Corrections or additions?
These articles were prepared by Barbara Fox for the March 13, 2005
issue of U.S. 1 Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Life in the Fast Lane
Evidently worm poop is a growth industry. Terracycle, the Trenton
based firm that was the subject of a U.S. 1 cover story on November
10, 2004, is successfully making organic fertilizer from worm castings
and has landed a contract with Wal-Mart stores in Canada. As it turns
out, a family business in North Gold Drive in Robbinsville has entered
the same market.
This family business was also the subject of a U.S. 1 cover story,
this one on August 14, 2002. At that time the Richards family had
eight employees in three different companies. Now it has 16 full-time
and six part-time employees in four different companies in 50,000
square feet.
The newest company, Tech-Terra LLC, offers Worm-Gold Vermiculture
Solutions with the organic soil enhancement from what is commonly
known as “worm tea,” made from the feces, known as castings, of red
two-inch worms, Eisenia fotida, that replicate rapidly.
Unlike TerraCycle, TechTerra does not grow the worms. It buys the worm
castings from a California-based firm, Worm Gold, then concocts a
liquid mixture that can contain different microorganisms for different
kinds of soil. Tech-Terra’s product lineup includes solutions for
farms, vineyards, forestry, greenhouse, nurseries, landscaping, and
golf courses.
The company started out as a “tree and bush service” by doing soil
injections. “We are working with farms, nurseries, and landscapers,”
says Ben Box, the company manager, mentioning Lipinski’s Landscaping
as one of the clients. “We are having a dramatic impact. We are trying
help farmers in New Jersey cut fertilization as much as 70 percent.” A
native of Willingboro, he graduated in 1984 from Polytechnic Institute
in Manhattan, has been a daytrader, and is also a certified soil
analyst. He says he is doing studies on disease control and insect
suppression with Rutgers and has also worked with universities and
laboratories around the world.
TechTerra has acquired three trucks, five sprayers, and is hiring. “We
are opening up production sites near the Jersey Shore and looking for
a location in South Jersey to service the farmers there,” says Box.
“We can recreate soils, adding the bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and
nematodes necessary for a particular need. We also sell organic
products.”
“We are trying to make the public realize that there are lot of other
treatments other than fertilizers,” says Matt Richards. His father,
Neville Richards, designs and manufactures electric surface heating
systems that prevent ashes from turning into cement at the bottom of
tanks, pipes, and coal-handling systems. That company is called
Hotfoil.
Matt Richards has a separate service business, Electric Heating
Systems, which designs electric heating systems for the post-weld heat
treating industry, for utilities, refineries, and big construction
companies that weld pipes, steel beams, and tanks.
The Richards’ son-in-law and Sarah’s husband, Kevin Wright, is a
ceramic engineer who has a company, Stratford Tile Works, that
produces art tiles on a made-to-order basis. Sarah and her mother,
Irene, do various jobs, including office administration.
Now the six Richards family members and the other employees in the
various firms are also processing worm tea.
Their larger competitor, TerraCycle, was founded in 2001 by Tom Szaky,
a Canadian who dropped out of his studies at Princeton University to
grow his new company. Because TerraCycle’s product is not only made
from waste, but is also packaged completely in waste (used soda
bottles and cast-off cartons) it is one of the first certified organic
products that is priced competitively with the leading chemical
alternatives. Szaky, 23, has more than 30 employees, has raised $1.4
million, and last month announced an order to supply his bottled
mixture contract to Wal-Mart stores in Canada (www.terracycle.com).
But the Richards aren’t worried about competition. “Our product is
better,” says Sarah Richards.
