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L EADERSHIP C OUNCIL Allstate BCB Community Bank Bergen Community College Bergen Engineering/Branca Properties Boiling Springs Savings Bank Bruinooge & Associates Comfort Guard Contracting LLC Ernst & Young, LLP Eastwick Colleges Forsgate Industrial Partners FORT Group Goya Foods Hackensack University Medical Center Hartz Mountain Industries J. Fletcher Creamer & Son, Inc. JACOBS Kearny Bank Meadowlink Commuter Services MetroMultiMedia MWW Group NAI James E. Hanson, Inc. New York Jets NJSEA Onyx Equities, LLC Prime MSP PSE&G Russo Development Skanska USA TD Bank Suez Water New Jersey Inc. Verizon Publisher: Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce, Inc. 201 Route 17 North Rutherford, NJ 07070 201.939.0707 Managing Editor: Joe Garavente Email submissions: jgaravente@meadowlands.org Advertising Director: Martha Morley, Greer Enterprises, Inc. 201.493.7996 Design: Evan Eagleson, Eighty6
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FEATURES
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A Commitment to the Community: AVE announces partnership to fight local hunger
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Axiom Communications: A Meadowlands Legacy
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MWWPR: Mattering More to Clients for 30 Years
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Business Report From the Desk of Jim Kirkos
President & CEO, Meadowlands Regional Chamber
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roviding businesses with the information and tools to grow—and helping to create an atmosphere of economic development—are the primary objectives for both Meadowlands USA and the Meadowlands Regional Chamber. We seek to foster optimal conditions for a thriving and sustaining economy in the entire Greater Meadowlands Region, serving our part in the overall New Jersey economy. As you probably know, we have been actively advocating—for many years now—to bring casino gaming here to the Meadowlands. That component is part of a broader vision plan that also advocates for a convention center and hotels to complement American Dream, MetLife Stadium and the Meadowlands Racetrack at the Sports Complex. Now the time has come for business leaders in the region to help educate the public at large on the merits of expanding gaming outside of Atlantic City. The approval of such will appear as a referendum ballot question for New Jersey voters this November. I recently wrote an open-letter to three South Jersey Chamber leaders who are leading the “No North Jersey Casinos” campaign. I have asked them to think about creating a win-win-win scenario for New Jersey and accept the fact that Atlantic City needs to transition from relying on a gaming economy into a resort and business hub economy. We strongly believe the expansion of gaming in New Jersey would provide financial support for that transition while allowing the state to keep gaming revenues intact—and more importantly keep visitors and their discretionary dollars also in New Jersey. Our region, in particular, stands to benefit greatly from the expansion of gaming, even if your business is not in the casino industry or tied directly to the Meadowlands Sports & Entertainment Complex. But at the end of the day, the tax revenue from casino business would be beneficial for the entire state. Even Atlantic City. Recent polls throughout New Jersey have shown some optimism about attaining a YES vote but that will only happen if we can articulate the benefits in a common sense way. Please see our ad in this issue on the inside back cover and visit www.NorthStarsNJ.com. I encourage you to visit the site and gain a better understanding on the merits. We will continue to keep you informed on this critical campaign through our blog www.meadowlandsusa.com and we welcome any feedback you may have on the issue of casino gaming. I look forward to pressing forth with this advocacy campaign toward smart economic development.
Respectfully,
Jim Kirkos Follow me on twitter: @JimKirkos To stay informed about more activities from the Meadowlands Regional Chamber please visit www.meadowlands.org.
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AUGUST 2016
BUSINESS WISE
Finding a Contractor
How to narrow down options & choose the right people for the job
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etting contracting work done on your commercial or residential property can be worrisome, especially if you have never hired the company before. It doesn’t help that the economy has been deemed to be in a slump, resulting in a majority of people being more cost-effective with their money. On the upside, construction experienced a significant increase of 3.1 percent over the year and added 4,300 jobs in 2014, according to data from the Department of Labor & Workforce Development, However, in February 2016 in Trenton, 40 home improvement contractors were issued violations for allegedly cheating customers in the fourth quarter of last year, the state Division of Consumer Affairs reported. Customers should be more cautious with whom they invest their money. The names of the contractors were not mentioned, but this goes to show that just because you hire somebody it does not mean they will always complete the job as contracted. “Through our year-long enforcement efforts we have been able to return significant amounts of restitution to consumers allegedly cheated by contractors who took money for jobs that were left undone or completed unsatisfactorily,” Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said in a statement. 1-2-3 Flip, a resource for professional property-flippers, explains that there are three major categories for contractors. 1) General contractors have experience in more or less everything. They can do carpentry, basic electrical, home renovation, basic plumbing, sheetrock and more. They are usually very experienced, manage tight schedules and tend to get subcontractors that have the expertise for the job. A general contractor hires subcontractors and retains their contracts. The subcontractors work for the general contractor, who pays them what they agreed upon for the job or whatever kind of contract they may have. Hiring a general contractor can eliminate the stress that comes with planning a renovation or whatever improvement you’re looking into. 2) On the other hand, there are also turnkey or specialty services contractors. Most of them are listed in the Yellow Pages—for example, Roto Rooter. It is in your best interest to select a contracting business that is licensed, insured and can manage themselves and their team. They should be able to arrive on time and get the job done by the projected completion date. The specialty services contract-ors may not be the cheapest option, but their work and credentials could
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very well far outweigh the cost. Be cautious as to what work you have done first on your property. For example, do not re-sheetrock a wall and then have your plumber come over to do some work. The plumber might have to replace pipes and could be forced to go into the wall you just fixed up. It could set you back on the project and in money. 3) The third alternative is freelance workers. They are the cheapest out of the three options. Freelance workers are similar to some general contractor workers, although they tend to lack the experience that the general contractors have gained over the years. Being that they are freelance workers, you have to manage the project yourself and tell the contractors when to come. This may be the cheapest option, but is the most time-consuming out of the
three choices.
ments.
Here are some tips from This Old House magazine on how to find a reliable contractor in your neighborhood: 1) Ask family and friends—chances are that somebody you know got some work done on their property. See if they can recommend a contractor that is reliable, does fine work and is affordable. 2) Examine the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) website for a list of members in your area. The NARI has award-winning members; it’s an organization that only allows experienced, qualified and innovative contractors to join. 3) Talk to a local building inspector— they are knowledgeable of who consistently passes code require-
4) Go to a local lumberyard and inquire about local contractors that go there. Ask them what type of quality material they get and if they pay their bills on time. Finding a contractor you can trust could very well prove to be difficult. But hopefully, this list gives you an idea to capitalize on and helps you to avoid the contractors that fail to live up to their expectations. Jonathan Sanzari is a contributing writer & copy editor with Meadowlands USA. He has an associate degree in arts from Passaic County Community College and a bachelor’s degree from Ramapo College of New Jersey in communication arts, focusing in journalism. He can be reached at musa@meadowlands.org.
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BUSINESS WISE
Social Media Tips for Businesses Appealing to the online users & maintaining their loyalty
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eadowlands USA interviewed Amy Decker, senior social media specialist for NJM Insurance Group, to discuss her company’s approach to social media and to share best practices other businesses might want to consider. NJM was a finalist for Best Social Customer Care in the finance category for the Corporate Social Media Awards held this summer in Brooklyn. Are there differences interacting on social media as a business than as a consumer? Social media for personal use might seem very different from social media for business, but there are actually many similarities. As consumers—especially millennials—increasingly utilize social media to connect with brands, it is critical for businesses to adapt accordingly. This might mean revising your online engagement strategy. At NJM, there are tactics we use that go a long way to humanizing our brand
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and optimizing our customers’ online experiences. Our ultimate goal is to adapt our social strategy to provide another avenue for serving our policyholders. What specific tactics do you use? The biggest tactics are engaging our policyholders and creating a community for conversation. At one time, the main goal of social media was to get as many followers as possible. With changes to algorithms that determine who sees your content, it has become increasingly clear that high engagement among a smaller follower base is much more valuable to your business than low engagement among a larger follower base. Facebook’s algorithm, for example, dictates that your content is organically served to those who interact with your page on a regular basis. Because of this, many businesses have resorted to boosting posts in order to reach a larger portion of their audience. While some businesses might see value in a larger
AUGUST 2016
but less engaged audience, NJM’s focus is on developing connections with our policyholders. How do you engage with your social followers? It is important to us to greet customers genuinely in all circumstances. This ensures that our responses don’t sound canned or robotic. It allows us to demonstrate that we truly care about our customers’ needs and not just their patronage. To that end, we are sensitive to the fact that our policyholders typically reach out to us in times of difficulty and loss. Our empathy in these situations goes a long way to creating both online and offline loyalty for our brand. How important is the kind of content you post? Before we post, we ask ourselves, “Is this going to be interesting to our audience?” If our followers haven’t been regu-
larly engaging with our content, we take that as an opportunity for our team to brainstorm and experiment with new ideas. You can also target your posts to specific audiences through Facebook’s Preferred Audience tool to make sure your content is reaching those who would be most interested in it. For instance, a manufacturer promoting a new product can target posts to only reach Facebook users who listed interests in their profile related to that product. Advertising on Facebook is an easy and cost-effective way to reach your target audiences. How do you generate social media content? We know we need compelling content to keep our followers engaged. To do that, we develop an editorial calendar in advance so we are not scrambling to find material on a daily basis. This also gives us time to create more relevant and visually appealing posts. Contests and giveaways are excellent ways to get followers involved. However, they don’t encompass the majority of our content. We also tailor our content to holidays, both nationally recognized and those pertaining to our business. For instance, NJM focuses a large portion of April content on distracted driving in recognition of the awareness month. Inspiration can come from anywhere, even from your personal social networks. We’ve found that collaboration with colleagues generates a lot of great ideas too, with the added bonus of learning about departmental initiatives that can be repurposed for social media. Is there a guiding principle in your social media approach? Responding to customers in real time has been instrumental to our social media strategy. Our policyholders expect us to reply to them as soon as possible, not the next business day or—even worse—the Monday after a Friday night inquiry. But before we deploy our strategy, we develop a guide of responses that would help us address the most common—and even some uncommon—questions and feedback our company receives. This way, our team can promptly respond to customers on our social platforms, including after business hours. As we all know, social never sleeps! We hold ourselves to aggressive protocols when it comes to social media. We want to always be prepared for all types of scenarios so we can assist our policyholders as quickly as possible. For NJM, establishing a social media strategy has not only amplified our reach to our target audiences but has also kept us ahead of the curve in today’s fast-paced world of online customer service.
MEADOWLANDS USA
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BUSINESS WISE
Estate Planning for Women Securing your assets & wealth for the future
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here is good news for women: they will outlive men by almost five years longer on average. And women control more than half the country’s wealth. To ensure this wealth is distributed as intended, women need to plan. Single mothers must determine if they want to choose a guardian for their children in the event of death or incapacity. Women business owners need to establish a business succession plan. Working women can control who receives their retirement accounts and other employee benefits. In other words, women of all ages and socioeconomic situations can design their own future. Estate planning Estate planning is so much more than just a last will and testament. A will is important because it states who you intend to receive your assets upon your death. A will, however, governs only those assets in your sole name, called “probate” assets. Your non-probate assets may have greater value than your probate assets, so you must also plan for the disposition of them. For example, joint assets will auto-
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matically pass to the joint owner rather than under the will. Assets such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs), 401(k)s, life insurance policies and annuities also typically do not pass under the will. Instead these assets pass to whomever your beneficiary designation form lists. If there is no will, probate assets will be distributed according to the laws of intestacy. This may not be as straight-forward as you think. For example, in New Jersey, if you die leaving a surviving spouse, the entire intestate estate passes to that spouse only if 1) all of your descendants are also descendants of your surviving spouse; or 2) you have no descendant or parent surviving you. In other words, if you have children from a previous marriage and you do not have a will, your surviving spouse will receive a portion of your estate and your descendants will receive a portion of your estate. If you have no spouse and no descendants, your estate will pass to your parents. If you also leave no surviving parents, your estate will pass to your parents’ descendants (i.e. your siblings or nieces and nephews). This may not be what you want.
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Through your will you get to appoint your executor, the person (or trust institution) that will administer your estate. You may also choose a guardian for your minor or incapacitated adult children. Many of my clients consider the choice of who will care for their children after they are gone to be the most important estate planning decision of all. You should consider whether to set up a trust within your will for younger children. A trust can prevent the share of an estate passing to a minor from being held in a surrogate account. Such a trust could provide for asset distributions according to the child’s need for health, education and support. A trust could also provide for additional distributions to the child based on age or life events (i.e. marriage, college graduation). You would need to choose a trustee to administer the trust. The trust would set forth the ultimate distribution of your assets. Lifetime planning Just as important as planning the dis-tribution of your assets on your death is lifetime planning. Although most lawyers, accountants and financial planners recognize the importance of estate planning, they do not always advise their clients to engage in lifetime planning to deal with the serious legal and management problems that result from aging, illness or incapacity. The failure to plan for incapacity takes an emotional toll on women, who most commonly are the caregivers. They often must turn to the courts to address issues that could have been resolved before the person became incapacitated with the appropriate planning documents in place. The primary goal in planning for incapacity is to avoid court-imposed surrogate decision making. In the absence of planning for incapacity, the court may appoint individuals or entities
to make financial, legal, medical and residential decisions for the incapacitated person. The cost of a guardianship or conservatorship proceeding may well exceed the cost of planning and may result in the appointment of individuals or entities that the incapacitated person may not have chosen. A power of attorney gives legal authority to a third party, called an agent, to manage your financial matters. The power of attorney can provide the agent with as much authority as you want. Broad powers of attorney give the authority to conduct banking transactions, sell real estate, buy and sell stocks, make gifts, handle insurance and beneficiary designations, as well as any other powers you want to include. For that reason, it is crucial to choose a very trustworthy person to serve as agent. There are two types of powers of attorney. The first, known as a durable power of attorney, is effective immediately upon signing and continues regardless of your subsequent disability. The second, known as a springing power of
attorney, does not become effective until you become disabled. It is often a problem to get financial institutions to accept springing powers of attorney because the agent must prove that you have become disabled. As a result, many attorneys do not prepare springing powers of attorney. Some people set up a revocable living trust to establish a plan for ongoing management of your assets in the event you become incapacitated. Typically, you serve as the trustee of your trust until you can no longer do so and then your successor trustee can take over the trust administration. Revocable living trusts are particularly helpful if you own real property in a state other than your state of residence. For medical decisions, an advance healthcare directive can accomplish several things. It can give legal authority to a third party, called the health care representative, to make personal and medical decisions at any time that you cannot. It should also include a statement of personal wishes regarding healthcare in the event of loss of decision-making ca-
pacity. An important part of an advance healthcare directive is stating your wishes as to life-sustaining treatment should you be in an end of life condition. For example, do you wish to withhold artificial administered nutrition (feeding tube) or hydration (intravenous fluids)? You may also indicate whether you wish to be an organ donor in the advance heathcare directive. Talk to an estate planning attorney. You might be pleasantly surprised at how planning can ease your mind—and you will be doing your family a great service as well. Regina M. Spielberg, Esq. is a partner at the law firm of Schenck Price Smith & King, co-chair of its Elder and Special Needs group and a member of its Trust and Estate group. Ms. Spielberg is certified as an elder law attorney by the ABA accredited National Elder Law Foundation. She is based in the firm’s Paramus office and can be reached at rms@spsk.com or 201-225-2704.
