G. William (Bill) Norris, Jr., of Henrico, recently was appointed to the Capital Region Workforce Investment Board (Resource). Resource is a federally funded workforce investment board that strives to increase private sector employment opportunities.

Exit First Realty recently announced its selection as the exclusive Homes for Heroes real estate agency in Richmond. Homes for Heroes was founded in 2002 by a group of Minnesota business owners who created a nationwide network of realtors, mortgage lenders, title companies and appraisers whose sole purpose is to offer savings to community heroes when buying or selling a home. As a participant in the program, Exit First Realty will offer full real estate services at a discounted rate to local heroes in metro Richmond. Savings will include discounts on realtor fees, loan fees, title fees, closing costs, and home inspections. Homes for Heroes has already served hundreds of local heroes including Richmond and Henrico police officers. For more information, call 527-3948 or visit http://www.homesforheroes.com.

Pediatric Dentistry@VCU, located on the MCV Campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, will offer free services to children in need of dental care that do not have dental insurance on Give Kids a Smile Day. The event will take place Friday, Feb. 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Wood Memorial Building, 521 N. 11th St., Suite 315. Pediatric Dentistry@VCU and its Pediatric Dental Specialist will provide exams, cleanings, X-rays, fillings, extractions and minor restorations for children ages 0-18 years old. Give Kids a Smile Day, created by the American Dental Association, is an annual focus of National Children’s Dental Health Month and is observed every year during the month of February. The program was designed to provide education, preventative and restorative oral healthcare for children. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call 828-9095. Walk-ins are welcome but are not guaranteed to be seen. Appointments are strongly encouraged.

Draper Aden Associates recently announced that Jennifer L. Bunting, P.E. and Victor Valenzuela, P.E., Utility Division staff engineers in the Richmond office, have earned their professional engineer license. Bunting, a member of the Infrastructure Evaluation and Rehabilitation Team, is responsible for the video review, system assessment and evaluation, and CAD design of wastewater infrastructure rehabilitation and replacement. She has been with the firm for four years and is a graduate of Clarkson University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Valenzuela is responsible for preliminary water and sewer infrastructure design, construction drawing and technical specification development assistance, construction administration services, preliminary analysis and feasibility and engineering reports. He has been with the firm for five years and holds a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Virginia Tech.

Virginia Credit Union will open its newest branch at 9498 W. Broad St. on Jan. 17. Located in a former restaurant near the intersection with Springfield Road, the 6,166 square foot structure was extensively renovated and enhanced to serve the needs of credit union members. The West Broad Branch has four drive-through lanes. Two ATMs provide members with images of deposited checks as well as an itemized tally of cash deposits. The large interior space provides additional offices for personal assistance. Safe deposit boxes are also available. The new office is the credit union’s sixteenth branch and the thirteenth in the Richmond area. For details, visit http://www.vacu.org.

Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. recently named Joshua C. Kerr-Hobert, CPA as principal in the firm. As a principal, he is responsible for the firm’s strategic growth initiatives as well as leadership and mentoring to the firm’s tax team. Kerr-Hobert joined Yount, Hyde & Barbour after graduating from William & Mary in 1999. He holds a bachelor of business administration degree. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants and a past board member of Blue Ridge Kiwanis.

Cushman & Wakefield Thalhimer recently leased 20,356 square feet of retail space to Michaels in The Shops at White Oak Village, 4531 S. Laburnum Ave. Michaels will occupy the former Circuit City location and will join the anchor line-up that includes Sam’s Club, Target, Lowe’s, Martin’s, JC Penney, PetSmart and Office Max within this 900,000 square feet center.

The Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors and Government Affairs Committee will host the 37th annual Legislative Reception to kick off the 2012 General Assembly Session on Thursday, Jan. 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at UNOS, 700 N. 4th St. The reception will honor Capital Region legislators and local officials from the City of Richmond and surrounding counties, including Henrico. Registration by Dec. 28 is $80 per person. Payment after Dec. 29 and at the door is $95 per person. Free parking is available in the UNOS surface lot, UNOS deck (levels 1 and 2) and the Jackson Street lot across from the UNOS building. For more information or to register, call 783-9368 or visit http://www.grcc.com.