Good & Bad Ways For College Funding
In Foreign Trade, Coordination Counts
Smaller Firms Can Export to Iraq
Middlesex College Transfer Agreement
Hearing Consumers In 150 Languages
Manufacturing Still Vital to NJ Economy
Corrections or additions?
These articles by Kathleen McGinn Spring, Barbara Fox, and Bart
Jackson were prepared for the August 18, 2004 issue of U.S. 1
Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Survival Guide
Top Of PageGood & Bad Ways For College Funding
‘Dad, can I have $25,000 for college?” That request was made in l971
by a dewy-eyed young man, poised with hand out in a major magazine ad.
Back then, the overwhelming figure was set forth as a terrifying
statistic to show much higher education really cost. Since then the
price tag of college has accelerated eight percent every year – about
double the cost of inflation and mean national salaries.
How can any family manage it? College Funding Alternatives insists
that you do not have to sell yourself into financial servitude in
order to ensure a college education for your children. This Princeton
Junction-based company offers a no-cost seminar, “How to Obtain Money
for College Funding, on Thursday, August 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the
Plainsboro Public Library (609-275-7650) and again on Tuesday, August
24, at 7 p.m. at the South Brunswick Library (732-329-4000). These
workshops feature College Funding Alternatives president Kevin Simme
and the company’s funding specialist, Sunny Greenberg.
Greenberg has seen any number of parents with college anxiety. “I have
seen people who are terrified of college expense from the minute the
baby comes out of the womb,” she says. Born and raised in Brooklyn,
Greenberg studied at Brooklyn College and at the Fashion Institute of
Technology. A human resources specialist before joining College
Funding Alternatives, Greenberg’s advice to parents facing college
bills: “Do not despair, or scale down your dreams. Over $105 billion
every year is made available for higher education in the form of
federal, state, and private money, loans, grants, and scholarships.”
With the right savings plan, and with sharp searches for extra funds,
your child can earn a paid-for diploma.
Bad savings. Every parent has heard “save for college” again and
again. But most families, regardless of income, find the cost of
raising the little darlings for the first 18 years such a drain that
spare change for savings is meager indeed. So somewhere around the
child’s sophomore year in high school, parents examine their assets.
There’s the pitiful college fund, the nest egg savings, the pension
and, oh yes, the house. These last two items often seem the only way
out. So the pension gets deleted and the 30-year home mortgage rolls
into half a century of debt. Granted, they are legitimate assets, but
the high price of cashing them in shows the penalty of short term
financial planning.
A strategy right up there with raiding the 401 (k) and mortgaging the
house is going through the books and informing the child that he can
apply to any school that charges only a certain amount per year. This
seems sensible, but Greenberg warns parents against ruling out private
schools. “Typically, private schools have more endowments and more
individual scholarships,” she notes. “If they really want you, they
will often help pay to keep you.”
Good savings. IRS form 529 now allows you to set aside a percent of
your income, up to a limit, for educational savings. The money will
not be taxed during your saving years, and you can begin saving the
year the baby is born. The only downside to this law is that the money
may be applied to higher education only. If, at age 18, your son
decides that the future belongs to truck farmers, and that college is
a waste of time, you pay large penalties to get the money out of the
fund.
The golden rule for maximum return on college savings is early and
unyieldingly regular savings. The United State I bonds are fixed to
the inflation rate and currently pay 3.39 percent. They roll over
every six months, placing their annual interest right up there with
the inflation rate of college cost. If you purchase only one $50 bond
every month, 18 years from now, you will have a $13,900 contribution
toward your child’s university career. Set aside $25 weekly in any
instrument paying 5 percent and you can boost the 17-year total to
$34,849.
All sorts of quick rollover bonds and funds exist. Many people,
frightened that corporate bonds will suffer as interest rates rise,
have turned to preferred stock. The high dividend and greater security
make them attractive, but only for the experienced investor.
Scholarships. “This is the job for your child,” says Greenberg. “He
should be part of the process. He should get on the ‘Net and search
out the available scholarships.” Apart from the obvious lesson learned
from this division of labor, there are other reasons for appointing
your child scholarship captain. Primarily, Greenberg points out, only
three percent of all available funds nationwide come from
scholarships. It is seldom worth the parent’s time to track down the
cash.
