Iris Lurie, president/broker of Century 21 Mack Morris Iris Lurie, Marlboro, attended the Century 21 International held recently in Orlando, Fla. Sales associates Gloria Bernstein, Florence and Steven Cataneo, Frank Como, Marcy Leder and Sharon Marks joined Lurie for the four-day convention in which Century 21 members from around the world convened to discuss the latest industry tools and attend seminars with guest speakers. Century 21 Mack-Morris Iris Lurie was recognized as the top Century 21 office in Monmouth County and the third highest Century 21 office in all of New Jersey.
Weichert, Realtors’ Marlboro office was recognized with a regional award in January. The region comprises 20 offices throughout Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties. The Marlboro office led the region in new-home dollar volume. The office is located at 455 Route 9 south in Manalapan.
Monmouth Legal Secretaries Association will hold its regular monthly meeting March 3 at the Holiday Inn at Tinton Falls. All are welcome to attend.
Laura Kirkpatrick, public information officer from the Monmouth County Park System, will present “What’s New and Exciting in the Park System.”
To make a reservation or obtain further details, call Rachel Blasi at (732) 578-1880.
Sam’s Club will sponsor a Merchandise Showcase for business owners March 7-10 a.m. at its Freehold Township store, 100 Trotters Way. Business owners who buy merchandise to resell for profit will have the opportunity to view a display of name-brand merchandise, sample products, and receive a complimentary sample bag. Attendees not currently members of Sam’s Club will receive a one-day guest pass. For more information, call (732) 780-4477 or e-mail www.samsclub.com.
The Freehold Chapter of LeTip International, a business networking organization, announced that it now has a new Web site: www.letipoffreehold.com.
According to a press release from LeTip, the Freehold branch is one of the top 10 groups of LeTip International in the United States and Canada, with more than 60 members.
The site was designed and is maintained by Ciro Saverino, president of WSI Webmasters, of Manalapan.
LeTip of Freehold meets every Thursday morning at 7 at Old Country Buffet in the Pond Road Shopping Plaza, Route 9 north in Freehold Township. Meetings end promptly at 8:30 a.m.
Sue Kozel, owner of SK Visions, a small business based in the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold Township, received one of 14 national finalist awards from Enterprising Women magazine’s 2005 Enterprising Women of the Year award program. The award was presented at a ceremony held Feb. 11 in Florida.
Kozel also received the national 2004 Stevie Award for Women Entrepreneurs in the category of community involvement. Kozel annually dedicates between 8 and 20 percent of her annual sales to nonprofits.
Kozel is also known for her advocacy for the environment. She created a
business environmental scholarship for Allentown High School. She has been the vice chair of the Upper Freehold Vision Committee and was reappointed to the Tree City USA board. She is a national partner with WIPP (Women Impacting Public Policy); a member of the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, where she serves as a board member; the National Association of Women Business Owners, South Jersey chapter, where she serves as the sunshine chairwoman; the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners; the Public Relations Society of America; the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions; the Yellowstone Association; and several other organizations.
In 2002, she was named the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce Circle of Excellence winner in the category of small business, and in 2003 was the recipient of the chamber’s Athena Award. The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders and Congressman Rush Holt, in 2003 and 2004, respectively, honored Kozel and the two high school students with whom she worked on the Vanishing Vistas environmental project.
Kozel and her husband, Chris Berzinski, are residents of Upper Freehold Township.
CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, announced that it now provides comprehensive speech therapy services on an outpatient basis. The outpatient services for communication and swallowing disorders are available to patients age 15 and older with speech, language, voice, swallowing and/or cognitive-linguistic deficits.
Patients who might require speech, swallowing and/or cognitive-linguistic therapy include those who have suffered a stroke or head injury or have a neurological disorder such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS) or multiple sclerosis, and those with vocal cord problems, according to certified speech therapist Marilyn Abrahamson, director of the outpatient program. Therapists work with patients to eliminate or relieve symptoms and also teach family members and caretakers how to assist with the patient’s therapy.
Abrahamson, who has a master’s degree in speech pathology from Kean University, Union, specializes in neurogenic swallowing and communication disorders in adults. She also has experience in both children’s and geriatric rehabilitation. She maintained a private practice for several years providing therapy in patients’ homes and also worked in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.
For more information on CentraState’s outpatient services for communication and swallowing disorders, call (732) 294-2705.
Weichert, Realtors’ Marlboro office announced that three sales associates were recognized for their industry accomplishments in the month of January.
Phyllis Katz led the office in listings. A licensed real estate professional, Katz earned a degree in psychology from the College of Staten Island, N.Y.
Barbara Chasser led the office in sales. A member of Weichert’s Sales and Marketed clubs, Chasser qualified for the New Jersey Association of Realtors 2003 Circle of Excellence at the silver level. In addition, Chasser earned membership in Weichert’s Ambassador’s Club, recognizing her in the top 2 percent of the company’s 13,700 sales associates.
Diane Bindler led the office in revenue units and dollar volume. Bindler
earned a degree in business and finance from Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Paramount Homes’ Premier at Manalapan Ridge announced that the company is offering home buyers the option of purchasing the showcase homes to which they were originally attracted. Two of the models were recently sold, and a third is expected to be built during the upcoming spring season. The homes range from 4,600 square feet to more than 6,000 square feet, with four designs available. The development is more than half sold out, with pricing exceeding $1 million per home. Premier at Manalapan Ridge is located on Thompson Grove Road. For more information, visit www.paramountnewhomes.com.
