Business Briefs

Wachovia and the Lakewood BlueClaws have announced the 2004 Educational Winners Circle grant recipients. The annual event will award a total of $44,052 to three area nonprofit organizations.

The recipients of the 2004 Educational Winners Circle are the following:

• The Children’s Home Society, Lakewood — specializes in child care and early education services targeted to low- and moderate-income residents of Ocean County. They strive to produce an early foundation needed for school success, by working to enhance educational opportunities.

• Family and Children’s Service, Oakhurst — supports approximately 1,400 children through the “Reading Buddies” program in Ocean and Monmouth counties. The program is dedicated to advancing the literacy skills of children and helping create enthusiastic and confident young readers.

• CPC Behavioral Healthcare, Red Bank — started the first after-school program in Monmouth County designed for children age 7-12 with behavioral and emotional problems. The program provides therapy, structured therapeutic recreation activities, social skills and educational enrichment opportunities.

Jackson Plaza Merchants Association will sponsor its second annual chili cookoff and motorcycle show in support of the Kiwanis Club of Jackson. The event will be held Oct. 23 at the Jackson ShopRite Plaza, 260 North County Line Road, between noon and 3 p.m. A $5 registration fee is required for each event. Prizes will be awarded to the top three chilis entered in the cookoff in addition to the top three motorcycles.

Paramount Homes, Jackson, announced that the Asbury Park redevelopment is moving forward, ahead of schedule, and plans to start construction on North Beach Asbury Park with a ceremonial groundbreaking and free public celebration in Asbury Park’s Bradley Park Oct. 14th at 11 a.m. The groundbreaking event is a joint effort of the builder/developers and the city of Asbury Park.

At the event, Paramount Homes President Jeffrey Fernbach and Vice President Eli Bleeman plan to reveal details for North Beach Asbury Park, an enclave to encompass 157 luxury condominiums in three oceanfront buildings. Details: www.NorthBeachAsbury.com or (732) 776-6200.

Bob Nahum, a certified public accountant and owner of the accounting firm Robert P. Nahum P.C., Lakewood, has successfully completed an examination administered by the National Institute of Certified College Planning Specialists to become designated as a certified college planning specialist (CCPS). As a CCPS, Nahum is qualified to assist families in saving for and paying for college.

Nahum graduated from the New York University School of Business in 1974 with a bachelor of science in accounting. He became a certified public accountant in 1976 and a certified financial planner in 1994. He opened his own accounting and financial planning practice in 1995.

Nahum is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New Jersey State Society of CPAs, the National Institute of Certified College Planning Specialists, and the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. He is the treasurer and a board member of Spectrum for Living, in River Vale, an organization that helps adults who are developmentally disabled and have multiple handicaps.

Samuel Brown has become a sole practitioner and has opened a new law office occupying the second floor of the First Washington State Bank building, 205 E. Kennedy Blvd., Lakewood. Prior to opening his own office, Brown was employed at Levin, Shea and Pfeffer, of Jackson. From 1997 to 2000, Brown worked for a law firm in Philadelphia. During his tenure there, he also served as an attorney in the Volunteers for the Indigent Program, a nationally recognized organization that helps people who cannot afford legal counsel. Brown graduated from the Rutgers University School of Law, Newark, 1997. While in law school, he was the editor of The Rutgers Law Review and worked in Rutgers’ Urban Legal Clinic, where he represented local indigents who had no legal representation. His undergraduate work was completed at Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood, where he also did post-graduate legal work.

Brown is admitted to practice before the New Jersey Supreme Court, the New York Court of Appeals, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals for Federal Circuit, and various federal district courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He is a member of the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania Bar associations; and a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. He is also a member of the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce. He is active locally in providing pro bono legal counsel and representation to various organizations and disadvantaged individuals.

Mon-Oc Federal Credit Union, in partnership with GMAC Mortgage, will present a free seminar titled “All About Mortgages” Oct. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Mon-Oc’s Howell branch, Route 9 in the Lanes Mill Marketplace.

A representative from Scott Carter Appraisal Services will discuss understanding an appraisal and how the value is determined. A representative from Clear Advantage Title Co. will be on hand to discuss the requirement of a title search on every property, purchase or refinance.

Seating is limited, and preregistration is required by Oct. 15. Call (800) 666-6295, ext. 640, to register.

Monmouth-Ocean Chapter of New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners will hold a dinner meeting Oct. 28, 6 p.m., at Old Time Tavern, Route 37 at Route 166, Toms River. The topic of the program will be “Building a Referral-based Business.” A pre-meeting on “The Language of Rapport” will be held at 5 p.m. The fee is $35 for members, $40 for nonmembers, and reservations are required by Oct. 22. After that date, the price will be an additional $10 per person. Call (732) 775-8900 or e-mail [email protected].