What’s in YOUR Pot for Dinner? Radio Show Helps You Decide
The actress Sophia Loren said, “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” Sophia may claim to owe her success to spaghetti; but Joe Leone, owner of Joe Leone’s Italian Specialties and Catering, knows his success started in his grandmother’s kitchen where Leone paid close attention to his grandma’s preparation of traditional Italian dishes.
Leone’s love of food and his willingness to share tips with others has sparked a new Magic 100.1 radio show, “What’s for Dinner?” He will join Barbara Farragher, a Magic 100.1 radio host, every Sunday morning, beginning March 25 on Magic 100.1 from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. to talk about, “What’s for Dinner?”
Joe Leone will be providing recipes, cooking tips and discussing preparation methods designed to help you decide what to have for dinner. Go to magicvariety.com to listen live online or visit magicvariety.com and joeleones.com to listen to a podcast if you missed the show.
Joe Leone, who has been cooking since he was 13 years old, attended the culinary arts program of the Ocean County Vocational/Technical School. Joe holds a B.A. in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America,Hyde Park,New York. Joe Leone’s Catering, with locations in Point Pleasant Beach and Sea Girt, has been named Best Caterers of Ocean-Monmouth counties by the Asbury Park Press Reader’s Choice Poll for nine consecutive years.
The Specialty Store in Point Pleasant Beach has also been awarded the Reader’s Choice award, and has been named Specialty Store of the Year by The N.A.S.F.T.
Sponsors of “What’s for Dinner”? include DL Foodservice Design, Brick; Mighty Young’s Appliance, Howell; DCH Kay Honda, Eatontown; Richard’s Sales and Rental Center, Pt. Pleasant and Bayville, and Musco Food Corporation of Maspeth, NY.
WRAT-FM and Magic 100.1 are radio stations of Greater Media, Inc. GreaterMedia, Inc. is the parent company of twenty-three AM and FM radio stations in theBoston,Detroit,Charlotte,New Jersey, andPhiladelphia markets. Greater Media also owns a group of weekly newspapers in centralNew Jersey and several telecommunications towers, located throughout theUnited States.
Big Marketing on a Small Budget – Free Business Seminar
Looking for big marketing ideas but you only have a small budget? The Lakewood Development Corporation (LDC), the administrative arm of the Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), is offering the public a free business seminar, “Big Marketing on a Small Budget,” Thursday, April 12, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Conference Room C in the Lakewood Municipal Building, 231 Third Street, Lakewood.
The workshop, presented by the Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship, will include how to make the best marketing decisions, how to avoid mistakes, and how to outdistance the competition. Attendees will also learn how to attract customers using the media, how to maximize technology, and how to turn customers into your salespeople, among other topics. A question and answer period will follow.
All businesses are welcome whether or not they are participating in a UEZ program. Walk-ins welcome. Register online at www.lakewoodnj.gov/department/uez by clicking “Free Business Workshops.” To find out about UEZ programs and seminars, call Patricia Komsa at 732-364-2500 x5257 or pkomsa@lakewoodnj.gov.
About the UEZ: The Urban Enterprise Zone program was designed to foster economic growth to revitalize and stimulate designated urban communities. The program encourages businesses to create private-sector jobs though public and private investment.
More than 8,000 businesses throughout the state and more than 500 businesses inLakewood benefit from tax and financial incentives. Personnel from the Lakewood UEZ are available to discuss program eligibility and answer questions.
Family Medical Leave Act — April JSAHR Meeting
Louis R. Lessig, Esq., a partner in the law firm of Brown & Connery, will update attendees about a variety of issues facing them in the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) at the April 12, 2012, Jersey Shore Association for Human Resources (JSAHR) meeting, 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., Jumping Brook Country Club, 210 Jumping Brook Road, Neptune, N.J.
To gain practical understanding and information, everyone’s collective knowledge about issues ranging from military obligations to unforeseen events, pregnancy, and illnesses will be put to the test by competing in the 2012 version of FMLA Jeopardy.
