Vicki Williams/Special to the Eagle

Recipients of scholarship awards from Leadership Marco alumni are, front, Sabrina Carrender, Mercedes Farhat and Lisa Reveland, and center rear, Sebastian Ruiz. They are pictured with Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce President Gary Elliott, left, and organizer of the “Wet Paint Live” fund-raising function, Keith Dameron.

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Pledge plays out

Leadership Marco alumni have made good on a pledge to assist four outstanding students with their university expenses.

The money was raised by the recent “Wet Paint Live” event, in which artists spent a day capturing assorted Marco scenes on canvas, and then auctioned the paintings off at a gala evening the same day.

Leadership Marco is itself a civic educational program presented annually under the auspices of the Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce.

Students presented with checks at a function last week were Sabrina Carrender, Mercedes Farhat, Lisa Reveland and Sebastian Ruiz.

Lofty sale

Another high-end Marco property has eclipsed a record — this time just under $8 million for a home in the Hideaway Beach gated community.

Prudential Florida WCI Realty Associates Sandra and John James were pivotal in the sale of the beach front home.

The twosome had previously helped the new owners with other property deals in the area.

The buyers praised the commitment on the part of James couple, who exposed them to homes not only on Marco, but all along the Southwest Florida coast.

They decided on the Hideaway Beach property because of the location, the community and the lifestyle Marco Island affords, said John James in a release.

Company managing broker George Percel said the sale had extra significance.

It represented, he said, a “wonderful indication to demonstrate the diversity of the Marco Island real estate market. “We have a unique location and properties to satisfy the needs of the most discriminating future resident.”

The James’ join Prudential Florida Associates Helga Wetzold and Jon Busch, who last year participated in the sale of the two highest priced properties in the history of the island.

Bank bests peers

Orion Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Orion Bank, recently announced solid financial results for the first three months of 2008.

Specifics include net income of $5.3 million, return on equity of 17 percent, and assets of $2.958 billion.

The results are well ahead of peer financial institutions, locally and nationally, and reinforce Orion’s leadership and performance position, according to publicist Jesse Landis.

She said amidst competitors reporting losses, the return on Equity at 17 percent places Orion as one of the top performing bank holding companies in the United States.

A company statement said asset quality improved significantly with non-performing assets decreasing 16 percent, delinquent loans decreasing 56 percent, and net charge-offs at $1.3 million or .06 percent of average loans for the quarter.

Orion Chairman Jerry Williams expanded by saying the bank’s allowance for loan losses to loans exceeds peer group average, and management forecasts continued improvement in asset quality statistics through the end of 2008.

He said a key to this healthy economic position is having no credit exposure to sub-prime borrowers, which is a main culprit for losses reported in the financial industry.

The bank has a branch on Marco Island.

In The Round rolling again

Still with Orion, local branch manager Keith Dameron has released details of the first 2008 event in his popular In the Round lecture series.

It’s a little different, or zesty, as it features chefs Alberto Varetto and Emmanuel Boscherel demonstrating risotto cooking techniques as well as a chocolate truffle-making demonstration.

Naturally, Dameron says, people get to taste these exotic creations.

The chefs, from Sale e Pepe Restaurant at Marco Beach Ocean Resort, will also delve into the history of their creations.

The condition is that seating is limited to 40, with no exceptions.

The event takes place May 28 from 6:30 p.m. at the bank, which is at the Bald Eagle Drive and Elkcam Circle intersection. Call 393-2400.