Larry O’Rourke, real estate broker and investor,...

Larry O’Rourke, real estate broker and investor, recently purchased Western Mutual Escrow Services and Western Mutual Corp. and has assumed the responsibilities of chairman of the board and chief executive officer for the corporation. Warren D. Vaughn will continue in the capacity of president.

Bruce H. Froehlich, who has been in the construction industry since 1959, has been promoted to president of Metropolitan Development Corp.’s Southern California home-building region and has named Kenneth M. Rappaport vice president of operations for that division.

David Jay Flood , president of Flood, Meyer, Sutton & Associates, Santa Monica-based architectural firm, has been named chairman of the board of Yosemite Institute. A commissioner of the four aquatic sports for the Olympics, Flood has been retained as a management consultant by the Korea Amateur Swimming Federation.

Norman D. Brody, formerly the chief financial officer at Anaheim Savings & Loan Assn., has joined the Hammond Co. as executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Chuck Conner has been promoted to vice president/construction operations for Kitchell Contractors, Newport Beach.

Rodney A. Briggs has been appointed executive vice president for planning and acquisition for Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group. Dennis X. Daze has been named Orange County district manager of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Management Services, and William W. Lassetter II has been named regional manager of office properties marketing for the firm’s Southern California and Southwest regions.

Richard L. Sevin and Rodney C. McFall, Ticor associate general counsels, have been elected vice presidents.

Robert A. Fredrickson, formerly with Integrated Resources Equity Corp. in Colorado, has joined Preferred Securities Corp., Los Angeles, as regional vice president.

Harrison Price, former president of Economic Research Associates and now an independent consultant, has been installed as president of Lambda Alpha, a land economics society.

Dean Alexander has been named director of operations of Woodhaven, Riverside. He served in the field of real estate finance for 27 years at Security Pacific Bank.

Kathy Schwendimann has been appointed senior designer for Creative Design Consultants in Costa Mesa.

John Rick recently joined the Rick Engineering Co., San Diego’s largest land planning and engineering company, as an engineering assistant. His father, William Rick, is the firm’s chief executive officer, and his grandfather, the late Glenn A. Rick, founded the company in 1955.

Don L. Foster has been promoted to vice president of operations for Woodcrest Development of San Diego Inc. He previously served as director of operations.

Bill Miller, who joined Koll Construction Co. in 1974, has been promoted to senior vice president responsible for all of the firm’s construction activity in San Diego County.

Robert R. Carson has been named vice president and chief financial officer of Community Resources Corp. He is a former corporate controller of Tanner Southwest Inc. in Phoenix.

Roy Rushing has been named senior engineering geologist at San Diego Soils Engineering. He has been a senior engineering geologist at Irving Consulting Group, the firm’s parent company.

William R. Oakes Jr. has rejoined the Housing Group of Fleetwood Enterprises as general manager of the company’s plant in Rubidoux. He served as vice president of operations for Golden West Homes.

Michael J. Elliott has been appointed vice president of governmental/civic affairs for the Watson Land Co. and will be based in the city of Carson. He had served as director of corporate affairs for Carl Karcher Enterprises.

Eric G. Shield of Irvine has been promoted to assistant vice president of First American Title Insurance Co., Santa Ana. He was manager of subdivision sales for the firm’s Orange County Title Division.

Eric A. Wittenberg, formerly in real estate construction lending at Union Bank, has been named treasurer of the Fieldstone Co. in Orange County.

Benson Jay Goldstein, former project manager for MCA Development’s Sheraton Premiere Hotel, has been appointed director of construction for Jessen Development Co.’s Los Angeles Group office in Westlake Village.

George W. Minds, with more than 20 years of architectural construction experience, has joined Stolte Inc., Los Angeles, as director of marketing. David L. Bentley has joined the firm as manager of business development.

Ray Desselle of Hogan Roy Partners, Planners & Landscape Architects in Costa Mesa, has been promoted to director of marketing.