Chances are, the individual student knows his personal qualifications
better than anyone else, even his folks. He also has access to many
services at school in the course of his daily routine.
Greenberg urges people not to place too heavy a responsibility on the
school guidance counselor. While most of these vastly overworked
professionals have an encyclopedic knowledge about college, they know
only the major funding avenues.
Grants and loans. Somewhere out there lies a grant or loan with your
name on it. Probably the easiest place to gain a comprehensive list is
at your public library. Any area library has whole volumes describing
the types of grants and loans available from both public and private
sources.
The State of New Jersey provides NJ CLASS loans – college loans to
assist state students. Currently they offer a 6 percent fixed and a
4.8 percent variable loan for higher education. Straight non-repayable
grants ranging from $1,300 to $5,000 are available from the New Jersey
Tuition Aid Grant.
To learn about federal tuition assistance, visit the Department of
Education’s www.studentaid.ed.gov. Click on “funding” and on “federal
student aid” programs. Two of the most popular offerings are the
Federal Pell Grant, awarded to college students based on income and
the cost of the university. Grants range from $400 to $4,050. The
Stafford Loan Program also provides students with funding.
During all this searching, Greenberg advises her clients to remember
that college funding is not the sole property of the totally indigent
or incredibly brilliant. Their are pieces of funding. The trick is to
set your college sights fiscally the same way you do academically:
Choose two you know can pay for; two you might be able to fund; and
two beyond your reach. Of this last category, she says: “It’s just
possible that they will want your well-rounded child in their school
and will find some endowment to get him there.”
So how do you make that leap? How do you meet the right people and
exhibit the mysterious aura that marks you for a rise from middle
management up to the senior select? Sunny Bates Associates in
Manhattan places scores of executives in such enviable positions each
year. And as Sunny Bates herself says, “Gaining the top job at top pay
is not a mystery. It’s a strategy.”
As featured speaker of the Central Jersey Women’s Network’s summer
extravaganza, Bates lays out these strategies in “Networking Your Way
to Success.” The dinner meeting takes place on Tuesday, August 24, at
6 p.m. at the Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Lakewood. Cost: $40. Contact
908-281-9234 or visit www.cjwn.org. The 17-year-old Central Jersey
Women’s Network provides resources, information, and contacts for
businesswomen at all levels.
Bates has traveled a unique path in carving out her own career.
Growing up in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, Illinois, she attended
Cornell University, graduating in the gas-crunch year of l978 with a
timely B.S. in petro economics and Middle East studies. “It was a very
pointed major,” she says, “which in no ways reflects my career.” In
place of oil, Bates turned to media, selling advertising space for
magazines such as Folio, Elle, and the New York Times.
The energetic Bates has served on the board of Creative Capital and
was a founding member of the New York Media Association. Fifteen years
ago, she launched her executive search firm, Sunny Bates Associates,
which provides top-tier executives for everything from startup firms
to Fortune 500 companies. Her book “How to Earn What You’re Worth,”
published by McGraw Hill, gives negotiating and self-positioning tips
for getting a top salary.
“Remember the last time you walked into an exam fully prepared?” asks
Bates. “Remember that confidence and how it helped you ace it? That’s
what a practiced strategy of networking gives you.”
Spinning the web. “Networking’s a lot like eating healthy,” says
Bates. “We all know we should do it every day, religiously, but most
of us don’t.” Persistence will win, she insists, but not all
networking is picking up the phone and making contact. Most of it
begins right in your office with heavy research. List your five areas
of expertise. Then list the seven fields where each point of expertise
could be valued. From there, list the 20 most desirable companies in
each of those fields. Then dig around and find the senior managers for
each firm and see how they are accessible. It’s a simple strategy;
it’s also just plain hard work.
Even though you now have your targets in the cross hairs, it’s still
not quite time to fire off a letter or make a meeting. First, ponder a
bit. Exactly what you want to take away in this first meeting? What do
you want to cover? Discover the precise themes you want and your words
will take care of themselves.
On the greet. What do you say after that first handshake and basic
pleasantries? After Bates and this reporter had gotten about that far
in our own introductions, she stopped me and pointed out four
potential lines of inquiry that I had unconsciously let slip in these
initial words. Casually, I had mentioned my job, the weather in my
hometown, and compared it to a trip I had taken. All in two innocent
sentences, I had given her four chances to learn more about me.
