The A.K. Bhattacharya Foundation has awarded its annual scholarship to medical student Nidhi Kohli, a member of the class of 2007 at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Since 2001, the A.K. Bhattacharya Foundation Annual Award for Medical Excellence and Community Service has honored a medical student of UMDNJ who has shown excellence in academic studies and community service.
The award was presented to Kohli at a dinner hosted by the UMDNJ Alumni Association Nov. 2 at UMDNJ. This year, the Alumni Association will award 105 student scholarships, totaling more than $145,000.
Helene and Ira Kaplan of Cruise Holidays of Marlboro were among 20 Cruise Holidays franchisees honored as members of Cruise Holidays’ Presidents Circle. The select group of top-performing Cruise Holidays stores was announced during the 2006 Cruise Holidays Annual Convention in Miami.
Candy Bouquet International Inc. recently awarded a new franchise location in the Howell, Freehold, Marlboro, Colts Neck and Farmingdale areas.
Candy Bouquet International Inc. No. 3665 franchise owner Margaret Valliere-Pszczola, Howell, recently opened the home-based business that specializes in floral-like creations crafted from gourmet chocolates and candies.
Valliere-Pszczola recently completed an extensive training program at the corporate headquarters in Little Rock, Ark.
She is former marketing coordinator at First Financial Federal Credit Union, Wall Township, and has more than 10 years of experience in the marketing industry. Valliere-Pszczola has a bachelor of arts degree from Georgian Court University, Lakewood, and an associate in applied science degree in print and broadcast journalism from Ocean County College, Toms River.
Margaret McEntire, founder and president of Candy Bouquet International Inc., started the company in 1989 by creating the floral-like bouquets as gifts for friends. The unique concept grew in popularity, and today Candy Bouquet franchise locations are found in 50 states and 60 foreign countries. There is a total of more than 835 Candy Bouquet International Inc. franchises worldwide.
Professional and Business Singles Network will host a “Business After Hours” holiday social with live entertainment, Nov. 24 from 6:30-10:30 p.m. at Barley’s Pub of Princeton Marriott Hotel and Conference Center at Forrestal, 100 College Road East, Princeton 08540. Admission is $12; $10 before 7 p.m. Casual business dress. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres; cash bar with drink specials. Membership is not required. For more information, call (888) 348-5544 or visit www.PBSNinfo.com.
Joffe Family Chiropractic of Manalapan will hold its fourth annual Thanksgiving holiday food drive to benefit the Open Door Food Pantry in Freehold. Open Door Food Pantry is a nonprofit organization that serves approximately 350 families per month at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Throckmorton Street, Freehold. Lunches are served Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Items of need include canned fruit and vegetables, juice, condiments, stuffing and rice. Joffe Family Chiropractic is at 61 Pease Road, Manalapan. For more information, call (732) 536-9191.
Celeste Carpiano, executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties (NJAC), was recently elected president of the National Council of County Association Executives (NCCAE), Cooperstown, N.Y. Carpiano holds a bachelor of science degree in business administration, a master of arts degree in educational administration and is a certified school business administrator. Mrs. Carpiano is a resident of Colts Neck and is married with two children.
The law offices of Stacy D. Fidlow LLC has relocated to 200 Daniels Way, Suite 200, Freehold Township. Fidlow, a graduate of Seton Hall Law School, opened the firm in 2002. She was previously with the firm of Budd Larner in Short Hills, where she practiced in the corporate and real estate department. She is a member of the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce and Monmouth County Bar Association.
The firm represents individuals and businesses in residential and commercial closings, refinances, corporate formations, purchases and sales of businesses and preparation of will and health-care directives. The office can be contacted at (732) 845-3900.
Babies “R” Us of Freehold Township will host the following free events and seminars:
+ Infant Care Basics, with guest speaker Marion Marchese, R.N. and C.P.C.E. – Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
+ How to Choose the Right Feeding System, with a guest speaker from N.J. Pediatric Feeding Association – Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.
+ CPR Demo, with guest speaker Stephanie Wagner, R.N. – Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
The store is at 17 Route 9 south, Manalapan. (732) 846-2861.
Silverberg Family Chiropractic will host a Thanksgiving holiday food drive for needy families in the area. In exchange for a $10 donation or two canned food items, a complimentary blood pressure check and posture analysis will be conducted. Donations will be accepted through Nov. 23. All food and monetary donations will be given to the local food bank. The office is in the Poets Square shopping center at 38 Thoreau Drive, Freehold Township.
New Jersey Builders Association (NJBA), the state’s largest building industry trade association, has launched the Ask the New Jersey Builder Internet Web site, www.askthenjbuilder.org, to answer homebuyer and homeowner questions on the process of purchasing a new home, as well as maintaining and improving an existing home. The Web site was launched to complement NJBA’s weekly newspaper series, Ask the New Jersey Builder, which is published in newspapers around the state.
Central Jersey Business Professionals is an independent, formal networking group that meets in Freehold every Tuesday at 8 a.m. The organization accepts one person per occupation and is currently looking to increase its membership. Details: Aaron Niederman, (732) 922-6300, ext. 35.
Henry Grossman of Freehold Toyota, Freehold Township, has been certified as a Toyota Truck Champion after completing four days of specialized training on the 2007 Toyota Tundra at the Toyota truck manufacturing plant in Princeton, Ind.
The Truck Champion initiative is the latest in a series of efforts to make trucks and truck selling a focal point of Toyota dealership operations nationwide. Led by truck industry experts from across the nation, these sessions provided Grossman with the latest in truck business management techniques, an in-depth technical vehicle immersion, and a behind-the-scenes tour of plant operations.
Patrick Derespins, clinical associate professor at the Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School and an ophthalmologist at University Hospital, Newark, was recently named one of the “Top Doctors in the N.Y. Metro Area” by Castle Connolly Medical.
Derespins was recognized for his work in pediatric ophthalmology. He is an expert in eye muscle disorders and has been with University Hospital for 18 years.
Castle Connolly Medical is a health-care research and information company.
Derespins is among 50 physicians at University Hospital on the Castle Connolly’s list. He resides in Colts Neck.
For more information about Derespins, call Rogers Ramsey, media relations, at (973) 972-6273.
Business news items may be faxed to the News Transcript at (732) 780-4192 or mailed to P.O. Box 5001, Freehold 07728.