HR professionals will gain an understanding of how the FMLA in 2012 impacts company policies and procedures, how to anticipate FMLA issues, and how to avoid future compliance problems. Attendees will obtain practical pointers for traversing this evolving federal law.
The registration fee and a full buffet breakfast is $25.00 for JSAHR members; $35.00 for nonmembers; and an additional $5.00 for walk-ins. To register, call Kathi Evans, JSAHR administrator, at 732-270-5204 or e-mail jsahradmin@atbcelebrations.com. JSAHR is a Superior Merit Award Chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management).
About Louis Lessig, Esq.: Louis R. Lessig is a partner in the law firm of Brown & Connery, LLP. His practice concentrates in labor and employment counseling, litigation and training. He regularly represents clients in state and federal court as well as before multiple administrative agencies. Lessig speaks nationally on issues related to his practice area, and writes articles that appear in publications nationwide.
In 2010, Lessig was selected by the New Jersey Law Journal as one of the “Top 40 Attorneys under 40” in New Jersey. He was also selected as a Delaware Valley Human Resources Consultant of the Year Nominee in 2010. Lessig co-authored the 2002 supplement to Drafting and Revising Employment Policies and Handbooks, published by Aspen Publications. He is an active volunteer at the state and local levels as a member of Tri-State HRMA for which he has served on the board and held various leadership positions, including legislative co-chair.
Member of NJ MGMA Recognized as Fellow at National Conference
New Jersey Medical Group Management Association (NJ MGMA) announced that one of its members Alex Binder, Long Branch, N.J., was recognized as a Fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) at the national MGMA conference, held recently in Las Vegas. Becoming a Fellow, a national award, is the highest level of distinction one can earn in the medical practice management profession, signifying superior standards of performance, professional competency, and continuing personal and professional development.
Binder is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Visiting Physician Services, Eatontown, where he plans, manages, and monitors a 30-clinician medical practice that exclusively provides homecare to frail, elderly patients in central Jersey. Binder also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in management and healthcare administration at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, N.J.
Before joining Visiting Physician Services, Binder was the vice president of member services and retail banking at First Atlantic Credit Union, Eatontown, overseeing eight branch offices.
Binder holds a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare management from Monmouth University where he also earned his B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Computer Science.
Besides being a member of Medical Group Managers Association (MGMA), a committee member of NJ MGMA, and a Fellow of the American College of Medical Practice Executives (FACMPE), Binder is a Certified Medical Manager (CMM) of Professional Association of Healthcare Office Management; and a member of the American Academy of Home Care Physicians and the Society for Human Resources Management.
About the New Jersey Medical Group Management Association (NJ MGMA), Hamilton, N.J.: NJ MGMA, made up of more than 400 members representing more than 100 medical groups across New Jersey, is an organization dedicated to providing educational, advocacy, mentoring and networking opportunities to supervisors, managers, and administrators at primary care and specialty group medical practices.
Members include supervisors, managers, and administrators of small and large primary care and specialty groups, and full-time students focusing on healthcare administration. Affiliate memberships are made up of vendor companies who partner with medical practices to provide comprehensive services and products to the active members of NJMGMA. ###
Save the Date – 4th Annual Lakewood Regional Business Expo & Networking Event
The Lakewood Development Corporation and the Lakewood Industrial Commission are hosting the fourth annual business-to-business Lakewood Regional Business Expo & Networking Event, Thursday, July 12, 2012, at Lake Terrace Hall in the Lakewood Industrial Park, 1690 Oak Street, from noon to 4:30 p.m.
Last year more than 100 businesses exhibited and attendees enjoyed prizes, screenings, special offers, give-a-ways and free business seminars sponsored by Lakewood’s UEZ program throughout the day.
Vendors who would like to promote their business and commerce B-to-B as well as reach the general public are encouraged to attend. Restaurants and food establishments are welcome as exhibitors. Because of last year’s success, the township is preparing for more than 120 exhibitors and even larger crowds. Admission and ample parking are free.
Patricia Komsa, executive director of the Lakewood Development, says, “This is a great opportunity for area-wide businesses to showcase their goods and services at a reasonable price.”
