business briefs •••

Lawrence D. Mandel and Arthur M. Peslak of Mandel and Peslak, Freehold, have joined forces with the law firm of Ross D. Gertner and Sean D. Gertner in Jackson to create the newly formed Gertner Mandel and Peslak. Mandel and Peslak will continue their intellectual property practice covering patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition and related matters.

Ross Gertner and Sean Gertner, along with their associates Kevin Terhune, Rachel Cotrino and Alexandra Giacalone, welcome the new addition to their practice grounded in the areas of real estate, mergers and acquisitions, commercial litigation, matrimonial law, land use and municipal law, homeowners association law, trusts and estates, and corporate affairs.

Jerome A. Gertner, retired municipal court judge, remains counsel to the firm. Offices are in Jackson and Wall Township. For more information, call 732-363-3333.

Federally Qualified Health Care centers, or FQHCs, are an integral part of medically underserved communities, providing medical and dental services, mental health, and sometimes pharmacy services throughout a person’s lifetime (pediatric to geriatric), regardless of an ability to pay.

Recently, CHEMED (Center for Health Education, Medicine, and Dentistry), Madison Avenue, Lakewood, held a celebration to recognize National Health Center Week, the second week of August, and honor legislative leaders for their contributions and support of community health care.

CHEMED, a federally qualified health care center since January 2009, is dedicated to providing comprehensive health and medical services in one building. Private patients are welcome along with uninsured and underinsured patients. Uninsured patients will be seen on a sliding-fee scale, based on an ability to pay. To make an appointment, call 732-364-2144.

The Jackson Township Chamber of Commerce recently announced that the chamber board has voted to enter into a partnership with the New Jersey Business and Industry Association.

NJBIA, celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, is the nation’s largest statewide business association. With more than 22,000 member companies that employ 1.2 million people, NJBIA is headquartered in Trenton and is the leading advocate for the business community in the state capital.

Among the programs NJBIA offers its partners and members is the Ocean County Employer Legislative Committee (ELC). Part of a statewide network founded 50 years ago, the ELCs are NJBIA’s grassroots affiliates that have been meeting on a monthly basis since 1959. The monthly meetings are designed to provide business people with the opportunity to meet locally with public officials and ask questions regarding issues such as taxation, health insurance, environmental regulations and energy.

Dr. Deborah Bieter-Schultz, Point Pleasant, has joined the staff of Ocean Health Initiatives, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) with locations at 101 Second St., Lakewood, and 301 Lakehurst Road, Toms River. Before joining OHI, Bieter Schultz served as an obstetrician/gynecologist at Woman to Woman in Toms River and at Atlantic Women’s Medical Group in Long Branch, where she provided generalized ob/gyn care, performing deliveries, surgeries, menopause management, and high-risk obstetrics and HPV.

The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce will honor outstanding recipients with the Citizen of the Year Awards at its annual awards dinner at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Ramada Inn and Suites, Toms River. The event will honor Sallie Collins, Lakewood Center Laundromat; Kathleen Mead, Investors Savings Bank; Robert S. Mohel, Mohel, Elliott, Bauer and Gass CPAs; and Ocean Health Initiatives, with offices in Lakewood and Toms River. Also being honored that evening will be Young Professional honoree Colleen Dorney Woods and Hall of Fame honoree Edwin J. Schuster from E.J. Schuster’s Office Supplies. Reservations are required; for tickets or sponsor information, call Maureen at the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce, 732-363-0012.

The Karate Dojo, 21 South Hope Chapel Road, Jackson, participated in its yearly St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital fundraiser by hosting a kick-a-thon on Aug. 21. St. Jude Hospital is an organization that helps perform research and treatment for children with cancer. Students who participated received one gold star toward their leadership award.

Magna Hadley of Howell has been selected for inclusion in the 2010 “Top 100 under 50 Diverse Executive and Emerging Leaders” by Diversity MBA Magazine. Hadley is the director of mandate and payment integrity for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey. Hadley is part of the magazine’s third annual Top 100 listing of exceptional minority and multicultural executives who have achieved success in highly competitive corporate, government or entrepreneurial environments based on their position, the size of budget managed, scope of responsibility, and community service work. Each leader on the annual list has received an advanced educational degree. Hadley, will be honored at an awards gala in Chicago in September.

Eric Frankel, president of 10 Minutes to Change, will present a program to show attendees how to maximize one’s potential and how to mentor others to do the same at the Sept. 16 meeting of the Jersey Shore Association for Human Resources. The meeting will be held from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Jumping Brook Country Club, Neptune. Frankel will cover such topics as motivation and engagement, organization and prioritization, potential barriers to professional success, promotion of the “exceptional you,” and interpersonal acceleration. The registration fee and a full buffet breakfast is $25 for JSAHR members, $35 for nonmembers, and an additional $5 for walk-ins. Details and registration: 732-244-8892 or email jsahradmin@atbcelebrations.com.

The Howell Chamber of Commerce will host a Breakfast Bonanza networking event 8:30-9:30 a.m. Sept. 17 at Chick-fil- A, 4881 Route 9 north, Howell. Maureen Brown from PNC Bank will speak at the meeting. Admission is free to chamber members, $5 for prospective members. Refreshments can by purchased. Details: 732- 363-4114.

A grant from the New Jersey Business and Industry Association and the New Jersey Community College Workforce Consortium is now available for business owners and employees of New Jersey businesses and organizations, including nonprofits, who need basic training in such areas as computer applications (Word, Excel, Windows, Outlook), basic mathematics, customer service, English as a second language, or basic communications, among others. Contact Yehuda Abraham to discuss what classes are needed and the optimal time to schedule them. Call 732-364- 2500, ext. 5217. Classes can be scheduled at company work sites or at Ocean County College, Toms River.

Pamela Madas Snyder of the law office of Bathgate, Wegener and Wolfe P.C., Lakewood, has joined the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Inc. (NAELA). Membership in the academy is open to licensed attorneys who are practicing in the area of elder law or who are interested in legal issues pertaining to the elderly. Snyder is a resident of Point Pleasant. Established in 1987, NAELA is a nonprofit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations and others. Members of NAELA are attorneys who are experienced and trained in working with the legal problems of aging Americans and individuals of all ages with disabilities.