Feb. 24-26, 2004
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Michael Cerullo, a commercial banking veteran with more than 15 years of corporate banking experience, has returned to Fleet as a senior relationship manager for commercial customers in central New Jersey. In his new position, he will manage Fleet’s commercial banking relationships with middle market companies (companies with annual revenues between $25 million and $200 million) located in northern and central New Jersey.
Mr. Cerullo worked for Fleet and its predecessor banks NatWest and Summit from 1988 to 2002, rising to the role of global relationship manager supervising a $500 million portfolio of commercial loans. Most recently he was vice president and commercial loan officer with United Trust Bank in Somerset.
Mr. Cerullo is a resident of West Windsor Township.
UBS Financial Services Inc. announced that Rick Caiazzo, senior vice president-investments in the Princeton office, has been named a member of the firm’s Chairman’s Council. This distinction is awarded to the top-producing financial advisers in the country.
Mr. Caiazzo, a certified financial planner, joined UBS Financial Services in 1990. He has 20 years’ experience in the securities industry. He and his wife, JoAnn, live in Pennington.
WithumSmith+Brown Certified Public Accountants and Consultants announce the following additions to their Princeton office:
Deborah K. Organek joins as a manager. With more than 15 years in public accounting, she specializes in litigation support and in serving medical practices. She is a founding member of the Freehold Neighborhood Alliance and resides in Freehold.
Paul E. Kuhl III joins with 30 years’ experience in both public and private accounting, which includes specialization in the construction industry. Mr. Kuhl currently resides in Lambertville, where he serves as vice chairman of the town’s planning board.
Thomas J. Hoberman joins as director of the marital dissolution consulting services. Mr. Hoberman has 15 years of professional accounting experience, which includes specialization in litigation support and valuation services as well as the construction, manufacturing and distribution industries. He resides in Princeton.
CONSULTING
Dr. Stuart Ferguson, founder of Organization Change Resources in Pennington, has accepted the position of professor of business management at Northwood University’s West Palm Beach, Fla., campus. Dr. Ferguson will continue providing local corporate and nonprofit clients with business plan development, change management and organization culture analytical services.
ENGINEERING
PumpChamber, a product designed by Reid Plumbing Products of Hopewell, has been awarded a U.S. patent for both its atmospheric and pressurized styles. The PumpChamber converts a standard submersible well pump to an end-suction pump, allowing it to collect from bodies of water as shallow as 2½ inches. Referred to as the Tank PumpChamber, it can be used in atmospheric water tanks, cisterns, dug wells or streams.
"Submersible well pumps are used around the world in all sorts of applications, in ways the designer never imagined. Many of these creative applications fall just outside the design limits of the pump’s motor. That’s why PumpChamber is so important," said Andy Reid, CEO of Reid Plumbing Products and inventor of this product.
A Tank PumpChamber allows the pump to be vertically mounted and still empty a tank down to 2½ inches. This extends the life of the pump and allows atmospheric water storage systems to be much smaller because more of the stored water is usable, said Mr. Reid.
The wall-mounted version of PumpChamber can be installed in pressurized piping systems and used as a booster to correct low-pressure problems in buildings connected to a municipal supply. To learn more about PumpChamber and other items developed by Reid Plumbing Products, visit www.wellmanager.com.
NONPROFITS
Princeton resident Kate Kaeli, partner of kma events, was recently elected to the board of trustees of CASA of Mercer County Inc. CASA Court Appointed Special Advocate is a nonprofit organization established to address the needs of the hundreds of Mercer County children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Ms. Kaeli views her election to the board as an opportunity to help raise awareness and funds for CASA. For more information about CASA of Mercer County, call (609) 637-4910 or visit www.casamercer.org.
Enable Inc., a not-for-profit, Princeton-based organization that serves people with disabilities, recently elected three area residents to its board of trustees:
Michael DeVito, a supervisor in the accounting and auditing department of the Princeton office of Amper, Politziner & Mattia, and a member of the firm’s tax-exempt organizations group. Mr. DeVito resides with his family in Monroe Township.
Donna Garcia, an organizational development consultant who provides training and coaching services. In 1987 she founded Garcia Associates Inc., a firm that specializes in corporate development and training. She is a resident of Lawrenceville.
Randall Stradling, vice president of commercial banking group at Sovereign Bank in Newtown, Pa. Mr. Stradling has worked in the financial services industry for the past 12 years in a variety of capacities. He resides in Yardley, Pa.
