Funds Still Available for Small-business Consulting Project
As part of the UEZ’s Small Business Consulting Project, selected smaller businesses can enjoy a unique opportunity to have experts analyze their business, identify challenges and opportunities for its improvement, and be reimbursed up to $15,000.00 to cover the cost of implementing suggestions and utilizing professional services.
In 2010, a pilot project brought SCORE advisors and MBA students and professors from Georgian Court University together with Lakewood’s Department of Economic Development to conduct a free business review and assessment designed to produce a corrective action plan to help Creative Kids, a teachers’ resource and craft shop in Lakewood. The resulting report suggested changes, such as upgrading technology, merchandising, accounting, and inventory, among others, that would help the business target new clients, generate sales, and operate more cost effectively.
Patricia Komsa, the director of Lakewood’s UEZ, has announced that limited funding is still available to support the Small Business Consulting Project. Komsa says, “This service will be offered only to UEZ businesses that formally apply for the program. Although all UEZ businesses will be considered, those who are in business less than 10 years or are startups, and net less than $500,000 will receive closer consideration.”
The objective of the Small Business Consulting Project is to help companies grow so they can hire more people, thereby creating local economic growth and jobs.
Businesses interested in participating in the Small Business Consulting project should contact the Lakewood Development Corporation at 732-363-2500 Ext. 5257 or visit lakewoodnj.gov/department/uez for more information.
Local Owner and Designer Chosen to Present Workshop in Concrete
Ted Mechnick, Owner of Split-Rok Construction, Lakewood, has been chosen to present a stamped concrete workshop and demonstration, hosted by Extech Building
Materials, Newark. Mechnick, who was featured on the television program American Builder and can be seen this spring on the DIY (Do It Yourself) Television Network, will demonstrate “The Creative Side of Stamped Concrete,” Friday, September 23, 2011, at Extech Building Materials, 61 Avenue K, Newark, N.J.
The workshop is free and open to commercial and residential contractors, architects, engineer firms, and landscape architects, among others. Registration is required. The presentation starts at 11:00 a.m., with lunch and networking beginning at 1:00 p.m. To register call 973-274-3340 or email rsawicki@extechbuilding.com.
Mechnick will show attendees how to create multi-color stamped concrete using color hardener. The finished sample will resemble Tuscan-tile look.
Mechnick, whose company specializes in decorative stamped concrete designs and the used of multi-colors to achieve a realistic natural look, is considered an industry expert. He is certified by the ACI (American Concrete Institute) as a finisher and is a member of American Society of Concrete Contractors. For further information, contact Mechnick at 732-899-5641.
Annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back Contest Benefits Troops
There they are! Stacks and stacks of Halloween candy in every store and supermarket. And it’s never too early to start thinking about what you are going to do with all the candy after Halloween!
Dr. Ron Rotem, a Toms River dentist, is sponsoring his 7th annual Halloween Candy Buy-Back Contest for three days this year, Monday, Oct. 31 through Wednesday, November 2, noon to 4:00 each day. Bring your candy to Dr. Rotem’s dental offices, 355 Lakehurst Road, Toms River, and he will give you $1.00 a pound up to 10 lbs.
per family for candy collected from Halloween trick or treating. The child who brings in the most candy, by weight, will win a $50.00 gift card.
Because of the volume of candy collected by area schools, this year only individual classrooms are eligible to win a cash prize—not schools. One teacher from either a public or private school who collects the most Halloween candy, by weight, from students in his or her classroom and brings it to Dr. Rotem’s offices will be eligible to win $400.00 to spend for his or her class.
The contest will end at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2.
When the contest is over, all the collected candy will be sent to the troops in the Mideast with the help of Patrick O’Keefe, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 400, 3301 Hwy. 138 East, Wall Township; the Monmouth and Ocean County Central Labor Council; and the Monmouth and Ocean County Building Trades.
Dr. Rotem says, “I started this contest seven years ago as an incentive for everyone to eat less candy. I’m happy to say that each year the volume of candy has grown. Last year we collected more than a ton of candy, which was sent to our troops through the efforts of IBEW.”
For further information, call Dr. Rotem’s office at 732-341-8500.
Diversity in the Workplace – Oct. Meeting of Human Resources Group
As the employee population becomes more and more diverse, it becomes even more critical to create an inclusive environment that enables employees of different backgrounds to maximize their contribution to the workplace.
The Diversity and Inclusion Committee of JSAHR (Jersey Shore Association for Human Resources) is presenting an interactive panel discussion and educational forum to help increase awareness of different populations in today’s workforce.
Attendees will learn best practices for creating inclusion, increasing retention, and improving productivity at the Thursday, October 13, 2011, meeting of the Jersey Shore Association forHuman Resources (JSAHR), 8:00 to 10:00 a.m., Jumping Brook Country Club, 210 Jumping Brook Road, Neptune, N.J.
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. JSAHR is a Superior Merit Award Chapter of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management).
