Business Briefs

Mary Lou Royce and Lillian Lehman were recognized by Weichert Realtor’s Howell office for their industry accomplishments in the month of April.

Royce led the office in listings and sales. A member of Weichert’s Sales and Marketed Clubs, Royce qualified for the New Jersey Association of Realtors 2002 Circle of Excellence Sales Club at the silver level. Royce also earned membership in Weichert’s Ambassador’s Club, recognizing her in the top 2 percent of the company’s 10,000 sales associates.

Lehman was named the office’s overall top producer for the month. A member of Weichert’s Sales and Marketed Clubs, Lehman qualified for the New Jersey Association of Realtors 2002 Circle of Excellence Sales Club at the bronze level.

Fran Dockery was recently awarded Avon Products Inc.’s 2002 Circle of Excellence award, an honor given to the top district sales managers within the company who have increased their sales of Avon products significantly over the last year. Dockery was one of 93 out of 410 district sales managers in the Northeast region who earned the award.

Avon’s district sales managers are salaried associates of the company who recruit, mentor and manage representatives in their area. Avon’s Northeast region encompasses 150,000 representatives from Maine to Virginia.

Dockery earned the award for increasing her district’s sales by more than 14.6 percent over the sales plan. She is responsible for managing a team of 430 Avon sales representatives in the Lakewood, Jackson, Howell and Manchester areas. This is the third time Dockery has earned the Circle of Excellence award.

Dockery, a resident of Brick, began her career with Avon in 1980 as a sales representative. She is married and has two children.

Checkers drive-in restaurant opened in Howell on April 11. It is the first Checkers in Monmouth County. The restaurant is at 1992 Route 9 in the Home Depot shopping center. It features all of the food Checkers is known for including its signature Cajun-style fries.

Franchisees Andrew Lynn and Bruce Keehn are excited about the new unit. "We worked very closely with the township of Howell and developed a restaurant that was pleasing to the town and state-of-the-art to the fast-food industry," said Keehn.

The restaurant will be operated by the group’s director of operations, Frank Czaszynski, a 30-year veteran of the food business. He also operates the company’s Toms River restaurant.

During the grand opening ceremony the franchise group gave donations to the Adelphia Fire Department as well as the Michael Curtin Scholarship Fund at Howell High School.

The Kimball Medical Center Foundation, Lakewood, will receive the final of three $50,000 donations that are part of a three-year, $150,000 pledge from the OceanFirst Foundation. The funds raised will support the hospital’s emergency department, psychiatric evaluation screening services, radiology department and outpatient expansion. Kimball Medical Center, located at 600 River Ave. in Lakewood, is an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System.

Main Street Hobby is relocating from Main Street in New Egypt to Sunset Plaza in Brick in June. The store will be renamed Get a Hobby. The new phone number will be (732) 920-3000.

Charles Blumenkehl, president of Blue Realty/GMAC, announced that February was a record month for closed sales for the firm and 2002 sales increased more than 70 percent over the previous year. The realty agency has six offices in central and northern New Jersey, including one in Howell.

Proline, a supplier of above-ground pools and accessories, has opened a new location at 5989 Route 9 north in Howell. Call (732) 942-3008 for details.

Teenage girls will get to work out for free this summer at any of the eight Lady of America and Ladies Workout Express fitness centers in the area.

"We want to provide a place for young women to learn healthy lifestyles at a young age," said Scott Breault in a press release issued by the firm.

Citing statistics related to the rise of weight-related problems among the young, Breault said the FitTeen program could help teenage girls improve their health and future lives through fitness.

In addition, participants in the FitTeen program will be eligible to enter an essay contest and win a lifetime membership, plus an all-expense paid trip to Jamaica. The subject of the essay contest will be "What being healthy means to my mother and me."

Teenage girls ages 13-19 are invited to take part in the summer program. Teens need only bring a letter of permission from a parent to any center in the area. Lady of America and Ladies Workout Express fitness centers are located in Freehold Township, Keyport, Millstone Township, Shrewsbury, Brick, Howell, Middletown and Old Bridge.

For more information on the program, call (800) 833-6239 or visit the company Web sites at www.ladyofamerica.com or www.ladiesworkoutexpress.com.