Tech-Terra LLC, 109 North Gold Drive, Robbinsville 08691.Neville Richards, president. Ben Box, manager. 609-259-4140; fax,609-259-4119. Home page: www.techterra.comTop Of PagePrinceton PR for ForresterDoug Forrester has named Tom Sullivan, president of PrincetonPartners, as the manager of his campaign for the Republican nominationfor governor.Sullivan, who, like Forrester, is a West Windsor resident, has beenpresident and owner of the 40-year-old ad agency since 1995, when hebought out Catherine Mathis, its founder.A graduate of the College of New Jersey when it was still TrentonState, Sullivan majored in both English and political science. He ispast chairman of the board for Special Olymics New Jersey and vicepresident of the College of New Jersey alumni board.Forrester, who ran for Senate in 2002, is the owner of BeneCard, asupplemental health benefits company with headquarters at 168 FranklinCorner Road. He called on Sullivan on Monday, March 14, just prior tothe Bergen County convention.Forrester has won endorsements in four counties to date, while hisRepublican opponents for the nomination have yet to win any. Yet,according to the Newark Star Ledger, the race is too close to call.Jersey City’s mayor, Bret Schundler, is Forrester’s main opponent, butat least five other people are contending for the nomination.Forrester and Schundler are “neck and neck” in the polls.Given the closeness of the race, Sullivan’s marketing background maybe severely tested as he works to secure Forrester’s nomination.Top Of PageExpansionsHugh Miller has expanded his full-service advertising, publicrelations, and special events firm, moving from 116 Village Boulevardto 3,300 square feet at 117 Rockingham Row.Among Hollyrock/Miller’s more than 20 local and national clients arethe Westin Princeton hotel at Forrestal Village and Szaferman Lakindlaw firm in Lawrenceville. It also has clients in the entertainmentindustry, including Little Steven [Van Zandt], an actor on “TheSopranos” who belongs to the E Street Band. In 2001 Miller createdCavestomp! Garage Rock Band Search, which included a concert seriesand compilation CD.After graduating from Boston University and Rutgers Law School,Miller’s first industry job was to develop product endorsementsbetween musicians and musical instrument manufacturers, working withartists who belonged to, for instance, the Eagles, Bruce Springsteen’sE Street Band, and the Moody Blues. As vice president at GreyAdvertising he had such clients as the Time-Warner Music Group, theNew York Yankees, Barbados Tourism, New York Telephone’s sponsorshipof the arts, WNEW-FM radio, Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, andMadison Square Garden.Madison Square Garden became his signature account, and, with clientsthat also included Ruth’s Chris Steak House, the Marquee Group (nowpart of SFX/Clear Channel) and EPIX (a leading professional employerorganization), he founded Hollyrock in New York.”I’ve always rebelled against how big agencies handle accounts,” saysMiller in a press release. “So I created a boutique firm with all thecapabilities of a large agency. We’re talented, personalized, andefficient – we have no junior staff layer so we don’t have to chargeour clients for that.”He moved the firm to Princeton in 1997. His clients have includedCablevision and The Wiz, the law offices of Stark & Stark, the CPAfirm Wilkin & Guttenplan, TRI/Princeton (formerly Textile ResearchInstitute on Prospect Street), Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey, theMeadowlands Sports Complex, the National Senior Advisory Council(NSAC), an organization dedicated to senior citizens’ issues, andCendant Corporation’s Days Inn.In 2002, he, along with Dan Gaby, Al Bundy, and Shelley Spector,formed the New Jersey Marketing Alliance, dedicated to marketingorganizations that are uniquely New Jersey.”Hollyrock/Miller picked up several new clients in the fourth quarterof 2004 and we were beginning to outgrow our space,” says Miller. “Wewanted an office that allows us to show off the great work of ourteam, and the newly designed space really speaks to who we are andwhat we offer clients.” KSS Architects on Witherspoon Street designedthe office.Hollyrock/Miller, 117 Rockingham Row, Princeton 08540.Hugh Miller, CEO. 609-919-9292; fax, 609-919-9299. Home page:www.hollyrockmiller.comTop Of PageLaw MovesSegal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney, 103 Carnegie Center,Suite 103, Princeton 08540. Lisa P. Wildstein, attorney. 