Stop & Shop in Howell presented a check in the amount of $26,643 to The FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties on Jan. 20. The donation represents a portion of Stop & Shop’s Food for Friends campaign, a month-long effort by Stop & Shop and its shoppers to raise funds to fight hunger. The store and its customers exceeded last year’s fund-raiser by almost 40 percent.
Food for Friends began in 1989 when Stop & Shop initiated a partnership with its shoppers that would support area food banks in their efforts to eliminate hunger.
Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association (JSPRAA) will hold its Professional Development and Networking Luncheon and meeting Feb. 4 at 11:30 a.m. at Palumbo’s Restaurant, Tinton Falls. Dick Martin, former head of public relations for AT&T will discuss his new book, “Tough Calls: AT&T and the Hard Lessons Learned from the Telecom Wars.”
Martin was executive vice president of public relations, employee communications and brand management for AT&T from 1997 to 2002, capping a 323-year career with the company. He was an active participant in the controversial executive decisions made during those years, and he offers a firsthand account of the company’s recent past of ambitious mergers, contentious breakups and costly mistakes.
The cost to attend is $25 for members, and $30 for nonmembers if reserved by Feb. 1; thereafter, the cost will be $35. Online registration can be completed at ww.jspraa.com or by calling (732) 842-3311.
Shalu Thaman of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has been named the exclusive real estate professional to represent the communities of Cranbury and Upper Freehold Township.
Thaman and Homes101.net are offering a free New Home Hotlist and a Home Seller Evaluation Kit, which includes a market analysis, selling tips and the “Moving Book.” For more information, visit the Web sites Homes101.net or http://shaluthaman.homes101.net.
The Entrepreneurial Training Institute, sponsored by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the New Jersey Development Authority for Small Businesses, Minorities’ and Women’s Enterprises, announced the spring 2005 session.
ETI is a practical business training program that has graduate more than 1,000 New Jersey entrepreneurs since 1992. It helps new and existing entrepreneurs to prepare a business plan, learn how to manage the day-to-day operations of a business, and understand the ins and outs of obtaining financing.
The not-for-profit organization offers the eight-week course in weekly sessions from 6-9 p.m. at various sites. In the local area, a the course will be held at Lakewood High School, 855 Somerset Drive, Tuesdays beginning March 1. The fee is $295 and includes text materials. To register, visit the Web site www.njeda.com/eti; call (609) 292-9279; or e-mail [email protected]. A free information workshop will be held Feb. 3 from 6-8 p.m. at the Mercer County Library, Lawrence Branch, Route 1 and Darrah Lane; call (609) 292-9279 to reserve a seat.
The Home Depot opened its newest store Jan. 20 at 280 Route 9 north in Marlboro. The new store will bring more than 138 new jobs to the community.
In celebration of its grand opening, The Home Depot hosted Neighborhood Night Jan. 19, at which the store presented a $3,000 donation to the Marlboro Board of Education and welcomed Marlboro Mayor Robert Kleinberg to help dedicate the store. The grand opening also featured refreshments, door prizes and giveaways, a raffle and children’s activities.
The new store, which is The Home Depot’s 61st location in New Jersey, measures 105,000 square feet with a 16,925-square-foot garden center, newly designed departments, a tool rental center, a special home decor section and an expanded appliance department.
Wegmans Food Markets Inc., with Monmouth county locations in Manalapan and Ocean Township, is on Fortune magazine’s list of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for the eighth consecutive year. This year the supermarket chain is ranked at the very top. Fortune has also named Wegmans to its Hall of Fame, as one of 22 companies who have been on the list since its inception.
To celebrate their No. 1 ranking on Fortune’s list, Wegmans stores will serve cake to customers and employees on Jan. 22, at a time to be determined by each store.
Wegmans Food Markets Inc. is a 67-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia. In February, they will open their second Virginia store in Fairfax, followed later this year by their first Maryland store in Hunt Valley. The family-owned company was founded in 1916 and is based in Rochester, N.Y.
The Kiddie Academy Child Care Learning Center of Freehold is partnering with UNICEF and other Kiddie Academy centers across the country in an effort to bring relief to children in South Asia affected by the tsunami.
The centers will participate in “Coins for Kids,” an internal program devoted to the collection of money to purchase UNICEF-developed School in a Box kits. The kits will be used to bring educational supplies back into the lives of the affected children while the area starts to rebuild. The drive at the centers will run through Feb. 14. At the conclusion of the drive, the funds will be used to purchase as many kits as possible.
For more information on Kiddie Academy, visit www.kiddieacademy.com.
The Institute of Management Accountants will meet at Tommy’s Inn, Route 537, Millstone. Feb. 9 for an update on Excel skills. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by the guest speaker. The group’s March 9 meeting will discuss hand-held computer technology. For more information, call Peggy or Joe, (732) 683-2382.
