The Record (Bergen County, NJ) articles from October 2006

The Record (Bergen County, NJ) archives from October 2006

Long-term acute-care hospitals filling a gap in N.J. health system.
October 31, 2006... Byline: Lindy Washburn Oct. 31--A new type of hospital is caring for patients in New Jersey. It has no emergency room, no operating room, no delivery suite or newborn nursery. Its purpose is to care for people, usually older, who...

Q&A with branch manager: Marketing PNC to Hispanic customers.
October 31, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 31--Banks compete aggressively for deposits and loan business from Spanish-speaking consumers, and Maribel "Mary" Roman, manager of PNC Bank's Main Avenue branch in Passaic, has been on the front line of that...

Making e-mail effective.
October 31, 2006... Byline: TERESA M. McAleavy Oct. 31--Clarity and good grammar are not enough these days to ensure your communications are read by your clients, customers or colleagues. These people are so overwhelmed by phone calls, instant messages,...

Pathmark taps California advertising firm to renovate brand.
October 31, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. Demarrais Oct. 31--Pathmark Stores Inc. has picked a California advertising agency to help revitalize its business. The Carteret-based supermarket chain announced Monday that it has selected HEILBrice as its...

Demand for real estate loans weakening.
October 31, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 31--U.S. banks report that demand for commercial real estate loans fell in the past three months, and many lenders have made it harder to qualify for such loans. The Federal Reserve polled loan officers at...

Spinoff would let small company pursue new challenges.(Company overview)
October 31, 2006... Byline: Martha McKay Oct. 31--What can you do when a division in your company has a promising new technology but your small staff has other inventions calling for its attention? One option: Spin off the division. The board of...

Verizon's FiOS cost troubling investors.
October 31, 2006... Byline: Martha McKay Oct. 31--Verizon took a beating Monday after investors digested news that the company's new fiber network is costing slightly more than anticipated. The company, which is building its high-speed FiOS network in...

BD wins federal antitrust approval for TriPath deal.
October 29, 2006... Byline: Dunstan Prial Oct. 29--Becton, Dickinson and Co. said Friday that federal antitrust approval has moved it a step closer to its planned $350 million acquisition of TriPath Imaging Inc., a manufacturer of cancer-screening products....

Home sale slowdown forces painful price reductions.
October 29, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Lynn Oct. 29--As a real estate broker, Joanne English Rollieson knows how to price houses. But the cooling real estate market forced her to cut $30,000 off the $525,000 asking price for her own home in Teaneck. ...

The Record, Hackensack, N.J., business calendar column.(Column)(Calendar)
October 29, 2006... Oct. 29--MONDAY: --Biz to Biz Cafe, meeting, 7 p.m., Ho-Ho-Kus Inn, 1 E. Franklin Turnpike, Ho-Ho-Kus. Cost: $20. Call 201-818-8913 or visit biztobizcafe.com. TUESDAY: --New Jersey Commerce and Industry Association, meeting,...

Your financial life's in for a full inspection.
October 29, 2006... Byline: Dan Kraut Oct. 29--You've signed a contract for that three-bedroom unit on the 10th floor, and the bank agreed to lend you $400,000. But don't order the moving truck just yet. If you're planning to move into a co-op, you also...

The Record, Hackensack, N.J., Your Money's Worth column.
October 29, 2006... Byline: Kevin DeMarrais Oct. 29--Cablevision is dragging us into the digital age, whether we want to or not. Four months after moving HBO and Encore to its digital service -- and thereby requiring customers to rent a digital cable...

Entrepreneurs smell a KO in this fight club.
October 29, 2006... Byline: Dunstan Prial Oct. 29--In the closing seconds of the first round of a professional mixed martial arts event held in June in Atlantic City, Chris Horodecki landed a punch flush to the side of his opponent's face. A...

The Record, Hackensack, N.J., Going Global column.
October 29, 2006... Byline: Hugh R. Morley Oct. 29--Business executives looking to trade with Europe may soon get help. More than 100 business leaders are expected to gather in South Orange on Thursday to celebrate the launch of a new venture, the...

Health-food lab grows with a dream, solid funding.
October 29, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. DeMarrais Oct. 29--Mohamed Desoky emigrated from his native Egypt in 1969 because he felt the United States was the place for a capitalist to thrive. His instincts were right. After earning a degree in chemical...

Teterboro runway buffer passes first emergency test.
October 27, 2006... Byline: David A. Michaels Oct. 27--The first test was an easy one. Teterboro Airport's newest safety device, a runway buffer known as an arrestor bed, got a workout on Wednesday night when a business jet wandered into it. The...