609-452-1558;fax, 609-452-1559. Home page: www.smsm.comLisa Wildstein moved her law office from 5 Vaughn Drive to 103Carnegie Center. A 1992 graduate of Penn State, Wildstein earned herlaw degree from Temple and is the only attorney in this seven-personoffice; other offices of the 19-year-old firm are in Austin, Chicago,and Philadelphia.Wildstein focuses on insurance defense as well as other complext tortand liability litigation, including personal injury and asbestoslitigation. Among her current asbestos defense cases is one inRochester, where she is representing a gasket manufacturer, Garlock.W.R. Grace is the co-defendant.Her most notorious case, a love-triangle stabbing, will have itsthree-year anniversary on Friday, March 18. It seems that a couple hadestablished a Internet relationship with a third party, then broke offthe relationship. The third person came to the Prudential building inRoseland and stabbed the 44-year-old husband, who is now a paraplegic.Wildstein is representing Spectaguard Acquisision LLC, the securitycompany that Prudential had employed.Jerry & Jerry LLP, 101 Poor Farm Road, Box 310, Princeton08542-0310. Harold A. “Chip” Jerry III, attorney at law. 609-497-0822;fax, 609-497-0823. Home page: www.jerrylaw.comChip Jerry moved from 731 Alexander Road and has a new phone and fax.His general practice focuses on corporate, real estate, civillitigation, trusts and estates, and employment law.Joseph D. Priory, Law Offices, 116 Village Boulevard,Suite 200, Princeton 08540. 609-279-0800; fax, 609-279-0808. Homepage: www.priorylaw.comJoseph Priory will move from 350 Alexander Street to PrincetonForrestal Village as of Monday, April 4. Formerly an inhouse lawyerfor the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News and Dow Jones & Company,he focuses on business/corporate, dispute resolution, andemployment/labor law, as well as real estate, wills and estates, andgovernmental affairs.Gordon C. Strauss Law Offices, 116 Village Boulevard,Suite 200, Princeton 08540. Rhonda Duer, office manager. 609-924-0050;fax, 609-683-9777.Along with Priory’s office, Gordon Strauss will be moving from 350Alexander Street to Forrestal Village on April 4. Strauss real estate,business and corporate law, elder law, litigation and appeals, wills,trusts, and estates, auto dealership law, and land use.Nicholas Z. Hegedus Esq., 65 South Main Street,Pennington 08534. 609-818-1816; fax, 609-818-1817. Home page:www.hegeduslawoffice.comNicholas Hegedus moved his general law practice from moved from 5Independence Way to Pennington.Top Of PageNew in TownBest Practices Insurance Services, 23 Route 31, SuiteA-10, Pennington 08534. Dan Delfini, vice president marketing.609-737-1154; fax, 609-737-1186. Home page: www.bpmp.comWhereas some medical malpractice insurance companies have reducedtheir New Jersey presence, this Arizona-based firm opened a newPennington office in January.LeasePlan USA, 12 Roszel Road, Suite A-204, Princeton08540. Steven B. Kantor, regional vice president. 609-720-9339; fax,609-720-1550. www.us.leaseplan.comA corporate fleet leasing firm based in Alpharetta, Georgia, has movedto Roszel Road.Neumed Inc., 800 Silvia Street, Ewing 08628. JackGuldalian. 609-882-6403; fax, 609-896-2798. Home page:www.neumedinc.comNeumed, a 20-year-old firm, moved to Ewing in December. It makesmedical diagnostic instrumentation, “point of care” products. One ofits products can accurately and automatically evaluate a patient, inthe doctor’s office, for such peripheral neuropathies as carpal tunnelsyndrome. The product, the Brevio, displays the results on a screenand prints a report.”No other non-invasive device offers such power and convenience fortesting the palm, wrist, elbow, and more,” says the company in astatement on its website.On Assignment, 103 Carnegie Center, Suite 209, Princeton08540. Jim Calvin, vice president clinical research. 