Business Briefs

Business Briefs

Mingling Moms is an organization for Monmouth County mothers with babies from a few weeks old up to 1 year of age.

The group meets for lunch Thursdays, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Nonna’s restaurant in Marlboro for circle time, a guest speaker on a mother- or baby-related topic, and to mingle. The cost is $135 per session, which includes four luncheons. For more information, visit the Web site www.minglingmoms.com or call (732) 972-8625.

Advanced Wellness, a chiropractic and physical therapy practice, has added a chiropractor to its staff.

Bryan Berger, D.C., received his bachelor’s degree in nutrition science from Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, and his chiropractic training at Life University, Atlanta, in 2002. Berger, a personal trainer specializing in recovery from sports injury, brings a background in sports recovery in synergy with chiropractic care. For more information, log on to www.advanced-wellness.net.

Edward Jones, a financial services firm, will hold a grand opening celebration March 31, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., at its Freehold Borough office, 10 E. Main St., Suite 4. The event will be hosted by Steven A. Newman, investment representative, and his branch administrator, Helen E. Vasvari-Toke. Activities will include a cake-cutting and drawings for door prizes.

Newman graduated from Seton Hall University, South Orange, with a degree in journalism. He has been in the financial industry for seven years.

Edward Jones traces its roots to 1871 and currently serves more than 6 million clients, according to a press release from the firm. For more information, visit the Web site www.edwardjones.com.

Sam’s Club, Freehold Township, will host a business networking event designed for restaurant and food service professionals. Current and prospective small business members are invited to attend. Attendees will have the opportunity to take home industry information and business tips; meet other professional colleagues and Sam’s Club managers and associates; see merchandise selections; and compare current invoices to a Sam’s Club invoice of the same or similar products. All nonmembers attending will be given a one-day guest pass to shop (10 percent service fee applied to nonmember purchases.)

The event will be held April 8, 7-10 a.m., at Sam’s Club, 100 Trotters Way. For more information, call (732) 780-4477.

Barbara Berg, manager of Weichert, Realtors’ Marlboro office, announced that four sales associates were recognized for their industry achievements in February.

Michelle Catania led the office in listings. Catania qualified for the New Jersey Association of Realtors 2003 Circle of Excellence Sales Club at the bronze level.

Hiu Xia led the office in sales. A licensed real estate professional, Xia speaks fluent English and Chinese and is a member of Weichert’s International Division. He is a member of the Monmouth Board of Realtors and the Middlesex County Multiple Listing System.

Dolores Jenkins led the office in revenue units. A member of Weichert’s Sales and Marketed clubs, Jenkins qualified for the 2003 Circle of Excellence Sales Club at the bronze level.

Diane Bindler led the office in dollar volume. A licensed real estate professional, Bindler earned a master of business administration degree from Rutgers University.

Mon-Oc Federal Credit Union has named two new branch managers at the Neptune Branch and the Freehold Service Center.

Shari Steever, Manasquan, was promoted to branch manager at the Neptune Branch. Steever was the service center manager at the Freehold Service Center before her promotion. She has held various positions, including member service officer and head teller at the Toms River branch. A graduate of Neptune High School, she has been with Mon-Oc since 1984.

Crisanne Omelia, Bayville, was promoted to service center manager at the Freehold Service Center. She has been with the credit union since 1989 in various positions, including assistant branch manager in Toms River. She was also a member of the employee team that created the member service officer position. She became the first senior member service officer in the organization in 1991. She is a graduate of Cedar Ridge High School, Old Bridge.

Mon-Oc is a nonprofit financial cooperative serving members throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties. Membership is available to all persons who live, work, worship or go to school in Monmouth and Ocean counties. The credit union has offices in Barnegat, Freehold, Middletown, Neptune and Toms River, and soon will open an office in Howell.

