Design Buddy, based in Marlboro, is open for business. Mary Petto has announced the opening of her new service, which helps clients become their own decorators. According to Petto, giving someone a decorator will result in a room being designed, but teaching clients the secrets of decorating will empower them to design any room, on their own, whenever they want.
Design Buddy is appropriate for any person, any space and any design challenge, according to Petto. The business offers advice on how clients can do their own redesign process, where to shop, how to find a contractor, and other details on making design decisions, whether it’s picking the right color paint, rearranging furniture and knickknacks, or decorating a newly finished basement.
For more information, call (732) 580-3203 or e-mail [email protected].
Prudential New Jersey Properties, which has local offices in Monmouth and Middlesex counties, has committed to providing financial support to The Sunshine Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children with cancer, and providing group activities for young patients throughout North America. In 2003, the company’s 26 sales offices raised a total of more than $50,000 for The Sunshine Kids.
Concorde Limousine Inc., Freehold, now celebrating 20 years in business, announced the addition of six new vehicles to its luxury fleet. Among the newest arrivals are five nine-passenger ultra-stretch Lincoln limousines and a 12-passenger stretch Ford Excursion SUV limousine.
All the new vehicles offer a pop-up entertainment touch-screen system, televisions, DVD, VCR, CD, "Stargazer" fiber optic lighting, and leather seating.
Concorde’s fleet now has a total of 55 vehicles, including six-passenger limousines, sport utility vehicles, 14-passenger vans, full-size motor coaches, and 18- and 27-passenger luxury minibuses, as well as sedans.
Big enough clothes, a U.S. designer of children’s European-style clothing, recently rewarded Pamela Blumer of Marlboro with the $6,000 Club Award at its semi-annual sales meeting. The meeting, held in New Jersey, awarded 138 fashion consultants with prizes and incentives. Blumer was recognized for her sales achievements during the fall season.
Twice a year, big enough clothes meets with their fashion consultants at corporate sales meetings in major cities across the country. The company’s clothing is sold primarily by mothers who want to work on their own schedules. This year, big enough clothes visited 12 cities from New York to Los Angeles between Jan. 23 and Feb. 6.
For more information, visit the Web site www.bigenough.com.
Joan Breuche, R.N.C., nurse manager at CentraState Healthcare System, was named a 2003 recipient of the Frances Black Humanitarian Award in Healthcare.
Each year the Frances Black Humanitarian Award in Healthcare is presented by Friends’ Health Connection to recognize individuals from New Jersey and New York affiliate hospitals and health care facilities who are extraordinary inspirations to others.
A registered nurse for 42 years, Breuche has been employed at CentraState Medical Center for 20 years. Her positions have included both staff nurse and nurse manager. She is a nurse manager of a 29-bed medical unit with a largely geriatric population, and as a leader, continually advocates for the geriatric patient.
Frances Black, mother of FHC Founder and Executive Director Roxanne Black, dedicated her life to improving the health of others. Over the course of her career as a registered nurse and art therapist, she delivered compassionate care to individuals with physical disabilities, behavioral health problems and thousands of other patients with a diverse range of health issues and life challenges.
Business After Hours, sponsored by the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, will be hosted by FastFrame picture framing Feb. 24, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the FastFrame store, 55 Route 9 south, suite 300, Manalapan. The cost is $10 and includes refreshments. Attendees should bring plenty of business cards. For reservations and details, call the chamber at (732) 462-3030; fax (732) 462-2123; e-mail [email protected]; or visit
Liberty Manor Assisted Living, Englishtown, will host a seminar on long-term care Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at its facility, 49 LaSatta Ave. The one-hour seminar will sort through the sometimes confusing and contradictory information about long-term care, and will present some options to choose from. Reservations are requested; call Mindy Ginsberg at Liberty Manor, (732) 786-1000.
Michael A. Serluco of Freehold has joined the board of trustees for Bayshore Community Hospital and the board of directors for Bayshore Health Care Management Corp.
Serluco is a principal in the Holmdel-based Serluco & Co. LLC, Certified Public Accountants & Consultants, a firm founded in 1984 by his father, Richard J. Serluco. The firm specializes in services provided to health care organizations, hospitals and nonprofits. Michael Serluco previously worked as a senior accountant in the Parsippany office of Deloitte & Touche.