609-734-0881;fax, 609-716-1103. Home page: www.onassignment.comLast fall John Ricciardi opened an office of a 20-year-old staffingbusiness that focuses on lab support and healthcare staffing. OnAssignment, Inc. places science and healthcare professionals inshort-term, long-term, and temp-to-hire job assignments.Sagem Morpho Inc., 1230 Parkway Avenue, Parkway CorporateCenter, Suite 102, Ewing 08628. 877-503-5981. Home page:www.bioapplicant.com/njAn international biometric company has opened a fingerprintcertification service at Parkway Avenue to record fingerprints forapplicants to such jobs as healthcare workers and police. One of 18similar centers in the state, it is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:50p.m. and second and fourth Saturday mornings. Most appointments aremade through the website. Sagem Morpho is based in London.General Sullivan Group Inc. (GSGI), 85 Route 31 North,Pennington 08534-0128. 609-745-5004; fax, 609-745-5012. Home page:www.521000steel.comAnother steel distribution company has moved into the site formerlyoccupied by Barbour Steel.Top Of PageCrosstown MovesSebastiano Nini Inc., 51B Everett Drive, Building B,Suite 50, West Windsor 08550. Enzo F. Nini, vice president.609-799-1782; fax, 609-799-5844.Nini Disposal LLC, 51B Everett Drive, Suite 50, WestWindsor 08550. Jim Keegan, supervisor. 609-275-7200; fax,609-799-5844.Princeton Woodworking LLC, 51B Everett Drive, Suite 50,West Windsor 08550. David T. Holsman. 609-936-8225.Sebastiano Nini Inc. moved its general contracting business to EverettDrive last fall. Also here at this location is Nini Disposal LLC(which does recycling, hauling, and demolition, and PrincetonWoodworking LLC, which does custom cabinetry, millwork, and moldings.Michael T. Remus CPA, 2642 Whitehorse-Hamilton SquareRoad, Mercerville 08619. 609-588-8770; fax, 609-540-1751.The CPA firm moved from 88 Lakedale in Lawrenceville and has a newphone and fax.Michael D. Zinn & Associates, 993 Lenox Drive, Suite 200,Lawrenceville 08648. Michael D. Zinn, president. 609-921-8755. Homepage: www.zinnassociates.comThe retainer-based search firm moved from 601 Ewing Street to LenoxDrive. Zinn is a generalist but focuses on high tech, chemical,financial services, consumer package goods, and industrial areas.LPL Financial Services, 34 Wilkinson Way, Princeton08540. Farida Mistry CPA, president. 609-924-4188. Home page:www.lpl.comFarida Mistry has moved from 100 Overlook. A CPA, a licensedstockbroker and a licensed brokerage principal, she does fee-basedfinancial planning, tax investment planning, portfolio reviews,college and retirement planning, or individuals and businessesTop Of PageLeaving TownVivoMetrics, 51 JFK Parkway, First Floor West, ShortHIlls 07078. Alex Durchak, principal scientist. 973-218-2426; fax,973-218-2401. www.vivometrics.comAt the end of last year Vivometrics, now a two-person firm, moved from100 Overlook to Short Hills. It is marketing a vest, a continuousambulatory monitoring device called a Life Shirt that is exponentiallymore powerful than the standard cardio-measurement device (U.S. 1,July 16, 2003). The initial market was to be for use in clinicaltrials.CorVel Corporation, 51 Haddonfield Road, Suite 200,Cherry Hill 08002. 609-936-9400; fax, 609-936-9402. www.corvel.comCorVel Corporation, which does case management for workerscompensation, left its office at 186 Princeton Hightstown Road and istaking calls from its Cherry Hill office.Newfields Inc., 22 West Street, Red Bank 07701.Christopher Finley, associate. 732-224-7066; fax, 732-224-7633.www.newfields.comIn February the 11-person environmental firm moved from the CarnegieCenter to its own building in Red Bank, where it has 4,000 square feetand 11 workers. Based in Atlanta, it does environmental consulting andengineering, property divestment, and acquisition and litigationsupport services.Christopher Finley, who headed the Princeton office, is an expert ongeostatistics, the science of determining the spatial relationship ofenvironmental data. For instance, if a smelting plant is dischargingpollutants, the engineers could determine what metals (arsenic?chromium?) are coming from the smelting plant versus what was alreadyin the ground. “We determine whether there was a pathway to theresponsible party,” he says.Corigin Inc., 1 Gateway Center, Suite 2600, Newark 07102.Eladio Alvarez, president, N.A. operations. 