Firm sues Bed Bath over stock options.
October 27, 2006... Byline: Hugh R. Morley Oct. 27--An Arkansas investment company has accused Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. executives of improperly backdating stock options and reaping millions of dollars through insider trading. A suit filed by Snowball...

Lender plans layoffs.
October 27, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 27--Countrywide Financial Corp., the biggest U.S. mortgage lender, is laying off at least 2,500 nationwide, but few if any job cuts are expected in New Jersey, where the California-based firm has 54 loan...

Secured Digital taps into Malaysia.
October 27, 2006... Byline: Martha McKay Oct. 27--Secured Digital Applications Inc. is launching a division called Worldwide Business Services that will outsource a variety of services to Malaysia. The Saddle Brook company said Thursday the new division...

Retail boom filling Rte. 23.
October 27, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Lynn Oct. 27--If you're a retailer looking to open a store on Route 23 in Passaic or Morris counties, lots of luck. There is only a 3.3 percent retail vacancy rate on the busy highway, the real estate brokerage...

BofA losing share of market.
October 26, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 26--The top bank in North Jersey shrank, according to a new government report. Bank of America Corp., the nation's largest bank by deposits, has been the No. 1 bank here since it bought Fleet two years...

Coupon in Democratic campaign flier prompts GOP allegations of bribery.
October 26, 2006... Byline: Barbara Williams Oct. 26--WEST MILFORD -- A Democratic campaign flier with a business coupon attached has sent local Republicans to a slew of governmental agencies saying the Democrats committed bribery. Problem is, no one...

Consumer goods maker to expand New Jersey presence with 'world-class campus'.
October 26, 2006... Byline: Hugh R. Morley Oct. 26--Unilever U.S. is moving 300 to 400 jobs to Englewood Cliffs as it consolidates its American operations. The London- and Rotterdam-based maker of classic brands such as Skippy peanut butter, Lipton tea...

Israeli real estate firm buys $110 million slice of mall operator Mills Corp.
October 26, 2006... Byline: John Brennan Oct. 26--An Israeli real estate company announced Wednesday that it has bought a 9 percent stake in troubled Mills Corp. for $110 million and proposed to invest up to $1.2 billion in new equity -- contingent on Mills...

The Record, Hackensack, N.J., Spotlight on Technology column.
October 26, 2006... Byline: Martha McKay Oct. 26--Who among us hasn't rifled our purse, patted down pockets or muttered breathless oaths while tearing up our home in search of keys? It took me 17 years of such foolishness before I solved the vexing...

Cambrex to sell 2 bio businesses for $460M.
October 25, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Lynn Oct. 25--EAST RUTHERFORD -- Cambrex Corp. announced Tuesday that it will sell two major divisions -- its bioproducts and biopharma segments -- to the Swiss life-sciences company Lonza Group for $460 million. The...

Senator proposes paid family leave.
October 25, 2006... Byline: Hugh R. Morley Oct. 25--A bill that would give employees up to 12 weeks of paid family leave faces opposition from the state's biggest business lobby groups. The bill, introduced Monday by Sen. Stephen M. Sweeney,...

Legislators call for oversight of Port Authority.
October 25, 2006... Byline: David A. Michaels Oct. 25--State lawmakers in New Jersey and New York said Tuesday that they would seek to open up the Port Authority to greater scrutiny, continuing a trend of pulling back the covers from the secretive...

Rite Aid again accused of consumer violations.
October 25, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. DeMarrais Oct. 25--For the third time in five years, Rite Aid has been accused of selling expired merchandise, including non-prescription drugs, infant formula and baby food, and for overcharging consumers at its New...

It could've been worse.
October 25, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. DeMarrais Oct. 25--Telemarketing giant Arthur Conway lost a third of his business, and he's still smiling. That's because the impact of the national Do Not Call law hasn't been nearly as bad as expected when it took...

Fiscal woes in N.J. push tuitions ever higher.
October 25, 2006... Byline: Colleen Diskin Oct. 25--Tuition increases at public colleges and universities across the country have slowed, but New Jersey's budget woes have caused costs to continue to spiral higher at its state schools, officials said...

Wetlands study on school grounds.
October 25, 2006... Byline: James Yoo Oct. 25--RINGWOOD -- A wetlands study will be conducted to see if more classrooms can be added to three district schools. The study will determine what wetlands exist and how close they are on or near the grounds of...

Taking a chance on the market.
October 24, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Lynn Oct. 24--The fully occupied Sylvan Corporate Center in Englewood Cliffs is about to double in size, with the addition of two buildings. Manhattan-based developer Andalex Group will construct the Class A office...

