Business Beat

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Brookdale Launches Cybersecurity Competition
LINCROFT – Addressing the rising need for IT and cybersecurity workforce development in New Jersey, Brookdale Community College has launched the New Jersey Cyber Aces State Championship, an online, cybersecurity education and training program.
New Jersey is one of six states hosting Cyber Aces and doing so for the second straight year, with more than 600 people having participated in the 2012-13 season.
“There is a critical shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals to counteract threats we are facing in cyberspace. Good jobs are going unfilled,” said New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Rochelle Hendricks. “That is why I am pleased that Brookdale Community College is taking the lead with the Cyber Aces Foundation to prepare students to make our state and nation more secure.”
Students, veterans and jobseekers from across the Garden State will come together to compete in the New Jersey Cyber Aces State Championship, run by the nonprofit organization Cyber Aces. Here, participants will complete a series of online tutorials and training modules and the top scorers will receive championship invitations.
“Similar to our shortage of fighter pilots at the start of World War II, now we have a critical shortage of skilled cyber defenders,” said Cyber Aces Founder Alan Paller. “And like the pilot training programs of that era, Cyber Aces initiatives like this state championship are how we will create the specialists we need.”
All high school and college students, veterans and jobseekers in New Jersey are eligible to participate and earn an invitation to the championship. There they will compete to win top honors and earn scholarships for elite training and residencies at the new Cyber Aces Academy at Brookdale Community College.
“Hundreds of talented people with brilliant minds competed in the first NJ Governor’s Cyber Challenge last year at Brookdale, and 12 of them are currently enrolled in the Cyber Aces Academy, honing their skills and developing proficiencies that will make them successful cybersecurity professionals. We are anticipating another successful competition this year and look forward to helping prepare more of the men and women who will help keep our nation safe from cyber threats,” said Brookdale President Maureen Murphy, Ph.D.
Registration is under way at http://www.cyberaces.org and is free and open to all New Jersey residents. The deadline to register is Saturday, Oct. 12. The Module One tutorial is already open and a quiz will take place on Oct. 15.
 
 Monmouth U. Holds Investment Seminar
 
WEST LONG BRANCH – Monmouth University will host its 19th Annual Fall Investment Seminar from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17, in H.R. Young Auditorium, Bey Hall.
The event is free and open to the public and will include a light reception at the conclusion of the presentation.
Registration is requested by Oct. 11 and seating is limited.
The event will be facilitated by Benedicte Reyes, Ph.D., associate professor of finance in the Department of Economics, Finance and Real Estate, and include two expert panelists.
One of the panelists for the program, Christopher R. Burke, is vice president and director of Domestic Money Markets and Reserves Management Market Group Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Burke joined the Federal Reserve Bank in 1989, and over the next decade held a variety of operations and project management positions, including helping design and establish the bank’s contingency site in New Jersey, and primary responsibility for designing and running the bank’s computer help desk and its first application server farm.
Burke joined the Markets Group in 1998, where he helped lead the effort to consolidate and replace the group’s various trade processing systems. He was appointed markets officer in 2000, and in 2003 he joined the Domestic Money Markets Desk as a trader/analyst. He was made head of the Domestic Money Markets Desk in 2005, and promoted to assistant vice president in 2006. In December 2008, he was appointed vice president and director.
The second panelist for the evening, Henry D. Mercer III, is president and chief investment strategist of Mercer Capital Advisers, Inc. Mercer began his investment career in 1979 at Tucker, Anthony & R.L. Day, Inc. in New York. Prior to the formation of Mercer Capital, he was president of Mercer, Bokert, Buckman, and Reid, Inc., where he managed the firm’s investment advisory division and edited an investment strategy newsletter, The Mercer Report.
He also authors Mercer Capital’s quarterly investment strategy commentary and has been quoted in trade publications such as Barron’s, Forbes, and Fortune.
Additional information and registration are available by contacting Janeth Merkle at 732-571-3423 or jmerkle@monmouth.edu.
 
 
Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate Congratulates Geralyn Behring
 
RUMSON – Gloria Nilson’s Rumson office has announced Geralyn Behring as their top agent for the month of August. Consistently one of the top producers in the Two River area, Behring closed over $8 million in sales for the month of August alone. Among her many sales this year was the Timilat estate on Navesink River Road, one of the largest sales in Monmouth County this year, which was just recently purchased by philanthropist Morgan Klein. Behring’s attention to detail and years of experience in the real estate industry has allowed her to represent some of the finest properties in Monmouth County.
A longtime resident of the Two River area, Behring has spent many years spearheading numerous charitable events throughout Monmouth County. Gloria Nilson’s Rumson office is proud to have Behring on its award winning team, the leading real estate office in Monmouth County for over 25 years.
 
Two River Bank Appoints Chief Operating Officer
 
TINTON FALLS – William D. Moss, president and CEO of Two River Community Bank, has announced that Anthony A. Mero has been named senior vice president and chief operating officer of the bank, effective Sept. 16.
In this capacity, Mero assumes responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the bank, including its information technology, deposit operations, facilities management, loan operations, retail banking and marketing divisions.
“I am pleased to welcome Anthony and look forward to his contributions as part of our management team,” Moss said.
Mero most recently served as chief operating officer of Financial Resources Federal Credit Union, a more than 24,000-member credit union with assets in excess of $400 million. Mero’s career also includes working for United Jersey Bank, Summit Bank and Fleet Bank, where he developed a strong background in retail delivery, branch networks, strategic planning, social media and information technology.
Mero holds an MBA from Centenary College, Hackettstown, and a B.S. in business administration and computer information systems from Bloomfield College, Bloomfield.
Two River Bancorp (Nasdaq: TRCB), formerly known as Community PartnersBancorp, is the holding company for Two River Community Bank. Two River Community Bank currently operates 14 branches throughout Monmouth and Union counties and five loan production offices throughout Monmouth, Middlesex and Union counties.
Additional information about Two River Community Bank and Two River Bancorp is available at www.tworiverbank.com.
 
Re/Max Announces Major Expansion
 
MIDDLETOWN – RE/MAX, a real estate franchise with more than $90 million in sales volume for 2012, has begun the first phase in a three-year expansion plan.
Christopher Walsh, an entrepreneur and sole owner who acquired the company in January 2008, has announced his new title as broker owner and the relocation of corporate offices to 113 Tindall Road.
Walsh, a Middletown resident, will expand accommodations for his office staff and new agents to a 5,000-square-foot building to support the company’s quickly growing sales volume and roster. “While others may be struggling and despite the recent uncertainty in the home market, RE/MAX The Real Estate Leaders is continuing to grow at a staggering pace,” said Walsh, who noted that the relocation to more spacious amenities, combined with advanced technologies and support for some of Monmouth County’s highest-producing agents, was an inevitable step in the company’s success.
Walsh will provide a work environment where mentorship and camaraderie grow organically, with an emphasis on development and support of true entrepreneurship with the highest paid commission in the industry.
With the list of realtors currently in office – Gary Thompson, David Herchakowski, Cynda Kliewe, Joseph Ossichak, Jennifer Karlinski, Michelle Vega, George Prina, Salvatore Ventre, Charles Menosky, Jerry Regina and Kathleen Behr – along with “rising stars” Manus Mullanaphy, River Giberson and Taylor Desaye, Walsh has established an environment which fosters coaching, brainstorming and advanced achievements in a less structured, independent business atmosphere.
Additional information is available by calling 732-933-0200 or visiting www.REMAX.com.