The Expo sponsors to date are Greater Media Radio Stations (The WRAT, 95.9 and Magic 100.1), the BlueClaws, Monmouth Ocean Development Council, Pizza Plus, and Jersey Shore Business Leaders. Sponsorships are available.
To become an exhibitor or for sponsorship opportunities, login to www.lakewoodnj.gov/department/uez or contactAnita Doyle at 732-364-2500 Ext. 5395.
Lottery Will Determine Who’s Eligible for New Affordable Housing Units
In anticipation of the completion of 58 affordable housing units in Lakewood, Rabbi Shmuel Lefkowitz, the president of NJ Hand, has announced that a public lottery to determine who will be eligible to purchase the newly constructed three- and four-bedroom units will take place Wednesday, March 14, 2012, at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Lakewood Municipal Building, 231 Third Street, Lakewood.
Ervin Oross, the community development director of Lakewood and the president of Rehabco, the company that runs housing and community development programs, said that those individuals who had completed applications for this phase of affordable housing received a letter with a lottery ball number in it.
Oross said, “The call for applications was advertized in all the media, including the Hispanic newspapers so everyone would have an equal opportunity to apply for the affordable housing units. We received 1,000 applications for three- and four-bedroom units. It looks as though we have 600 applications for the four-bedroom units and 300 for the three-bedroom units.”
The public and the applicants who received a lottery number are invited to the March 14 lottery selection. A Bingo cage containing wooden bingo balls will automatically pick the numbered balls and shoot them out. After the selection of 60 people who have applied for three-bedroom units and another 60 people who have applied for four-bedroom units, the winners will be carefully screened to make sure they meet all criteria to own an affordable housing unit. Winners do not have to be present; they will be notified of their selection by mail.
Oross said, “Thanks to the land donated by the Lakewood Township Committee to three not-for-profit developers – NJ HAND, NJ STEPS/Homes for All, the Lakewood Affordable Housing Corporation – we are able to provide housing for those who would never be able to afford it.”
Make the Most of Participating in a Trade Show – Free Seminar
Exhibiting at a trade show is a powerful marketing tool. No other form of marketing offers a business the venue in which to implement almost every possible marketing tactic to gain the attention of present and potential clients.
Get ready for the 2012 Lakewood Regional Business and Industry Expo this July! The Lakewood Development Corporation, the administrative arm of the Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), is offering a free business seminar, “Trade Showmanship and Event Marketing,” Thursday, March 15, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Conference Room C in the Lakewood Municipal Building, 231 Third Street, Lakewood.
The workshop, presented by the Women’s Center for Entrepreneurship Corporation, is open to the public, men and women. Learn such trade show “how to’s” as choosing exhibit space; budgeting time and resources; promoting participation before, during and after; increasing traffic to your booth; instantly capturing the interest of those passing by; qualifying visitors; and getting best follow-up results.
All businesses are welcome whether or not they are participating in a UEZ program. A question and answer period will follow. To register or find out about UEZ programs and seminars, call Patricia Komsa at 732-364-2500 x5257 or www.lakewoodnj.gov/department/uez.
About the UEZ: The Urban Enterprise Zone program was designed to foster economic growth to revitalize and stimulate designated urban communities. The program encourages businesses to create private-sector jobs though public and private investment. More than 8,000 businesses throughout the state and more than 500 businesses in Lakewood benefit from tax and financial incentives. Personnel from the Lakewood UEZ are available to discuss program eligibility and answer questions.
Expert in Kinesio Taping Joins Freehold Ortho Group
It looks like the usual elastic tape but it’s not, and you need a trained expert to apply the black, pink, blue, or natural colored tape, the latest technique in facilitating healing for certain orthopedic and medical conditions.
Patty Buck, the clinical director of Advanced Physical Therapy of Freehold, has added the services of Karen Pollak, PT, DPT, CKTP*, Montclair, a certified Kinesio® Taping practitioner and a member of the Kinesio® Taping Association to its staff and onsite physical therapy center that works closely with the orthopedic doctors at Advanced Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute (AOSMI), Freehold.