Cisco set to market system for meetings.
October 24, 2006... Byline: Teresa M. McAleavy Oct. 24--Cisco Systems Inc. said Monday that it's launching a new product aimed at taking the awkwardness out of videoconferencing. The San Jose, Calif.-based networking systems maker will market Cisco...

Bill to require toxic tests at day-care sites gains ground.
October 24, 2006... Byline: Alex Nussbaum Oct. 24--Six months after the state found children playing at a mercury-laced day-care center in South Jersey, legislators are moving to order pollution tests at schools and child-care centers across New Jersey. ...

Medco agrees to pay $155m.
October 24, 2006... Byline: Dunstan Prial Oct. 24--Medco Health Solutions Inc. has reached a final agreement to pay $155 million to settle allegations it submitted false claims to the government, accepted kickbacks from drug makers to favor specific...

Ruling expected to keep generic version of Lipitor at bay.
October 24, 2006... Byline: Dunstan Prial Oct. 24--A federal appeals court on Monday issued a ruling that is expected to keep generic versions of Pfizer Inc.'s blockbuster cholesterol fighter Lipitor off the market until 2010. The U.S. Court of Appeals...

Questions in the air.
October 24, 2006... Byline: Colleen Diskin Oct. 24--Residents near Marcal's paper plant in Elmwood Park want tougher enforcement of the company's air-pollution permit and are suing for changes. Residents who live near the Marcal paper plant in Elmwood...

High school seeks food-truck ban.
October 24, 2006... Byline: Brian Aberback Oct. 24--TEANECK -- Food trucks outside Teaneck High School have for years served snacks and meals to students looking for a break from cafeteria fare. Those students could soon be forced to look elsewhere for...

Mammogram rate dropping.
October 23, 2006... Byline: Mary Jo Layton Oct. 23--The pink ribbons are everywhere to raise breast cancer awareness -- on lapels, lipstick tubes and luxury cars. Yet, by one crucial measure, the "Think Pink" efforts are failing: More American women are...

A winning strategy.
October 22, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 22--Just six days after the Yankees fell to the Tigers and only two days after Cory Lidle's tragic death in a plane crash, youngsters were still coming into Buddy's Sports Corner to buy jerseys and autographs...

New deposit technology clicks for many business customers.
October 22, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 22--Lou Carbone, chief financial officer of Nat Sherman International in Fort Lee, used to send a courier to the bank every weekday to deposit checks. Each trip cost the premium cigar and cigarette maker...

The Record, Hackensack, N.J., Your Money's Worth column.
October 22, 2006... Byline: Kevin DeMarrais Oct. 22--SCAMS CAN CLAIM ALL TYPES OF VICTIMS: Consumers aren't the only targets of scam artists. As recent actions by the Federal Trade Commission show, small businesses, non-profits and municipalities can...

Expo taps lucrative Hispanic market.
October 21, 2006... Byline: Martha McKay Oct. 21--It was a show of corporate strength at the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey's annual convention and expo Friday. From Verizon to PNC Bank to Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, the...

IBM to acquire Bergen firm that aids mortgage lenders.
October 21, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 21--An Englewood Cliffs firm that provides technical support to mortgage lenders has agreed to be acquired by IBM. Privately held Palisades Technology Partners, whose clients include Wachovia Corp.,...

Teterboro Airport now has safer runway.
October 20, 2006... Byline: David A. Michaels Oct. 20--Teterboro Airport is now relying on lightweight concrete cubes to stop jets from careening off one of its busy runways. Dozens of concrete blocks installed over the past week on Teterboro's Runway 6...

State committee seeks business input on energy needs.
October 20, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. DeMarrais Oct. 20--New Jersey's new Energy Master Plan Committee has scheduled four public meetings next week for business people and consumers to offer input into the state's long-term energy needs. The committee is...

PSE&G names vice president of electric delivery.
October 20, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. DeMarrais Oct. 20--John Latka, director of electric system operations at Public Service Electric and Gas Co., has been named vice president of electric delivery operations for the Newark-based utility. In his new...

State expands storage for stem-cell-rich blood.
October 19, 2006... Byline: Mary Jo Layton Oct. 19--Umbilical-cord blood donations have increased three-fold in the last year, a dramatic surge in the supply of cells that are at the center of one of the newest, most promising areas of medical research. ...

More than just a room.
October 19, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Lynn Oct. 19--The Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel and Conference Center has just completed a $17 million face-lift, designed to appeal to business travelers. The upgrades at the 20-story, 427-room hotel include a new...