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HUMAN RESOURCES & OPERATIONS
Preparing to Become an Employer Assess your readiness to hire & manage staff
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hen your business grows to the point where you can no longer “do it all” yourself, hiring employees is an important next step. Besides hiring the “right” people for the positions you are creating, there are legal, financial and management issues to deal with. According to small business blog Business Know-How, one of the reasons a startup business fails is due to poor management: “A successful manager is also a good leader who creates a work climate that encourages productivity. He or she has a skill at hiring competent people, training them and is able to delegate.” Unfortunately, the majority of small business owners think hiring and managing employees is a simple process, when in fact it isn’t. Before bringing one or more “outsiders”—new employees—into your business, there are a number of things you need to be aware of. To prepare yourself for this next big step, use the following two checklists as your guide. Besides opening your eyes to a host of new responsibilities you will face and things you need to know, these two checklists could prevent you from making costly and time-consuming mistakes. Checklist one: legal & financial matters For the legal and financial matters, it is wise to consult with your lawyer and accountant. They will guide you and answer your questions. But even when you get professional advice, when you are planning to hire, you must do the following: • Familiarize yourself with the kinds of taxes that are withheld for W-2 employees, such as temporary disability and family medical leave insurance. Make sure you have an EIN (employer identification number) to use on tax documents. • Calculate the total cost of hiring
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employees, not just the salary. Equipment, benefits, training and the hiring process itself should be offset by the contributions expected by the addition of staff. Can your business handle the extra overhead on an ongoing basis? • Understand the legal requirements of hiring W-2, 1099 and full-time and part-time employees. • Register with the state Department of Labor and get the appropriate posters that must be displayed prominently to notify employees of their rights. Also, get the proper forms you need to report immigration status. • Obtain workers compensation insurance. Proof of this insurance coverage must be posted. Make sure that appropriate measures are in place to provide a safe workplace. • Set up personnel files—one for each employee—to house applications, employment offer letters, IRS W-4 form, benefits sign-up forms and
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performance evaluations. Create a second file for each employee for I-9 immigration status forms and medical records. Keep these files securely locked away. • Create an employee policy manual to prevent confusion about company rules and to avoid frivolous lawsuits. Checklist two: management skills For the most part, the legal and financial issues are straightforward. Yet, if you think that is all there is to expanding your company then you are in for a rude awakening. From previous good experiences working for others, you might already possess some of the skills needed to manage employees. However, management is more than simply giving orders—and more often than not, management skills have to be learned. To help you assess these, answer the following questions before finalizing your decision to bring on employees: • Do you understand how to hire effectively? Do you know: • What to post in an ad?
• How to initially screen responses? • How to construct interview questions to compare “apples to apples”? • What to never ask an applicant? • How to negotiate with the finalists? • Are you prepared to be the “motivator in chief”? Do you assume that employees will care as much about your business as you do—especially when you are reluctant to share any of the key aspects of the business with them and just want them to focus on specific tasks? • Do you recognize that the addition of each new employee changes the dynamics of your organization, in much the same way as adding a new child or puppy does to your family? • Do you assume that employees will understand your expectations of what their jobs entail:
• Without a clearly defined structure of how each job relates to the others? • Without clear job descriptions? • Without training or follow-up? • Without regular, objective performance evaluations? • Do you understand how to set boundaries between you and your employees? • Have you stated the firm’s professional norms in your employee handbook? • Are you prepared to model the behavior you expect from your employees? • Do you know how to enforce policies and procedures evenhandedly? • Are you prepared to handle inevitable conflicts between employees? • To what resources can you turn to help you with management issues?
Hiring and managing employees are important steps for a growing company. They allow the owner or owners to focus more on vision and strategy while delegating some of the tasks of implementation to others. However, that decision should be the result of careful forethought. Are you prepared for the challenges involved?
Abby Duncan is a seasoned human resources consultant. She takes a “teach a person to fish” approach by helping owners of small businesses hire, manage, train and retain their employees. Rather than relieve them of these tasks, she educates and empowers entrepreneurs to be better managers and to make informed decisions relative to outsourcing any part of human resources. For more information about how Abby can help your growing business, visit www.duncanresources.com, call (973) 256-8443 or e-mail her at aduncan@duncanresources.com.
Learn in small classes. Succeed in big ways. With an average class size of 23, and a student–faculty ratio of 18:1, Ramapo College offers students an individualized learning experience. Our students are able to build meaningful, close-working relationships with faculty members through mentorship, collaboration and research opportunities. Ramapo College offers more than 40 undergraduate majors, seven part-time graduate programs and bachelor’s degree completion options. Discover how we prepare our students for a lifetime of success. Learn more at:
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HUMAN RESOURCES & OPERATIONS
Hiring On-Call Employees
Make the right call on wages for on-call workers
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aiting time, on-call time and exempt vs. hourly. When employees are not technically “working,” do you still need to pay them? Business can be unpredictable. You never know when you’ll need all your employees for a job, or when all your employees will be sitting idle. While just-in-time staffing solutions can help you address the ebb and flow of business, they also pose certain challenges. For instance, when employees are “on call,” do they need to be paid? How do overtime rules apply? Here is what you need to know to maximize the benefit of on-call employees without draining your payroll budget. When do employees get paid? The U.S. Department of Labor defines “employ” as “to suffer or permit to work.” But what does that mean? Luckily, the Department of Labor also provides some guidelines as to when an employee is “working,” and thus needs to be paid. Waiting time Sometimes, an employee is “engaged to wait.” Other times, an employee is “waiting to be engaged.” It is important to figure out which employees are doing which, because employers are expected to pay employees who are “engaged” even if that is just to wait. For example, picture firefighters who are playing video games while waiting for an alarm. The firefighters are not working at firehouse-related tasks, but they are expected to drop everything and get to work the moment the alarm sounds. Similarly, picture a school bus driver who is reading a book while students are touring a museum. Although the driver isn’t doing any driving-related tasks, they are expected to put the book away and get to work as soon as the kids board the bus. These workers are “engaged to wait” and need to be paid for their time. But what about the bus driver who is reading a book at home, waiting for the bus company to call and alert them that driving
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is needed? It is likely that this bus driver is “waiting to be engaged” and does not need to be paid. In this case, the driver’s time is their own up until they agree to take the driving job. On-call time Many employees work in jobs where they are expected to be “on call.” In other words, they may pursue other tasks during a certain day or part of the day. However, if they are called to a higher-priority job, they must jump to do it. Real estate agents, surgeons and funeral directors are just three examples of workers who frequently find themselves “on call.” Generally speaking, an employee who is required to be on the employer’s premises while “on call” must be paid for that time, even if no call comes and the worker is not doing other work-related tasks while waiting. By contrast, if the employee is required to be “on call” but permitted to do so from home, he or she may not need to be paid for this time. While there is no hard-and-fast rule, the more limits there are on the employee’s freedom while “on call” the more likely it is they must be paid. Why go with “just-in-time” staffing? Working with a staffing firm can help you reap the benefits of just-in-time staffing without excess headaches. Here’s how: • Help plan your workforce needs. Keep core staff available to maintain normal operations, then plan for the times when particular products or seasonal production demands require additional help. With a plan in place, just-in-time staffing can help provide the support you need right when you need it. • Manage costs. Just-in-time staffing allows you to find the right people without impacting fixed expenses. You will always know what payroll for core operations will cost, allowing you to spend on key talent at key times without inflating your year-round staffing budget. • Find the right people. Specialized AUGUST 2016
projects often need specialized staff— staff who languish when their specific skills are not being called into play. Maintain productivity and morale while keeping staffing costs lean by relying on just-in-time staffing to find the specialists you need when you need them. • Work with your staffing provider. Invite your staffing partner to tour your facility. You must also allow time to review profiles of the positions you need to fill “just-in-time” and learn more about your company’s culture. Spending just a few hours with your staffing partner can help your provider find workers who are qualified, available and a great fit for your existing staff. Ted Kissel is President & CEO of UNITEMP Temporary Personnel. Headquartered in New Jersey, UNITEMP was founded in 1969 by Ted’s father. UNITEMP is a staffing company dedicated to providing employers with experienced and tested administrative, technical and professional temporary and contract staff. Ted began managing UNITEMP’s Meadowlands office in 1989 and became President in 1995. The company is independently owned (by Ted) and operated—and is a longtime member of the Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce. Ted is a Certified Staffing Professional CPC and Technical Services Certified TSC through the American Staffing Association. Ted can be reached @ tkissel@unitemp. net, (201) 678-3212 and www.unitemp.net.
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ACCOUNTING
Overtime Compensation Changes
Approximately 4 million salaried workers to be eligible for overtime pay
A
new ruling could make over 4 million more Americans eligible for overtime compensation. On May 18, the Obama administration announced that the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued its final rule in updating overtime regulations. The new rule extends overtime protections to more wage earners. Under the new regulations, most salaried workers earning up to $47,476 a year must receive time-and-a-half overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours during a given week. Prior to the new rule, the cutoff for overtime pay was $23,660. According to the DOL, the change “will automatically extend overtime pay protections to over 4 million workers within the first year of implementation.” Details of the new rules on overtime The update focuses primarily on revising the salary and compensation levels needed for “executive,” “administrative” and “professional” workers to be “exempt.” Specifically, the final rule: 1. Sets the standard salary level at the 40th percentile of earnings of full-time salaried workers in the lowest-wage census region, currently the South ($913 per week; $47,476 annually for a full-year worker); 2. Sets the total annual compensation requirement for highly compensated employees (HCE) subject to a minimal duties test to the annual equivalent of the 90th percentile of full-time salaried workers nationally ($134,004); and 3. Establishes a mechanism for automatically updating the salary and compensation levels every three years to maintain the levels at the above percentiles and to ensure that they continue to provide useful and effective tests for exemption. Additionally, the final rule amends the salary basis test to allow employers to use
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nondiscretionary bonuses and incentive payments (including commissions) to satisfy up to 10 percent of the new standard salary level. How will workers & businesses be impacted by the change? The controversial move by the administration was designed to increase the number of workers qualifying for overtime hours. However, that is not the only change it is likely to cause. In fact, that is only one of three ways in which local businesses may react to the new law. Small businesses in particular, rather than being forced to pay out more in overtime wages, may instead opt to limit overtime hours, hire additional employees or raise some employee salaries over the new limit so that they will have more exempt employees. Each business will have to decide individually which will be a more cost-effective decision. Generally speaking, the new rules are seen as a win for workers. Still, there are those opposed to the new rules and congressional Republicans say they will block the measure during a mandated congressional review period. When will the change take effect? The new rules are effective Dec. 1, 2016. According to the administration, the new rules were enacted to see that middle class salaried workers are treated more fairly. Under the old rules, many were being forced to work overtime without pay. Under the new rules, workers who previously did not qualify for overtime will now be
AUGUST 2016
paid or their employers will have them work fewer hours. Either way, there is going to be an additional burden on businesses to accurately account for who qualifies—and accurately record the number of hours worked for each employee. Accounting firms can be instrumental in helping employers understand and comply with the revised regulations. What do I need to do now? The new rules will have several implications for employers that can make payroll more complex, including increased payroll costs and even possible litigation from those converted to exempt employees. Employers are urged to speak with tax professionals, and/or attorneys who are familiar with DOL wage and earning regulations to avoid such issues. Consultation can also help develop a strategy for complete compliance with the new ruling. Steven Blumenthal, CPA is the principal of MBAF CPA’s LLC, located on 440 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016. He can be reached by telephone at (212) 931-9254 or email at sblumenthal@mbafcpa.com. Compliance with and understanding the difference between scams and legitimate income tax problems can be complex. If you would like to benefit from MBAF CPA’s LLC’s expertise in these areas, or if you have further questions on this advisory, do not hesitate to contact their tax & accounting specialists at (212) 576-1400.
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eastwick.edu/info
aterson: Ramsey: 201-327-8877 | Hackensack: 800-646-WELD 201-488-9400 | Nutley: 973-661-0600 | Paterson: 800-646-WELD
ACCOUNTING
Welcome to Scam of the Month Club How to help mitigate potential damage
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few months ago, Meadowlands USA featured an article on tax scams. As a follow-up, this month we are going to present you with some real life examples from my practice, in the hopes that you and your loved ones will be able to avoid the scammers. These types of scams take on various forms. They are constantly on the rise and cut across all swaths of our society. As accountants and tax professionals, we are spending an increasing amount of our time helping clients deal with the fear, or worse, the impact of such scams. While the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is becoming more proactive in detecting and dealing with the perpetrators, the bad guys are at work 24/7 trying to stay a step ahead. Each year, the IRS publishes a list of their “dirty dozen” tax scams. Here are few that I have come across personally, just during the past tax season: 1. Return preparer fraud - Client K is a single father employed in the security field. He comes to me with a notice from the IRS, stating that they have denied certain deductions on a prior year return and asking him to return $7,000. The return in question was organized by another tax preparer who, my client explains, has historically had the check mailed to his office (actually his mother’s home) and paid my client in cash. Client K further states that he never received the funds for the tax year in question. The preparer, whose name my client does not know, has disappeared. We prepared IRS tax preparer fraud statements (Forms 14157 and 14157-A) detailing the fraudulent activities and asking for relief from the assessment. So far the IRS is not budging. 2. Identity theft - Client D is a marketing executive with a major retailer. She and her husband, who file separately, both received notices early in the filing season alerting them that 1040A short forms had been filed for each of them (using their names and social security numbers). The notice was asking them to verify that they had indeed filed the
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returns. This is part of the IRS’s proactive efforts to detect fraud. Since Client D and her husband typically file 1040 long forms, the service picked up on the altered pattern and notified the taxpayers. Of course those returns had not been filed by them. As a result, they had to file their returns by paper and submit identity theft paperwork. Each receive an identity protection personal identification number (IPPIN) from the IRS for future filings. As an aside, D’s paper return was never entered into the system, creating quite a bit of angst when she applied for a mortgage a few months later. 3. The W-2 scam - I gave a presentation back in March on “The Latest in Tax Scams.” One of the scams I highlighted was a relatively new one, the W-2 scam. In this scam, a company’s payroll or human resources department gets an official-looking company email from a high-ranking executive asking for a listing of employees including their names and social security numbers. This information is then used to create falsified W-2s, followed by tax returns which direct the refunds to the scammers. Within a week or so after my presentation, I received a call from Client J saying that his wife’s entire company had fallen prey to this very scam. A meeting was called for all employees, where they were advised of the
AUGUST 2016
breach. All of the employees then received one-year free identity protection from the company. The implications from a breach such as this can be far reaching and won’t be known for months, perhaps years. In case you’re wondering, I’m not sure what—if anything—happened to the employees who released the information. 4. The telephone impersonation scam - This one has been around for a few years now, but appears to still be going strong. Client T, an Ivy League-educated attorney for a major U.S. company, calls me in a panic. She has received a voicemail message from an IRS employee who left his badge number (therefore, he must be official), stating that she owed approximately $5,000 for a recent tax year and he demanded immediate payment under threat of arrest. Client T was frantic, calling me to demand that I not only confirm or deny that this was a legitimate debt, but that I also obtain documentation that she is in compliance for all years. Upon speaking to her directly, I was able to assuage her fears. I managed to convince her that the call was indeed connected to a very popular scam. Perpetrators of this scam particularly target immigrants and the elderly, such as Client S, an octogenarian who recently left me three voicemails on two different numbers after
receiving a similar call. Understandably upset, she was ready to pay as instructed. However, thankfully, she wanted to speak to me first. These scams, and others like them (for a more comprehensive list, visit the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/uac/newsroom/ irs-wraps-up-the-dirty-dozen-list-of-tax-scams-for-2016) are proliferating at a rapid rate. They are consuming an increasing chunk of taxpayer and tax preparer time. While most efforts are unsuccessful—and the tax community (IRS, states, preparers, etc.) is becoming better at detecting and preventing these scams—the fraudsters only need to be successful a small percentage of the time. What can you do? There is nothing that can guarantee that you, as a taxpayer, will not fall prey to one of the many scams that abound (remember, there are new scams being concocted even as you read this article), but there are steps you can take to mitigate potential negative outcomes:
Innovative ways to help
BUSINESSES Succeed
• Choose your tax preparer wisely. While efforts have been undertaken in recent years to regulate the tax preparation industry more heavily, there are still many unscrupulous preparers. You should never choose a preparer who guarantees a refund or charges a fee based on the amount of your refund—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! The IRS has published a list of guidelines for choosing a preparer, which is fairly comprehensive (https://www.irs.gov/ tax-professionals/choosing-a-tax-professional). • If you get a call, email or other form of correspondence from the IRS or another taxing entity, contact your tax preparer immediately. Most preparers are familiar with the various forms of scams in place, and can help you determine whether or not the call or letter is legitimate • Remember that there are certain things that the IRS will never do, including: • Demand immediate payment • Call you without first mailing • Require a specific form of payment • Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone • Threaten to bring in local law enforcement • If you do receive a threatening phone call, contact your local police department. • Forward scam emails to phishing@irs.gov.
