business briefs •••

Burlington Coat Factory has joined forces with the Foundation for National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute’s “The Heart Truth” campaign dedicated to raising awareness of heart disease among women. The centerpiece and iconic image of the campaign is the red dress, intended to build awareness and motivate women to take action and reduce their risk of heart disease. All Burlington Coat Factory locations, including the Freehold Township site at 3684 Route 9 north, will feature a special section dedicated to red dresses now through Easter. For every ladies’ and girls’ dress sold, Burlington will donate $1 to the FNIH, up to $25,000, to support the Heart Truth and women’s heart health research and education. Local Burlington shoppers can also donate $1 or more by purchasing a paper red dress icon in stores through April 8. Funds collected will support local community women’s heart health grants, allocated to agencies in communities surrounding Burlington locations. Details: Visit www.BurlingtonCoatFactory.com.

Amboy Bank will host a series of 17 free annual retirement seminars during March in various Amboy Bank branch offices. Founded in 1888, Amboy Bank is a full-service commercial bank with 23 offices in central New Jersey The seminars will cover topics that are important to seniors: income in retirement, paying for health care and information about reverse mortgages.

Light refreshments will be served. Visit www.amboybank.com for a complete schedule of seminar locations and dates and further details, call 800-94-AMBOY or visit any branch office.

LearningRx brain training center of Marlboro recently opened at 176 Route 9 north, suite 202, Marlboro. The new LearningRx is one of more than 70 independently owned franchised locations across the country. According to a press release from the company, LearningRx brings a resource proven to reduce or eliminate learning problems, increase IQ and strengthen brain skills for people of all ages and abilities. Using game-like exercises and 1:1 trainer-tostudent ratios, the program’s cognitive skills training aims to help anyone from age 5 to 85 increase the speed, power and function of their brain.

Michael Ginsberg, owner and executive director of the new center, said LearningRx does for the mind what a physical fitness center does for the body by strengthening the underlying brain skills that are responsible for how well people learn and function, thus making the brain stronger and faster. Details: 732-444-8LRX (8579).

James F. King Jr., an independent financial adviser at LPL Financial in Manalapan, was recognized as a top financial adviser and named to the LPL Financial Chairman’s Club. This distinction is based on a ranking of all registered advisers supported by LPL Financial, an independent broker-dealer, and is awarded to less than 6 percent of the firm’s 12,800 advisers nationwide.

King is affiliated with LPL Financial and provides access to independent financial planning services, investment advice and asset management services to more than 250 clients in the tri-state area. For more information, visit www.lpl.com/james.king.

Dr. Edward Stoner, formerly of Family Practice of Central Jersey and CentraState Medical Center, has been hired by Cooper Health Systems. He will now be practicing internal medicine in the Voorhees office. Dr. Stoner has been in practice in Colts Neck since 1985. He brings his experience and expertise in outpatient internal medicine and primary care to the Cooper University Physicians in their Voorhees office.

CiCi’s Pizza, home of the $5.99 custom pizza buffet, recently celebrated the grand opening of its newest restaurant at 4807 Route 9 north in Howell. The 4,400-squarefoot restaurant is in the Lanes Mill Marketplace shopping center. CiCi’s custom pizza buffet features 20 different pizzas plus pasta, soup, salad and oven-baked desserts.

First-time CiCi’s franchisee Rajeev Rastogi says he looks forward to bringing the first CiCi’s Pizza to the central New Jersey area.

In addition to offering plenty of variety on its buffet, CiCi’s will make custom pizzas upon request and deliver them hot from the oven to the table. All pizzas are also available to go and a 15-inch one-topping carryout pizza is $6.99. Hours of operation for dine-in and carryout are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Team Electric, Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, Manalapan, is holding a contest to find the oldest furnace in Central New Jersey. Homeowners can enter their timeworn furnace into the running in the hope of being the most deserving of a new Rheem energy efficient furnace. The winner of the contest will have their old furnace removed free of charge and replaced with a new, energy efficient furnace. The official rules and an entry form can be found online at YourHomeYourTeam.com.

The contest is limited to any homeowner in the company’s service area with a dilapidated gas forced hot air furnace. The homeowner will receive a new Rheem furnace and standard installation. Other prizes include thermostats, carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors, a year’s supply of air filters and one-year furnace service contracts.

The company is offering free home inspections for the first 25 entries. During furnace inspections, technicians can point out money-saving tips and recommend small changes to help reduce costs.

Entry forms can be submitted at YourHomeYourTeam.com. Homeowners can also upload photos of their furnaces at Facebook.com/YourHomeYourTeamNJ. For more information, call 732-786-9231.

Wells Fargo Advisors, a national brokerage firm based in St. Louis, recently announced that Joseph Xerri, vice presidentinvestment officer, has once again received the Five Star Wealth Manager award. Xerri is a financial adviser in the firm’s East Brunswick office. A graduate of Brooklyn College, and formerly a CPA, Xerri has been a financial adviser for more than 25 years. He joinedA.G. Edwards & Sons Inc., a predecessor firm of Wells Fargo Advisors, in 1994. Xerri is president-elect of the Rotary Club of South River-East Brunswick. He and his wife, Connie, reside in Freehold. Less than 1 percent of wealth managers in the New Jersey area have received this honor for 2012 from the Five Star Wealth Manager Award Program. The program relies on a range of sources, including firms, peers, regulatory authorities and consumers, in order to identify wealth managers who provide quality services to their clients.

Howell Chamber of Commerce will host a Breakfast Bonanza networking event at the Chapter House, 1454 Route 9 south, Howell, from 8-9:30 a.m. Feb. 17. All are invited for networking and “What’s on Your Mind?” The event is free to chamber members and $5 for prospective members. Call 732-363-4114 for more information.

The Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce has recognized that many agencies have offerings that can greatly benefit the business community, but that the information may not be reaching the business owners.

The chamber has assembled resources from local, county, state and federal agencies, aggregated them in one program and is presenting them to the business community in a free “2012 Business Road Show.” The first presentation will be held at the Monmouth County Library Headquarters in Manalapan on Feb. 28 from 5-7:30 p.m.

Presentations will include information about how to obtain grant dollars for hiring unemployed workers, free business coaching and skills training, free mailing list, GPS mapping services and website evaluations, matching dollars for energy improvements and more.

Admittance is free, but registration is required. Visit the website at www.greatermonmouthchamber.com then click on the calendar tab for Feb. 28, or call 732 462- 3030.

Manalapan Letip is now forming at Battleground Country Club, Manalapan. Letip is a business networking group in which one person per profession is represented. The purpose is the exchange of qualified business referrals. Meetings will be held every Thursday from 7-8:30 a.m. Many business categories are available. For details and to RSVP, contact Peter Joffe at 732-995-8966.

The Capital Gains chapter of BNI International meets Thursday mornings at 7 a.m. at the All Seasons II diner on Route 9 north, Freehold Township. Its members share ideas, contacts and business referrals. BNI is the world’s largest networking organization. Capital Gains is the area’s newest BNI chapter and is looking for members in various professions and trades. For more information, call 732-446-7942.