Enable Inc., founded in 1989, has served thousands of persons with disabilities and their families in Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth and Somerset counties. Enable offers a variety of living arrangements from group homes to supervised apartments, and offers many programs, such as the Home Accessibility Program, the only program of its kind in Mercer County, providing home modifications for people with disabilities that may not have been otherwise able to afford them.
SERV Behavior Health System of West Trenton has appointed John Martorana of Hopewell, to its board of directors. Mr. Martorana is president of Oxford Communications, a full-service advertising, public relations and graphic design firm based in Lambertville.
SERV provides social, educational, residential and vocational support and guidance to children, adults and families working to recover from or cope with mental illness, addictions, challenging behaviors and developmental disabilities.
SERV strives to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, help families and children, and work with disabled people in a client-centered manner, providing unparalleled levels of service. For more information or details about specific programs, call SERV Behavior Health System at (609) 406-0100 or visit www.servbhs.org.
ARCHITECTURE
Ford Farewell Mills and Gatsch, Architects, well known for its innovative design and preservation work, recently promoted Lorine Murray-Mechini to the position of partner. Ms. Murray-Mechini has been with the firm since 1985. As partner, she will continue to be a leader in growing the firm’s significant portfolio of cultural and educational work. Key to this growth is Ford Farewell Mills and Gatsch’s current renovation work at the New Jersey State Museum, for which she serves as project manager. She is also project manager for the new Pennington School Campus Center. Recently, Ms. Murray-Mechini completed the multi-phased renovation of and expansion to Robertson Hall at Princeton University. She resides in Montgomery Township.
Thomas K. Fridstein has been elected Chief Executive Officer of Hillier Architecture. He will assume leadership responsibility for firm-wide day-to-day operations. Mr. Fridstein previously served as the managing principal of Hillier New York where he elevated the professional design standards of that office and established a China practice.
Before joining Hillier, Mr. Fridstein was director of design for Tishman Speyer Properties where he oversaw the design of major developments worldwide and earned a reputation for achieving high-quality designs within or below budget. Mr. Fridstein is recognized in the real estate, design and construction community as a strong and knowledgeable leader.
Thirty-year Hillier veteran Gordon D. Griffin has been named managing principal of the firm’s Princeton office.
Founded in 1966 in Princeton, Hillier provides services in architecture, interior architecture, strategic facilities planning, historic preservation, urban design, graphic design and land planning through a network of six offices. The firm’s projects have won more than 250 design awards.
BUSINESS ADVOCATES
The Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce was selected by the New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism and the New Jersey Travel Industry Association as a winner of the 2004 Governor’s Award for their "Summer Experience 2003" brochure. Designed by Michelle Riganati of Packet Publications, the brochure lists local eateries, concerts, theaters, tours and summertime events in the greater Princeton region. The 2004 brochure is due to be published in late May and will be available through local merchants, the university and in The Packet’s TimeOff magazine.
MANUFACTURING
The new Brillo Scrub’n’Toss multipurpose cleaning pad was recognized recently by the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry as the 2004 recipient of the prestigious Visionary Award for its latest household cleaning innovation. It’s a first win for parent company Church & Dwight Co. Inc., of Princeton, and a testament to the company’s current dedication to the development of new breakthrough products for today’s consumers. The award recognizes the most innovative and far-reaching use of nonwovens among products launched in the past 18 months. Nonwovens are traditionally associated with diapers, feminine hygiene products and personal care or household cleaning wipes, but Brillo used an innovative combination of nonwoven materials to create their unique cleaning pad.
Best known for its steel wool soap pads, Church & Dwight had the vision to successfully take the Brillo product brand to the next level with new Brillo Scrub’n’Toss. The product is a scratchless, multipurpose cleaning pad that is durable enough for multiple uses can be tossed after a few uses, designed to meet the cleaning needs of today’s consumers.
EDUCATION
Princeton’s Burkewood Communications Corp., a film and video production company, and partners GoBabies, Inc. of Oak Hill, Va., have been awarded the prestigious Parents’ Choice award for their new educational DVD, " ‘F’ is for FarmDo you know where milk comes from?" for children ages one to four. "Farm" is the first in the new GoBabies "Alphabet Road" video series.
The Parents’ Choice Approved Award is given by the Parents’ Choice Foundation, the nation’s oldest not-for-profit evaluator of children’s books, videos, toys, audios, computer software, television, and magazines. Other winners include media giants such as Scholastic and Disney.
"We set out to give parents of toddlers a better choice in video programming," states Burke Wood, President of Burkewood Communications Corp. "It’s gratifying to see our efforts recognized."