The point to remember here is that you are inquiring after the speaker
– inviting him to talk. However, you gain basic control of the
conversation based on what line of inquiry you select. “Sometimes you
can plan these lines of inquiry by pre-studying the individual. More
often you have to do it on the fly,” says Bates. “But as long as you
know very clearly what you want out of this exchange, finding the
right inquiry becomes evident.”
In a large room situation, you must make a choice. Typically, you can
only count on engaging two or three individuals in any substantive
talk of the kind that opens up possibilities for further
communications. But, no matter, in some situations it may be more
effective to use what Bates calls the speed date method. Moving
quickly among 15 people you graciously (not hastily) introduce
yourself, make a basic few-sentence presentation of what you offer,
present a card, perhaps make a tentative date, and move on. This is
often an ideal convention tool. Hint: take care not to script your
introduction. People don’t like to learn that they have been fed the
same rote line of patter as their fellows.
Aligning the job. Assuming that all your networking efforts have
gleaned you a few job offers, now comes the hour of decision.
Virtually every career mentor advises you to look inside and discover
what you truly like best and what you do best. But Bates suggests that
potential executives view life from a different angle. “Where is your
expertise most valued?” she asks. Does this field and this specific
company rate your skills highly? It is a wonderful thing to realize
your own marketing abilities and to be offered a marketing job. Yet
before leaping, examine the company. Are marketing people on the
promotion fast track or is the department large enough for you to
advance? If not, the job is a dead ender.
Finally, Bates suggests be careful what you ask for. Whether you are
negotiating as a seasoned employee or potential recruit, do not put
all your push into salary. Most companies only have about 15 percent
to play with on any position. Work instead for benefits, faster
promotional reviews, conditions, and investment options.
“It’s no mystery,” repeats Bates. Those who spin the network
persistently will eventually link up with opportunities. And those who
have fixed in their minds the idea that “I am ready to change” will be
able to do so.
Top Of PageIn Foreign Trade, Coordination Counts
Throwing money at efforts to increase foreign trade does not guarantee
success, especially when the efforts are not well synchronized, says
Keld Hansen, formerly director of the New Jersey Global Business
Initiative at the College of New Jersey. “A lot of effort is being
expended in export promotion, but it is sometimes uncoordinated and
self defeating,” says Hansen. This month he is leaving his current job
as director of the New Jersey Global Business Initiative to refocus
his attention on his own investment banking and foreign trade
consulting firm, Passer and Crown Inc.
Hansen (shown in the photo at right), a Danish-born chemical engineer
with an MBA from Harvard, was CEO at Dansk Design International, based
in Mt. Kisco, New York, at a time when the dollar value dropped by one
third. To save the company, he made some high risk decisions. He kept
the design operations in Denmark but moved the manufacturing to any
factory anywhere in the world that could come up with a quality
product. He also cut out the wholesale level and opened retail stores,
such as the one at Forrestal Village. When he left Dansk, Hansen came
to New Jersey to take charge of the international division of Lenox.
In the 1980s he acquired a portfolio of bankrupt or troubled
companies.
For the past four years Hansen has directed foreign trade programs,
first as the head of the Global Business Center at Mercer County
Community College, and then as the director of the New Jersey Center
for Global Business Initiatives at the College of New Jersey (CNJ).
Hansen believes that business organizations rather than government or
academic institutions can best help promote foreign trade. The state
chamber of commerce has made a bona fide effort in this direction.
“That is understandable because the primary purpose of the state
chamber is to help business, and exporting helps business.” The
chamber, for instance, supported the New Jersey Global Business
Initiative with money (in the five-digit range), managerial support,
and such intangibles as public relations and communications services.
“Because the state chamber had given significant support, it was
possible to apply for several government grants through the CNJ for
$90,000 a year,” says Hansen. “It started looking like the real
thing.”
At Passer and Crown, Hansen will continue his previous activities –
investment banking and consulting on international finance and trade.
His on-the-line experience, he believes, gives him the credibility
needed to deal with corporations who want to do trade deals. “If a
company is going to put $1 million behind an international effort, it
wants to deal with someone who looks like a real business person,”
says Hansen. Corporations want to talk to business people, not
bureaucrats. “I had run my own international companies, and that is
what is necessary to get people to listen to you, when you can say, ‘I
have been in your shoes.’”