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• Never (ever, ever, ever) send money or share personal information. James D. Brown, CPA, CFE, CGMA is the managing partner of James D. Brown, CPA, a full service accounting and consulting firm with offices in Teaneck and New York City. With more than 30 years in business, the firm’s clients include attorneys, physicians, entertainers, professional athletes, corporate executives and many small and medium sized business owners. The firm has clients in many states and services individuals and all forms of business. He is often called upon as guest speaker on the subjects of accounting and taxation, has held leadership positions in various civic and professional organizations, and has been published in Ebony and Black Enterprise Magazines.
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BENEFITS, HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS
Outlining Benefits in Handbook
Evaluating your employee handbook for benefit provisions
H
andbooks are important for many reasons such as informing employees of their rights and duties, communicating available resources and outlining paid time off policies. With respect to health and welfare benefits, here are a few things to consider: 1. Does your handbook go too far? Handbooks cannot change the terms of governing benefit documents such as summary plan descriptions (SPDs). Handbook provisions should mirror plan terms and/or refer to plan documents. Any provisions purporting to amend plan documents are ineffective. However, handbooks may fill in the blanks where the plan documents are silent or refer to outside policies. For example, an SPD may indicate that certain eligibility criteria are determined by the employer. In this case, that criteria may be explained elsewhere such as a handbook or benefit booklet. 2. Are all handbook provisions current? A handbook should reflect current, compliant provisions such as those addressing benefits, eligibility and termination. • Does your handbook exclude certain employee groups from benefits (e.g., temporary employees or interns)? If so, be aware of potential exposure under the Employer Penalty which defines a “full-time employee” as any employee who works at least 30 hours per week. There are no exclusions of categories of employees. However, if using the look back measurement method, part-time employees, seasonal employees and variable hour employees can be asked to wait up to 13+ months to determine full-time employee status without penalty.
• If the look back measurement method rules are being used, are those referenced or outlined?
3. Does the handbook demonstrate that an offer of coverage was made? Under the Employer Penalty rules, an employee must be offered an effective opportunity to accept coverage at least once with respect to the plan year. Final regulations do not apply any specific rules for demonstrating that an offer of coverage was made. Many employers require an affirmative waiver of medical benefits. This is the best method to prove an offer was made, provided that a waiver can be collected from every single employee waiving. Otherwise, any waiver not returned by the employee arguably proves that he was never made the offer. When an affirmative waiver is not required, otherwise documenting information regarding the election process is key. An employer will want to show that employees received sufficient information about the offer so that they must have known medical coverage was available. A widely-distributed handbook with clear information about the offer and its terms can be a valuable part of an employer’s distribution of information as well as benefit booklets, email correspondence, posters, mandatory meetings, etc., as applicable. If you need assistance with creating or modifying your handbook, please contact us and we can help you with a solution.
• Does the handbook indicate that same-sex spouses are excluded from benefit eligibility? Excluding same-sex spouses are not advisable due to recent court cases and EEOC discrimination inquiries and likely conflicts with plan terms. It may also conflict with the company anti-discrimination workplace policy.
By Patti Goldfarb, an employee benefits specialist, and owner of the Employee Benefits Advisors Group. She has written and spoken about healthcare reform since its passage in 2010. If your business would like a consultation, Patti can be reached at (201) 255-6239 or pgoldfarb@ebagroup.net.
• Does the handbook contain an outdated waiting period (e.g., indicating that plan entry is the first day of the month following 90 days of continuous service)? • Does the handbook contain conflicting eligibility terms? For example, does the handbook indicate that an employee must work at least 40 hours per week to be eligible for benefits when an employee must only work at least 30 hours per week?
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BENEFITS, HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS
Insurance For The Self-Employed
Getting coverage for yourself as a business owner or entrepreneur
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ederal and/or state law mandates a variety of insurance products that employers must carry for employees. If you are self-employed, are you required to have the same coverage? Can you have the coverage if you want? Here are three types of coverage to think about if you are a sole proprietor, independent contractor or freelancer: 1) Health Coverage 2) Unemployment Insurance 3) Workers’ Compensation Health coverage A self-employed individual must satisfy the individual mandate to maintain minimum essential health coverage or pay a penalty. Coverage can be obtained through such options as a private policy, spousal coverage through a working spouse’s employer’s plan, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) from a prior employer or through a government exchange. Self-employed individuals must use the individual marketplace. They cannot use the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) as this venue is limited to businesses with 50 or fewer employees seeking coverage for these employees. Medicare is also an alternative option. As a self-employed individual you can be eligible for Medicare, which typically provides health benefits starting at age 65. You pay toward this coverage while self-employed through self-employment tax. As a self-employed individual, you pay what would effectively be the employer share (1.45 percent of wages) and employee share (1.45 percent of wages). In other words, as a self-employed person you pay 2.9 percent of your net earnings from self-employment (although you get a tax deduction for half of this tax). You continue to pay this tax as long as you have net earnings from self-employment, even if you are already on Medicare and/or collecting Social Security benefits. Once you begin receiving Medicare benefits, you pay monthly premiums. Find information about Medicare premiums from Medicare.gov. Workers’ compensation This type of coverage protects employees from work-related injuries and illnesses. The coverage pays medical bills and lost wages when an incident occurs. Because a self-employed individual is not an employee, workers’ compensation is not mandated for a sole proprietor, freelancer, or independent contractor. However, if you are self-employed, you may still want this coverage because the nature of your job is high risk for injuries (e.g., you work construction) or you may need the coverage as a condition of a contract you have to provide services for another business. 22
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Please visit http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/wc/wc_index. html for more information about workers’ compensation insurance in New Jersey. If you can’t get traditional workers’ compensation coverage but want protection, you can patchwork your own workers’ compensation solution by having medical coverage to take care of doctors’ bills for a work-related injury and a disability policy to cover lost income because of the injury. Unemployment insurance Unemployment insurance is a federal-state program designed to provide income to workers who are involuntarily terminated from a job (assuming no serious wrongdoing) and are seeking reemployment. As such, this type of coverage is not available to a self-employed individual. A self-employed individual cannot opt into the program. If you are self-employed and a project ends or your business fails because of economic conditions in the community or a natural disaster, you may be eligible for financial assistance from your state as dislocated worker. For example, one county in Georgia allows a self-employed individual to be treated as a dislocated worker if economic conditions in the county result in: • Failure of one or more businesses for which the self-employed individual supplied a substantial portion of products
or services; • Failure of one or more businesses from which the self-employed individual obtained a substantial portion of products or services; • Substantial layoffs from, or permanent closure of one or more plants or facilities that support a significant portion of the state or workforce area economy; • Depressed prices or markets for the article(s) or service(s) produced or provided by the self-employed individual; or • Generally high levels (above 4.5 percent) of unemployment in the workforce area. For the information on the treatment of self-employed individuals as dislocated workers in New Jersey, you can visit http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/. New Jersey has a self employment assistance program/entrepreneurial training program that allows unemployed workers to continue receiving benefits as they pursue self-employment rather than looking for another job. Visit New Jersey’s unemployment department for more information on this: http://lwd.dol. state.nj.us/labor/ui/ui_index.html Conclusion Insurance of any type is a backstop for loss. Hopefully you won’t need benefits, but you can carry coverage just in case. Be sure to understand your risks as a self-employed individual and then see what insurance options you have to protect yourself. Barbara Weltman is an attorney, prolific author (with such titles as J.K. Lasser’s Small Business Taxes, J.K. Lasser’s Guide to Self-Employment and Smooth Failing) as well as a trusted professional advocate for small businesses and entrepreneurs. She is also the publisher of Idea of the Day® and a monthly e-newsletter called Big Ideas for Small Business®. She hosts Build Your Business Radio and has been included in the List of 100 Small Business Influencers for three years in a row. Follow her on Twitter @BarbaraWeltman
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INFRASTRUCTURE
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WWW.SCARINCIHOLLENBECK.COM (201) 896-4100 MEADOWLANDS USA
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AUGUST 2016
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BENEFITS, HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS
Adjusting Employee Benefits
Understand the law before making cutback decisions
S
mall businesses facing poor or uncertain financial circumstances may be forced to consider drastic employment decisions including layoffs and benefit reductions. If your business faces such decisions, it important to understand your legal rights and obligations concerning employment law. Layoffs If your business is considering layoffs, review the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), which requires employers with 100 or more employees (generally not counting those who have worked less than six months in the last 12 months and those who work an average of less than 20 hours a week) to provide at least 60 calendar days advance written notice of layoffs at a single site of employment. Though the federal law may not apply to your small business, many states have enacted similar legislation to apply to businesses with less than 100 employees. Here is more information about New Jersey’s mass layoff acts: http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/ labor/lwdhome/warn/njwarn.html Furloughs & hour reductions The rules for reducing employee hours or imposing a furlough depend on whether an employee is considered exempt (salaried) or non-exempt (hourly). As an employer, you are legally allowed to reduce the work schedule of hourly employees or impose a furlough to temporarily stop work. However, if you reduce your employee hours but not their workload, they may not be able to finish their tasks on time. If they need to work extra hours to accomplish their work, you must compensate them for that time. Reducing the hours of salaried employees (employees who receive the same amount of pay each week) is more complicated. Since salaried employees receive the same pay each week, regardless of how many hours they work, cutting hours but maintaining salaries will not save your business money. If you reduce the hours of salaried employees and as a result pay them less, their
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exempt status could be reconsidered as hourly. If that is the case, then they would now be eligible to receive overtime pay. Many employers choose to avoid this option as it could lead to higher and unexpected labor costs. A furlough of salaried employees would not jeopardize their exempt status because exempt employees are not entitled to compensation for any week in which no work is performed. If you begin furloughs for extended periods of time, you may be required to comply with federal or state WARN laws. Pay cuts Generally, employers have the right to institute pay cuts for hourly employees, as long as the wage meets minimum wage standards. In some states, you may be required to provide advance written notice to employees. Requirements for New Jersey can be found on the Department of Labor website: http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/ If you cut the pay of an exempt employee to the point where they are receiving less than $455 per week, they could be considered an hourly employee as explained above. However, if you need to cut pay as a result of an economic downturn, you may be exempt from the overtime rules if the cut is maintained each month as the new salary (and does not increase or decrease each week) and if it is in response to your business’ long-term needs. If you choose to go this route, speak with the Department of Labor to ensure that you are in compliance. Another alternative is to reduce exempt employee pay without dictating the hours they work. The downside, of course, is that without a corresponding reduction in schedule, exempt employees may become demoralized by the appearance of working the same amount for less pay. Changing benefits Unlike mandatory benefits, like workers’ compensation and social security taxes, employers are not required to provide fringe benefits such as paid time off, severance pay, retirement plans and holiday pay. Often times, businesses choose to offer these
AUGUST 2016
perks as recruitment incentives. Generally, while employers can change or eliminate paid time off (PTO) policies, they cannot take away PTO hours if they have been accrued. Employees will be entitled to their PTO leave, or you will have to pay them for the unused time. Note that the same rules may not apply to unused sick leave. If you currently offer retiree health benefits, nothing in federal law prevents you from cutting or eliminating those benefits unless you have made a specific promise to maintain the benefits, according to the Department of Labor. If you need to change any fringe benefits, wages or hours, research New Jersey’s laws to ensure you are in compliance. Remember to apply benefit packages consistently to your employees to prevent discrimination claims. For more information, contact an attorney and/or accountant for legal and financial assistance. Ijeoma S. Nwatu is a digital strategy and communications consultant. She is the communications manager for ColorComm, an organization that aims to uplift women of color in the communications field. When not working with clients, Ijeoma can be found speaking about career transitioning and social media marketing. Follow her on Twitter: @ijeomasnwatu.
HarmonPlazaAd_MUSA_March2016_V1_H 3/9/16 8:51 AM Page 1
Welcome to the Plaza at Harmon Meadow 700 Plaza Drive • Secaucus, NJ
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14 Screen Movies • Open Sundays • All are within walking distance • 4 Miles to NYC
Enjoy Our Shops, Restaurants & Services… Cups Dunkin Donuts/Subway Bagels Plus Houlihan’s Tokyo Hibachi Buffet Red Lobster Niko Niko Sushi BurgerFi Cosi Chili’s
Starbuck’s Cheeseburger in Paradise Chipotle Stephanos Jewelry Exchange Pier One Imports Plaza Candy AT&T Wireless GNC Mill Creek Art Gallery
AAA Terra Dental Center Allstate Haircutter in The Meadow US Post Office Travel Meadows Tops Cleaners E-Tek Bank of America Kerasotes Showplace Theatres
BENEFITS, HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS
Focus on Healthcare
Quality & continuous improvement for healthcare organizations
T
his is the first in a series of articles exploring the issues and opportunities in the realm of performance excellence or, more specifically, for quality and continuous improvement. It focuses on healthcare organizations and their patients or clients in both the private and public sectors. Healthcare is defined here as “Any industry, field, company or individual which treats, restores, maintains and/or improves the physical and/or mental health and well-being of one or more patients or clients.” Quality, in general, is defined as “Conformance with requirements” or “Fitness for use.” Healthcare quality is defined here as “the degree to which supportive services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health and well-being outcomes and are consistent with current professional knowledge.” Continuous improvement, in general, is defined as: “an ongoing effort to enhance the measurable performance of a product, service or process.” Healthcare continuous improvement is defined here as “systematic, data-guided activities designed to bring about the measurable enhancement of the delivery of supportive services in healthcare settings.”
