finish line, the ribbon was broken by Rich Vanderwal, 41, who rocketed through the course in his racing wheelchair in just over 22 minutes, all the more impressive given the roads were slippery from a morning drizzle.

“Early on a Sunday morning, it’d be nicer if the sunrise was coming up right in your face,” he said with a laugh, adding that he reached 54 km/h heading down Yonge St. “But it’s awesome, you’ve got the entire road. It’s closed, it’s safe . . . you don’t get that anywhere else.”

Vanderwal, a recreation therapist, has been pushing the racing chair on-and-off for about 18 years, but the Sporting Life 10K was part of training for a half-iron-man triathlon in June in Welland, Ont. His wife Carole was running in the race, too.

The top male runner was Shoaib Ikram of Waterloo. Megan Van Keulen of Beamsville was the fastest female finisher.

Despite the morning rain, which later turned to sunshine, crowds of people lined the course and a throng awaited at the finish.

“We still had a lot of people on the course cheering,” said race director Jay Glassman. “When we got into the finish area, it was electric. It was very, very cool.”

Glassman said next year he wants to take the participation numbers up to 35,000.

“It’s a fast course, so a lot of people did really well. There are a lot of new runners . . . who I think are hooked.”

The morning’s upbeat mood was marred around 9:30 a.m when a 23-year-old woman collapsed about 100 metres from the finish line without a pulse.

Three spectators performed CPR on her and by the time paramedics arrived, the woman’s heart was beating and she was breathing again. Jay Glassman, the race director, said Sunday night that the woman is expected to survive.

VIDEO: From cancer patients to happy campers

RELATED: SickKids Special Section

Sporting Life 10K

Top 10 individual fundraisers for Sunday’s Sporting Life 10K

1. Erin Hathway: $20,375.76

2. Hayley Chapman: $12,800

3. Peter Friis: $11,090

4. Marla Bzowski: $9,354

5. Mark Librach: $7,768

6. Paul Lynch: $6,754

7. Andrew Lee: $6,400

8. Straticom Speedsters: $5,350

9. Anna (Galati) Cunneyworth: $5,280

10. Lisa LaFlamme: $4,945

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In advance of Saturdays road fixture, Sporting Kansas City will train at 10 am CT Tuesday through Friday at the Sporting Club Training Center in Swope Park. Sporting Kansas City will hold their weekly press conference with Manager Peter Vermes and a Sporting KC player at 12:30 pm CT on Thursday and all local media outlets are encouraged to attend.

All Sporting Kansas City training sessions during the 2012 season are open to the public unless noted otherwise, and media are encouraged to attend for video, interview and photo opportunities. All media members planning to attend practice are encouraged to contact Alice Schroeder (913-302-1565) of the Sporting Kansas City communications department in advance for assistance in facilitating media access and availability.

Radio coverage will be available this week for Sporting Kansas City supporters to catch all the latest discussion around the club. This Week in Sporting with hosts Dave Borchardt and Andy Edwards will air at 7 pm CT on Tuesday on Sports Radio 810 WHB. On Thursday, Cal Williams and Jake Yadrich will host the State Line Soccer Show at 6 pm CT on 610 Sports Radio.

Tickets to Sporting Kansas Citys August 1 friendly with Stoke City FC go on sale to the general public at 10 am CT on Wednesday. Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members and half-season plan holders will receive a ticket to the match as part of their packages and will also have access to an exclusive pre-sale on Ticketmaster.com beginning at 10 am CT today for additional tickets.

Ticket prices begin at $20 and are available to purchase on Ticketmaster.com or at the LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Box Offices.

RSL snatched the 1-0 win with a resolute defensive performance (Seattle didn’t manage a shot on net) and a well-worked goal from forward Fabián Espíndola, and did so without injured playmaker Javier Morales (quadriceps).

Barnebey, who is past chair of the city, county and local government section of the Florida Bar, will head up the firms local government practice group. He currently serves as city attorney for the City of Palmetto, special counsel for the Manatee County School Board, and counsel for several special and community development districts.

Scotts practice areas include land use, local government, and administrative law, representing both private and public sector clients. He currently serves as counsel to a number of local government entities, including the Lakewood Ranch Inter-District Authority and the Riverwood Community Development District.

Rachel Layton, a certified professional planner and past president of the Florida Planning and Zoning Association, also has joined the firm. She will assist the firms land use practice area.