The panelists and their topics include Patricia Carlesimo, executive director, Ladacin Network – Employing and Creating Inclusion for People with Disabilities;Lois Cooper, VP, diversity officer, Adecco- Diversity Strategies at Adecco; Dr. Chuni Li, OD director, Monmouth Cares – Workplace Culture and Expectations: Chinese-American Managers and Employees at Work; Bernie Strout, Gay Pride Business Network – GLBT Issues in the Workplace; Catherine Tansey, executive
director, International Institute of N.J. – The Workplace Issues of the New Immigrant Worker.
Free Parking Lots Growing in Lakewood
Lakewood Township merchants and the public are invited to the official opening of the first of three municipal parking lots, Third Street between Clifton Avenue and Route 9, Friday, September 23, 2011 at 10:0 a.m.
For years Lakewood merchants and their patrons have been clamoring for more parking downtown, especially considering Lakewood’s growing population. In 2007, the Lakewood UEZ began to identify properties on Second, Third, and Fifth streets that could be converted to parking lots. The Lakewood Development Corporation (LDC) the administrative arm of the UEZ, began to acquire those properties with a plan to construct new parking lots.
The Third Street parking lot is the first to be completed. It adjoins the municipal lot on Fourth Street, and allows shoppers to enter on Fourth Street and exit on Third Street.
According to Patricia Komsa, executive director of the LDC and coordinator of the UEZ, the LDC has purchased property on Second Street and is negotiating for additional property in that area to create a contiguous set of parking lots from Fourth to First streets.
Komsa says, “The design for a lot on Fifth Street is already underway. The LDC hopes to begin demolition of structures on Fifth Street in October in order to move ahead with plans for the new lot. This lot will allow access directly to Clifton Avenue via a pedestrian walkway.
“Businesses backing up to the new lot have already begun to establish convenient rear entrances for customers. Tips and Toque, a baking and kitchen gadget boutique, is a UEZ business who is ready to take advantage of the new lot.”
Because parking has a direct impact on the economic development of the downtown, the UEZ has taken the lead to increase parking. The advantages range from encouraging businesses to stay or locate in the downtown to encouraging people
to shop, stroll and eat in the downtown.
Komsa says, “There are not many municipalities that can brag that they have a ‘real downtown.’ We do. We need to encourage economic growth and job creation in order to sustain our downtown and our community at large.”
For more information, contact Patricia Komsa at 732-364-2500 Ext 5257.
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 480 businesses in Lakewood benefit from tax and financial incentives. Personnel from the Lakewood UEZ are available to discuss program eligibility and answer questions.
Jersey Shore Business Leaders Reschedule Business Networking Event
The Jersey Shore Business Leaders (JSBL) “Getting to Know Us” networking event that had to be postponed because of Hurricane Irene has been rescheduled for Wednesday, October 5, 2011, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Watermark, 800 Ocean Avenue, Asbury Park, N.J. The cost of $15.00 includes appetizers, an extended happy hour exclusively for this night, and a chance to win multiple door prizes. A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit The Algonquin Arts Theater, Manasquan.
Jersey Shore Business Leaders was recently formed to provide career-minded individuals with opportunities to develop and continue to grow professionally, civically, and socially by networking and building relationships with other young
professionals in addition to learning from more seasoned professionals.
To register, email JerseyShoreBusinessLeaders@gmail.com. Find JSBL on Facebook at facebook.com/JerseyShoreBusinessLeaders. For more information, call Stephanie Villari, president of JSBL and Jr. Marketing Officer, OceanFirst Bank, 732-240-4500 Ext. 7522.
DeOliveira Adds to the MAGIC with Glenn Kalina
Fairly new mom Dianne DeOliveira, Brick, came full circle when she returned to co-host the Greater Media Magic Morning radio show with Glenn Kalina on Magic 100.1. In 2003, she was a co-host at another Greater Media radio station. Eight years later, DeOliveira is back as a co-host on the new Magic 100.1 Morning Show, a family friendly radio program, featuring Mommy and Me content for the general public weekday mornings 5:00 to 10:00 a.m.
Before returning to Magic 100.1, DeOliveira, an experienced air personality, was a morning show co-host at The Breeze, Neptune, where she was responsible for producing and gathering information for the show.
At Magic 100.1, a Greater Media radio station, DeOliveira prepares and broadcasts hourly newscasts, public service announcements, celebrity news, and personal appearances. She also participates in on air contests and topical conversations with Kalina.
DeOliveira, no stranger to the Jersey Shore, went through the Toms River school system and worked as a beach badge checker and an Italian Ice truck driver, among other local jobs. She earned her B.S. in broadcast journalism from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She is a former big sister of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County, and a member of the Jersey Shore Running Club and the Shore Athletic Club.
Among her honors and awards, DeOliveira received 2002 AP (Associated Press) Best Use of Sound, Summer Vacation Spots in N.J.; 2001 AP Best News Team Coverage of 9-11; 2000 NJBA (New Jersey Broadcaster’s Association) Best News Team, Tropical Storm Floyd coverage; 1999 AP Best Newscast, Noon hour; 1998 March of Dimes A.I.R. Awards Finalist for Best News Series, The Casino; 1997 AP Best Public Service, Pool Safety; 1995 AP Best Election Coverage, November 1995.