"Parents’ Choice sets the bar of excellence for children’s media, and we are thrilled to be included in this select group of exceptional programs," said Maura White, CEO and founder of GoBabies and a former Lawrenceville resident.
Ms. White developed the program’s format after seeing language specialists work with her son, who has auditory processing difficulties.
"F" is for Farm features the GoBabies puppets visiting a real dairy farm. The program uses a unique 5-in-1 multi-sensory format, which presents the information visually, musically, through sign language, interactive activities, and with prompts for the child to use his/her own words to explain what is happening on the screen.
Burkewood Communications Corp. operates Burkewood Films and has been serving agency and corporate clients since 1985. For more information, visit www.burkewood.com.
GoBabies, Inc. helps infants and toddlers go places with its products, information and services. The company has been recognized by CBS’s Early Show, MSNBC and National Geographic’s Family Traveler. For more information, visit www.gobabies.com.
RETAIL
Skillman resident Christine Gould was recently rewarded the $6,000 Club Award at the semi-annual sales meeting of big enough clothes.
Founded in 1988 by two sisters-in-law, big enough designs and manufacturers high-quality, European-inspired clothing for children up to 12 years of age. The clothes are sold primarily by mothers nationwide who want to work on their own schedules and earn their own money. To attend a big enough trunk show, contact Christine Gould at (609) 333-0146 or [email protected].
HEALTH & MEDICINE
The board of trustees of Carrier’s East Mountain Hospital in Belle Mead, recently appointed Hillsborough resident Laura Johnson administrative director. Prior to this promotion, Ms. Johnson served as case manager at Carrier Clinic.
East Mountain Hospital is a 16-bed psychiatric inpatient hospital treating patients having psychiatric and dual diagnosis disorders.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Princeton’s RCN named John Dubel, a principal with Michigan’s AlixPartners, president and chief operating officer to help run the company as it restructures its finances. RCN also said it has retained AlixPartners to support its financial restructuring efforts.
Mr. Dubel has significant experience with large and mid-size corporations in both out-of-court and in-court financial restructurings, operational reorganizations and cost reductions, strategic repositioning and divestitures.
MARKETING
Creative Marketing Alliance recently announced the addition of two new associates to its team in the association services group.
Sherry Dzurko of Roebling joins as an associate director. Leading a staff team, she is responsible for the overall management of association clients on both a national and international scale, providing support across the board on staffing, strategy and tactical issues. Her responsibilities include board of director relations, membership recruitment, strategic development, sales programs for exhibits, and general meeting and event-planning logistics.
Ms. Dzurko’s previous experience includes six years as the senior managing director of a New Jersey based association management company.
Maura Middleton of Princeton joins the group as senior associate director. Also responsible for overall management of association clients, providing support on staffing, strategy and tactical issues, she will also coordinate all association publications and literature, and meeting and event planning including promotion, set-up and follow-up.
Ms. Middleton is a Certified Meeting Professional with more than 12 years of association and event management experience, having served with many New Jersey-based corporations. She is also an adjunct faculty member of the Meeting Planning Certificate Program at New York University.
Based in Princeton Junction, Creative Marketing Alliance Inc. is a full-service marketing communications company. Celebrating more than 15 years of service and more than 135 industry awards, CMA operates across a wide range of industries.
LAW
Five area residents have joined the Lawrence office of Stark & Stark:
Hamilton resident Tana Bucca joins as an associate and practices in the community associations law group. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Bucca served as judicial law clerk to the Honorable Maryann K. Bielamowicz, Superior Court, Mercer County.
Cary S. Kvitka, a resident of Plainsboro, joins as an associate of the divorce and family law group. Previously Mr. Kvitka served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Sheldon R. Franklin, Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, Ocean County.
Richard B. Linderman joins as an associate in the community associations law group. Prior to joining Stark & Stark, he served as both a law clerk for the firm of Moore & Van Allen in Durham, N.C., and as a community liaison for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He resides in Princeton.
Thomas S. Onder joins as an associate and a member of the business litigation group, concentrating his practice in commercial bankruptcy and condemnation. Before joining Stark & Stark, Mr. Onder was an associate with the firm of Spitzer and Feldman. He lives in Princeton.
Mark M. Wiechnik of Hamilton joins as an associate in the litigation group, concentrating in complex commercial litigation and construction litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Wiechnik served as a judicial law clerk to Judge Erminie L. Conley, Superior Court of New Jersey, and also had served as a law clerk to Judge Peter F. Boggia, Superior Court of New Jersey.