President Of Operations

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, said yesterday that it fired three executives and four other employees for violating company policy. Jim H. Haworth, executive vice president of operations for the Wal-Mart Stores division, was fired, according to a report yesterday in the Benton County Daily Record, citing three people it didn't name. Wal-Mart spokeswoman Mona Williams declined to provide the employees' names or say what rules were broken. Williams said the firings weren't related to litigation, criminal matters or the retirement next month of Vice Chairman Tom Coughlin.

The Orioles announced a set of front office promotions Tuesday, most notably naming Orioles Hall of Famer Brady Anderson vice president of baseball operations. Anderson's former title was special assistant to the director of baseball operations. Ned Rice, who previously was assistant director of major league operations, is now director of major league administration. Mike Snyder, who was assistant director of scouting and player development, is now assistant director of player personal.

An announcement in Monday's Business section about the appointment of Albert R. Graves as senior vice president of operations for an Owings Mills-based national managed behavioral health care firm misstated the firm's name. The correct name is CMG Health.The Sun regrets the errors.

After more than a week of speculation since the end of the season, Andy MacPhail is indeed stepping down as the Orioles' president of baseball operations after four-plus years at the helm, according to a club source. MacPhail is leaving the Orioles to tend to family and personal obligations, the source said. UPDATE: The Orioles on Saturday announced MacPhail's departure in a news release. "On behalf of the Orioles organization, I thank Andy for his service to the club over the last four and a half seasons," Orioles owner Peter Angelos said in a statement.

New positionsLondon Fog Corp. announced that Lynne MacFarlane Borges has been appointed senior vice president for human resources.* Classic Catering People named Alan Pressman as a senior account executive and, in its Classic To Go take-out division, Shirley Rabitz has been named account executive.* Heavenly Ham named Rodney Cameron director of stores for its six Baltimore-area outlets.* Butler Capital Group announced that Lynda Aires Clark has been hired as account manager.Legal and Professional* Whiteford, Taylor & Preston selected James R. Chason as managing partner for the firm's Towson office.

Tai Sophia Institute appoints new vice president Mary Ellen Petrisko, a resident of Annapolis, has been appointed academic vice president of the Tai Sophia Institute for the Healing Arts. A former vice president of academic affairs at the University of Maryland University College and deputy secretary of Higher Education at the Maryland Higher Education Commission, Petrisko will be responsible for oversight of the institute's academic programs. Tai Sophia Institute offers graduate education and advanced degrees in acupuncture, botanical healing and applied healing arts.

Names in the newsJerry Korzybski of Millersville has been appointed manager of the Mass Transit Administration's Customer and Community Relations Division. He will work with the director of customer services to resolve transit-related issues with individuals, communities, business leaders and elected officials as well as coordinate MTA outreach programs.Don Lundblad of Annapolis has joined Amerix Corp. as executive vice president of operations and part of the management team. Lundblad joins Amerix from Bank One's credit card subsidiary, First USA, where he was senior vice president of card-member services.

Sydney elected president of hospital professional staffDr. Sam V. Sydney, a Columbia-based orthopedic surgeon, has been elected president of the professional staff of Howard County General Hospital: A Member of Johns Hopkins Medicine.He succeeds Ellicott City internist Dr. Steven A. Geller.As president, he oversees the medical and dental staff of almost 600. He will serve on the hospital's board of trustees and the board of the Johns Hopkins Health System, and as co-chairman of Hopkins Medicine's Practice Coordination Council -- a team of physicians coordinating clinical efforts for the two institutions that merged recently -- Howard County General Hospital and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Smith replaces father as president at Encompass Service Stephen C. Smith Jr., chief executive officer of Encompass Service Corp.'s Central Maryland office in Columbia, has been named president, replacing his father, Steve Smith Sr. The elder Smith founded Central Air Conditioning Contractors Inc. in 1968 and merged the company with Encompass in 1999. He will continue to be involved in project management and direct marketing at the company. Hospital names Blackman senior vice president Jay H. Blackman has been named senior vice president of operations at Howard County General Hospital effective next week.

Giant Food executive promoted to position with Ahold USA Daniel E. Currie of Severna Park was recently promoted to executive vice president of supply chain logistics at Ahold USA, the parent company of Giant Food. He was previously executive vice president of operations at Giant Food Inc. of Landover. Currie joined Giant Food in June 1999 as senior vice president for distribution and transportation. He was promoted to executive vice president of operations in February 2000 and was responsible for store operations and distribution.

Robert E. DeNike, a retired United States Fidelity and Guaranty Co. executive, died July 10 of pneumonia at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 83. The son of a window washer and a homemaker, Mr. DeNike was born and raised in Detroit. Mr. DeNike began his business career in 1954 when he joined USF&G as a special agent in the company's Detroit office, and the next year was promoted to superintendent of the agency department. In 1958, he was appointed assistant manager of the Detroit branch and in 1962 was transferred to Syracuse, N.Y., as branch manager.

They sat for hours, discussing the mutual acquaintances they've made over many years in the game, their philosophies on building a roster and what had become of the once-proud Orioles franchise. In a secluded cabin situated on a golf course about 45 minutes from where the floundering Orioles were playing a road game against the Texas Rangers last July, Andy MacPhail and Buck Showalter, polar opposites on the surface, found common ground. MacPhail, the Orioles' president of baseball operations whose rebuilding project was bursting at the seams, wanted a manager with a big persona and a lot of swagger, somebody to get the attention of a youthful and underachieving roster and inspire a defeated fan base.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail wanted to make a larger point about risk and about baseball's financial imbalance Thursday during a question-and-answer session with a group of Baltimore School of Law students. So at one point, after taking questions for more than 40 minutes, MacPhail decided to throw out a query of his own. "Who is the worst free agent signing in baseball history?" MacPhail asked. "I invite all of you to think about this for two minutes. " The answers shouted back at MacPhail were varied.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail sat in the visiting dugout at Fenway Park recently with his arm draped across the top of the bench and one leg resting on top of the other. With the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up and his sunglasses on, MacPhail looked content and relaxed. It was a far different picture 10 weeks earlier, when MacPhail, sitting in his office overlooking Camden Yards, declared it the most difficult summer of his professional life. "I feel much better now than I did six, seven weeks ago, and I think the industry does, too," MacPhail said.

Advertising * Bonnie Heneson Communications announced that Courtney Dunevant was named vice president of the Owings Mills-based agency. She will assist in business operation, serve major accounts and direct publicity and Web site development. She formerly was with the American Gaming Association. * Merkle, the Columbia-based database marketing firm, named Michael Mathias as executive vice president and group leader, Kathleen Hart as senior director of production management, Bob Ball as senior director of creative resources and Ken Geis as vice president of engagement and innovation.

K Bank announced that Roger Lee joined the Owings Mills-based bank as senior vice president of commercial lending. He formerly was a vice president and loan officer with Mercantile Safe-Deposit & Trust Co. Mid-Atlantic Business Finance Co. appointed William B. Freeman Jr. as vice president of operations. He is responsible for underwriting loans for presentation to the company's board and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Education Goucher College appointed Marc M. Roy as the Towson liberal arts college's provost and chief academic officer.

K Bank announced that Roger Lee joined the Owings Mills-based bank as senior vice president of commercial lending. He formerly was a vice president and loan officer with Mercantile Safe-Deposit & Trust Co. Mid-Atlantic Business Finance Co. appointed William B. Freeman Jr. as vice president of operations. He is responsible for underwriting loans for presentation to the company's board and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Education Goucher College appointed Marc M. Roy as the Towson liberal arts college's provost and chief academic officer.