Serluco’s father also was a member of Bayshore’s board of directors from the mid 1980s to the early ’90s.
Serluco has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park, School of Business Administration, and is a licensed certified public accountant in New Jersey and New York.
He also is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New Jersey society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Iris Lurie, president/broker of Century 21 Mack-Morris Iris Lurie, has announced that nine of her sales associates have received New Jersey Association of Realtors 2003 Circle of Excellence Sales awards.
Sharon Marks received the gold award for achieving a minimum of $15 million in sales in 2003.
Five associates received the silver award: Gloria Bernstein, Martin Cole, Garry A. Klein, Christine Lundberg and Marcia Sokal. Each achieved a minimum of $7.5 million in sales.
Three associates were awarded the bronze award: Florence Cataneo, Fran Krumholz and Marcy Leder, for having a minimum of $3 million in sales.
Weichert, Realtors’ Marlboro office announced that four sales associates were recognized for their industry success in January.
Glenda Grill led the office in listings. A licensed real estate professional, Grill is a longtime resident of Marlboro.
Barbara Chasser led the office in sales. A member of Weichert’s sales and marketed clubs, Chasser qualified for the N.J. Association of Realtors 2002 Circle of Excellence Sales Club at the silver level, and earned membership in Weichert’s Ambassador’s Club, recognizing her in the top 2 percent of the company’s 10,000 sales associates.
Joan Congilose led the office in revenue units. A member of Weichert’s sales and marketed clubs, she qualified for the Circle of Excellence Sales Club at the bronze level.
Denise Mazza led the office in dollar volume. A licensed real estate professional, Mazza was named the office’s rookie of the year in 2002.
Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce will hold a general meeting Feb. 19 at 8:30 a.m. at the chamber office, 17 Broad St., Freehold. The guest speaker will be Monmouth County Prosecutor John Kaye, who will discuss the Monmouth County Child Advocacy Center.
The center is designed to minimize the trauma that child victims and their families experience when a victim and the family must meet with representatives of different agencies. The cost to attend is $10 per person and includes continental breakfast.
For reservations and details, call the chamber at (732) 462-3030; fax (732) 462-2123; e-mail [email protected]; or visit www.wmchamber.com.
Oldies 100 (WJRZ FM), Manahawkin, and Deborah Heart & Lung Center, Browns Mills, will present the third annual Women’s Expo place Feb. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the new Ritacco Center, 1245 Old Freehold Road, Toms River, adjacent to Toms River North High School.
The expo will feature many different attractions for women of all ages and their families. Ongoing activities will include motivational speakers, fitness demonstrations, self-defense and health tips.
In addition, designers from The Learning Channel’s show, "Trading Spaces," will be on hand from noon to 2 p.m. to sign autographs and answer questions about decorating dilemmas. There will also be booths featuring home improvement products, food, and various products and services geared toward women.
"The expo has served as a forum for local area businesses to showcase their products and services directly to the people they are trying to reach," said Andria Villar, Oldies 100 business development coordinator. "It also allows for direct interaction between the manufacturer and consumer to achieve the goal of improving a specific product or service."
Admission to the event is free. For details or to reserve a booth, call (732) 349-1100.
The Manalapan Senior Citizen Center has scheduled the American Association of Retired Persons’ "55 Alive Safe Driving Program" to run March 24 and 25 at the center, 211 Route 522 (Freehold Road).
Participants who successfully complete the two-day program are entitled to an auto insurance reduction of 5 percent and may receive a two-point reduction on their driver’s license. Attendance is mandatory for both days.
The cost is $10, and preregistration and prepayment are required. To register or obtain further information, call the senior center at (732) 446-8401.
Three art students from Around the Corner Art Center, Freehold, received awards at the Monmouth Festival of the Arts competition Feb. 1. All Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex County art students in grade 11 were invited to participate in the annual juried competition.
Nicole Barden of Howell won the first-place ribbon and $100 prize for her pencil drawing, titled "Everyone Loves a Slinky." Elisa Werbler of Marlboro won the second-place ribbon and $75 prize for her painting montage, titled "No Art." And Alexandra Cook of Freehold received an honorable mention for her painting of pinball machine parts, titled "Light ‘Em Up."
The three winners will have their artwork displayed at the Monmouth Festival of the Arts’ annual invitational show March 27-31 at Monmouth Reform Temple, Hance Avenue, Tinton Falls.