Kinesio® Tape, which resembles human skin in texture and elasticity and is latex free, was developed by Dr. Kenzo Kase more than 25 years ago. Today Kinesio® Taping is growing in popularity as a way to treat swelling, bruising, scars and various injuries, especially in the fields of sports performance, pain management, and physical therapy because it is designed to facilitate the body’s natural healing process, and provide support and stability to muscles and joints without restricting the body’s range of motion.
While black tape is popular with many pro athletes, other colored tape is used for different reasons. Pink is used as a warming effect; blue is used for cooling effect. Blue tape is used more to reduce swelling or bruising, and help reduce pain. Pink tape, on the other hand, is used for muscle spasms and muscles which need warmth.
After an evaluation, Pollak determines which tape is appropriate. She says, “It all depends on what the goals are for treatment and how the tape is applied. If you apply it in one direction, you can bring blood to the area. If you apply it in another direction, you are removing fluids from the area. You can even treat a painful spot by helping to relieve the pressure from pain receptors so that even if it’s not supporting a specific muscle, just taping over the painful area has been shown to reduce symptoms.”
In the case of a motor vehicle accident in which someone has a contusion on the hip or knee, the tape is used to reduce swelling or bruising. The tape can also be used post operatively for scars. Pollak says, “Taping can help heal scars, making them nice and smooth. We found we could still work successfully on the scars of patients who had had surgery a while ago.”
Pollak, Buck, and physical therapy assistant Kris Hearn have done a lot of knee taping, tennis elbow, wrists, ankles, sprains and strains, and low back pain. Since Kinseo® Taping is becoming popular in the sports world, Pollak has also been called upon to tape some athletics before they race. She says, “You can pre-tape before a sport if you know there’s an area that needs special attention, such as strains and sprains.”
Pollak received her doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) at Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, in 2005. She earned a B.S. in kinesiology from the University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland in 2002. She holds licenses in physical therapy in New York and New Jersey; she is an APTA* credentialed clinical instructor; and holds certification in CPR and AED*. She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association.
*PT (Physical Therapy), DPT (Doctorate of Physical Therapy), CKTP (Certified Kinseo® Taping Practitioner, APTA (American Physical Therapy Association), CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation), AED (Automated External Defibrillator)
About Advanced Physical Therapy of Freehold: Advanced Physical Therapy of Freehold is open 7:00 a.m. -8:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday; 7:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m., Fridays; and 7:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m., Saturdays. Patty Buck, the clinical director of Advanced Physical Therapy of Freehold, and Kris Hearn have also been trained to apply Kinesio® Tape.
Lakewood Township to Meet with Mediator in Homeless Eviction Lawsuit
In June 2010, the Township of Lakewood filed a complaint in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Ocean County, to regain possession of land parcels in the township that are being illegally occupied as homeless encampments and tent cities without the consent of the Township. Lakewood is represented by Michael DiCicco, a partner with Bathgate, Wegener & Wolf, Township attorneys.
A coalition, formed to promote the cause of the homeless, has made claims against Lakewood, the Ocean County Board of Social Services and Ocean County that the Government needed to do more to address the plight of the homeless. Last month, the parties agreed to mediate the dispute with Edward J. McKenna, an attorney at McKenna, DuPont, Higgins & Stone and former mayor of Red Bank, in an effort to resolve what is being viewed as an untenable situation for Lakewood Township and upwards of 70 or more people occupying two of the sites located at Cedar Bridge Avenue and Clover Street, and Route 88 and the railroad tracks.
The Township maintains that the camps are extremely dangerous to the individuals living there and to the environment. For example, at the end of January another man died in a fire, adding to others who have already lost their lives in fires at the encampments. Little in the encampments is regulated to protect the people living there or the environment.
According to Gene Canfield, the director of inspections for the Lakewood Building Department, “The overall sanitary conditions in the camp continue to deteriorate…” with growing piles of garbage and debris. Uncut firewood litters the camp along with the debris from demolished structures.
The Cedar Bridge site is environmentally sensitive because it is located near the Metedeconk River and contains areas of freshwater wetlands. The “tent city” encampment threatens the integrity of the property with uninspected structures, tents, propane grills and stoves, an untested water source and well, a drum containing oil, debris, goats, chickens, garbage and used toilet paper strewn throughout the site, among other unsanitary conditions.