973-799-8570; fax,973-755-0382. Home page: www.corigin.comCorigin has moved from shared office space in Regus at 100 Overlook toNewark. Based in Israel, it offered mainframe access software products– open system retrieval solutions (U.S. 1, October 8, 2003).Ricoh Business Systems, 1004 Eastpark Boulevard, Cranbury08512.The office equipment dealer moved from Eastpark Boulevard and has nocurrent telephone number listed in the Princeton area.Text Excellence, 36 South Broad Street, Trenton 08608.Robert & Monica Sebald-Kennedy. 609-989-5999; fax, 866-511-3175. Homepage: www.textexcellence.comText Excellence has moved from the Trenton Business and TechnologyIncubator. It has no listed telephone number.Top Of PageName ChangesEnvimetrics, 100 Forrestal Road, Suite D, Princeton08540. Philip C. Efthimion PhD, president. 908-256-5033; fax,908-781-1607. Home page: www.envimetrics.comPhilip Efthimion has changed the name of his company from E.E.I. toEnvimetrics because his products are getting closer to being marketready. He does instrumentation based upon plasma technology tomeasure, monitor and control air pollutant emissions from industrialsources.An alumnus of Columbia University, Class of 1970, he teachesastrophysics at Princeton University, and his lab is on theuniversity’s Forrestal Campus.Extra Space Storage, 2870 Brunswick Pike, Lawrenceville08648. Eric Steck, property manager. 609-771-3666; fax, 609-771-3636.Devon Self-Storage is now known as Extra Space Storage at thisaddress.Fast PC Support, 127 Hampshire Drive, Box 411, Plainsboro08536. Allison Charles, partner. 609-799-7997; fax, 609-799-4576. Homepage: www.fastpcsupport.comFormerly known as Areyan Technologies, this company offerstelephone-based computer support services. It has a help desk forsoftware and hardware problems for home and business usersMSCIBarra, 210 Carnegie Center, Cranbury 08512.609-936-4600; fax, 609-860-8034. www.barra.comA software engineering firm, Barra Inc., was bought by Morgan StanleyCapital International, and has moved from 3,000 feet at 101Interchange Plaza to the Morgan Stanley offices at the CarnegieCenter. With 10 people at this location, it has software for riskmanagement.Top Of PageCash Tracking SoftwarePrinceton eCom Corporation, 650 College Road East,Princeton 08540. Ronald W. Averett, CEO. 609-606-3000; fax,609-606-3297. Home page: www.princetonecom.comRon Averett is now the CEO at Princeton eCom and the former CEO, R.Craig Kirsch, is executive chairman of the board. Averett has been thepresident and chief operating officer since 1999, and he is nowresponsible for the overall strategic direction.Founded in 1984, the company has 145 employees on College Road and itprovides electronic payment solutions – software for remote banking.Its clients include more than 1400 banks and 200 biller customers.Just announced: a contract with I4 Commerce, the developer of the BillMe Later payment solution, to provide the CollectPay Enrollmentsolution to enable electronic payments and to offer detailed onlinebill presentment.Bill Me Later is an alternative to credit cards when paying forpurchases online or on the telephone. When customers provide onlybasic, “top-of-mind” information such as the birth date and the lastfour digits of the social security number, they qualify instantly fortheir purchase. Then, in 14 days, they receive a bill from Bill MeLater. They can pay the bill in full or finance it over time(www.i4commerce.com).The multiple scheduling options are provided by Princeton eCom’sCollectPay Enrollment application, part of a suite of products forbillers. Merchants use it to lower customer service costs and improvecash flow forecasting. Retail customers can use the Internet to checktheir bills and payments.Cash Gauge Software, 16 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton08542. 