Providing Real Estate Services To The Health Care Industry and Medical Community Throughout Northern New Jersey. We are pleased to announce we have arranged in excess of
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For Medical Office Leases and Sales Transactions Serving The communities of Bayonne, Edgewater, Edison, Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Fort Lee, Hoboken, Jersey City, North Bergen, Union City, Summit, and West New York. For more information regarding Weiss Realty Co. Inc.’s Healthcare Real Estate Services Please Call Jaime M. Weiss or Matthew B. Weiss. Weiss Realty Co. Inc. 250 Moonachie Road, Moonachie, New Jersey 07074 201.814.1800 www.jweissrealty.com jweiss@jweissrealty.com mweiss@jweissrealty.com
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Healthcare can include both for-profit and nonprofit hospitals, medical centers, health systems, nursing homes, volunteer medical initiatives, assisted living facilities, organ/tissue procurement organizations and clinics of various sizes operating as an institution as well as physicians, chiropractors, physical therapists, psychotherapists, wellness counselors, nutritionists, dieticians, sleep specialists, social workers and other practitioners operating individually or in small practices. Healthcare can also include companies of various sizes in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical devices. Finally, it can include the departments of health and mental health at the municipal, county, state and federal government levels. Quality and continuous improvement in healthcare has always been a high-profile topic, but it has been receiving even more careful scrutiny since 1999 with the release of the Institute of Medicine’s report entitled ”To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System.” In fact, the definition of healthcare quality above was based on that report which asserted the following: “The necessity for quality and safety improvement permeates health care (since) the majority of medical errors result from faulty systems and processes, not individuals. Processes that are inefficient and variable, changing case mix of patients, health insurance, differences in provider education and experience and numerous other factors contribute to the complexity of health care.” That landmark IOM report made it clear that patient safety was a major component of healthcare quality and continuous improvement and that’s something to which EVERYONE can relate— healthcare practitioners AND the general public. A 1997 article in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy asserted that: “…because errors are caused by system or process failures it is important to adopt various process-improvement techniques to identify inefficiencies, ineffective care and preventable errors to, then, influence changes associated with systems. Each of these techniques involves assessing performance and using findings to inform change —including such strategies and tools for quality improvement as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, Plan-Do-Study-Act, Six Sigma, Lean and Root-Cause Analysis—that have been used to improve the quality and safety of health care.” No article on healthcare quality, patient safety and continuous improvement would be complete without mentioning “The Joint Commission” (JC), an independent, not-for-profit organization, based in Chicago, which accredits and certifies nearly 21,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. JC accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. Its mission is to continuously improve healthcare for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating healthcare organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. Its vision is that “All people always experience the safest, highest quality, best-value healthcare across all settings.” (For more on the JC, go to: www.jointcommission.org.) A strategic emphasis on healthcare quality, patient safety and
continuous improvement has emerged in the past 17 years that is based on W. Edwards Deming’s “Total Quality Management” (TQM) approach first described in his 1986 classic “Out of the Crisis.” It promoted concepts such as “constancy of purpose” and the “systematic analysis and measurement of process steps in relation to capacity or outcomes.” TQM is an enterprise-wide approach that must be initiated by the senior leadership team (SLT) employing teamwork, defined processes and systems thinking and transforming the organization to create a culture of improvement that permeates the organization. In 2004, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) noted that quality improvement methods had “generally emphasize[d] the importance of identifying a process with less-than-ideal outcomes, measuring the key performance attributes, using careful analysis to devise a new approach, integrating the redesigned approach with the process and reassessing performance to determine if the change in process (was) successful.” In addition to TQM, other quality improvement strategies have come forth, including the Baldridge Excellence Framework, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 9000) series of standards, Zero Defects and the Toyota Production System (TPS) with its lean thinking approach. Most of these methods, frameworks or standards were originally invented in or refined for manufacturing environments. They have been adapted and customized to apply to healthcare environments where service (to patients) and transactions (with patients and their families) drive most of the work being performed. The original “Baldridge Excellence Framework” was first released in 1987 with its primary focus being manufacturing. It was named in honor of former Secretary of Commerce Malcolm “Mac” Baldrige Jr., who had just died unexpectedly as the result of a tragic accident in July of that year. Since he had taken a personal interest before he died in early drafts of federal legislation that became the Quality Improvement Act of 1987 (Public Law 100-107), Congress named the law and an annual award after him (the “Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987” and the “Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award”). Then, in 1998, the “Baldridge Excel-
lence Framework” was adapted for healthcare. This resulted in the first National Baldrige Award recipient for healthcare in 2002: SSM Health Care (St. Louis, Missouri). That was followed by Baptist Hospital, Inc. (Pensacola, Florida) and Saint Luke’s Hospital (Kansas City, Kansas) in 2003, and Hamilton, New Jersey-based Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in 2004. Since then, there have been 16 more National Award recipients in the healthcare sector, including a second New Jersey-based healthcare organization, AtlantiCare (Egg Harbor Twp, New Jersey) in 2009. (See http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/ and http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/enter/ health_care.cfm.) The 2015-16 version of the Baldrige Healthcare Criteria for Performance Excellence has seven categories, comprised of six that are focused on “process” (each of which has two items)—leadership, strategy, patients (customers), measurement, analysis and knowledge management, workforce and operations—and one that is focused on “results” (with five items). Before closing, I want to return to the subject of “patient safety” as a key component of tracking healthcare quality and continuous improvement. Earlier this year, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine research team declared in a controversial May 4th article in BMJ that “Medical errors now third leading cause of death in the U.S.” (See http://www.bmj.com/company/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/medical-errors.pdf) While alarming, this headline was considered somewhat misleading by many U.S. healthcare professionals. The reason? “Because death certificates in the U.S. have no facility for acknowledging medical errors,” asserted the two lead researchers. These researchers called for “better re-
porting to help understand the scale of the problem and how to tackle it.” Currently, death certification in the U.S. relies on assigning an International Classification of Disease (ICD) code to the cause of death, so causes of death not associated with an ICD code, such as human and system factors, are not captured. In the next article in this series on quality, continuous performance improvement and operational excellence, we will explore the patient safety challenges and issues facing our own Meadowlands area healthcare organizations. William S. Ruggles is a member of the MRC and its ambassador and technology committees. He is the COO and managing partner of the Ruggles2 Center for Organizational Performance Improvement (COPI), a virtual training center and management consulting firm specializing in quality, continuous performance improvement and operational excellence with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Ruggles is a 2016 Baldrige National Examiner currently assigned to assess a healthcare application. He has a master’s from Columbia University and certifications in Project Management, Quality Management, Six Sigma, Lean and Agile/ Scrum. Previously, he was a New Jersey State Baldrige Examiner, a program manager for the WTC Medical Monitoring & Treatment Grant Program at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, an adjunct professor at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken and a PMO program manager and deputy chief technology officer for workforce enhancement for the State of New Jersey OIT in Trenton. He can be reached at bill.ruggles@ ruggles2llc.com.
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MEADOWLANDS HEALTH & WELLNESS Professional Services: Benefits & Insurance Allstate Insurance: Dave Meredith Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604 (201) 393-0202 Allstate Insurance: Secaucus Secaucus, NJ 07094 (201) 867-2287 The Bogle Agency Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 939-1076 Edward Krawiec & Associates Rutherford, NJ 07070 (201) 935-7005 The Ehnert Agency West Caldwell, NJ 07006 (973) 882-9110
Tri-State Insurance Agency Rochelle Park, NJ 07662 (201) 490-4695 (800) 524-2784
SportsCare Physical Therapy Secaucus, NJ 07094 (973) 887-9000
VMM Benefits Inc. – Aflac Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 697-0203
Dental Health
Health Services & Providers
Tailor-Made Smiles Rutherford, NJ 07070 (201) 933-7550
At Home Sleep Solutions, LLC Fairlawn, NJ 07410 (201) 396-9338
Fair Lawn Diagnostic Imaging Center Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 (201) 794-3132 Ganchi Plastic Surgery, PA Wayne, NJ 07470 (973) 942-6600
Employee Benefits Advisors Group Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 (201) 255-6239
Dr. Guibor, MD, PA Secaucus, NJ 07094 (201) 392-3438
Marsh USA Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 401-5083
Levine Eye Center Rutherford, NJ 07070 (201) 438-4418
NJM Insurance Group Parsippany, NJ 07054 (973) 455-7200
MedExpress Urgent Care Lodi, NJ 07644 (201) 843-3207
Premier Risk Management, LLC Ho Ho Kus, NJ 07423 1561 (201) 573-1100
MaloClinics Rutherford, NJ 07070 (201) 549-8890
Professional Insurance Associates, Inc. Carlstadt, NJ 07072 (201) 438-7500 See our ad on page 61 Robert Wilkens Insurance Agency Bogota, NJ 07603 (201) 343-1741 State Farm Insurance Rutherford, NJ 07070 (201) 635-1100 Suburban General Insurance Agency Paramus, NJ 07652 (201) 674-9888
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On Track Chiropractic Clifton, NJ 07013 (973) 253-7005 Optimum Orthopedics Physical Therapy Center LLC Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 933-9959 PSA Healthcare Hackensack, NJ 07601 (201) 645-4379 Quest Diagnostics Teterboro, NJ 07608 (201) 393-5000 Ritesh Kalra, M.D. Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 (201) 460-8060
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Ridge Family Dental Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 939-5757
Behavioral & Mental Health Services Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 935-3322 See our ad on page 39 Care Plus NJ, Inc. – Main Headquarters Paramus, NJ 07652 (201) 265-8200
Hospitals Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack, NJ 07601 (201) 996-2000 See our ad on page 5 Palisades Medical Center North Bergen, NJ 07047 (201) 854-5000 See our ad on page 5
Insurance Carriers
Aetna: www.aetna.com Amerihealth: www.amerihealth.com Assurant: www.assurant. com Cigna: www.cigna.com/ smallgroup Guardian/Health Net: www.guardianlife.com Health Republic Insurance of New Jersey: newjersey. healthrepublic.us Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield: www.horizonblue. com Oxford: www.oxhp.com Starmark: www.starmarkinc.com
United Healthcare: www. uhc.com
Legal Services
Kaufman Semeraro & Leibman Fort Lee, NJ, 07024 (201) 947-8855
Archer & Greiner P.C. Hackensack, NJ 07601 (201) 342-6000
Kipp & Allen, LLP Rutherford, NJ, 07070 (201) 933-3633
Bittiger Triolo P.C. Paramus, NJ 07652 (201) 438-7770
Littler Mendelson, P.C. Newark, NJ, 07102 (973) 848-4741
Bruinooge & Associates Counsellors at Law Rutherford, NJ, 07070 (201) 939-3303
Nowell Amoroso Klein Bierman, P.A. Hackensack, NJ, 07601 (201) 343-5001
Chiesa Shaninian & Giantomasi West Orange, NJ, 07052 (973) 325-1500
Pashman Stein Hackensack, NJ, 07601 (201) 488-8200
DeCotiis Fitzpatrick & Cole Teaneck, NJ, 07666 (201) 928-1100 Fischer Porter & Thomas, P.C. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 07632 (201) 569-5959
Scarinci & Hollenbeck, LLC Lyndhurst, NJ, 07071 (201) 896-4100 See our ad on page 23 Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP Paramus, NJ, 07652 (201) 262-1600
Fleming Ruvoldt PLLC Moonachie, NJ, 07074 (201) 518-7878
Waters, McPherson, McNeill Secaucus, NJ, 07096 (201) 863-4400
Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Fader, LLC Rochelle Park, NJ, 07662 (201) 843-5858
Wells, Jaworski & Liebman, LLP Paramus, NJ, 07653 (201) 587-0888
Herbert Law Group, LLC Englewood, NJ, 07631 (201) 490-4070
Winne, Banta, Basralian & Kahn, P.C. Hackensack, NJ, 07601 (201) 487-3800
James H. Cleary, Esq. Rutherford, NJ, 07070 (201) 939-3444 James R Napolitano, LLC Ramsey, NJ, 07446 (201) 783-8787 John H. Choi, Esq. - John H. Choi & Associates LLC Ridgefield Park, NJ, 07660 (201) 580-0816 Kates Nussman Rapone Ellis & Farhi, LLP Hackensack, NJ, 07601 (201) 488-7211
Accounting Services Alfred J. Russo, MBA Monroe, NJ, 08831 (609) 655-4135 Ernst & Young, LLP Secaucus, NJ, 07094 (201) 872-2200 See our ad on page 2 Hunter Group CPA, LLC Fair Lawn, NJ, 07410 (201) 261-4030 See our ad on the back cover
MEADOWLANDS HEALTH & WELLNESS James D. Brown Teaneck, NJ, 07666 (201) 357-5228
WeiserMazars LLP Edison, NJ, 08837 (732) 205-2029
Keller & Lebovic, CPAs Fair Lawn, NJ, 07410 (201) 797-1966
Wiss & Company, LLP Livingston, NJ, 07039 (973) 994-9400
Lawrence R. Pappas, CPA, P.C. Bloomfield, NJ, 07003 (973) 893-8077
Domestic Violence Safety
Marchionda & Ferrer, P.A. Clifton, NJ, 07013 (973) 773-4111 MBAF New York, NY, 10016 (212) 931-9254 See our ad on page xx Morgan Stanley- Gunther Paramus, NJ, 07652 (201) 967-6373 RotenbergMeril Saddle Brook, NJ, 07633 (201) 487-8383 TD Bank-Corporate East Rutherford, NJ, 07073 (201) 567-0561
Osso Safe LLC Moonachie, NJ 07074 (201) 956-4329
Home Care Services
Above and Beyond Care, Inc., Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 681-1770 Comfort Keepers Secaucus, NJ 07094 (201) 340-2238 Waterfront Health Care Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 725-2129 Loving Care Agency, Inc East Rutherford, NJ 07073 (201) 939-4300
Nonprofits Focusing On Healthcare Adler Aphasia Center Maywood, NJ 07607 (201) 368-8585
American Cancer Society Hackensack, NJ 07601 (201) 457-3418 American Heart Association Robbinsville, NJ 08691 (201) 483-6780 Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative Hackensack, NJ 07601 (201) 342-2478 Center for Hope and Safety Rochelle Park, NJ 07662 (201) 498-9247 Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 935-3322 See our ad on page xx Drums and Disabilities (973) 725-5150
The Gregory M. Hirsch Heart Foundation Lodi, NJ 07644 (201) 707-5933
United Cerebral Palsy of Hudson County, INC. Bayonne, NJ 07002 (201) 436-2200
JDRF Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 (201) 408-9301
The WAVE Set Morris Plains, NJ 07950 (973) 984-8888
March of Dimes Pine Brook, NJ 07058 (973) 882-0700 Meadowlands Area YMCA East Rutherford, NJ 07073 (201) 955-5300 MedShare International Decatur, GA 30034 (770) 323-4301 National Multiple Sclerosis Society Woodbridge, NJ 07095 (201) 967-5599 NJ Sharing Network Foundation New Providence, NJ 07974 (908) 516-5400
MEADOWLANDS USA
OSHA Compliance
Custom Safety Services, LLC Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 (201) 703-6966
Uniforms
Uniform Fashions (201) 843-1199 ext. 2
Wellness, Weight & Fitness
Weight Wellness Center Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 (201) 636-2143 Why Weight? Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 (201) 870-1805
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A Commitment to the Community AVE announces partnership to fight local hunger
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t is early October in the afternoon and Jamie D’Ercole is peeking inside the back of Crown Relocation’s moving truck. The bright red semi-trailer just made stops at AVE Somerset and AVE Union and Jamie, the general manager of AVE Clifton, is curious to see how many boxes of donations her fellow AVE communities in New Jersey collected. “We have a little friendly competition among the communities to see who could generate the most donations,” she laughs. A few hours later, Jamie receives an email from Move for Hunger showing AVE Clifton’s donation weigh-in at 322 pounds. She smiles. AVE is a brand of Korman Communities. They specialize in flexible-stay furnished suites and unfurnished rental
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residences. They announced a partnership with hunger relief nonprofit Move for Hunger in September 2015. They decided to kick off a partnership and raise awareness, since September is Hunger Action Month. AVE organized food drive parties at each of its six communities in northern New Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia Area. AVE residents enjoyed food trucks and live entertainment. The teams only asked they bring a nonperishable food donation for Move for Hunger. The six food drives generated an amount just shy of 1,000 pounds, which was donated to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and the Salvation Army of West Chester, Pennsylvania. “The residents were so excited about it,” Jamie, who has been with AVE for almost four years, shares. “It made us all
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feel good knowing we were making a difference in the community.” Kim Schimenek, senior vice president of AVE’s Key Strategic Accounts division, first met Move for Hunger’s founder Adam Lowy at a luncheon in 2013. Adam was invited to speak about his growing organization to corporate housing providers. Adam’s family has owned a moving company, Lowy’s Moving Service, in Monmouth County, New Jersey for nearly a century. At a young age, he realized that when people move, a lot of things get thrown out. “But what bothered me was the amount of perfectly good, unopened, nonperishable food that was either getting left behind or thrown away,” Adam says. After graduating college in 2008, he earned his dream job in special event
marketing. Simultaneously, he started a program at his family’s moving company. He collected unwanted food from their customers and donated it on their behalf to The Food Bank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties. The volunteers there shared with him that there were 100,000 people in those two counties who didn’t have enough to eat. This motivated Adam greatly. “I was so taken by that number because I’d lived there my entire life and knew nothing about hunger or poverty, but here it was right in my community,” he says. Adam and his family collected 300 pounds of food their first month. “Customers were so excited about it,” he says. “People want to do good. They just don’t always know how or where, but if you give them a simple opportunity, they’re going to take that opportunity.” Adam quit his job in marketing a year later. He wanted to devote his attention to Move for Hunger, now an official 501(c)(3). Adam has been recruiting partners from the relocation management, real estate and corporate housing industries. He had one clear, but large mission—to mobilize the relocation industry to reduce food waste and fight hunger. AVE’s Kim was also enthused. “Our furnished suite service is truly a home away from home,” explains the 15-year team member. While AVE specializes in stays of
30 days or longer, usually, many of their furnished residents stay with them four to six months while they are relocating to the area for work, doing a major home renovation or on an extended business trip or project. “Our suites feature a fully accessorized kitchen, so most residents do cook while they stay with us. Naturally, there is leftover food when they move out,” Kim says. “I thought Adam’s idea was genius and a natural way for our industry to make a difference in our communities.” Lea Anne Welsh, AVE brand president and chief operations officer of its parent company Korman Communities, was immediately impressed with Adam. He shared with her Move for Hunger’s history and mission at AVE Union in 2015. “I knew he was a special guy,” Lea Anne says. “The fact that he realized he could do something more with the family business to help others, and then acted on it— that was very inspiring.” Lea Anne also saw synergies between AVE and Move for Hunger’s operations and culture. Lowy’s Moving Service and Korman Communities are both fourth-generation family-run businesses. The Korman family, like Adam’s, believe it is their responsibility to be good corporate citizens and help others. “The Korman family has such a long history of giving back,” says Lea Anne, who has been part of the Korman fami-
ly for 24 years. “They do it because they genuinely care about people. They care about their team. They care about our residents and they care about the people who live in the areas where we operate our real estate.” In 2012, Steven H. Korman, founder of Korman Communities, awarded a $12,000 scholarship to 20 students in financial need from Temple University’s School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at the Fox School of Business’ Annual Musser Awards dinner. He was being honored for his business achievements and commitment to the community. This generous gift came as a surprise, as those 20 students thought they were competing for a single $10,000 scholarship from an anonymous donor. “Being in the audience that night, it was so heartwarming seeing the students so emotional, knowing they could return to school,” Lea Anne shares. “I felt a great sense of pride knowing that we’re part of something really special.” The AVE team participates in various civic events and charity drives. Every November, the teams at all six communities organize a food drive to donate to local food banks for Thanksgiving. Every December, they organize a toy drive to donate to the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. When Super Bowl 48 was held at MetLife Stadium, all three New Jersey AVE communities joined the Continued on pg. 32
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Continued from pg. 31
Super Community Coat Drive. It’s an effort created by Jersey Cares, the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee, Wal-Mart and New York Cares. They collected and distributed more than 60,000 winter coats to families throughout New Jersey. Sixteen AVE team members recently completed the Corporate FunRun 5K North Jersey at the Meadowlands Racetrack to benefit Tackle Kids Cancer. “This made me so proud that so many team members showed up and wanted to participate—from maintenance to asset to resident services to sales to management,” Lea Anne says. “They understood it was such a good cause and they wanted to go out and be together to raise money for children’s cancer research and treatment.” Individual AVE team members also regularly participate in fundraisers including City to Shore MS Bike Ride, Blue Cross Broad Street Run, Susan G. Komen 3-Day Race for the Cure and the New York City Half Marathon. In addition to the six food drive parties AVE organized last September, the brand has seamlessly integrated Move for Hunger into its daily operations to regularly collect food for local food banks. “We have a captive audience. We have the team. We have the infrastructure,” Lea Anne explains. “We have the 32
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ability to promote saving food that would otherwise be thrown out and donating it to those who need it.” When an AVE resident provides his or her checkout notice, a team member reaches out to remind them about their partnership with Move for Hunger. A donation bag is delivered with their next housekeeping service. After a property collects 10 bags of food donations, they reach out to Move for Hunger to schedule a pickup. In New Jersey, Crown Relocation picks up the food and delivers it to Community Food Bank of New Jersey. As of print date, 2,000 pounds of food have been collected for the Salvation Army of West Chester, Community Food Bank of New Jersey and Heaven’s Helpers in Egg Harbor, New Jersey, providing 1,667 meals. Adam presented Lea Anne and Kim, who also serves as a board of advisor for the Meadowlands Regional Chamber, with the inaugural “Corporate Housing Provider of the Year” award at the annual Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA) conference in Texas in February. Move for Hunger is CHPA’s official charity. “AVE has always been really, really enthusiastic about our mission. They were one of the first corporate housing providers that got on board with our efAUGUST 2016
forts,” Adam says. “They’ve shown what it is to go above and beyond in partnering with an organization like ours. I admire their competitive spirit between the properties with food drives, and they’ve been really strong advocates in encouraging others within the industry to get involved as well.” This September, to raise awareness for Hunger Action Month, every AVE community will host resident events, with food, vendors and games reminiscent of carnivals and the Jersey Shore. The cost of admission is simply a food donation. AVE recently announced it broke ground on a new flexible-stay community in Florham Park, New Jersey with developer The Rockefeller Group, as well as a new flexible-stay community in The Village at Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. “As we continue to grow our real estate portfolio, it gives us the opportunity to impact more communities; it gives us the opportunity to touch more people,” Lea Anne says. “As we recruit and look for team members to join our brand, we’re looking for people who share our sense of community, and our sense of wanting to go above and beyond, not just for their own purpose, but for the purpose of the greater good.”
