Business Beat

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Venancio Named One of Tops in US Real Estate Sales
 
RUMSON – Mario Venancio, of Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate, was named one of America’s top real estate sales professionals.

Mario Venancio
Mario Venancio

Venancio was named a member of the REAL Trends/ The Wall Street Journal Top Thousand a national award ranking measured by REAL Trends and featured in a special advertising section of The Wall Street Journal.
The “Top Thousand” honors the top 1,000 residential agents and agent teams in the following four categories:
 
Individual agent – Sales volume
Individual agent – Transaction sides (in each real estate transaction, there are two sides that can be represented by a real estate agent: a buyer’s and a seller’s.)
Agent team – Sales volume
Agent team – Transaction sides
 
According to the REAL Trends/The Wall Street Journal Top Thousand, Venancio, who works in the Rumson office, had a sales volume of $75,328,744, ranking him 116th in the nation and second in the state.
“These leading real estate sales professionals averaged over 140 closed transactions and over $50 million in closed sales volume. Given the national averages are less than 10 closed transactions and less than $1.2 million in closed volume, these results speak to the extraordinary success of The Thousand. Being ranked in the REAL Trends/The Wall Street Journal Top Thousand, in short, is an incredible accomplishment,” said Steve Murray, publisher of REAL Trends/The Wall Street Journal Top Thousand. “These results are a testament to their skills and determination.”
“Mario Venancio ranks in an elite group of individual agents and teams from markets across the country,” said Marti Gallardo, vice president of vertical markets, advertising sales, for The Wall Street Journal. “This is quite an achievement; Venancio should be quite proud of his sales successes.”
For more information about Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate, or to contact an office near you, please visit www.glorianilson.com.
FitzGerald Joins Resources Real Estate
 
RED BANK – Resources Real Estate has announced that Karen FitzGerald has joined the company.
“Karen has lived in Monmouth County for the past 15 years and knows her market well,” said Carolynn Diakon, broker-senior partner. “She is also ahead of the game considering her past experience and the caliber of clients she dealt with in her former career.”
For 20 years, FitzGerald was a successful music agent and event promoter.
Karen FitzGerald
Karen FitzGerald

“I came to Resources because of Carolynn and Tom’s commitment to providing exceptional client service for both sellers and buyers,” she said, “as well as their great training for new agents and supportive atmosphere.”
“We are thrilled to have someone like Karen joining our growing team,” said Thomas McCormack, broker-managing partner. “She is the real deal when it comes to providing excellent service and will be a major asset to us and the real estate community.”
Resources Real Estate is located at 112 East River Road in Rumson, 36 Beach Road in Monmouth Beach and 4A West Front Street in Red Bank.
For more local real estate information or to inquire about a career in real estate, call 732-212-0440 or visit resourcesrealestate.com.
 
Weichert’s M’town Office Recognizes Top Associate for June Award
 
MIDDLETOWN – Jack Waters, regional vice president of Weichert, Realtors, has announced that Sheryl Dente of the Middletown office was individually recognized for her exceptional industry success during the month of June.
A top producer, Dente led the region, which is comprised of offices throughout Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean counties, in resales.
Sheryl Dente
Sheryl Dente

Dente can be reached in Weichert’s Middletown office at 1008 State Highway 35, or at 732-671-8000 for more information.
For more information, Weichert’s customer service center can be reached at 1-800-USA-SOLD. Weichert franchised offices are independently owned and operated.
 
TEDx Conference to Come to Lincroft in September
 
LINCROFT – The TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, a forum to spread new ideas, will be coming for the first time to Monmouth County as TEDxNavesink: The Next Wave on Friday, Sept. 20, to the Brookdale Community College Performing Arts Center.
TEDxNavesink: The Next Wave is the first TEDx event on the Jersey Shore. A total of 360 people are expected to attend the all-day, nonprofit program, which will run from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., and will be followed by a light reception.
Tickets are on sale at www.tedxnavesink.com. The organizing group is choosing speakers who will provide the richest and most thought-provoking program. “At TEDxNavesink: The Next Wave we are persuading the brightest minds to give the talk of their lives on how we will reinvent and reshape the Shore,” said Brian Smiga, TEDxNavesink curator and a past sponsor of TED 2003 and 2004.
Originally planned for Sandy Hook, TEDxNavesink was fortunate to find a home at Brookdale Community College Performing Arts Center after Hurricane Sandy.
Talks will be delivered by world-leading experts on “Redrawing our Oceans,” “Re-picturing Paradise” and “Re-mapping the Self.” Speakers will be announced as they are confirmed. Chosen speakers include: TK Walker, famed photographer and visionary; Harrison Owen, organizational consultant; and Alon Hillel-Tuch, an expert in crowd-funding.
“After Sandy, our shore community has rallied into action,” said Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action and a TEDxNavesink speaker. “People’s hearts and minds are focused on how will we protect our beautiful shore habitat for future generations. It has been proven time and time again that we, the people, make the difference.”
TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s mission: “Ideas worth spreading.” The program is designed to give communities the opportunity to stimulate dialogue and form new friendships. At TEDx events, a combination of live presenters and simulcasts from around the globe will spark deep conversation and connections.
The TedxNavesink: The Next Wave organizers are: Brian Smiga, Atlantic Highlands; Pam Marvin, Highlands; Claudia Lucey, Rumson; and Andrew Struse, Navesink. They lead a team of more than 20 volunteers.
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to “ideas worth spreading.” Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, the annual TED Conference invites the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for up to 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at www.TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Sir Richard Branson, Indian entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani, French designer Philippe Starck, Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Chilean writer Isabel Allende and former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
To volunteer, nominate a speaker, or to ask questions, please email tedxnavesink@gmail.com or visit www.tedx navesink.com.
 
