“How to Start Your Own Business” will be presented by SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. April 11 at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters, Symmes Drive, Manalapan. Two experts in business development will offer advice in the two-part workshop.
Bill Belgard will guide participants from the concept phase of starting a business to the actual formation of the concept. Joseph Wasilewski will take participants through the legal and financial steps in running a business, including the formal business plan, start-up costs, and the not-always-obvious pitfalls. For more information, call the library at (732) 431-7220, the SCORE office at (732) 219-9119, or visit online at www.score36.org.
Mary Beth Eccles of Exit Infinity Realty, Marlboro, will host “60 Minutes With Exit” at 7 p.m. April 12 at the Freehold Grand Buffet, 3681 Route 9 north, Freehold Township. Attendees will be treated to dinner while learning about career opportunities with Exit Infinity Realty. Reservations required. Call (732) 536-5886.
Frank Lucia of Allentown has joined The Macerich Co. as senior manager, property management at Freehold Race-way Mall in Freehold Township. The Macerich Co. is headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif.
Lucia comes to Macerich from Lord & Taylor, where he served as general manager of the company’s store at Freehold Raceway Mall since 2001. He joined Lord & Taylor in 1989 as operations manager at the company’s Bridgewater store and was named a divisional sales manager based in Freehold Township in 2000. He was the recipient of the Lord & Taylor 2003 CEO Cup for surpassing sales, service and earnings objectives.
Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association will hold its next luncheon at 11:30 a.m. April 7 at Branches, West Long Branch. Realtor Diane Turton will share her views on leadership, sales and the importance of giving back to the community. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers if reserved by April 4, and $35 thereafter. To register, call (732) 842-3311.
Babies “R” Us will host an “April Baby Fest” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 8 at the Manalapan store, 17 Route 9 south. Local business representatives who specialize in the aspects of shower planning will be on hand. There will also be food and games. For more information, call (732) 845-2861.
Maribeth Woodford of Marlboro has joined a direct sales company, Million Wishes. Million Wishes was launched in March 2006 by Jones Apparel Group and is headquartered in White Plains, N.Y. Million Wishes accessories, including jewelry, handbags and belts, are sold exclusively through a nationwide network of independent style consultants who conduct in-home parties featuring brands such as Jones New York, Nine West, Enzo Angiolini, Anne Klein and other brands. Details: www.mwishes.com.
Mary-Ellen Rada, D.C., of Howell, participated in the annual Ethics and Boundaries (E&B) Test Committee meeting held in Greeley, Colo. at the headquarters of the National Board of Chiro-practic Examiners (NBCE), Feb. 24-15. The E&B Test Committee is composed of members of the state chiropractic licensing boards in the United States. Test committee members are nominated by members of the NBCE Board of Directors based on their expert knowledge of chiropractic. Rada is a member of the New Jersey State Board of Chiropractic Examiners.
The NBCE is the international testing organization for the chiropractic profession. Established in 1963, the NBCE develops, administers and scores standardized written examinations for candidates seeking chiropractic licensure throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. The NBCE also produces and administers a practical skills examination for use in chiropractic licensure.
Kellyann Skorupski of Howell, an instructor in Jazzercise, was awarded the Pacesetter Elite Award from Jazzer-cise Inc. As a Pacesetter Elite winner, Skorupski is one of the top money earners in the Jazzercise franchise operation. According to a press release, Skorupski is the only Pacesetter Elite in Monmouth and Ocean counties. She has been an instructor in the Howell and Wall Town-ship area for more than five years and currently offers Jazzercise, body sculpting and circuit training classes at the South Wall Firehouse in Wall Township.
Lee Ann Harmon of Manalapan has joined AcuteCare Health System’s Specialty Hospital at Kimball, located within Kimball Medical Center, Lake-wood. As clinical director, Harmon will hold managerial and operational responsibility of the hospital’s full range of clinical services for the treatment of medically complex conditions.
Harmon has served in clinical and managerial positions in a variety of health care settings for the past 10 years. Most recently, she served as assistant director of nursing at Amboy Care Center, Perth Amboy.
AcuteCare Health System also operates Specialty Hospital at Monmouth, located within Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch. The 25-bed facilities are state-licensed long-term acute care hospitals.
The FirstEnergy Foundation has provided a $10,000 grant to the Mon-mouth Council of Girl Scouts. The FirstEnergy Foundation is funded solely by FirstEnergy Corp., parent company of Jersey Central Power & Light.
The grant will support the training of adult volunteers in the council’s Activity Center.
Roberta Sheridan, area manager for JCP&L, is an active member of the Board of Directors for the Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts and serves as the chair of the Corporate Division for the Capital Campaign.
Monmouth Council of Girl Scouts serves more than 12,000 girls throughout Monmouth and northern Ocean counties in conjunction with a group of nearly 4,000 adult volunteers.
Sue Kozel, owner of SK Visions, an Upper Freehold Township-based public relations firm, was named one of the inaugural members of NJBIZ Magazine’s Best 50 Women in Business during a program held March 23 at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch.
Kozel also received notice recently that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named her business a 2006 Blue Ribbon Small Business. SK Visions was the only business from New Jersey to receive the honor, and Kozel serves as a member of the U.S. Chamber’s Small Business Council.
According to a press release, Kozel’s company provides between 8 and 20 percent of its sales annually to support community and nonprofit programs.
Kozel is diversity chairwoman for the National Association of Women Business Owners, South Jersey, and served on NAWBO’s National Diversity Task Force in 2005. A sponsor of the ATHENA Award offered by the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce and the current ATHENA Powerlink program sponsored by the Philadelphia, Delaware and South Jersey NAWBO chapters, Kozel is a member of the 2006 ATHENA Interna-tional Conference Committee.
Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce will hold its monthly general meeting at 11:30 a.m. April 20 at the Freehold Gardens Hotel, 50 Gibson Place, Freehold Township.
Ed Whitney and Cal Thomas, senior executive associates of the Institute for Independent Business, will present “Prospecting for Business.” The fee is $30 for WMCC members and $35 for nonmembers, and includes luncheon. For reservations and information, call (732) 462-3030.
Business After Hours will be hosted by Provident Bank, 4331 Route 9 north at Pond Road, Freehold Township, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 25. The fee is $10 for Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce members and $15 for nonmembers, and includes food, drinks, gifts and networking. For reservations and information, call (732) 462-3030.