He will caution future clients about their export futures and ask them
to take a 23-question survey to determine if they are ready. “A
company should not go into exporting unless they are reasonably
successful in making money,” he says. “You may start making money in
one year in the domestic market, but it could take two to four years
internationally.”
Competition increases overseas. “In America, you have American
competitors,” says Hansen. “If you go internationally, you are
competing with all the best people from all over the world.”
Coordination fosters credibility. “We tried to coordinate with Rutgers
Camden and Kean University, and we started to share programs,” says
Hansen. Elsewhere in the state, however, lack of coordination could
have impeded some trade efforts. Last year in north New Jersey, for
instance, three different groups staged meetings focused on the same
country in the same month, and two of the meetings featured the same
keynote speaker. Such duplication must have puzzled the companies that
were the marketing targets for these events.
“The total amount of dollars being spent on export promotion is
sufficient for a productive strong effort that would significantly
increase exports from New Jersey,” says Hansen. “However, because the
effort is uncoordinated the current result is not what it should be.”
Passer and Crown Inc., 531 Lake Drive, Princeton 08540,609-924-5686; fax, 609-279-1598. E-mail: keld.hansen@verizon.net.Top Of PageSmaller Firms Can Export to IraqAndrew Bayne’s views on trade differ in some respects from KeldHansen’s (in the article above), especially when it comes to exportingto Iraq, where, as he says, “it is a brand-new venture for everyone,including us.” His Forrestal Village-based firm, Bayne Law Group LLC,has been doing international contracts, transactions, and disputeresolution for small and middle-market business interests in anycountry. But just as Iraq took over its own affairs, Bayne issued apress release noting that he was developing contacts and expertise inIraq.Bayne’s firm, which has two other lawyers and additional locations inNew York and Philadelphia, targets the smaller businesses for whom thelarger law firms may be too expensive.A graduate of Rutgers College, he has a law degree from BenjaminCardoza and started out with a small law practice in New Jersey,moving to a mid-size firm in Middlesex County, and then to anemployment law firm, working on the management side, in Livingston. Hewas a partner with another Princeton-based law firm for four yearsbefore opening his own practice.”I saw a need for firms that do international trade work, that arefamiliar with international distribution agreements, contracts,employment, consulting, and shipping, and that are able to serve whatI call the small and middle market,” says Bayne. “The need is there,because most companies that specialize in international trade issuesare beyond the price range of the small and middle market companies.”One of his current clients is a pharmaceutical that formerly had anoffice in Princeton and is based in St. Cloud, France.”The export business is not for the faint of heart,” cautions Bayne.The challenges include the differences in cultures and the timechanges. “The need for local relationships to move your product andmanage your operations abroad is another cost-intensive aspect to thebusiness of exporting.”Whereas Keld Hansen suggests that a company should have a very strongin the domestic market in this country before going abroad, Bayne doesnot believe that the competitive position of a company in Americashould deter marketing efforts overseas. “I don’t know that you needto be ‘the best of the best’ in the U.S. before you go abroad. Beingabroad is primarily about connections and your ability to move producton the ground in a foreign place. Your ability to do that is notnecessarily a function of how your business is perceived in theAmerican marketplace.”Bayne is optimistic about the potential for smaller companies tosucceed in Iraq. “It is a serious situation, a new emerginggovernment, where people are desperately looking to conduct businessin their own country. But a number of companies want to do businesswith emerging businesses that are rising up every day.” Constructionmaterials, he suggests, are a likely export, as are healthcareservices and products, computer technology, and certain levels ofencryption software. Security, sadly, still tops the list of desiredservices.The two main opportunities in Iraq are private business-to-businessdealings and government contracts and sub contracts. For privatebusiness, he believes that the biggest export potential can be foundin construction materials.Overall, government contracts offer the best opportunities, since morethan $18 billion has been allotted by the U.S. government forreconstruction in Iraq. “The vast majority of those funds will go toU.S. government contractors engaged in reconstruction, which is abroad term. It refers to infrastructure, physical plant, andreconstruction of service, retail, and manufacturing businesses.”At home, the U.S. government contracts have “set aside” requirements,so that a percentage of the work must be done by minority-owned andwomen-owned businesses. The contracts in Iraq have similarrequirements, says Bayne, who read on July 7 that $300 million hasbeen designated for small reconstruction projects to be accomplishedby smaller businesses and those owned by disadvantaged people, such asdisabled veterans. These companies can be based in either Iraq or theUnited States, but Bayne plans to work with the U.S.