DeOliveira says, “There’s nothing better than working at the Jersey Shore and being able to relate to and share experiences about the places and people where I grew up. My husband and I have lived in Ocean County for more than 35 years, and now we are raising our two-year-old son here too! I love talking to listeners and getting out of the studio to meet them in person!”
WRAT-FM (95.9) and WJRZ-FM (Magic 100.1) are radio stations that are owned and operated by Greater Media New Jersey, a subsidiary of Greater Media, Inc. Greater Media, Inc. is the parent company of twenty-three AM and FM radio stations in the Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, New
Jersey, and Philadelphia markets. Greater Media also owns a modern printing plant and a group of weekly papers in central New Jersey, as well as several telecommunications towers, located throughout the United States.
Senators Singer and Keane and Assemblyman Rible to Be at Lakewood Twp. 9/11 Memorial Service
Senator Robert W. Singer, Senator Sean T. Keane and Assemblyman David P. Rible will join Lakewood Mayor Menashe Miller and the Lakewood Township Committee in recognizing the 10th
anniversary of September 11, 2001.
Township officials will hold a 9/11 memorial observance, part of the national Moment of Remembrance, beginning at 12:45 p.m. in the auditorium of the Lakewood Township Municipal Building, Third Street, Lakewood, to coincide with the national moment of silence at 1:00 p.m. proposed by a resolution of Senator Frank R. Lautenberg and the U.S. Senate.
Senators Singer and Keane along with Assemblyman Rible will light memorial candles. Mayor Miller, a Major in the Air Force, says the observance in Lakewood will also include an invocation, the national anthem, a prayer for our current emergency volunteers, a one minute moment of silence at 1:00 p.m., a video presentation, and a benediction.
Mayor Miller, is asking that anyone who is a survivor of the 9/11 tragedy or who has a relative who perished to contact his office 732-364-2500 Ext. 5200 with their names and phone numbers so that the township can pay proper respect and present those individuals with a township proclamation.
Mayor Miller says, “Our country will never forget what happened on September 11, 2001 – where we were and what we were doing. We will always remember the heroic service, actions, and sacrifices of our first responders, law enforcement personnel, state and local officials, volunteers, and countless others who helped innocent victims. We will always honor the armed forces, homeland security and law enforcement personnel, and their families who are continuing to protect us ever since. We will work tirelessly to defend the freedom and security of our great nation.”
Lakewood to Mark 9/11
Lakewood Mayor Menashe Miller and the Lakewood Township Committee have enacted a resolution to join the national Moment of Remembrance recognizing the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001.
Township officials will hold a 9/11 memorial observance beginning at 12:45 p.m. in the auditorium of the Lakewood Township Municipal Building, Third Street, Lakewood, to coincide with the national moment of silence at 1:00 p.m. proposed by a resolution of Senator Frank R. Lautenberg and the U.S. Senate. Mayor Miller, a Major in the Air Force, says the observance in Lakewood will include an invocation, the national anthem, a prayer for our current emergency volunteers, memorial candle lighting, a moment of silence for one minute at 1:00 p.m., a video presentation, and a
benediction.
Mayor Miller is asking that anyone who is a survivor of the 9/11 tragedy or who has a relative who perished to contact his office 732-364-2500 Ext. 5200 with their names and phone numbers so that the township can pay proper respect and present those individuals with a township proclamation.
The Lautenberg resolution also urges those who cannot attend the memorial, to cease all work or other activity for one minute, beginning at 1:00 p.m.; and to mark the moment in an appropriate manner, such as ringing bells, blowing whistles, or sounding sirens.
Mayor Miller says, “Our country will never forget what happened on September 11, 2001 – where we were and what we were doing. We will always remember the heroic service, actions, and sacrifices of our first responders, law enforcement personnel, state and local officials, volunteers, and countless others who helped innocent victims. We will always honor the armed forces, homeland security and law enforcement personnel, and their families who are continuing to protect us ever since. We will work tirelessly to defend the freedom and security of our great nation.”
Golf Outing Benefits POAC
The nonprofit organization POAC (Parents of Autistic Children) helps autistic children, adults, and their families without any government funding. Now we can help POAC. CRA (Corporate Resource
Alliance), a contact and referral group for business executives, is hosting a golf outing to benefit POAC on Monday, September 26, 2011, at Pebble Creek Golf Club, 40 Route 537 East, Colts Neck, New Jersey.
The fee per golfer is $165.00 and includes a continental breakfast and registration, beginning at 7:00 a.m.; shot gun start with scramble format at 8:00 a.m.; a barbecue lunch; golf contests; and door prizes. Sponsorships are still available. Lunch only is $35.00. To register or for questions, contact Andy at 732-238-8290.
To date, thousands of parents, teachers, and other service providers have been trained in autism recognition and response. POAC has even reached out to colleges and universities to provide course work for students studying to be special education teachers. Please show your support by participating in the CRA golf outing.