609-466-9696. Home page: www.cashgauge.comArch Davis’s company, Cash Gauge Software, helps organizations projecttheir true cash position as accurately and as far into the future aspossible. Just released, CashGauge 2.0, uses accounts payable andreceivable data from any accounting system to deliver what is termedin a press release, “the advanced insight companies need to plan theirfinancing needs and maximize investment income.””The software places each invoice into a forecasted payment datecolumn, calculated using either the invoice due date or a projecteddays-to-pay that can vary by customer and vendor. Using drag and dropfunctionality, data can be moved from one projected column to anotherto reflect current payment assumptions,” says the press release.”Once a realistic cash forecast is prepared, colorful graphs can bedisplayed or printed in Cash Gauge to help top management see itsupcoming cash flow.” Prices start at $595.Top Of PageStock NewsNRG Energy Inc., 211 Carnegie Center, Princeton08540-6213. David Crane, president and CEO. 609-524-4500; fax,609-524-4501. Home page: www.nrgenergy.comNRG announced a $9.22 per share cash dividend on its preferred stockissued December 27, 2004. The dividend is payable on March 15 toshareholders of record as of March 1. A merchant power company, NRGhas 230 employees on Roszel Road at 211 Carnegie.Exide Technologies (XIDEW), 3150 Brunswick Pike,Crossroads Corporate Center, Suite 230, Lawrenceville 08648. J.Timothy Gargaro, president and COO. 609-512-3000; fax, 609-512-3071.Home page: www.exideworld.comEarlier in February Exide said it would issue $350 million in seniornotes to pay some of its debts and provide greater liquidity. Thenotes would be due in 2013 and will require an amendment to the seniorcredit agreement. This office is the corporate headquarters for themanufacturer and recycler of batteries for autos, boats, RVs, and lawnand garden tools.Top Of PageContracts AwardedArdem Inc., 41 Black Horse Run, Belle Mead 08502. ArunMalhotra. 908-864-0902; fax, 908-864-0903. Home Page: www.ardem.netArdem has landed a $600,000 multi-year contract with Miami DadeCounty, Florida, to scan and extra data from medical service records.In addition to scanning and data extraction it also does digital andvoice conversions.Top Of PageDownsizingInternet Venture Group LLC, 295 Princeton-HightstownRoad, Suite 11-236, West Windsor 08550. Greg Harris, president.888-256-0982; fax, 888-925-7366. Home page: www.kidzmail.comThe Internet Venture Group moved from a shared office at CarnegieExecutive Center to a mailbox address. It offers multiple E-mailservers for families with different levels of security for children(U.S. 1, March 31, 2004).Gynetics Inc., 3371 Route 1, Lawrence Commons, Suite 200,Lawrenceville 08648. Norman Proulx, president and CEO. 609-919-1931;fax, 609-919-9409. Home page: www.gynetics.comAfter certain assets of Gynetics were sold last year to BarrLaboratories, Gynetics continues to have a small back office operationat Lawrence Commons only to deal with shareholder issues, says CEONorman Proulx. The company developed and marketed drugs and devices toadvance women’s health. With the encouragement of the Food and DrugAdministration, it had developed and marketed the first emergencycontraception regimen (U.S. 1, June 17, 1998).A. W. Financial Solutions, 909 Liberty Street, Trenton08611. Veronica Lett 609-392-7257; fax, 609-392-7236.Veronica Lett seems to have closed the collections agency that sheopened last year (U.S. 1, February 18, 2004). It has no currenttelephone number. She did debt collection for small businesses,focusing on high risk credit.Chameleon Marketing Inc., 4595 Route 27, Box 576,Kingston 08528. Daniel P.T. Thomas, president. 609-921-6588; fax,609-921-6516. Home page: www.chameleon-inc.comAfter four years in Princeton Dan Thomas has apparently closed hispharmaceutical communications business. The Princeton area directorylists no phone number (U.S. 1, August 26, 1998).Corrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
