Neighbors in the news: Arlington Heights native lauded by Parks & Recreation magazine

• Arlington Heights native Taylor Witter, aquatic and recreation supervisor for the Bloomingdale Park District, was honored by the National Recreation and Park Association's Young Professional Network by being named to Parks & Recreation magazine's 30 Under 30 recognition program.

More than 100 nominations from 15 different states were scored on the following criteria: Impact on the agency's community and service population, contributions to the professional development of the field of parks and recreation, and innovative ideas, programs or research in the field of parks and recreation.

Witter has made an impact in her agency's community at the state and national levels. At the community level, she enhanced her before- and after-school programming by adding innovative opportunities, including sign language, no-bake cooking, Tae Kwon Do, Spanish, self-defense, yoga, and magic classes, enabling more than 500 children to further their education through diverse experiences.

She has also implemented and led painting in the park programs and, during the pandemic, transitioned the program to a Zoom format to accommodate people at home due to quarantine.

Witter then transitioned to supervising aquatics and ice programming, whereby she increased overall admission revenue by more than $30,000 in one year.

At the state level, Witter is active with the Illinois Park and Recreation Association, which has given her an opportunity to provide guidance and mentorship to hundreds in the field.

Witter was born and raised in Arlington Heights and graduated from Buffalo Grove High School in 2012. She holds a degree in parks and recreation administration and recreation management from Illinois State University.

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The<Mainstreet Organization of Realtors recognized Beth Kaim as a Top Realtor in its 2022 Production Awards.

The Production Awards highlight the top-performing Mainstreet Realtors of 2022.

Kaim was awarded two of Mainstreet's prestigious awards: The Platinum Award for top 1% in sales and the Gold Award for top 3% in transactions. Awards are given to recognize top Realtors for their outstanding work across the Chicago area.

Kaim has been a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) American Heritage, Elk Grove Village, for the past eight years. In that time, Kaim has received many designations and certifications and was named the number one Realtor in her office for 2021 and 2022.

In addition, she was awarded the BHHS's Chairman's Circle Gold Award for being in the top 2% of the BHHS network nationwide.

Kaim is also the president of the Community Character Coalition of Elk Grove Village and is a director in the Elk Grove Lions Club.

• Nick Punzio has joined Wealth Management Group, an investment firm comprised of independent financial advisers with offices in Inverness, and Downers Grove, as its newest wealth adviser.

With more than 10 years of experience in the financial service industry, Punzio will continue to use his expertise to build relationships with clients at Wealth Management Group and design plans to assist them in achieving their financial goals and objectives.

He will also focus on creating customized comprehensive financial plans, asset allocation and investment strategies for the firm's clientele.

"I couldn't be more excited about the new opportunity Wealth Management Group presents, allowing me to provide next level support for my clients and their complex needs," said Punzio. "What drew me to Wealth Management Group is their strong culture of putting their clients' interests first, along with providing advisers the ability to coordinate, organize, and advise on all aspects of a client's wealth picture."

• Submit your 'Neighbors in the News' items to ntwohey@dailyherald.com.