John Turner has joined TriNet, a PEO provider, as the companys senior vice

president of sales. He will be responsible for increasing TriNets sales activities and revenue while expanding the companys sales team.Turner was the vice president of Americas Sales at FalconStor Software, a provider of data protection and storage virtualization solutions.

Malcolm J. Pitchford, partner in the Sarasota office of Shumaker, Loop Kendrick, LLP, has been certified by the Florida Bar as a program arbitrator for the bars Grievance Mediation and Fee Arbitration Program. The program is designed to assist in the amicable resolution of disputes which arise between attorneys and their clients. Pitchford, a board certified real estate lawyer, also is a certified civil court mediator and panelist for the American Arbitration Association.

Realtor Lou Sansevero has joined Re/Max Alliance Group in the University office. He has seven years of real estate experience, and was previously associated with Keller Williams Realty and Atchley International Realty.

An East County specialist, Sansevero also focuses on first-time home buyers, second-home buyers, relocation buyers, investors and new construction.

Candice McElyea, formerly the Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, Inc. director of marketing and public relations, has launched her own public relations firm, 360 Degrees PR Marketing, Inc. The firm will specialize in public relations strategy and media planning, videos, press release writing, complete social media management, image consulting, and other marketing services. McElyea is a former television journalist and real estate professional.

Dr. Dianne Perry has been elected as the west coast representative for the Florida Displaced Homemaker Network Association. Perry is the coordinator for the New Options Displaced Homemaker Program at Manatee Technical Institute. The association serves displaced homemaker program managers throughout the state.

Mortgage consultant Alice Cislo and loan processor Yvonne Aronin have joined Blue Skye Lending, a full service mortgage brokerage firm based in Lakewood Ranch. Formerly of Gulf Atlantic Mortgage, which has merged with Blue Skye Lending, Cislo and Aronin will work in the former Gulf Atlantic office at 5934 Palmer Blvd., which is now the Sarasota branch for Blue Skye Lending.

Cislo has 20 years of experience in the mortgage industry in Sarasota and Manatee counties, and is licensed in mortgage originating, insurance and real estate. She was a co-founder of Gulf Atlantic Mortgage.

Aronin, who will be serving as a loan processor for Blue Skye Lending, is a licensed mortgage originator as well as a licensed title agent with more than 13 years of experience.

David Dettmann has been named vice president, senior banking adviser of PNC Wealth Managements Sarasota office. Dettmann joins PNCs Wealth Management team specializing in personalized comprehensive relationship management and loan and deposit advisory solutions and services. Dettmann previously served as senior vice president, private banking manager with MI Wealth Management in Sarasota and vice president, private banking manager with Northern Trust in Venice.

Realtor Jan Sundahl has joined Re/Max Alliance Group in its University office. Sundahl has 18 years of real estate experience and previously worked with Re/Max Properties, which has since merged to form Re/Max Alliance Group. She has been awarded the Re/Max Executive Club award and was a three-time recipient of the Re/Max 100 percent Club award.

Al Saffer has joined NetWise as a developer. Chad Vogt has joined the company as a junior developer that primarily focuses on report/merge development and application configuration. Tim Borntreger has also joined the company with PEO experience as well as John Ykema, who worked in the PEO industry for over five years in Texas.

NAI Manasota has added Sean Dreznin, a commercial property management professional who will work with the companys commercial investment sales and special asset services group and

Cindy Saunders, assistant director of Webster Universitys Sarasota Metropolitan Campus, is celebrating five years of service. Saunders was hired in 2007 as a representative and was promoted to assistant director in 2010.

Douglas Cherry, partner in the law firm of Shumaker, Loop Kendrick, LLP, presented E-Discovery as part of a seminar titled Basic Discovery 2012 put on by The Florida Bar CLE Committee in conjunction with the Young Lawyers Division of The Florida Bar. Cherry is board certified in intellectual property law.

First Banks Lyn Hulin recently received a 2012 Award of Excellence as Branch Manager of the Year. She is a vice president and branch manager at First Banks Bradenton office, 4601 Manatee Ave. W.

The Bradenton office at 2412 Cortez Road W., was recognized as Branch of the Year. Branch Manager of the Year is selected based upon overall achievement in all goal categories: branch team CRA achievement and year-over-year improvement categories. The Cortez branch has won Branch of the Year two out of the last four years.

The Elegant Sarasota Weddings Network has elected its new 2012-2013 board of directors including Craig Wicks, Dick Peterson and Georgeann Butler. Elegant Sarasota Weddings is a networking group of local professionals serving the bridal industry and performing special events.