Hulafrog Raises $500,000 in Seed Financing
 
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS – Hulafrog, Inc. (hulafrog.com), a network of hyperlocal web guides for suburban parents, announced the closing of a $500,000-seed financing lead by Innovation Garden, an early-stage fund and accelerator based in Princeton.
Additional investors include Jumpstart NJ Angel Network and Delaware Crossing Investor Group.
Hulafrog was founded in 2010 by Sherry Lombardi and Kerry Bowbliss, two internet and media entrepreneurs-turned-moms who needed a better way to find details about family activities in their community. Hulafrog helps parents connect with the local events and businesses that cater to kids, curating the “best of the best” by capturing what other parents think. This includes web, mobile and email access to everything from parades and puppet shows to music lessons and birthday venues.
The company is powered by parents. Hulafrog’s local community “publishers” are moms (and dads) who are on the ground, running each market. Hulafrog offers an entrepreneurial career alternative that allows them to work part-time from home while raising a family, in many ways like a digital-age Avon. The company sells advertising to local businesses and national brands. Hulafrog and its publishers share the revenue, creating a win-win model that enables the company to scale profitably in small markets.
Hulafrog’s seed funding will enable the company to broaden its product offering and grow its national footprint.  The company is currently live in 28 suburban markets and expects to begin expanding this fall in time for the back-to-school season.
 
Ocean Township Chamber to Hold Summer Mixer
 
NEPTUNE – The Greater Ocean Township Chamber of Commerce (GOTCC) is hosting its annual waterside summer after-hours mixer on Wednesday, Aug. 14, at Sunsets Riverfront Restaurant on the Shark River. The event will feature passed hors d’oeuvres, drink specials and mingling overlooking the picturesque river and Belmar Marina.
“Our events have been drawing a substantial crowd with both local business people and those hailing from quite a distance,” said the chamber’s Executive Director Kim Horn Blanda. “A summer evening event on the deck overlooking the water, paired with a delicious array of hors d’oeuvres, drink specials and mingling should make this a sell-out event.”
Sunsets, purchased last year by the owners of Ocean Town­ship’s Takara Japanese Steakhouse, will be preparing a mix of appetizers including sushi, shrimp tempura, pot stickers, spring rolls and Buffalo chicken bites. During the event, all drinks will be half price. Guests are welcome to enjoy the view on the outdoor deck or inside in the air conditioning overlooking the deck.
The event will be held 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will cost $20 per person. Reservations are required and may be obtained at www.gotcc.org by clicking on the Sunsets ad on the homepage. The address is 302 S. Concourse Ave., Neptune.
Anyone wishing to join the chamber at the event will receive 50 percent off their membership through the end of this calendar year.
 
McHugh of The Atlantic Club selected for International Panel
 
MANASQUAN – The American Council on Exercise (ACE) has selected Kevin McHugh, the chief operating officer of The Atlantic Club, to join the ACE Industry Advisory Panel (IAP). The panel brings together an experienced group of experts from academia and the fitness, wellness and recreation fields to solicit their opinions on trends, opportunities and initiatives to help provide future direction to ACE as it carries out its mission.
IAP Chair and ACE Board member, Michele Stanten, leads the group that is scheduled to meet two times per year.
Kevin McHugh
Kevin McHugh

McHugh has more than 20 years experience working in the health and fitness industry. “Fitness plays such a crucial role in preventing, controlling and reversing diseases that impact our community. I’m happy to take the experience I’ve gained at The Atlantic Club and work with ACE and the Industry Advisory Panel to drive innovation in health, exercise and fitness,” McHugh said.
“The panel’s feedback is critical to the American Council on Exercise and our commitment to always offer the very best in certification, education and training to our fitness professionals,” said Scott Goudeseune, president, American Council on Exercise. “This group comes with a wealth of knowledge and real world experience. Their insights are invaluable when it comes to the ever-changing demands of the fitness industry.”
The Atlantic Club, Inc., established in 1977, has two locations in Red Bank and Manasquan. The company offers cutting-edge fitness facilities and services, including comprehensive exercise classes, mind-body programs, top personal trainers, indoor and outdoor pools, tennis/racquet courts, hiking trails, hot tubs, steam rooms, locker rooms and a café. The club is also home to the Milagro Spa.
 
Senior Care Business Under new Ownership
 
EATONTOWN – The Home Instead Senior Care® office, serving Monmouth County, is under new ownership. Previously owned by Phyllis and Mario Venancio, the franchise office is now owned and operated by Lindsay and Andrew DeChiaro.
The locally owned business at 25 Main St. helps seniors who want to remain in their homes as they age by providing companionship and home helper services, as well as personal and Alzheimer’s care. The company currently employs nearly 60 caregivers who are trained, bonded and insured.
Personal experience and a desire to become move involved in serving the community prompted the DeChiaros to enter the senior-care industry.
“My mom worked with seniors for the bulk of her career. As a child, I would visit the nursing home where she worked as director of admission and spend time with the residents. I look back very fondly on those experiences,” Lindsay DeChiaro said. “After working in the corporate environment for many years, I decided to opt for a career change that would allow me to become more involved in serving my community.”
More information is available at 732-542-9004 or www.homeinstead.com/207.