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Axiom Communications A Meadowlands Legacy
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ecaucus-based Axiom Communications was founded in 1999 by Ron Simoncini, and is a privately-owned public relations and communications firm. The Axiom team is devoted to helping its clients with destination and place-based marketing, providing services to clients in the real estate, economic development and travel/tourism industries. Some of the areas that they specialize in are public relations, public affairs, advertising, graphic design, web development and online presence management. In addition to the Meadowlands Regional Chamber and the Meadowlands Liberty Convention & Visitors Bureau, Axiom Communications’ clients have included Chamber members such as Field Station: Dinosaurs and Medieval Times. Its past and current client list is extensive with names including Hartz Mountain Industries, The Solomon Organization, The Sudler Company, Larken and Associate, Pegasus, DMR Architects and the Meadowlands-Area YMCA. Axiom’s staff have played an integral role in the Meadowlands Regional Chamber’s efforts to better promote the area’s growing tourism and hospitality industry—and capitalize on the region’s potential to be a long-term economic driver for the State. Recent collaborations include the creation of an updated Vision Plan for a Meadowlands Sports and Entertainment District that incorporates existing entities MetLife Stadium, Meadowlands Racetrack and the soon-to-open American Dream mega mall with a convention center, at least one casino, hotels, additional parking and a free people mover. Axiom Communications has had a long-time fruitful relationship with the Meadowlands Regional Chamber and has provided marketing support for major initiatives including securing large-scale events in the area, Super Bowl XLVIII, multiple WrestleMania Events, and most recently, three COPA America matches including the final match between Argentina and Chile. Axiom and the Chamber are currently working together on the North Stars Initiative created to educate New Jersey voters about the economic benefits of expanding gaming into North Jersey by voting ‘Yes’ on a gaming referendum this November. The two entities will continue to collaborate to build and support successful initiatives and platforms that will highlight the Meadowlands Region as a great place to work, dine and play.
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AUGUST 2016
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mended” by PR Week. Other awards include “PR Agency of the Year” and “Company of the Year” by the International Business Awards—and “Top Places to Work in PR.” It’s secret to success – client focused programs and an innovative approach to business. MWWPR has shifted the way it does business to an open platform, replacing silos with collaborative think tanks. The firm has created an incubator where ideas are developed, delivered and measured flawlessly from start to finish. MWWPR’s proprietary NetRelevance methodology is the first to measure impact, rather than just input – to understand how content and individuals drive the dialogue that ultimately contributes to purchase, recommendation, or engagement. MWWPR specializes in communications programs that impact and motivate a full range of targeted audiences. From branding, creative services, social strategies, media relations and consumer marketing, to crisis communications, is-
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sues management and public policy initiatives – the firm’s expertise in developing strategic programs that are effective and the full scope of services to execute those strategies allows clients to reach their goals. The agency boasts an additional seven strategic locations: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Trenton, London and Washington, D.C. MWWPR’s reach is not confined to only national soil—they continue to push the boundaries in every direction. MWWPR’s stellar reputation has garnered it great client relationships with such top-brands as Atkins, Gold’s Gym, Jack in the Box, Qdoba, Red Lobster, Air New Zealand, Nikon, Subaru, The Weather Channel, Tyson, U.S. Bank, Caesar’s Entertainment and TomTom. The firm also has represented most of New Jersey’s largest corporations and public policy interests – most recently JCP&L, Troy Corporation and Opportunity New Jersey.
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SMALL BUSINESS CORNER
Lean Business Planning
Five things business owners do better with a simple plan
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on’t think of a business plan as a formal document that is hard to do. It is actually quite useful for startups, bank loan applications and seeking investment. Think of it as a refined plan that is vital for optimizing business management. Here is a list of five things business owners do better when they practice lean business planning: 1. Manage strategy Strategy is focus. Most small businesses have trouble setting and maintaining focus on priorities. That is because there’s always a new crisis interfering or a new opportunity—real or perceived—distracting them like a shiny new thing. Not that opportunity is bad, but a lot of the shiny new things that seem like opportunities are just distractions. Pursuing them dilutes the focus and weakens the business. Trying to do everything is too often a quick path to failure. What is a small business owner to do? Manage strategy with planning. Set strategic priorities thoughtfully and use a simple planning process to manage them. Have a monthly plan review. Take time to reflect on results and assumptions and change and adapt carefully. That starts with a plan that sets the key points of strategy. Make it a lean plan, just bullet points and extreme summaries. You do it for yourself, not for outsiders—so keep it simple. 2. Align strategy & tactics It happens so often. You sit back to develop a strategy, but then you get back into the old routine and do not follow up with real tactics, real business decisions and activities to execute the strategy. For example, the computer store decides to focus on small business owners who appreciate service, but continues to advertise low prices, doesn’t insist on installing every system and doesn’t offer good training and frequent upgrade reminders. The tactics don’t match the strategy. To manage strategic alignment, do a
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refined business plan that lists tactics in simple bullet points. Tactics include pricing, channels, messaging, product and service mix, and so forth. Make sure the tactics execute the strategy. Then, review tactics and compare plan to actual results every month in a planning review meeting. Check strategic alignment as strategy, tactics and assumptions change. Expect to revise strategies and tactics often. 3. Manage execution Think of ongoing business management, from strategy to execution, as a process of taking steps toward goals. Goals include short and medium-term goals you can call milestones. In your refined plan, you set the milestones you can see for the near future. You list important milestones for the team. You assign dates, deadlines, budgets, perAUGUST 2016
formance expectations and responsibilities. Then, you manage progress toward milestones during the monthly lean plan review meetings. Bring up the milestone schedule, discuss progress and revise as necessary. Manage the ongoing flow from plan, to meaningful activities and to results. 4. Manage people People work better when objectives are clear and measurements are specific. People like to control their own performance numbers (also called metrics) so they can see their own progress toward goals and levels of performance. Which would you rather have for yourself: An objective numerical goal you can see and share, or the subjective approval and review of your supervisor? With refined business planning, you have the regular review of expectations and
results. It’s an easy forum for reviewing performance of team members and revising expectations. Reviews can come from both management staff and peers. Once a month you review results and compare them to expectations. Sometimes the plan was too ambitious and expectations too high—so you revise the goals. Sometimes the review turns up problems in execution and poor performance. That’s where management comes in. Make expectations explicit, review results and make people accountable for performance. This can all build up a healthy planning process. 5. Manage cash Cash flow is critical to a healthy business and it is not always as simple as profits. Businesses that manage products and in-
ventory can be profitable on paper but have all the working capital tied up in inventory. Businesses that sell to other businesses can be profitable on paper but have all their working capital tied up in accounts receivable—waiting for their business customers to pay their invoices. A polished planning process lays out expectations for money coming in and money going out to manage cash flow. Each time you have a plan vs. actual review to highlight developments, re-allocate spending as the need comes up. Make sure the cash flow is running as expected. In conclusion, planning is management. Forget the myth of the big formal business plan that makes most business owners grateful they don’t have to have one. Instead, think of business planning as a simple lean business plan. It should
consist of bullets and tables for strategy, tactics, milestones, metrics and essential projections—with a process that includes regular review and revision. Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and bplans.com, on Twitter as Timberry and blogging at timberry.bplans. com. His collected posts are at blog.timberry.com. He has an MBA from Stanford and is the author of business plan software Business Plan Pro, www.liveplan. com and books, including his latest, “Lean Business Planning,” published by Motivational Press. Contents of that book are available for web browsing free at leanplan.com.
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Helping People Meet Life’s Challenges
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SMALL BUSINESS CORNER
Customer Centricity Make it easy & they will come
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eff Bezos, 52, has been exercising his vision for the “everything store” since he launched Amazon back in the 1990s. He is perpetually creating new ways to buy things with the least energy possible. Up to just recently all you had to do was “click” your mouse to order. Now, Amazon has introduced Dash Buttons. It’s a small plastic wireless electronic device about the size of a car key remote with a strip of adhesive that can be “stuck” anywhere in the home. Each button can represent a specific product. For example, your Tide laundry soap container is empty, with just one press of the button you can reorder Tide anytime. Amazon will ship a new package directly to your house. This portends the eventual elimination of having to go shopping for many of the mundane products (toothpaste, garbage bags, etc.) you buy week-in, weekout. The ultimate convenience may have arrived. So far, about 100 brands have jumped on the Dash Button band wagon so that customers can easily reorder them whenever needed. The number of orders placed using the Dash Button devices increased 75 percent recently, compared with a similar period earlier. Dash Buttons are now being pressed more than once a minute by Amazon customers. Manufacturers love them because they can imprint their logo on a Dash Button and, in effect, get in-home advertising for their brands. In addition, and by default, they are eliminating their competitors in each household where they have their imprinted Dash Button. With the Dash Button, Amazon is eliminating one-click ordering on a smartphone or your personal computer. It can’t be much easier than pressing a button on the medicine cabinet, countertop, washing machine, refrigerator door or pantry wall. As uncanny as it may seem, and in 40
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anticipation of the future, Amazon got a patent for “anticipatory package shipping” a few years ago. Similarly, to how the late Steve Jobs was able to perceive what customers would want long before they knew themselves. Starbucks has also been busy with their own variety of customer centricity offerings. Starting in 2011, Starbucks developed the ability to accept payments from customers’ smart phones. Today, millions of customers use the company’s mobile application to pay for their Frappuccinos and lattes. One in four transactions now originate with a mobile device. In 2014, Starbucks introduced their “Take Order & Pay” mobile app that allows customers to place and pay for an order before they get to a store. Therefore, eliminating having to wait in line. Currently, about four percent of all Starbucks transactions are made in advance, with some stores as high as 10 percent. Starbucks is also working on “personalization” apps that will be able to store your favorite concoction. The app is supposed to even suggest what might go well with your beverage of choice (e.g. a chocolate biscotti). Other plans are to allow you to indicate where you would like to pick up your order, or even opt for home delivery. Starbucks, and others, are emulating Amazon’s commitment to saving customer’s time. Even Walmart ($482 billion last year) is working diligently to continue to save their customers money by investing in time saving technology. They have invested in electronic AUGUST 2016
“wands” that allow customers to scan items as they shop, which speeds up check-out time. Walmart is putting more than $1 billion into e-commerce on top of $10.5 billion invested in IT last year to monitor every aspect of its business. Given its size, algorithms can monitor billions of variables to determine where to stock what for maximum profitability. Walmart employees now have hand-held devices with apps to manage inventory better and improve customer service. Walmart was up 15 percent from 2014, with e-commerce accounting for $1 in every $10 that Americans spent last year. It is obvious that saving time and money will continue to motivate customers to devote more share of mind to those companies that make their lives easier and save them money. Robert M. Donnelly is an author, educator and brand builder for businesses and individuals. His corporate life was spent in executive positions with IBM, Pfizer and EXXON and then as the CEO for several U.S. subsidiaries of foreign multinational firms. Professor Donnelly is on the faculty of Saint Peters University as well as Rushmore University, a global online university. His latest book is Personal Brand Planning for Life, available on Amazon. He also functions as an interim executive. You can contact him at rdonnelly@saintpeters.edu.
Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey Organization Background Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey Paramus Service Center, 300 Forest Avenue, Paramus NJ 07652 Ph: 201-967-8100 Paterson Resource Center, Center City Mall, 301 Main Street, Paterson, NJ 07505 Ph: 973-881-9400 Randolph Service Center, 1579 Sussex Turnpike, Randolph, NJ 07869 Ph: 973-927-7722 Riverdale Service Center, 95 Newark Pompton Turnpike, Riverdale, NJ 07457 Ph: 973-248-8200 https://www.gsnnj.org/ Top Executive Betty A. Garger, President & CEO Alejandro Martinez, Chief Operating Officer Year Founded 1912 Number of Employees 67 Number of Seasonal Employees 150
Girl Scouts began more than 100 years ago with one woman, Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low, who believed in the power of every girl. Girl Scouting came to northern New Jersey just a few years after Daisy began the first Girl Scout troop in 1912 in Savannah, Georgia. Today, we continue her vision. Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey (GSNNJ) serves 28,690 girl members in grades K-12 and 16,050 adult members. Nationally, Girl Scouts has more than 2.7 million girl and adult members. We are committed to serving all girls. From age five through 18, GSNNJ helps girls grow brighter and brighter, day to day, month to year. We’ve been helping girls shine for over 100 years.