The Monmouth-Ocean Chapter of the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO) will host a dinner meeting Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Old Time Tavern, Route 37 and Route 166, Toms River. The topic for this month’s dinner meeting is “What Every Woman Should Know About Social Security.”
Dave Delaney, senior public affairs specialist for the New Jersey Area Office of the Social Security Administration, will discuss retirement, disability, survivor benefits and the lifetime protection Social Security provides. Delaney will also host a question-and-answer session at the meeting. He has worked for the Social Security Administration for 27 years and has received several recognition awards, including the Social Security Commissioner’s Citation, the highest employee award given to employees of the Social Security Administration. He is responsible the Social Security Administration’s public relations activities in central and southern New Jersey.
Prospective NJAWBO members are invited to attend the event. The cost is $35 for members and $40 for nonmembers. Reservations are required before Jan. 21. For reservations, call Marianne Gepp of Gepp’s Getaway Travel, (732) 775-8900. For directions to the Old Time Tavern, call (732) 349-2387.
For further information about NJAWBO, call the state headquarters at (609) 581-2121, send an e-mail to [email protected] or visit the organization’s Web site at www.njawbo.org.
Superdollar$, a dollar store, will hold its grand opening in Freehold Township Jan. 29. The store is in the Mounts Corner Shopping Center on Route 537 at Wemrock Road.
Superdollar$ will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Superdollar$ can be reached at (732) 409-3002.
Professional and Business Singles Network will sponsor an “8 Date Rotate” speed dating event Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. at Downey’s in Philadelphia. There will be two rotation clusters: for ages 30s and 40s, and mid-40s and older.
The cost is $55, and prepaid reservations are required. A light buffet will be provided, and a cash bar. Membership is not required. For reservations or further details, call Ralph, (888) 348-5544, or visit www.PBSNinfo.com.
J.H. Cohn’s Executive Women’s Forum will feature a program by Caryl Felicetta, COO of Single Throw Inc., at 3 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel, Route 35. The program will discuss how the Internet has affected the way customers find and interact with business. For more information, visit www.JHCohn.com.
Betty Laboska and Laurin Manco, sales associates at the Marlboro Office of Century 21 Mack-Morris Iris Lurie, have been named Sales Associates of the Month for their industry achievements in listings and sales for December/
Laboska, who recently joined Century 21 Mack-Morris Iris Lurie, led the office in listings. Laboska qualified for the New Jerey Association of Realtors Circle of Excellence Sales Award at the silver level from 200-2003. She also received the Centurion Award, the highest level of achievement within the Century 21 system, for her sales record.
Laurin Manco has been a sales associate with Century 21 Mack-Morris Iris Lurie for just over one year. She led the office in sales for December.
Marsha Diamond, a registered dietitian and Marlboro resident, was among the national leaders of the American Dietetic Association who were selected to attend ADA’s second Leadership Institute, held Jan. 13-16 in St. Petersburg, Fla. Diamond is a national client relations manager with the CBORD Group Inc. She serves the American Dietetic Association as the treasurer of the Dietitians in Business in Communication practice group.
Participation in ADA’s invitation-only Leadership Institute, a certificate-training program in the theory and practice of leadership in dietetics, was limited to fewer than 300 of ADA’s nearly 70,000 members throughout the country.
Diamond has more than 26 years of experience in dietetics, food-service management, and education. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in food and nutritional sciences from Queens College of the City University of New York, and a master’s degree in food service administration from New York University.
Monmouth Legal Secretaries will meet Feb. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, Tinton Falls. All are welcome to attend. State Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson will be the guest speaker. For more information, call Rachel Blasi, reservation chairperson, (732) 578-1880.
Sam’s Club, Freehold Township, will hold an “Office Merchandise Showcase” event for small business professionals Jan. 27 from 7-10 a.m. at its facility, 100 Trotters Way.
The event will feature a selection of office and break-room supplies showcased in two display settings, and local business owners will receive a complimentary breakfast. For more information, call Sam’s Club, (732) 780-4477.
PEP (People Empowering People) — for business owners and professionals in the Monmouth County area — meets on the second Monday of each month. There is no cost to attend, and refreshments are served at the meetings.
For more information, call Sandy Franco, (732) 863-9955.
Monmouth Legal Secretaries Association will hold its next monthly meeting Feb. 3 at the Holiday Inn, Hope Road, Tinton Falls. All are welcome to attend. The guest speaker will be state Superior Court Judge Lawrence M. Lawson. For more information call Rachel, (732) 578-1880.
The Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce will meet Jan. 27 at 8:30 a.m. at the Chamber office, 17 Broad St., Freehold. Guest speaker Dr. Jim Sinclair, first vice president of New Jersey Business & Industry Association, will discuss New Jersey’s gubernatorial election and budget debate. The cost is $10 per person and includes continental breakfast. For details, call the Chamber, (732) 462-3030; fax (732) 462-2123; or e-mail [email protected].