Dr. Deborah Breitstein of Animal Health Care of Marlboro recently attended the 22nd North American Veterinary Conference in Orlando, Fla. More than 4,000 veterinary doctors attended and the conference offered more than 40 hours of veterinary medical continuing education presentations. Topics included safer anesthetic protocols, pain management techniques for both acute and chronic pain, solutions for both sudden and long-term skin problems, and updates on integrative medical care options as presented by university and teaching hospital authorities. Animal Health Care of Marlboro is scheduled to begin its expansion project in the spring.
John Lombardo of Manalapan has been named president of AAMPRO Staffing Concepts Inc., a provider of permanent placement and temporary professional services. AAMPRO Staffing Concepts is a division of AAMPRO Group Inc., Bridgewater.
Lombardo is a veteran human resources (HR) executive who has extensive experience in HR administration and placement in the financial services, information technology, and sales and marketing industries. He joins AAMPRO after a career spanning more than 25 years as a senior HR executive that has included operating his own consulting and recruiting firm, directing the recruiting efforts of Fortune 100 financial services firms, and the management and operation of numerous start-up enterprises. As president of AAMPRO Staffing Concepts, Lombardo will be focused on developing the HR consulting, permanent placement and temporary professional services side of the business as well as the expansion of the payroll administration and employee leasing operations.
AAMPRO services include permanent placement, temporary help, payroll and benefits administration, health and workers’ compensation insurance programs, state and federal labor compliance, tax filings, safety program design and management, and employee leasing.
Amper, Politziner & Mattia, a certified public accounting and consulting firm with offices in Wall, Edison, Flemington, Princeton, Hackensack and New York, is making available to the public its Year 2005 Tax Pocket Guide.
The guide answers many of the commonly asked tax questions for both individuals and businesses. Among other rules and regulations, the guide includes the following schedules for the years 2004 and 2005 filing periods: individual and corporate income tax rates, various retirement plan contribution limits and phase-outs, standard deduction and personal exemption rates, capital gains rates, estate and gift tax rates, and depreciation schedules.
The guide can be obtained directly from AP&M’s Web site at www.amper.com/services/tax.asp. A hard copy can be obtained by contacting Karen Tortoriello at (732) 287-1000, ext. 309, or e-mail [email protected].
United Teletech Federal Credit Union, Tinton Falls, has named Patricia M. Hansen as director of marketing and community relations. She will be responsible for creating and executing marketing plans, branding initiatives, advertising, Internet communication, and outreach to the community. Hansen has 11 years of experience in marketing and community relations, including eight years at Bayshore Community Health Services, Holmdel, as the director of corporate public relations and marketing. She also worked three years at Memorial Medical Center, South Amboy. Hansen holds a master of arts degree in corporate and public communication from Monmouth University, West Long Branch, and a bachelor of arts degree in communication from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where she graduated with highest honors. She and her husband, William, reside in Freehold with their two sons.
Coldwell Banker’s Manalapan-Marlboro office, 335 Route 9, Manalapan, is holding a food drive for the Open Door food pantry, Freehold, during the month of February. For more information call (732) 462-4242.
PEP (People Empowering People) —
degree in corporate and public communication from Monmouth University, West Long Branch, and a bachelor of arts degree in communication from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where she graduated with highest honors. She and her husband, William, reside in Freehold with their two sons.
Coldwell Banker’s Manalapan-Marlboro office, 335 Route 9, Manalapan, is holding a food drive for the Open Door food pantry, Freehold, during the month of February. For more information call (732) 462-4242.
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.
Century 21 Mack-Morris Iris Lurie Realtors, Marlboro, announced the top sales associates for 2004 at its annual black-tie awards dinner held recently at the Grand Marquis in Old Bridge.
The top 10 sales associates are: Sharon Marks, Gloria Bernstein, Florence and Steven Cataneo, Christine Lundberg, Marcy Leder, Frank Como, Jeffrey Ozinitsky, Margaret DiBella, Fran Krumholz and Martin Cole.
Marks took home three first-place awards for her achievements in 2004: Top Sales Associate, Most Properties Listed, and Most Listings Closed. In addition, Marks received the title of Salesperson of the Year.
Bernstein’s success at listing and selling properties earned her a place as the second highest sales associate in 2004.
The team of Florence and Steven Cataneo was recognized as the third most successful sales associates.
Awards were also given to the sales associates who sold the most properties listed by their own office as well as other agencies. Lundberg was second only to Marks for properties sold in 2004 and had the third highest number of office listings. DiBella received an award for taking the second highest number of office listings. Ozinitsky was recognized for having the third highest number of office listings sold.
Ann Marie Sgroi, Laurin Manco and Gerta Kachko each received special wards for their outstanding achievements in sales for 2004.
Iris Lurie also presented the following 18 sales associates with their itineraries and travel documents for a one-week vacation in Puerto Rico with their spouses: Marks, Bernstein, Florence Cataneo, Lundberg, Leder, Como, Ozinitsky, DiBella, Krumholz, Cole, Donna Hyman, Harry Zarembsky, Rona Moskowitz, Susan “Penny” Kornblum, Marcia Sokal, Garry Klein, Ann Marie Sgroi and Betty Laboska.
Iris Lurie also announced that the office had a record-breaking year, with 22 of her sales associates receiving New Jersey Association of Realtors 2004 Circle of Excellence Sales awards.
Marks was awarded the Circle of Excellence Sales Award at the gold level. She achieved a minimum of $15 million in sales in 2004. Nine associates received the award at the silver level: Bernstein, Florence Cataneo, Cole, DiBella, Krumholz, Laboska, Leder, Lundberg and Ozinitsky. Each achieved a minimum of $7.5 million in sales in 2004.
In addition, 12 associates were awarded the award at the bronze level: Como, Jodiann Garone, Sheryl Goldberg, Donna Hyman, Klein, Kornblum, Moskowitz, Antoinette Pagano, Anita Paris, Sgroi, Sokal and Zarembsky. Each had a minimum of $3 million in sales.