About Us
All girls in grades K-12 can be a part of Girl Scouts, the largest leadership development organization for girls. At Girl Scouts, our mission is to build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girl Scouts believes every girl can change the world. We help girls discover their inner strengths, passions, and talents through hands-on, girl-led activities and events. We offer girls the opportunity to dream big and make those dreams a reality through council program activities, troop events and community take action projects. From healthy living, to science and technology, to environmental awareness and so much more, we help girls start a journey all their own. Through the Girl Scout program, we offer every girl a chance to do something amazing, and we are always counting down to the next adventure. With us, girls make new friends and have new experiences. Whether girls are interested in building rockets, traveling across the country or across the world, spending the night at camp for the first time, or making a difference in their communities, they can do it with us. Alongside caring, committed adults, girls learn new skills and build their confidence so they are ready for whatever comes next. With the support of our volunteers and sponsors, GSNNJ is able to bring the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to girls in northern New Jersey. Volunteers introduce girls to new experiences that show them they’re capable of more than they ever imagined. Girl MEADOWLANDS USA
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FEATURED MEMBER
Scout volunteers are cheerleaders, guides, and mentors, helping girls develop life skills and confidence. We provide our volunteers with roles that match their skills, willingness, and available time. In most cases, no experience is necessary, although some training may be required and would be provided before beginning the volunteer role. Our volunteer leaders benefit from the opportunity to make a difference in a girl’s life by sharing their knowledge, experience and skills. They can build their own confidence and self-esteem, as well as hone leadership, communication and organizational skills. And, they get the chance to have fun, make friends and feel like a kid again!
Goals & Objectives
Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey will be recognized as the premier leadership development program that nurtures, inspires, and empowers girls in our area.
Council Camp Facilities
Along with our four service and resource centers, GSNNJ has three camp facilities. There is Camp Glen Spey in Glen Spey, New York, Jockey Hollow in Mendham, New Jersey and Lake Rickabear in Kinnelon, New Jersey. Our facilities provide accessibility and opportunities for girls throughout our region. We know that outdoor experiences are vital to helping girls learn and grow. Through troop and community camping events
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and summer camp, we give girls the chance to learn about the environment and develop a deep appreciation for nature.
Funding Overview
Annually, Girl Scout membership dues are $30 per girl and $15 per adult. However, it costs us more than $250 per girl to deliver our leadership program. We train and support our adult volunteers, while maintaining our service centers and camp properties. We rely on the support of generous individuals, corporations and foundations to help support our organization. Over the Edge is one of our fundraising events. Every day we ask girls to be bold. This exhilarating event offers partici pants the chance to be bold, too, as they rappel down a 10-story building, while raising money for girl leadership in northern New Jersey. The special events company, Over the Edge, assists willing rappellers as they descend the entire way down. No prior rappelling experience is required. Those interested can learn more and sign up on the GSNNJ website. At GSNNJ, we are committed to ensuring that all girls have the opportunity to be Girl Scouts through our financial assistance program. All investments help bring the Girl Scout program to even more girls, because when girls succeed, so does society. For additional information, please visit www.gsnnj.org or contact Lynn Apolinaro, public relations director, GSNNJ, (973) 248-8200.
Examining New Jersey's Most Pressing Issues
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LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Big Shoes to Fill
Effective succession planning
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very organization, whether it is a large corporation, a family-run business, or a small mom-andpop shop, must have a strong plan of succession. But that isn’t all it takes to lead your organization or business to success. You should also have a short list of potential leaders ready to step up and take charge when the current boss is forced out due to health reasons or for something else. Yet, we find more and more. I discovered, even in the most sophisticated and visible companies, no realistic and practical succession plan exists. It’s easy to talk a good game when it comes to planning for who will lead the future of an organization, but actually doing it is a different story. With this in mind, consider the following leadership lessons when it comes to effective succession planning: 1. Remember that the chiefexecutive officer’s (CEO) succession planning is not a single-person event. When organizations take on succession planning, they often focus on the CEO role and neglect to focus on other positions as well. However, really smart leaders tie succession planning to larger leadership development efforts. They recognize how critical it is to identify not only who will succeed the CEO but who the future leaders of the organization working alongside his or her successor will be. The best succession planning involves a constant assembly and reassembly of a leadership puzzle with many pieces.
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2. Even when great internal candidates exist, continue to look outside for other prospective candidates. Simply put, an effective succession-planning process must include internal and external candidates to ensure that all of the best candidates for the job are considered. Once the succession-planning team has identified the key candidates outside of the organization, the next step is to then compare these candidates with the best players internally. Evaluate these candidates on the skills and experience criteria needed to lead the organization forward. 3. Don’t keep succession plans a secret. Be up front. Really confident and secure leaders should have the ability and willingness to talk openly about their succession. It shouldn’t be embarrassing. In fact, when you decide that you will be stepping aside, you should say so. Make it clear how the process will work and who will be involved in the succession planning effort. Conversely, if you don’t do this, then ask yourself, who and what will fill up the vacuum when it comes to information? How about the rumor mill? Efforts to foster transparency will go a long way in combating any percep-
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tion of a hidden agenda and will, in turn, reassure your people that you are considering their needs as well as the needs of the overall organization. Succession planning is a complex and complicated process. It takes a special kind of leader to play an integral and valuable role in his or her succession. It is doable and the payoff is lasting and significant on many levels. What specific steps do you think are critical for effective succession planning? Write to Steve Adubato at sadubato@ aol.com. Steve Adubato Ph.D., is the author of numerous books including his latest, You Are the Brand, and his upcoming book, Lessons in Leadership. He is also an Emmy Award-winning anchor on Thirteen/WNET (PBS) and NJTV (PBS) who regularly appears on CNN, FOX News, and the Today Show. Steve also provides executive leadership coaching and seminars for a variety of corporations and organizations both regionally and nationally. To read more Lessons in Leadership visit www.Stand-Deliver.com. Find and follow Steve on Twitter and Facebook at: @SteveAdubato @SteveAdubatoPhD
COMMUNITY VOICE
New Jersey District 6 Little League Expanding the sport & attracting new players
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orn in 1939 in Williamsport, PA by a promise from Carl Stotz, to his two nephews, Jimmy and Major Gehron. Stotz decided to find a way for children to play baseball like the Major Leaguers of the day. Little League has grown to 160,000 local leagues in more than 80 countries. Serving 2.4 million children with over 1 million volunteers, it is the largest youth sports organization in the world. But, at its core, Little League is actually small. The most important component of Little League is the local league. New Jersey District 6 Little League is made up of ten local Little League programs plus a district-wide Challenger Division for developmentally disabled children. The leagues serve children ages 4 to 18 years old in 13 southern Bergen County towns. The district serves as the volunteer link between the local leagues and Little League International. The district provides pre-season safety, coaching, and player development clinics. Additionally, they coordinate league activities throughout the year and operate district tournaments that begin the road to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. In addition, the leagues of the district hosts sectional and State tournaments featuring the district tournament winners as they advance. In 2014, District 6 and Little Ferry/ South Hackensack Little League hosted the 9 to10-year-old New Jersey State Championship. In 2018, one of the leagues of the district will be the site of New Jersey’s 11 to12-year-old Little League State Championship. Prestigious events like these are not possible without a supportive relationship with the local community. The relationship between community and the local Little League has always been the cornerstone of the program. The league strengthens the community through positive youth development. However, the league’s success is largely due to the support of volunteers, local businesses and municipal governments. District 6 seeks to build upon these natural relationships and strengthen ties to the communities it serves. District 6 has seen tremendous growth
over the past few years. Four years ago, 21 teams participated in the post-season district tournaments. This year, there were 42 teams involved. This growth in tournament play was made possible by a corresponding expansion of regular season programs supported by dedicated volunteers and with assistance from local business partners. In 2014, the leagues of the district worked to offer programs for 13-14 year olds and 15-16 year olds for the first time in many years. The Junior and Senior divisions allowed kids who otherwise would have “graduated” out of Little League to continue playing for several more years. In its first year, the Palisades Park/Leonia Senior League team advanced all the way to the state tournament. In 2015, the district worked with Little League to expand its offerings of girls’ softball. They decided to develop an inter-league regular season schedule. The smaller towns who could only field one or two teams to start had opponents to play and enhanced the experience of their players, helping these leagues to attract more players this past season. For the 2016 season, the district staged softball tournaments at every age level as baseball except Senior League. Next year, we look forward to a district-wide program for 15 to16-year-old girls. Also this past season, district tour-
naments were created for 7-8 year olds in baseball and softball. These coach-pitch tournaments grew out of regular season offerings in a division between tee-ball for our youngest players (4-6 year olds) and those in the Minor and Major divisions (ages 8-12). The proceeds of the 7 to 8-year-old Coach-Pitch tournaments were given to our Challenger division. This year over $1200 was raised. This is just one example of how the leagues of New Jersey’s District 6 not only give children a place to play. They teach these kids positive values, build character, create life-long friendships and strengthen communities. District 6 has benefited from the generosity of local business partners. In the past few years, its programs have relied upon donations from Modell’s Sporting Goods, Stop & Shop Supermarkets, Hackensack University Medical Center, Alma Bank, Diamond Chemical Company, White Castle Restaurants, EJG Sports, Maggiano’s Little Italy Restaurant, Morton’s The Steakhouse, Bogota Savings Bank, Lexus of Englewood, The River Palm Terrace, Visions Federal Credit Union, MedExpress, Babe’s Taxi, Premier Oral Surgery, and Pepsi Beverage Company. For more information about District 6 and its programs, please visit: www.NJD6LL.org
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LEGAL
Early Signs of Procurement Fraud Taking the proper steps to address it
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ccording to risk consulting firm Kroll, 19 percent of businesses endured vendor, supplier or procurement fraud in 2015. If you are not familiar with what procurement fraud is and are a business owner, it might be in your best interest to become educated in the matter. Here is a hypothetical situation in which it occurs and how to handle it effectively: A month ago, you fired the head of your IT department. The man had been slipping for a long time even though he was with you since the inception of the company. Ultimately, he put you in a difficult position and it was very hard for you to let him go. He went through a problematic divorce several years ago. While that experience seemed to knock him for a loop, he held it together for a while. Then the heavy drinking started, meetings were missed, project costs starting going through the roof and complaints about the company’s IT systems began multiplying. Despite the numerous warnings that were directed toward him, it got worse. Now his replacement has come into your office with a puzzling discovery. Your company has been paying $5,000 a month for maintenance on software. The new employee looked into it and has been told that the company took that software off its computer systems years ago. For reasons that are not clear, the company has been paying $60,000 a year for something that literally does not exist. This is the classic way in which a company is alerted to the possibility that it has been the victim of procurement fraud. This is a crime that affects businesses of every type, nearly every size. It costs businesses billions of dollars a year. Simply stated, procurement fraud is a fraud that occurs somewhere in the procurement cycle of a product or service. It is typically perpetrated or facilitated by someone inside your organization, usually in exchange for a kickback or bribe. The offender allows the organization to
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buy things that it does not need, pay for things at greatly inflated prices or purchase things that are never received. The different ways in which the fraud may be perpetrated are endless. But in most instances, it involves a trusted insider who has discretionary authority to spend money. This individual is operating without meaningful oversight and is colluding with a vendor all too happy to capitalize on the employee’s disloyalty. The first hint that this may be happening is often something similar to what is described in our hypothetical situation— some discrepancy, not in itself very large, that might be indicative of dishonestly but could also be chalked up to nothing more than sloppiness. Before you convince
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yourself of the latter, there are three issues that must be explored in some detail. First, you must ask yourself: Does this individual fit the profile of a fraudster? That requires you to put aside whatever personal experiences led you to trust him in the first place and consider what professionals believe to be the warning signs. Second, how big is the problem? Is it truly isolated or are there other “mistakes” that suggest the possibility of a pattern? And third, who else might have been involved? Identifying every involved employee and vendor will be essential to a successful outcome and ensuring that such a thing never happens again. What you do in the first hours, days and weeks after you receive the tip may well determine whether
you get your money back or you sustain an enormous loss that you did not even see coming. Who is the employee? In evaluating a person who might have committed fraud, lawyers and auditors who specialize in fraud talk about the “fraud triangle” consisting of opportunity, pressure and rationalization. In our hypothetical, the individual who continued paying for unneeded software had two important sources of opportunity: insider status and technical knowledge. You trusted that person. Odds are that you were not looking over his shoulder because you knew him well. You believed that whatever else might be going on in his life, he would never steal from you. Second, he had specialized knowledge that you did not have. He is an information technology executive. When he told you that you needed some new software or equipment, you believed him, because you trust him and also because you do not know enough about computer technology to question his judgment. For this reason, IT-related procurement fraud is particularly common and often arises in small to medium sized companies where a single person is responsible for important technology acquisitions and the technology budget. Pressure can come from many sources. In our hypothetical, the employee went through a bitter divorce and has a drinking problem. The employee’s divorce may have put a significant strain on his financial resources and his drinking may have begun to affect his judgment. Experience teaches that employees who experience significant personal hardships, particularly when coupled with financial stress and substance abuse problems, are much more likely to engage in fraud and other forms of work-related dishonesty. Lastly, rationalization is a process by which a formerly loyal employee allows himself to succumb to temptation—or at least justify it to himself. Sometimes it is no more complicated than the need for money. More often, the employee grows to feel resentful over some perceived slight, such as a bad performance review or a sense that he is underpaid and not sharing adequately in the fruits of his labor. It is very important that no one be
accused of wrongdoing without sufficient evidence. Otherwise, it is possible to be sued by an individual wrongly accused. But when simmering resentment is joined with the other two elements of the fraud triangle, the stage is set for procurement fraud. Exactly how big is it? The discovery of a discrepancy such as the one in our hypothetical requires, above all, a targeted audit of employee’s activities. It is best that this be conducted by a forensic accountant with the close involvement of legal counsel experienced in such investigations. This is because the extent of the problem and hence the involvement of other insiders will be unknown. It is also best that as few other employees as possible be involved in the process. The professionals used to conduct the audit should come from outside the company’s legal and accounting departments. If it appears that the problem is small, and likely the result of isolated sloppiness or negligence, the recommendation will usually be to let sleeping dogs lie. The individual who failed to cancel the software contract is gone. There is no real basis to sue a former manager for unintentional mismanagement. The matter is best looked at as a lesson learned. On the other hand, the recommendation is different if it appears that the problem is not small. The employee may have in fact engaged in procurement fraud. If that is the case, a very thorough investigation conducted under the direction of experienced legal counsel must be undertaken immediately. The hunt for co-conspirators The number one concern of companies that are victimized by a sizable procurement fraud is usually restitution: getting the money back. A close second is the need to understand who was involved so that implicated insiders can be discharged and implicated vendors taken off approved lists. A distant third is to see that those involved are punished, usually with criminal prosecutions. It is not that victims do not care about punishment. The majority do. The problem is the first priority will be to ensure that the lost money is recouped and that goal may conflict with the objective of law enforcement, which is always punishment of the guilty. You should al-
ways receive assistance of legal counsel when seeking the decision of when, how and if you are going to alert the authorities. The sad fact is that employees who are caught committing procurement fraud seldom have much of the money left to return. What that means in practical terms is that you will be most interested in identifying vendors who conspired with your employee to cheat the company. Vendors often have the money, but there are two problems that you will face in convincing them to return it. The first is that because they have money to pay you, they also have the resources to fight back and they will do so. Aggressively. The quality of your evidence will convince them that resistance is futile or embolden them to force you to sue them. The second problem, related to the first, is that fraud cases require a very high order of proof and are frequently met with skepticism by reviewing courts. It is often said by courts that fraud cases must be pled with particularity, meaning that the complaint must lay out the case in excruciating detail, chapter and verse. Moreover, the standard of proof in a fraud case is typically higher. It is not the preponderance of evidence standard in a typical civil case, but a showing of clear and convincing evidence. A careful collection of evidence during the investigatory phase is therefore essential. Bank records, commercial documents, emails, reliable witness accounts and other essential evidence will be gone or incomplete when fraud investigations are conducted haphazardly or late. The end result may well spell doom to any chance you had to recover the money. What all of this means is that even if every instinct is telling you that the employee made a mistake, explore it a bit before you consign it to simple error. By the time you realize your own mistake, it may be far too late to do anything about it. Mr. Samuel J. Samaro is a partner at the law firm of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden and the chair of its Employment Law practice group. He can be reached at (201) 4888200 or at ssamaro@pashmanstein.com.