Treat all your clients like they're celebrities.
October 19, 2006... Byline: TERESA M. MCALEAVY Oct. 19--Handling the likes of Dennis Rodman has taught Darren Prince a thing or 12 about running a business. The marketing pro, whose clients include athletes and celebrities, has come to understand the...

The Record, Hackensack, N.J., Spotlight on Technology column.
October 19, 2006... Byline: Martha McKay Oct. 19--Want to find corporate executives based in New Jersey, age 30 to 39 years old, who went to Rutgers? How about promotions at New Jersey-based companies within the past year? Or companies in Paramus...

Port Authority expected to approve $75 million to buy land for Hudson tunnel.
October 19, 2006... Byline: David A. Michaels Oct. 19--The Port Authority today will likely approve spending up to $75 million to acquire property in Manhattan needed for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, the authority's chairman said Wednesday. ...

Verizon gets approval to sell print, online directories.
October 19, 2006... Byline: Martha McKay Oct. 19--Verizon's board of directors has approved the spinoff of the company's print and online Yellow Pages business to stockholders, the company said Wednesday. The new public company, based in Dallas, will be...

Merck breakthrough diabetic drug wins approval.
October 18, 2006... Byline: Dunstan Prial Oct. 18--Diabetes sufferers gained an important new weapon Tuesday as federal regulators approved a unique treatment that is easy to take and has few negative side effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration...

New Jersey hospitals near top of patient-safety list.
October 18, 2006... Byline: Lindy Washburn Oct. 18--Three hospitals in New Jersey are among the top 59 in the country when it comes to practices that protect patient safety, according to a national survey of 1,200 hospitals by the Leapfrog Group. ...

A&P projects profit in fiscal '07.
October 18, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. DeMarrais Oct. 18--A&P moved closer to profitability in its second fiscal quarter despite a flattening of sales. The Montvale-based Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. Inc. reported Tuesday that it lost $511,000, or 1...

N.J. hospitals near top of patient-safety list.
October 18, 2006... Byline: Lindy Washburn Oct. 18--Three hospitals in New Jersey are among the top 59 in the country when it comes to practices that protect patient safety, according to a national survey of 1,200 hospitals by the Leapfrog Group. ...

Provident snaps up Morris bank.
October 17, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 17--Provident Financial Services has agreed to buy First Morris Bank & Trust for $124.1 million to expand its commercial real estate loan portfolio in affluent Morris County. Paul Pantozzi, chairman and...

Judge upholds Johnson & Johnson on Risperdal patent.
October 17, 2006... Byline: Dunstan Prial Oct. 17--Johnson & Johnson's shares rose Monday on news that a federal judge had ruled in its favor in a patent dispute, blocking sales of generic versions of the $4 billion a year schizophrenia treatment Risperdal...

Korean-owned dry cleaners lose liaison to state.
October 17, 2006... Byline: Eric Hsu Oct. 17--The paperwork that arrived from state environmental regulators at Cathy Chung's dry-cleaning business in Fort Lee dealt with carbon adsorbers, solvent mileage and exhaust-side temperatures. Chung, who has...

Well water keeps produce free of disease.
October 17, 2006... Byline: Bob Groves Oct. 17--New Jersey produce farmers have a simple formula: You need safe water to grow safe food. "We irrigate all our crops with well water," said Jim Abma, owner of Abma's Farm & Market in Wyckoff. Well...

Ethics questions abound for New Jersey Turnpike chief.
October 17, 2006... Byline: Tom Davis Oct. 17--Turnpike Chairman Joseph Simunovich once boasted that his integrity during decades of government service was beyond reproach. Now, however, that integrity is being questioned by the state Ethics Commission...

100 losing their jobs in Clifton.
October 13, 2006... Byline: Hugh R. Morley Oct. 13--Fashion clothing company Harve Benard will close its Clifton building and lay off 100 people, according to state documents and the city's mayor. The nearly 40-year-old company was recently sold to a...

Insurance covers $300,000 of money taken by former Photonic CFO.
October 13, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Lynn Oct. 13--NORTHVALE -- Photonic Products Group Inc., which reported losing $860,000 through employee theft, has recovered $300,000 of that amount through its insurance policy, the company's CEO said Thursday. ...

N.J. gas prices tumbling.
October 13, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. DeMarrais Oct. 13--Heading to New England for the fall foliage this weekend? The leaves are at their peak of autumnal splendor through much of the region, but you may not find gasoline prices very attractive. ...

Insurance firm handles special risks of being rich.(Company overview)
October 13, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 13--Edward "Ted" Tafaro, insurance broker to the rich, is open for business in Mahwah and looking for financial advisers and accountants who want to outsource their personal insurance brokerage work. ...