There is nothing sanitary or safe in the encampments, which continues to expand westward and northward, according to Canfield. An enormous amount of publicity is continuing to draw people to the camps from other states as well as from throughout New Jersey. A New York Post article (February 7, 2012) reported that the camp is growing by about one person a day, based on a statement from Rev. Steve Brigham.
In an effort to be compassionate and sensitive to the plight of others, Lakewood officials have tried to help, but there are limitations to what a municipality can do. They have not ever ignored the situation and have done whatever they could.
Township officials hired the nonprofit organization STEPS (Solutions to End Poverty Soon) to help place homeless individuals in facilities. STEPS had, in fact, placed about 35 people in a little over a year. But more people moved in causing STEPS’ efforts to be futile.
The Ocean County Board of Human Services has also been very active in trying to resolve this problem. They have assembled a Task Force of local and county organizations and agencies, both public and private, to find alternate housing, to fund that housing, and to provide other social services to the homeless. They went directly to the sites to offer the inhabitants assistance in finding alternative housing, such as apartments, hotels, and other sheltered living quarters. They have offered counseling, food stamps, drug counseling, among other help.
In spite of these efforts, some of the homeless residents of the properties have shown no interest in leaving the sites, or working with STEPS and the Ocean County Board of Human Services. They have declined to take advantage of alternative housing arrangements or other social services made available to them
Residents in the area are suffering from the effects of the dense smoked-filled air in the area. Michael Cohen, a resident recently wrote to Township officials.
My wife and I live within a mile of two homeless camps in Lakewood. The homeless people use open fires as part of their cooking, heating, and garbage disposal. I know this because I have visited the camps. We breathe the smoke from these camps on a daily basis, depending on the wind direction. The smoke makes our air unhealthy and on days when we could have a fresh breeze blowing through our house, we close our windows and turn on the air conditioning because of the smoke. Please do something to put these fires out.
The fire marshal corroborated the smell and the smoke as early as this October.
Because of the situation, Lakewood is strained to protect the health, safety, and welfare of its residents. At the camps there are unapproved building structures; unsanitary facilities and a well built for water that has not been tested. This is not only bad for Lakewood and for all the residents; it is bad for the inhabitants.
Unfortunately, Township officials have had to resort to legal means. The Township is trying to be proactive but they have not been getting the help they need. The homeless encampments are unsafe and it is crucial that a workable plan to eliminate the camps be devised with the cooperation the all parties involved.
It is for these reasons, Lakewood is looking forward to meeting with the mediator.
Details of Mercer’s Survey of Employer Health Plans – March JSAHR Meeting
Kevin Carmelengo, a principal in Mercer Health & Benefits, will share the results of Mercer’s 26th comprehensive Annual Survey of Employer Health Plans, which tracks the actions and trends of U.S. employers, Thursday, March 8, 2012, at the monthly meeting of The Jersey Shore Association for Human Resources (JSAHR), a Superior Merit Award Chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management), 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., Jumping Brook Country Club, 210 Jumping Brook Road, Neptune, N.J.
Carmelengo will detail the survey’s findings about employers’ top concerns coming from health care reform mandates, evidence of how health management and incentive programs are impacting employee engagement and plan costs, the spike in the adoption of high-deductible consumer-directed health plans, and the cracking the $10,000 threshold for average health benefit costs per employee, among other facts, ideas and insights.
The registration fee and a full buffet breakfast is $25.00 for JSAHR members; $35.00 for nonmembers; and an additional $5.00 for walk-ins. To register, call Kathi Evans, JSAHR administrator, at 732-244-8892 or e-mail jsahradmin@atbcelebrations.com.
About Kevin Carmelengo: Kevin Carmelengo is a Principal and Senior Consultant who joined Mercer the Health and Benefits, September 2008. He has specific expertise in plan-design strategy, financial analysis, cost projections and financial modeling. Carmelengo has more than 25 years of experience in the employee benefits field. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from Seton Hall University.