-based firms.”We have developed a network of like-minded people, attorneys andbusiness owners looking to do business with Iraq,” he says. “Though weconsult with local attorneys, we are also learning the Iraqi law on adaily basis.”Bayne cautions that in this interview he is not offering legal advice,and that those interested in doing business with Iraq should consultthe U.S. State Department website. His own website (www.baynelaw.com)has a list of FAQs, but, in brief, successful exporters will:Handle due diligence properly. “We assist clients in ‘vetting’ theirintended relationships in Iraq so they do business only with companiesthat have been cleared as legitimate companies and are not associatedwith terrorist activities,” says Bayne.Ensure compliance with government regulations, the Federal AcquisitionRegulations (FAR) and the defense department’s version, DFAR. “Weinterview clients and go over what their intentions are,” says Bayne,”and we make sure that they are going to do business with clearedcompanies.”Deal with security concerns which are, of course, huge. Securityguards from the United Kingdom, those who are guarding governmentofficials and heads of corporations, are being paid $1,500 per day.Bayne Law Group LLC, 116 Village Boulevard, Suite 200,Princeton 08543-3036. Andrew J. Bayne Esq. 609-924-4295; fax,609-924-4298. Home page: www.baynelaw.comTop Of PageHow to Ditch That MonitorYour old computer and monitor are just gathering dust. But you areecology conscious and don’t want to put them out by the curb or in thedumpster.U.S. 1 technology contributor Doug Dixon (www.manifest-technology.com)alerts us to a one-time offer from Office Depot. Now through LaborDay, you can bring that clunky monitor to the North Brunswick storeand get it recycled for free (www.officedepot.com/recycle).Computer monitors are the items that most people want to toss, but thestore will also accept PCs with mice and keyboards, handhelds or PDAs,flat panel displays, laser and inkjet printers, scanners, all-in-ones,digital cameras, fax machines, desktop copiers, and cell phones. Thestore will even take television sets if they are 27 inches or smaller(no consoles) and TV/VCR combos of similar size.The North Brunswick Home Depot is 11 miles north of Princeton on Route1 South in the Fashion Plaza shopping center (732-296-0562) and isopen weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 9 to 9, andSundays from 10 to 6 p.m.Watch out though. You are responsible for cleansing your own harddrive of personal or business information. And you can’t just load upyour car with the contents of your cellar: You may bring only one itemper day. You have to make one trip with the monitor and make anothertrip with the PC. And so on.The Trenton Materials Exchange used to be able to accept bulkquantities of electronic equipment, but it has closed. One remainingeco-conscious alternative of Mercer County residents is to bringunwanted gear to Mercer County Improvement Authority’s fall recyclingday on Saturday, September 18, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the John DempsterFire School on Bakers Basin Road (609-695-1200). Note that thisopportunity is supposed to be only for residents, not for businesses.Middlesex County has two recycling days for electronic equipment permonth. Residents can bring equipment to HessTech at 45 ExecutiveAvenue in Edison on first Saturdays from 9 to 1 p.m. and third Mondaysfrom noon to 4 p.m. Call 732-745-4170.What can businesses do? Lake Drive-based WindsorTech(www.windsortechinc.com or 609-426-4666) offers bulk recycling and aproduct to cleanse hard drives. EraseYourHardDrive.com, apatent-pending, hard disk drive erasure tool for the individual andSOHO (small office/home office) personal computer markets. If you wantto donate old computers to charity, you can pay $24 for one-time useof this disk drive sanitation application.Phillip S. Miller, executive director of the Mercer County ImprovementAuthority, says he is looking for ways to help businesses do theirrecycling on an ongoing basis. Call MCIA for suggestions on donatingequipment to nonprofits (609-695-1200 or www.mcia-nj.com). He suggestscalling Supreme Computer (732-370-4100) or Advanced Recovery(973-485-9100).Top Of PageHealth WatchRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital has received Medicarecertification for heart transplantation, making it the only center incentral New Jersey with such a designation. Medicare patients will nolonger have to worry about the cost of a heart transplant.Since its inception in 1999, RWJUH’s Advanced Heart Failure andTransplant Cardiology team has performed 36 heart transplants. Theteam of professionals includes a cardiologist, surgeons, transplantcoordinators, a psychiatrist, dietitian, pharmacist, social worker,and financial coordinator.There are currently 27 people awaiting heart transplants in NewJersey, with more than 3,500 nationally, according to the UnitedNetwork of Organ Sharing.Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital’s services in neurology andneurosurgery expanded recently with the acquisition of breakthroughimaging technology for patients requiring brain surgery.RWJUH is one of just a handful of hospitals in the nation to obtainthe Polestar N-20 Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI)system, used in the treatment of brain tumors, pituitary lesions,congenital disorders, and Epilepsy.The uniqueness of the Polestar N-20 lies in its compactness, whichenables neurosurgeons to bring it right into the operating room forreal-time visualization of the brain during all stages of surgery.In conventional brain surgery, neurosurgeons rely on MRI images takenbefore surgery. The limitation of this practice is that the brain’sanatomy – including the precise location of tumors – can shift duringthe progress of surgery, making images taken prior to the procedureout of date. The iMRI technology solves that problem by providingsurgeons with a constant stream of fresh images right in the operatingroom.Top Of PageMiddlesex College Transfer AgreementMiddlesex County College and the University of the Sciences inPhiladelphia have signed an articulation agreement that allowsMiddlesex students to transfer into the university’s PharmaceuticalMarketing and Management Program. A student who completes the requiredcourses at Middlesex can enter into the university’s program with fulljunior status. The student must have a 2.75 cumulative grade pointaverage at Middlesex and have at least a C in each course on thetransfer evaluation list.Middlesex now has similar transfer agreements with 48 colleges anduniversities across the nation.Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) Franklin Center is expandingits course offering this fall.Some of the new course offerings at the Franklin Center includeCriminal Procedure, Introduction to Special Education: Early ChildYears, and Human Anatomy and Physiology I for Franklin High Students.In addition, the Hispanic Institute will continue to hold courses atthe Franklin Center on Saturdays during the fall semester.In all, the Franklin Center will be offering more than 35 differentcourses this fall in such subject areas as accounting, art history,biology, business, communications, computer information systems,criminal justice, early childhood education, economics, English,mathematics, nursing, philosophy, sociology, Spanish and studentdevelopment.Registration is now underway for the fall semester. Classes beginWednesday, September 1. For a complete listing of course offerings,visit RVCC’s website at www.raritanval.edu or call 732-745-1225 torequest a course schedule.Top Of PageParticipate PleaseThe Business Marketing Association of New Jersey is seeking interestedindividuals to serve on its board and committees. The BMA-NJ has beensupporting the New Jersey marketing communications community for over70 years with career-enhancing educational and networkingopportunities. Immediate support is needed for the communication,publicity, program, hospitality, and impact awards committees. Boardmembers at-large fill in when and where they are needed. NJ chapterBoard members will receive 50 percent off registration fees for theBMA National Conference in June.For more information, call 973-627-8180.The Superior Court of New Jersey for Mercer County is seeking citizenvolunteers for its Child Placement Review Boards. CPR Boards arecomprised of court appointed citizen volunteers who are charged withthe responsibility of monitoring cases of all children placed outsidetheir homes by the Division of Youth and Family Services. Volunteersassist the Judiciary with ensuring that children in placement areprotected and nurtured. All volunteers must complete a trainingprogram in order to better understand of the complex nature of theproblems facing children in out-of-home placement.If interested in this volunteer opportunity, contact Paula Andrews,coordinator of volunteer services, at 609-571-4027 orpaula.andrews@judiciary.state.nj.us.Top Of PageHearing Consumers In 150 LanguagesThe Department of Banking and Insurance announced a new programdesigned to tear down language barriers and make it possible forconsumers to be heard in more than 150 languages.The Department has contracted with Language Line Services, a nationalleader in providing over-the-phone interpretation from English intothe caller’s native language. The service is available through theDepartment’s consumer line 800-446-SHOP and its Camden and Newarkoffices.When calling, consumers who speak languages other than English areprompted to identify the language they are most comfortable using, anda time that is most convenient for them to speak with an interpreterand a Department staff member. The staff member will then contactLanguage Line Services and a three-way conversation will ensue.Since the program began in July, the Department has fielded calls in avariety of languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, andRussian.Top Of PageManufacturing Still Vital to NJ EconomyWhile it may have taken its lumps in recent years, New Jersey’smanufacturing sector is