Paramount Homes, based in Jackson, received a dozen FAME (Fabulous Achievement in Marketing Excellence) awards in several marketing categories for its Premier at Manalapan Ridge community of executive estate homes. The awards were presented by the New Jersey Shore Builders Association at the Grand Marquis in Old Bridge during an event themed "A Night With the Stars."

The award categories for which Paramount Homes was honored are: Community of the Year Grand Award; Architectural Product Design; Project Superintendent of the Year; Best Design/Selection Center; Best Interior Merchandising; Best Landscaping; Best Signage; Best Sales Office; Design Center Sales Achievement; Best Brochure; Best Logo Design; and Best Black and White Ad.

Prudential also recently received the BALA Award (Best in American Living Awards for Best Kitchen) at a separate ceremony held earlier this year. That citation, also awarded for the Premier at Manalapan Ridge, was presented by Professional Builder Magazine and the National Association of Home Builders.

The NJBA is a professional trade association comprised of home builders, remodelers, material suppliers, subcontractors, lending institutions, and others involved in housing and building-related fields. The Premier at Manalapan Ridge community consists of 35 residences ranging in size from 4,600 square feet to more than 6,000 square feet, located on multi-acre properties in Manalapan. For more information, visit www.ParamountNewHomes.com or call (732) 625-7900.

Dr. Scott Metzger, M.D., of Metzger Pain Management LLC, has announced that Dr. Peter S. Staats, M.D., has joined his pain management practice. Metzger Pain Management, which has offices in Brick, Marlboro and Shrewsbury, specializes in the treatment of individuals who suffer from acute and chronic pain from spine, neck, back and nerve injuries.

Staats remains associated with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine as an associate professor in the department of anesthesiology and critical care, as well as the department of oncology. He formerly served as the chief of the division of pain medicine, which he founded. Staats received his bachelor of arts and bachelor of science degrees with high honors from the University of California, his medical degree from the University of Michigan, and completed his residency at Johns Hopkins University.

Staats is the author of several books, including "Radiographic Imaging in Pain Management and Regional Anesthesia" and the soon-to-be-published "You Don’t Have to Hurt." His research and findings have appeared in nearly 200 publications, and he has been featured in Prevention magazine, Modern Maturity, and USA Today. He is a frequent lecturer on topics related to the management of pain.

He serves on the boards of the National Pain Foundation and the Academy of Pain Medicine and the American Pain Society. He is past president of the Southern Pain Society and the North American Neuromodulation Society. In January, his research in the area of refractory pain in patients with cancer or AIDS was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Call (732) 380-0200 for more information.

Freehold Hyundai has been named to the Hyundai Board of Excellence, a national network of dealers, by achieving exceptional levels of sales and customer satisfaction over the past year. Freehold Hyundai achieved silver-level status. The announcement was made by Hyundai Motor America, which has honored its best performing dealers through this program since 1998.

According to the press release, Hyundai set an all-time sales record with more than 400,000 vehicles sold in 2003, a sales increase of 6.7 percent over 2002. Hyundai Motor America, based in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea.

"From Bottles to Briefcases," a workshop for mothers considering returning to work, will be held May 1 from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Woodbridge Hilton in Iselin.

The workshop will be a progressive and interactive event that will address such issues as how to manage the transition from home to work, how to get prepared for a job search in today’s marketplace, and how to move into action and build an effective plan.

The workshop presenters include Abbe Rosenthal, a career coach and president of Rosenthal Associates International, a search firm specializing in women and diversity; Jennifer Miraglia, a certified social worker, coach, and president of JM Consulting Group, a firm specializing in improving employee satisfaction and performance; and Michelle Haar, a New Jersey state-licensed clinical social worker specializing in women and families.

The cost is $125. For more information or to register, visit www.jmconsultinggroup.com or call (908) 389-0505, ext. 1.

Dr. Michael Baskin, a doctor of optometry whose office is located in Freehold Township, recently attended a gathering of optometrists at the 80th Annual Congress of SECO International, held in Atlanta.

The seminar focused on the latest developments in technology-related eye care and enhanced clinical skills.