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TECH TALK
Determining the Superior Software Cloud vs onsite vs hybrid computing benefits
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nformation technology (IT) applications, especially for small and medium enterprises, used to be delivered using an ‘onsite’ or ‘on premise’ delivery model. The business would buy personal computers, servers and laptops—each system would have a licensed operating system such as Windows or Apple IOS, as well as business application software such as Microsoft Office. The user’s data would be stored locally on their PC or on a centralized server in the office. Because upgrades required IT expertise and financial resources, many enterprises chose to stay with one version of operating system and business application software for many years until issues, such as a lack of technical support or feature capability made available in new software releases, forced an upgrade to their IT infrastructure. The improved broadband access capability to enterprises and homes, the increased popularity of allowing employees to work from home using their personal computing
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devices and access to business applications from mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have caused software application providers to offer new software licensing models to address these requirements. Let’s first unpack the differences between cloud-based versus onsite versus hybrid computing, and then follow up with examples of when each approach should be applied using computing and voice applications. Onsite computing Let us start with the onsite computing approach that many people are familiar with, using Microsoft as an example. There is a new desktop computer being installed in the office that has no software licensing. Windows 10 Pro is purchased for $199.99 and installed on the computer. Office Professional 2016 is purchased for $399.99 and installed on the computer that provides access to Outlook, Publisher, Access, Word, Excel, Powerpoint and OneNote. That is onsite computing: one computer with one set of licenses for the
AUGUST 2016
computer. If the employee wants to work from home periodically, the home computer would require an additional set of licenses. If periodic access to information is required from a tablet or a smart phone, the applications required to retrieve the information would need to be licensed on these mobile devices. Finally, with onsite computing, users must re-license operating systems and applications to access new features and capabilities available in the latest releases. Cloud-based computing takes the opposite approach, putting all the applications and data in the cloud making them accessible via the Internet through a web browser. Applications such as online banking are good examples of cloud-based computing since they allow access through a web browser. All the data is stored in the bank’s data repositories. Google Docs is an excellent example of a personal cloud tool where all the applications (e.g. document processing, spreadsheets, presentations, etc.) are
accessible online and documents can be shared and accessed in real-time with those you grant access to. Microsoft has an offering through www.office.com where all office applications are available online at $6 per month. Many enterprise resource planning applications are now available through the cloud. This avoids the onsite installation and configuration costs for this class of application. This allows businesses to focus immediately on automating their back-office functions. Hybrid versus cloud computing software Hybrid computing (or hybrid cloud) is a mix of onsite and cloud services with orchestration between the two models. Workloads can move between the onsite and cloud-based models depending on factors such as cost, computing needs and regulatory requirements imposed on business applications. Let’s go back to the previous onsite Microsoft licensing example where Windows 10 and Office 2016 Professional are purchased for approximately $600 to be installed on a new desktop. The user also accesses this software from their home office as well as mobile phone and tablet. Rather than purchasing standalone licenses for each platform, Microsoft offers a subscription-based license offer where full Office applications are available for $10 per month on up to five simultaneous computers, tablets or mobile devices. Office 365 is downloaded onto the computer or devices and runs locally. The user has the choice of whether to store data locally or up in the Microsoft cloud with one terabyte of storage provided by the subscription service. When Microsoft releases new features in Office, the user can immediately upgrade their devices with the latest software releases under the subscription service. The delineation between onsite versus cloud versus hybrid computing gets blurry with the many combinations of services and deployment models that can be generated. It is also useful to review the U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) definition of cloud computing. Examples of on-demand services includes Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Salesforce.com. Each of these on-demand services can be scaled up and down quickly based, providing elasticity to businesses. The instrumentation is there to measure and bill for services used as well as deliver on a multitude of service and deployment models. Choosing the appropriate software The question then becomes: When should onsite, cloud and hybrid computing models be used in a business IT environment. The answer will depend on a number of factors including in-house expertise, compliance requirements (important in sectors such as healthcare or finance), cost, ability to scale and support. The size of an enterprise is also an important consideration when choosing when to deploy cloud versus onsite versus hybrid approaches for IT applications. Small and medium businesses are on tighter budgets and rarely can builder onsite solutions with the same budget as cloud-based offerings. Larger enterprises have inhouse resources to focus on core applications requiring on-site or hybrid deployment, while allowing non-critical business applications to be deployed in the cloud. Let us tie all these concepts together using an enterprise voice application for a hypothetical accounting firm. This particular firm has a legacy phone system that they are looking to replace with 10 phones supported by eight analog lines to the public voice network.
Their server infrastructure runs a Dell server using Vmware virtualization software for their Microsoft domain controller, shared file services and accounting applications. The accounting firm posed the question: Should the voice services be deployed in the cloud using a service provider, or should the new voice server be deployed onsite? The analog lines for the current service are provided by the accounting firm’s cable provider. They pay $30 per month per line for a total of monthly charge of $240 for public phone network connectivity. This is $2,880 annually. The accounting firm received a quote from a hosted Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) carrier that includes support for 10 VoIP phones at $26 per month per phone for public voice connectivity and access to features. They would additionally charge $8 per month for an Efax account and one time purchases of new phones at $125 per phone. However, with a cloud-based voice solution, the accounting firm would pay $1,250 for new VoIP phones and $300 for Power over Ethernet (POE) switch to power the phones. Plus, you would need an uninterruptable power supply to protect against power fluctuations, which would be a one-time cost of roughly $1,750. The monthly cloud-based subscription fee would be $260 per month, or $3,120 annually. Following the installation of the cloudbased voice solution, the accounting firm would either provision the services themselves with the help of the cloud-based provider’s help team or they would hire someone with the expertise to do this work. Deploying, a, VoIP-based solution, for the accounting presents the opportunity to look at alternate carriers with competitive per-minute offerings. This accounting firm handles about 4,000 minutes of calls per month, of which 1,500 minutes are outgoing calls. A carrier was selected with a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunk offering 10 concurrent channels for $30 per month with 5,000 free incoming minutes and 100 free outgoing minutes. The overage per minute for outgoing calls is $0.019 per minute. For 1,400 overage minutes, the total monthly charge is $26.60. By getting the monthly SIP trunk cost added in, the total monthly public voice network charges would be $56.60 per month, or $679 annually. As this is a VoIP solution, an Efax account is added at $8 per month, bringing total annual public voice network costs to $775. An accounting office may be small enough to take advantage of open source telephony server, which can be virtualized on their existing Vmware server infrastructure at no cost for either voice server hardware or software. An accounting firm would save a lot of money by deploying an onsite voice solution over a hosted voice alternative solution. Some accounting firms do not have in-house expertise to support an onsite voice solution, so they would need to contract expertise through an IT or telephony provider. The savings would be significantly more beneficial over the cloud-based program due to the lower costs using a SIP trunk for public voice connectivity versus the monthly subscription charge for the cloudbased program. This type of analysis is required for every IT application where hosted versus onsite versus hybrid deployment models are being considered. The answers will vary with every business situation. Peter Krautle is a managing partner at Louisa Voice, which provides voice and telecommunications services for small and medium business. More information can be found at www.louisavoice.com. Peter also serves on the Meadowlands Regional Chamber’s Technology Committee. He can be reached at (914) 417-2271.
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STAY IN THE MEADOWLANDS AVE CLIFTON Clifton 973.859.3200
Embassy Suites Secaucus (201) 864-7300
Candlewood Suites Hotel Secaucus 201.865.3900
Fairfield Inn By Marriott East Rutherford (201) 507-5222
Courtyard by Marriott Edgewater 201-945-5440
Hampton Inn Carlstadt (201) 935-9000
Courtyard by Marriott Lyndhurst (201) 896-6666
Hilton Garden Inn Secaucus (201) 864-1400
Courtyard by Marriott Secaucus (201) 617-8888
Hilton Hasbrouck Heights Hasbrouck Heights (201) 288-6100
Econo Lodge Carlstadt (201) 935-4600
Hilton Meadowlands East Rutherford (201) 896-0500
Element Harrison (862) 234-4922
Holiday Inn Hasbrouck Heights Hasbrouck Heights (201) 288-9600
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Holiday Inn Secaucus Meadowlands Secaucus (201) 809-4746 Holiday Inn Express Paramus (201) 843-5400 Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Carlstadt (201) 460-9292 Homewood Suites by Hilton East Rutherford (201) 460-9030 Hyatt Place Secaucus/ Meadowlands Secaucus (201) 422-9480 La Quinta Inn & Suites Secaucus (201) 863-8700
Marriott at Newark Liberty International Airport Newark (973) 623-0006 Red Roof Inn Secaucus (201) 319-1000 Renaissance Meadowlands Hotel Rutherford (201) 231-3100
Sheraton Lincoln Harbor Hotel Weehawken (201) 617-5600 SpringHill Suites Newark (973) 624-5300 Station at Lyndhurst Apartments Lyndhurst (201) 252-4036
Residence Inn East Rutherford (201) 939-0020
The Meadowlands River Inn Secaucus (201) 867-4400
Residence Inn Saddle River (201) 934-4144
W Hotel Hoboken (201) 253-2420
Saddle Brook Marriott Saddle Brook (201) 843-9500
Westin Hotel Jersey City (201) 626-2900
0316
EAST
MEADOWLANDS RESTAURANTS & DINING 3rd Wave Cafe & Crepes, The Lyndhurst (201) 528-8163
Bergen Burger Rutherford (201) 460-1895
Secaucus (201) 325-0498
Biggies Clam Bar Carlstadt (201) 933-4242
Al Di La East Rutherford (201) 939-1128 Angry Coffee Bean, LLC North Arlington (973) 818-0445 Annabella’s Fine Foods, Inc. East Rutherford (201) 804-0303 Bagels Plus & Deli Secaucus (201) 330-0744 Bareli’s Restaurant, LLC Secaucus (201) 865-2766 Bazzarelli Restaurant & Pizzeria Moonachie (201) 641-4010
Bistro at Courtyard Secaucus Meadowlands Secaucus (201) 617-8888 Bistro Six-Five-Zero Hasbrouck Heights (201) 288-6100 Bonefish Grill Secaucus (201) 864-3004 Boogie Woogie Bagel Boys Weehawken (201) 863-4666 Buffalo Wild Wings Secaucus (201) 348-0824 Burger King
BurgerFi Secaucus (551) 257-7979 Cafe Four Fifty Five Secaucus (201) 864-7300 Cafe Matisse Rutherford (201) 935-2995 Caffe Capri East Rutherford (201) 460-1039 Carrabba’s Italian Grill Secaucus (201) 330-8497 Chart House Restaurant Weehawken (201) 348-6628 Cheeseburger In Paradise Secaucus (201) 392-0500
THE ONLY THING WE OVERLOOK
is this...
SEAFOOD • STEAK • PRIME RIB
Chevys Clifton 973-777-6277
Il Cafone Lyndhurst (201) 933-3355
Chili’s Restaurant Secaucus (201) 319-0804
Il Villaggio Carlstadt (201) 935-7733
Chipotle Mexican Grill Secaucus (201) 223-0562
Kilroy’s Sports Bar Carlstadt (201) 896-8900
Chit Chat Diner Hackensack (201) 820-4033
La Reggia Restaurant & Banquets & Lounge Secaucus (201) 422-0200
Colonial Diner Lyndhurst (201) 935-3192 Cosi Secaucus (201) 330-1052 CUPS frozen yogurt that’s hot Secaucus Dunkin Donuts/Subway Secaucus 201-617-9200 Finch’s Rutherford (201) 231-3141 Francesca’s Gourmet Food River Edge (201) 678-1188 Gabriel’s Grille & Bar Hasbrouck Heights (201) 288-9600 Good Chinese Kitchen North Bergen (201) 295-0806 Harold’s New York Deli Lyndhurst (201) 935-2600 Houlihan’s Hasbrouck Heights (201) 393-9330 Houlihan’s Secaucus (201) 330-8856
PIER D-T/LINCOLN HARBOR • WEEHAWKEN • 201-348-6628
SPECIAL EVENT SPACE FOR 30-500 GUESTS RESERVATIONS ONLINE AT CHART-HOUSE.COM
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Houlihan’s Weehawken (201) 863-4000 I Am Cupcakes Teaneck (201) 440-4249
Legal Sea Foods, LLC Paramus (201) 843-8483 Little Italy Café Secaucus (201) 348-1400 Marco Polo Pizza/ Breakfast Grill Weehawken (201) 863-0057 Martini Grill Wood-Ridge (201) 939-2000 Masina Trattoria Italiana Weehawken (201) 348-4444 McDonalds North Bergen (201) 868-9888 Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament Lyndhurst (201) 933-2220 MIX Rutherford (201) 507-9696 Morton’s The Steakhouse Hackensack (201) 487-3614 Mr. Bruno’s Pizza and Beyond East Rutherford (201) 531-8900 Mr. G’s Carlstadt (201) 460-0100 New China Inn Rutherford (201) 438-0324
MEADOWLANDS RESTAURANTS & DINING Oceanaire Seafood Room Hackensack (201) 343-8862
Redd’s Restaurant & Bar Carlstadt (201) 933-0015
Sanzari’s New Bridge Inn New Milford (201) 692-7700
Subway Secaucus (201) 325-0300
Urban Plum Gastropub Secaucus (201) 520-0574
Olive Garden Secaucus (201) 867-3543
Rutherford Pancake House Rutherford (201) 340-4171
Segovia Restaurant Moonachie (201) 641-4266
Subway North Bergen (201) 869-4469
Starbucks Coffee East Rutherford (201) 438-0584
Tandoor on the Hudson Weehawken (800) 221-6721
Varrellman’s Baked Goods Rutherford (201) 939-0462
Starbucks Coffee Secaucus (201) 223-4924
The Crow’s Nest Restaurant Hackensack (201) 342-5445
Outback Steakhouse Secaucus (201) 601-0077
Ruth’s Chris Steak House Weehawken (201) 863-5100
Panera Bread Secaucus (201) 348-2846
Sabor Latin Bistro North Bergen (201) 943-6366
Park & Orchard Corp. East Rutherford 201 939-9292 Pink at Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment East Rutherford (201) 842-5013 Red Lobster Secaucus (201) 583-1902
Saladworks East Rutherford (201) 939-8886
Stefanos Mediterranean Grille Secaucus (201) 865-6767
Sals Good Eats Teterboro (201) 375-4949
Stony Hill Inn Hackensack (201) 342-4085
Thistle Restaurant Lyndhurst (201) 935-0004
Sanducci’s Trattoria River Edge 201-599-0600
Subway Weehawken (201) 865-2500
Tokyo Hibachi & Buffet Secaucus (201) 863-2828
The Original Pita Grill Hoboken (201) 217-9777
Vesta Wood Fired Pizza & Bar East Rutherford (201) 939-6012 Volare’s Restaurant Rutherford (201) 935-6606
MEADOWLANDS TRANSPORTATION AAA Giants Limousine & Car Service (201) 635-8000
Enterprise Rent-A-Car (908) 497-1234
Academy Bus, LLC (201) 420-7000
Enterprise Rent-A-Car (845) 537-6067
Axis Global Systems, LLC (718) 458-3666 Country Club Services (973) 376-4352
First Student (855) 272-3222
Flyte Tyme Limousine (201) 529-1452 JPods (612) 414-4211 Lincoln Harbor Yacht Club (201) 319-5100 Meadowlink (201) 939-4242
New York, Susquehana & Western Railway Corp. (607) 547-2555
Pegasus Worldwide Limousine (800) 877-3427
NJ Transit (973) 491-8903 www.njtransit.com
Stout’s Transportation Services (609) 883-8891
NY Waterway (201) 902-8700
U.S. Coachways, Inc. (718) 477-4242
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EVENT PLANNING & CATERING SERVICES 16W Marketing Rutherford (201) 635-8000 4 Wall New York Moonachie (201) 329-9878 Adam Leffel Productions / Petals Premier Event Design Hackensack (201) 487-1300 Annabella’s Fine Foods, Inc. East Rutherford (201) 804-0303 Audience Pleasers Garfield 973-773-0953 Bounce Music & Entertainment Englewood Cliffs (201) 482-8191 CeCe Productions, LLC Rutherford (201) 672-0050
Chit Chat Creative Caterers Hackensack (201) 820-4033
Il Villaggio Carlstadt (201) 935-7733
Nanina’s In The Park Belleville (973) 751-1230
Fabulous Foods Event Design & Catering Moonachie (201) 896-8800
In Thyme Catered Events River Vale (201) 666-3353
Personal Touch Experience & Catering Hackensack (201) 488-8820
Fiesta Banquets Wood-Ridge (201) 939-5409
In-Tents Party Rentals Wood-Ridge (201) 282-2026
Photobooth Planet Ridgefield (917) 780-5556
Jimmy’s Artistic Creations East Rutherford (201) 460-1919
Pink at Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment East Rutherford (201) 842-5013
Freeman Kearny (201) 299-7400 Garden Vista Ballroom Passaic (973) 777-6655 Graycliff Catering Inc. (The Graycliff) Moonachie (201) 939-9233 Greenwood Lake Air Show West Milford 973-224-9142
JNL Creative Tours, LLC Waldwick (201) 312-4684 Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment East Rutherford (201) 842-5013
Positive Impact Partners Cranbury (609) 395-1972 Seasons Catering Washington Township (201) 664-6141
Sireno Communications Sussex (973) 875-4079 Smooth Sailing Celebrations Oak Ridge (973) 409-4456 Sterling Affair Caterers Carlstadt (201) 372-0734 Sweet Dreams Studio Photo Booth Madison (703) 585-4704 The Excelsior of Saddle Brook Saddle Brook (973) 772-9900 The Original Pita Grill Hoboken (201) 217-9777 Unique Event Center Little Ferry (201) 880-5025
ONE VENUE, UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES. Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment is the perfect venue for any occasion.