Tax policy sharply divides Menendez and Kean.
October 13, 2006... Byline: Herb Jackson Oct. 13--Democrat Bob Menendez and Republican Tom Kean Jr. have sharply different views on taxes, and the winner of their U.S. Senate battle could help shape the direction of national tax policy. That's because...

Warning signs for N.J. economy.
October 13, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 13--With blue-chip stocks at all-time highs, it's a pretty safe bet that many Wall Street brokers will be rolling in dough when they get their year-end bonuses. New York City's economy is "going...

Panel to map out state health plan.
October 13, 2006... Byline: Lindy Washburn Oct. 13--A state commission will study whether all New Jersey's hospitals are needed and if government health-care dollars are being spent effectively. "It's time we had a state health plan," said Governor...

UMDNJ tackles TB a world away.
October 13, 2006... Byline: Mary Jo Layton Oct. 13--The chest X-ray from the village hospital in Uganda revealed the patient's ghostly white left lung, horribly scarred from drug-resistant tuberculosis. A world away at the state medical school in Newark...

If dazzle is needed, Maria nails the job.
October 13, 2006... Byline: Eric Hsu Oct. 13--CLIFFSIDE PARK -- Laid on a table, they're nothing more than plastic shavings, unrecognizable scoops of color. But attach them to a person's hands and suddenly you're in Jersey. Maria Salandra is applying...

Tax Foundation finds N.J. gives business a cold shoulder.
October 12, 2006... Byline: Hugh R. Morley Oct. 12--The good news: New Jersey rose one place in a ranking of states based on the friendliness of their business tax climate. The bad news? We're now 48th. The Washington-based Tax Foundation...

Audible heading to Newark.
October 12, 2006... Byline: Martha McKay Oct. 12--More than a decade after opening its doors in Wayne, Audible Inc. said Wednesday it plans to move to new digs in Newark. The publicly traded provider of spoken audio over the Internet said it will move...

Prudential revises executives' contracts.
October 12, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 12--Facing shareholder pressure, Prudential Financial of Newark has rewritten the contracts of top executives to reduce their change-in-control payments if the company is sold. The new arrangements,...

Is VLT gambling a win for N.Y.?
October 12, 2006... Byline: John Brennan Oct. 12--YONKERS, N.Y. -- Lillian Scott had only sampled Yonkers Raceway's new Empire City gaming parlor for a few minutes Wednesday morning when she declared: "Nobody's going to go to Atlantic City anymore." ...

Women's job expo stresses face time.
October 12, 2006... Byline: Teresa M. McAleavy Oct. 12--Tory Johnson's advice for job-seekers might seem radical in our high-tech information age. It's as simple as printing an updated resume, stepping away from the computer, and dusting off the...

Wall Street trader enjoys 2nd career.
October 11, 2006... Byline: Dunstan Prial Oct. 11--A year ago, Brian Hoffmann walked away from a six-figure salary at a state-of-the-art Wall Street trading desk to become the owner/ operator of a ribbon manufacturing company on the third floor of the old...

Dolans propose $19.2B buyout.
October 10, 2006... Byline: Kevin G. DeMarrais Oct. 10--A plan to take Cablevision Systems Corp. private was big news Monday on Wall Street. But the proposed $19.2 billion buyout should have little effect on cable rates and the price of Knicks and...

Kara's failure worries banks.
October 10, 2006... Byline: Richard Newman Oct. 10--Kara Homes' bankruptcy filing could hurt a number of banks and make lenders more cautious about lending to builders as the real estate market slumps. The Chapter 11 filing last week by the East...

Office vacancy rate shrinks.
October 10, 2006... Byline: Kathleen Lynn Oct. 10--As giant corporate tenants like Citibank snap up office space, vacancy rates have dropped in North Jersey, Cushman & Wakefield reported Monday. The North Jersey office vacancy rate in the third quarter...

British publisher Informa to buy Mahwah, N.J., company.
October 10, 2006... Byline: Hugh R. Morley Oct. 10--A British publishing company that owns one of the oldest newspapers in the world has agreed to buy Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc. of Mahwah for a reported $71 million. The Bergen County company,...

Adviser says honesty, training are keys to successful sales force.
October 10, 2006... Byline: Teresa M. McAleavy Oct. 10--If you're not selling, you're not surviving. In business, rules of thumb don't come much simpler than that. But far too many companies take the wrong approach to sales, said consultant Danny...

Giving little kids a taste for nutrition.
October 9, 2006... Byline: Leslie Brody Oct. 9--Come visit a preschool where children bake apple muffins from scratch to celebrate birthdays -- no icing or candy, please. They drink water instead of sugary juice, pretend to cook in a make-believe...