still a vibrant part of New Jersey’s economy,creating jobs and supporting other industries, according to a newstudy released today by the NJ Policy Research Organization (NJPRO)Foundation.”A lot of people just assume that competition from low-cost states inthe South has dealt manufacturing a terrible blow in New Jersey,”NJPRO executive director Jim Sinclair said in a prepared statement.”But when you look at the facts, manufacturing continues to play avital role in our economy. This should be a wake-up call to ourpolitical leaders – manufacturing is worth fighting for.”According to the NJPRO paper entitled “Why Manufacturing Counts in NewJersey,” manufacturers in this state employ 345,000 productionworkers, support another 184,000 jobs in other industries, and pay anaverage annual wage of $53,028, which is $9,316 more than the averagewage paid by all private-sector employers in New Jersey.The paper reported that manufacturers generated $42 billion ineconomic output in 2001, representing 12 percent of the New Jersey’sGross State Product. In global trade, manufacturing dominates 90percent of all New Jersey exports – $15.3 billion worth in 2003.Manufacturing also uses more intermediate goods and services thanother industries, generating an additional $1.43 in economic outputfor every $1 worth of final product.Most manufacturing employment is in pharmaceuticals and medicalproducts with 40,000 jobs, followed by chemical manufacturing(34,200), computer and electronic products (32,300) and food products(31,700).But while it remains an important part of the State’s economy,manufacturing’s share of overall employment has been steadilyslipping. In the most recent recession (2001-2003), for example, thestate lost 74,000 manufacturing jobs.Top Of PageEast Windsor Business AwardsEast Windsor Mayor Janice Mironov announces that the township isseeking nominations for the 2004 Township Business Awards Program. Thepurpose of the program is to recognize local businesses that makespecial efforts to improve or contribute to the community.Mayor Mironov states that these business efforts may be by way of (1)creating an attractive appearance, for example, by way of landscaping,flowers, and other enhancements to the physical appearance of theirstructures and site; or (2) community contributions and service; or(3) providing some manner of community enhancement, for example,through extraordinary job creation, an unusual or special product oropportunity, or any community value added aspect related to theirbusiness. The three categories of recognition are BusinessBeautification, Community Service, and Community Enhancement.Nomination forms are available at the Municipal Building and at theHickory Corner and Twin Rivers branch public libraries. The deadlinefor nominations is Friday, September 10.Top Of PageCorporate AngelsThe Middlesex County Information Resources Management Committee, withthe assistance of the Freeholder-appointed OEL Executive Board, isdistributing $100,000 in computer hardware, software, and accessoriesto nonprofit agencies throughout the county. The program, funded bythe state’s One Ease E-Link (OEL) program, will provide desktop andlaptop computers, printers, scanners, and operating systems for 35non-profit and governmental agencies in Middlesex County. The OELprogram also provided $41,000 for computer training to agencies whoapplied for computer equipment.Verizon Foundation has contributed a $10,000 grant to the RaritanValley Community College (RVCC) Foundation for the “BRIO” (Bound BrookRVCC Interchange Opportunity) program, giving some at-risk Bound BrookHigh School students valuable academic assistance and career and lifeguidance this summer.The collaborative project – which is also being sponsored by RVCC andBound Brook Public Schools – targets at-risk Bound Brook High Schoolstudents who have completed their sophomore or junior year. Thefour-week summer school program is designed for students who are olderthan their classmates and are at risk of dropping out of school beforecompleting their senior year and/or of failing the state’s requiredhigh school proficiency test.The goals of the project are to increase the likelihood that thestudents will graduate from high school and pass the state examinationby helping them build language skills, establish effective studyhabits and explore educational career options.RVCC also plays an important role in helping students who are notprepared for college-level courses because of language and culturalbarriers.The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the Free and AcceptedMasons of the State of New Jersey has donated $1,000 to the PaulRobeson Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Social Justice at RaritanValley Community College (RVCC) in North Branch.The Paul Robeson Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Social Justicestrives to assist in creating a diverse and multicultural communitythat, through attitudes and behaviors, embodies Robeson’s ideas,beliefs, values and vision for an impartial world. The institute aimsto inspire individuals and the community to the highest standards ofethical conduct, leadership and social justice.Next StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