MEADOWLANDS PACE / JULY 16 Racing’s biggest party! T-Shirt Giveaway, Live Music, Win $500 Win Wagers and More! First Post 6:30 p.m.
LIVE RACING FRI + SAT / 7:15 P.M.
For dining options email catering@playmeadowlands.com | playmeadowlands.com | 201-the-bigm | e. rutherford, nj 07073
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EXPLORE THE MEADOWLANDS Ecotourism Hackensack Riverkeeper Hackensack (201) 968-0808 NJSEA Meadowlands Environment Center Lyndhurst (201) 460-8300
Bergen County Parks Belmont Hill County Park Garfield
Darlington County Park Mahwah (201) 327-3500 Hackensack River County Park Hackensack (201) 336-7275 Overpeck County Park Leonia (201) 336-7275 Pascack Brook County Park Westwood (201) 336-6000
Borg’s Woods Nature Preserve Hackensack
Ramapo Valley County Reservation Mahwah (201) 327-3500
Dahnert’s Lake County Park Garfield
Riverside County Park Lyndhurst (201) 939-9339
Saddle River County Park Saddle brook (201) 796-0324
Stephen R. Gregg Park Bayonne (201) 858-7180
Laurel Hill Park Secaucus (201) 915-1388
Samuel Nelkin County Park East Rutherford (973) 777-0318
Columbus Park Hoboken (201) 915-1388
NJSEA Parks
Van Saun County Park Paramus (201) 262-3771 Wood Dale County Park Hillsdale (201) 336-7275
Hudson County Parks Mercer Park Bayonne
Explore the Real Meadowlands!
Lincoln Park Jersey City (201) 915-1388 Washington Park Jersey City/ Union City (201) 348-5700 West Hudson Park Kearny (201) 217-5482 Braddock Park North Bergen (201) 915-3188
The Power Of
Richard W. DeKorte Park Lyndhurst (201) 460-1700 Mill Creek Point Park Secaucus (866) 927-6416 Losen Slote Creek Park Little Ferry Laurel Hill Park Secaucus 201-915-1386 River Barge Park and Marina Carlstadt
ISSUES
Visit www.meadowlandsusa.com to view our media kit and editorial calendar Every issue of Meadowlands USA magazine is packed full of useful information to help you grow your business and to help other businesses find you.
Join us for an Eco-Cruise, paddling tour, or a river cleanup on YOUR Hackensack River. www.HackensackRiverkeeper.org
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For more info call: 201-968-0808
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Talk about value? With readership at an all time high you’ll receive great exposure while paying very affordable advertising rates, much lower than any other New Jersey business publication. It’s a great investment since each issue has a shelf life of two months and appears on our website Meadowlands.org at no additional cost to advertisers. For more information and a complete 2016 editorial calendar, please contact Martha Morley, Advertising Sales Director at (201) 493-7996.
Il Villaggio_Oct2015_V1_Il 10/20/15 4:29 PM Page 1
“A diamond in the shadow of the Meadowlands, old-style cuisine that never disappoints” Zagat Survey, America’s Top 1000 Italian Restaurants 2008
“Best of Award of Excellence” - Wine Spectator Magazine
Come experience Il Villaggio’s distinguished cuisine in our newly renovated restaurant Since 1979, Il Villaggio has been consistently providing guests with truly memorable dining experiences. Our menu specializes in classic northern Italian dishes, which include a wide variety of fresh fish & seafood specials that change daily. Complete your dining experience with our wide selection of homemade desserts. Il Villaggio caters to Bar/Bat Mitzvahs,Weddings, and Private/Corporate Events. Monday-Friday: 11:30 am -11:00 pm • Saturday: 5:00 pm - 12 Midnight Sunday: Private Events Only 651 Route 17 North, Carlstadt, NJ 07072 Telephone: 201.935.7733 • info@ilvillaggio.com • www.ilvillaggio.com
Recreation, Sports & Entertainment AMF Wallington Lanes Wallington (973) 773-9100
DESTINATION MEADOWLANDS Hi-Tech Billiard Club & Lounge Weehawken (201) 624-8240
Kerasotes Showplace 14 Secaucus Aviation Hall of Fame & (201) 210-5364 Museum Of NJ Liberty Science Teterboro Center (201) 288-6344 Jersey City Bergen Performing Arts (201) 200-1000 Center (bergenPAC) Meadowlands Racing & Englewood Entertainment (201) 816-8160 East Rutherford (201) 460-4166 Chuck E. Cheese’s North Bergen Medieval Times Dinner (201) 861-1799 & Tournament Lyndhurst Durkan Fencing (201) 933-2220 Company South Hackensack MetLife Stadium 201-880-9585 East Rutherford Field Station Dinosaurs (201) 559-1562 Leonia Nereid (855) 999-9010 Boat Club Rutherford GolfTec (201) 438-3995 Englewood (201) 567-0103 North Arlington Bowl-O-Drome Harlem Wizards North Arlington Secaucus (201) 998-9621 (201) 271-3600
NY Giants East Rutherford (201) 935-8111
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island (212) 344-0996
NY Jets Florham Park (516) 560-8100
Water Journey Lyndhurst (973) 994-4577
NY Red Bulls Harrison (201) 583-7000
World Golf Network RiverVale (201) 489-2240
NY Waterway Weehawken (201) 902-8700
Ecotourism
Pole Position Raceway Jersey City (201) 333-7223 Six Flags Great Adventure Jackson (732) 928-2000 Sofive Carlstadt 347-790-5032 Space Farms Zoo & Museum Sussex (973) 875-5800 Statue Cruises Jersey City (201) 432-6321
Hackensack Riverkeeper Hackensack (201) 968-0808 NJSEA Meadowlands Environment Center Lyndhurst (201) 460-8300
Health, Fitness & Beauty GNC Live Well Secaucus (201) 348-9549 Haircutter in the Meadow Secaucus (201) 863-3900 Jenny Craig Secaucus (201) 330-0110
King’s Court Health & Sports Club Lyndhurst (201) 460-0088
Calvin Klein Company Store Secaucus (201) 223-9760
LA Fitness Signature Club Secaucus (201) 751-9940
Country Whimsey Rutherford (201) 438-0488
Mary Kay Cosmetics Rutherford (201) 528-7578 Perfume & Cosmetics Outlet Secaucus (201) 617-7555 Sally Beauty Supply North Bergen 201-295-0020 Title Boxing Club East Rutherford (201) 933-2800 The DOJO Rutherford (201) 933-3050
Retail & Outlet Shopping Best Buy Secaucus (201) 325-2277
Gucci Secaucus (201) 392-2670 Heights Beer & Wine Emporium Hasbrouck Heights (201) 426-0555 Mason’s Cellar Rutherford (201) 935-1212 Raymour & Flannigan Secaucus (201) 809-1353 Tommy Hilfiger Secaucus (201) 863-5600 Westfield Garden State Plaza Paramus (201) 843-2121
10% OFF Group & Corporate Events for Meadowlands Regional Chamber Members
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NEWS FROM THE MEADOW
Calling All MD’s: Weiss Realty Announces Prime Medical
J
aime Weiss, president of Weiss Realty of Moonachie, has announced that Mark Kirsch has joined the firm and been appointed the leasing agent for Kennedy Medical Center, a state-of-the art medical facility located at 3196 Kennedy Boulevard in Union City, New Jersey. Three medical office suites are currently available with 600 square-feet and 860 square-feet of space on the second floor which can be combined to 1,460 square-feet and 3,241 square-feet on the third floor. The space is suitable for medical offices, laboratories, urgent care, technicians and other related uses. Kennedy Medical Center is a 98,000 square-feet four-story art-deco building located off Route 3 and I-495 in Union City, one of the nation’s most densely populated cities. Situated in an Urban Enterprises Zone and zoned for most medical uses, the Class-A building features spacious waiting areas for patients and family members, ADA accessibility and ample on-site parking with easy accessibility to public transportation. There is also a stretcher-capable elevator in the building. According to Jaime Weiss, “Many specialties—acute care, same day surgery centers, cardiology, ENT, and gastroenterology—would be a good fit here and quickly develop a large patient base with a 525,000 population within a three-mile radius.” There are eight bus stops within one-block and the building has 210 parking spaces (the largest parking lot in Union City). There is 24-hour, seven-day building access with private entrance. For more information regarding medical office space at Kennedy Medical Center please call Jaime Weiss or Mark Kirsch at Weiss Realty at (201) 814-1800 or visit www.kennedymedunioncity.com.
Diamond Chemical Company Hires New Representative
D
iamond Chemical Company Inc. of East Rutherford, New Jersey, is a national manufacturer of laundry, warewash, floor care, housekeeping, organic intermediates and industrial products, is pleased to announce the addition of Charles “Tony” Axley as Technical Service Representative. Tony is a skilled operations manager of over thirty years, with an established multi-regional background. Tony has extensive knowledge of laundry and hospitality services, and is effective in increasing productivity and customer satisfaction. Tony will be based in Diamond’s Virginia and Mid-Atlantic region and will be responsible for servicing and selling laundry accounts. Diamond Chemical is a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of high quality products, systems and services to meet the changing needs of textile rental, institutional and hospitality laundries. For further information, call us at 1-800-OK-4-SOAP.
NJM Announces New Executive VP & Corporate Counsel, Staff Promotions & Board Changes JM Insurance Group, New Jersey’s leading property-casualty insurer, recently announced that Mitchell A. Livingston, Esq., has been promoted to executive vice president and corporate counsel. Mr. Livingston, who is also a member of NJM’s board of directors, is responsible for leading the Company’s strategic planning efforts, while also heading-up NJM’s Commercial Lines sales, service and underwriting divisions, which include the Garden State’s largest workers’ compensation book of business. He also oversees NJM’s Human Resources Department and Special Investigations Unit. NJM also announced the retirement of two board members and several other staff promotions. Retiring from the NJM Board are longtime directors James M. Seabrook and Thomas S. Marotta. A former chair member of NJM’s Board, Seabrook has been involved for 30 years, including the last nine as director emeritus. Marotta first joined the NJM Board in 1995 and has provided 21 years of valued service. Regarding staff promotions, Steven B. Goldman, Daniel A. Toadvine, Esq. and Robert D. Weaver were named assistant vice presidents. Cam Maio was promoted to director of marketing and Loretta Kreutzberg was promoted to manager of the program management office. About NJM Insurance Company NJM Insurance Group is the Garden State’s largest property-casualty insurer. Founded in 1913, the company has earned a reputation for service, integrity and financial stewardship. NJM operates in a mutual fashion for the exclusive benefit of its policyholders, to whom it has returned nearly $6.0 billion in dividends. NJM is New Jersey’s leading writer of workers’ compensation insurance and among the leaders in personal and commercial auto, and homeowners insurance. The company is headquartered in West Trenton, NJ and employs nearly 2,500 workers. MEADOWLANDS USA
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NEWS FROM THE MEADOW
INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
Hackensack Meridian Health’s AirMed One Receives Full Accreditation
H
ackensack Meridian Health’s helicopter, AirMed One, was awarded full accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) on April 7, 2016. CAMTS, an independent nonprofit agency, audits and accredits fixed-wing and rotary wing air medical transport services in the U.S. to a set of industry-established criteria. CAMTS first enacted its Accreditation Standards in 1991. The standards are the core element to the CAMTS program, which declares that the highest priorities for medical transport services companies are “patient care and safety of the transport environment.” “This accreditation reaffirms what we already know, that AirMed One is among the best in the nation in terms of patient care, safety and efficiency,” said Robert C. Garrett, co-CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health. “In addition, AirMed One received full accreditation on the first attempt, which is an outstanding accomplishment. I am proud of the AirMed One team and the work they do every day, providing critical care in the air, when it matters most.” According to the Association of Air Medical Services, there are 301 Air Medical Programs in the United States, of which only 182 are fully accredited by the CAMTS. AirMed One, which is stationed at Greenwood Lake Airport in West Milford, began its service on April 7, 2012 and has flown 1,082 missions as of June 30, 2016. About Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey. It offers a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 13 hospitals, including two academic medical centers, two children’s hospitals and nine community hospitals.
Arcari & Iovino, www.aiarchs.com..........................................................................11 AVE, www.aveliving.com...........................................................................Cover & 33 Axiom Communications, www.AxiomMediaService.com.......................................34 Chart House, www.chart-house.com.......................................................................52 Comprehensive Behavioral Healthcare, Inc., www.cbhcare.com...........................39 Eastwick College, eastwick.edu/info.......................................................................17 Employee Benefits & Wellness Resource Center, www.meadowlands.org..............29 Ernst & Young, www.ey.com....................................................................................2 Frank’s GMC, www.FranksGMC.net.........................................................................11 Gehtsoft, www.gehtsoftusa.com.............................................................Inside Cover Hackensack Riverkeeper, www.hackensackriverkeeper.org...................................56 HackensackUMC Palisades, www.HackensackUMCPalisades.org............................5 Harmon Meadow Plaza...........................................................................................25 Hunter Group, www.TheHunterGroup.com..............................................Back Cover Il Villaggio, www.ilvillaggio.com...........................................................................57 Jewel Electric, www.jewelelectric.com....................................................................35 Kearny Bank, www.KearnyBank.com......................................................................19 MBAF, www.mbafcpa.com........................................................................................9
Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment, www.playmeadowlands.com..................54 MeadowlandsUSA, www.meadowlandsusa.com............................................50 & 56 Medieval Times, www.medievaltimes.com............................................................58 Mitchell’s Fish Market, www.mitchellsfishmarket.com.............................................1 MWW PR, www.MWW.com...................................................................................37 NAI James E. Hanson, www.naihanson.com............................................................15 Nanina’s In The Park & The Park Savoy, www.naninasinthepark.com.....................55 New Jersey Capitol Report, www.SteveAdubato.org...............................................43 NJ Sharing Network, www.njsharingnetwork.org.................................................35 North Stars Initiative, www.NorthStarsNJ.com..............................Inside Back Cover Paramount Exterminating, www.ParamountExterminating.com...........................50 Pole Position Raceway, www.polepositionraceway.com.........................................58 Professional Insurance Associates, Inc...................................................................27 PSE&G, www.pseg.com...........................................................................................21 Ramapo College, www.ramapo.edu/certificates....................................................13 Scarinci & Hollenbeck, www.scarincihollenbeck.com.............................................23 Suez Water New Jersey Inc., www.unitedwater.com...............................................7 TM Rybak, www.tmrassociates.com.......................................................................35 Weiss Realty, www.jweissrealty.com.......................................................................26 XCEL Credit Union, www.XCELfcu.org.com.............................................................33
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