Wicks is the owner of Black Tie DJs, a disc jockey service. Peterson, owner of Dick Peterson Photography in Sarasota, is a formally trained photographer/artist. Butler is the owner of Sarasota Dream Weddings. She is a wedding minister and has been performing weddings for more than 13 years.

Broker-Associate Neil Mark Attar has joined the Webber Street Office of Re/Max Alliance Group. He has more than 30 years of real estate experience locally and in Ontario, Canada. A new home specialist, Attar has 20 years of experience with new home builders, earning the Platinum Million Dollar Circle Award from the National Association of Home Builders and the President Circle Award from US Home Corp.

Barbara Ford-Coates, Sarasota County tax collector, has been designated a Girl Scout Great by the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida, Inc. She was recognized at the recent annual meeting of the council during the 100th Anniversary Year of the Girl celebration. Ms. Ford-Coates, an alumna of the movement, is one of 112 women across the country that represents the mission of Girl Scouting at a national level.

Nancy Magnuson, director of nursing at Life Care Center of Sarasota, was named Life Care Centers of Americas Company-wide Director of Nursing of the Year.

The award is given to the director of nursing who demonstrates outstanding qualities in several areas, including customer service ratings, staff development and successful state surveys.

Douglas W. Berg has been appointed to the board of directors of Rapid Pathogen Screening, Inc. Berg has held chief executive officer or senior leadership positions at companies including Plus Diagnostics, Isensix, Quest Diagnostics, and Dade Behring/Baxter International/American Hospital Supply Corp.

Dr. John P. Fezza of Center For Sight appeared as a guest speaker at State-of-the-Art in Facial Aesthetics 2012, a national industry symposium jointly sponsored by the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and the Foundation for Facial Aesthetic Surgery. During the three-day event in Atlanta, Fezza was one of a select group of nationally and internationally recognized surgeons chosen to share their expertise on surgical facial rejuvenation, presenting three lectures and participating on two case study panels.

His lectures were titled: A Customized Approach to Maximize Brow Lift Results, Sigmoid Upper Lid Blepharoplasty: Defining Beauty in the Upper Lid, and The Bustier Lower Lid Blepharoplasty: Combining Filling with Fat Removal.

Staff Reporters

The family of a 23-year-old woman says she will recover after collapsing at Sunday’s Sporting Life 10K race just short of the finish line, prompting a dramatic rescue by three spectators.

“She’s doing better, she’s going to be fine. That’s all we want to say,” said a relative of the runner, who remained in intensive care Monday.

The woman was running alongside a friend when she collapsed near Fort York Blvd. and Fleet St., in front of crowds gathered along the final stretch.

Three quick-thinking spectators — including off-duty Sick Kids nurse Jules McKernan — came to her rescue, administering CPR in the minutes before EMS arrived.

“She basically dropped dead in front of me,” said McKernan, 26, who was at the race to cheer on her sister.

At first it seemed the woman had just lost consciousness, so McKernan tried to make her drink some water. But she soon realized the runner’s pulse was fading and she was foaming at the mouth. McKernan began chest compressions.

Throughout, McKernan was thinking “push hard and push fast,” a lesson she picked up in CPR training.

Rosemary Humphreys, a family friend of McKernan who was watching her son, had rushed over to the runner immediately after she fell. She’d watched the woman and her friend speeding towards the finish line, then saw her go down “like a dead weight.”

Humphreys, 62, put her CPR knowledge to use for the first time in over 20 years, trading off with McKernan to give powerful, quick chest compressions.

“I was thinking, this is Mother’s Day, this poor girl. I hope her family doesn’t have to get bad news,” said Humphreys, who added that a doctor from the crowd also stepped in to help.

When Emergency Medical Services arrived, McKernan continued to give the woman chest compressions. Shortly after, the woman’s heart started beating again.

McKernan estimates the rescue took about 10 minutes, but McKernan said it felt like forever.

Dave Viljakainen, a spokesperson for EMS, said the runner probably had a pre-existing medical condition.

“There is usually someone that goes down at these things, but it’s usually an older man,” he said. “I’m surprised this happened to a young woman.”

The friend who was running with the woman Sunday told the Star she wasn’t ready to talk about the incident, but earlier tweeted that “after a day like today, the music will sound sweeter, the beer will taste better, and every hug will be more sincere.”

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Not surprisingly, there has been a lot of reader feedback since Sporting News unveiled its 1-124 rankings of all the FBS coaches last week, and some of it has actually been clean enough to share with you today. So let’s get right to it: