Corrections or additions?
Life in the Fast Lane
This article was published in U.S. 1
Newspaper on April 28, 1999. All rights reserved.
Following in the footsteps of drug colleagues such
as Johnson & Johnson and Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb last week held
grand opening ceremonies for two of four planned childcare centers,
one at the Forrestal Center on Scudders Mill Road, and one at the
Route 206 headquarters.
Meanwhile another big firm, Dow Jones, has been caring for pre-school
children in its new 15,000-foot center on its South Brunswick campus
since last fall. This means there are more than 500 new childcare
slots available, and more are on the drawing board. Yet few of the
existing childcare centers in Princeton are currently running at capacity,
and one is having financial difficulty. Princeton’s child care industry
is churning.
Some background: The very first office park-based childcare center
in Princeton came to the Carnegie Center and is now being run by a
nonprofit group. That was followed closely by Lisa Forrester’s Harmony
School at Princeton Forrestal Village. A host of other childcare centers
have opened in spaces convenient to workplaces since then, including
seven run by Lakeview, the childcare provider affiliated with Robert
Wood Johnson Health Care Corporation. Last year, at the encouragement
of Merrill Lynch, Prodigy Child Development opened a 10,000-foot center
at 450 College Road East. (Merrill Lynch does not directly sponsor
the center, but it rents “back-up” spaces so that when regular
childcare falls through, the employee can still come to work.)
None of these unsponsored centers are as roomy as the onsite centers,
which pay reduced rent or no rent. At Johnson & Johnson, for instance,
there is a room set aside for breast feeding and a “messy room”
for water play or painting that can be hosed down at the end of the
day,
Bristol-Myers Squibb chose the same national provider that Dow Jones
is using — Bright Horizons Family Solutions. Designed by Francis
Cauffman Foley Hoffman of Philadelphia, and built by Sordoni Skansa,
the new Bristol-Myers Squibb centers are one-story freestanding buildings
surrounded by fenced-in play areas separated by age groups. Each of
the identical 23,000-square-foot buildings can offer childcare to
a total of 425 children of permanent employees, but they are operating
at 60 percent capacity now. When they are at capacity, other centers
will be built in Hopewell and New Brunswick. Regular care is offered
to children from infants through kindergarten. For school holidays
and in the summer, special camp programs will be offered for children
up to age 14.
Both centers have a separate room, staffed by a full-time nurse, for
the “mildly ill” (children who are still taking medication
but not up to par), and separate wings for infants, toddlers, and
preschoolers or kindergartners. Each has a kitchen that dispenses
breakfast, lunch, and free Enfamil formula.
“We were very pleased that the Plainsboro facility was picked
as one of the first to receive one of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s childcare
centers,” says David Knights, director of marketing for Princeton
Forrestal Center. “Knowing its price tag, it is an extremely expensive
facility, well-designed, and a real asset to Plainsboro.”
“We are aware that other corporations have provided benefits such
as this, but Bristol-Myers Squibb does want to be an employer of choice,”
says Tricia Haugeto, spokesperson. “With this benefit we feel
we will be able to attract and retain the best of the best in New
Jersey. This is the medicine chest of the country, after all.”
Prices are termed “competitive,” and Bristol-Myers Squibb
is helping subsidize the care with an amount determined by a sliding
scale based on the employee’s salary, says Haugeto. Going beyond the
actual care, the Bristol-Myers Squibb schools will offer training
workshops for potential childcare employees and will help other schools
to get national accreditation.
The manager of the Lawrenceville center is Jackie Grisham, who
was formerly with the YWCA after school program and Carnegie Family
Center’s Lawrence Day School, where she was executive director. Christine
Boufford directs the Plainsboro center.
Dow Jones has its childcare center that offers similar programs to
Bristol-Myers Squibb, except that it does not have a facility for
the mildly ill. Gene O’Connor (Pratt Institute, Class of ’58) of the
Hightstown-based O’Connor Group designed the exterior, so that the
spaces for different age groups have slightly different colored rock-face
concrete block and are separated by adult administrative space. Radiant
floors replace radiators and heating vents, and windows have sills
just eight inches above the floor so infants and toddlers can pull
themselves up and look out.
Lisa Kaplan, Dow Jones’ childcare center director, is a Baltimore
native who majored in early childhood education at the University
of Delaware, Class of 1991. For Bright Horizons she has been program
assistant and assistant director at a childcare center for Allied
Signal.
Though Dow Jones’ capacity is 110 children with 24 backup spaces,
only 55 children have enrolled since September. Perhaps because of
this extra capacity, the center is open for children of both fulltime
and part-time workers — and even to children of Dow Jones’ contractors.
Like Bristol-Myers Squibb, rates are on a sliding scale based on salary.
Most for-profit and non-profit centers are not operating at capacity,
and at least one — the Carnegie Family Center — is having
some financial difficulties. Founded as Family Resource Infant Center,
it was the first in New Jersey to provide childcare for infants; it
founded Lawrence Day School in 1981. Now the founders say that the
7,000-square-foot building at Carnegie Center does not provide enough
capacity to keep income in line with the rent, and it is in litigation
with the landlord, Boston Properties.
Boston Properties, meanwhile, declines to comment on the litigation
but says that it has another childcare provider ready to provide a
seamless transition should the current operators move.
But Princeton’s childcare needs aren’t going to dwindle any time soon,
and the private centers aren’t worried about over-capacity. “At
all of our Harmony School centers we have families who have onsite
care as an option,” says Harmony’s founder Lisa Forrester.
Her Forrestal Village-based school is licensed to hold 250 but she
generally has about 200 children. “We had 35 children from Bristol-Myers
Squibb; five went to the new onsite center and 30 stayed with us.
It is not an economic issue but a convenience issue. It is difficult
to turn down having your child in close proximity to your office.”
She does note that pharmaceutical company-based centers don’t have
to pay rent and can draw from their human resources budgets (from
the “keep people happy” line items). They can also justify
spending money to enhance their prestige. Johnson & Johnson’s 24,000-foot
center in New Brunswick was designed by I.M. Pei, the world-famous
architect who did the rest of the headquarters. It has the “messy”
hosable room, a music room, and a computer room.
“So much space means that a lot of that space is not being used
most parts of the day,” says Harmony School’s Forrester. “Huge
corporations with deep pockets do things that you and I can’t fathom.
Do we have a art room that can be hosed down at the end of the day?
No. A nursing room? No.”
She thinks the small firms have an advantage with the “comfort
issue,” whether you are comfortable putting your child in a center
run by a national agency. “If you work for the big corporation,
you are comfortable with a structure of `You will never talk to the
president,'” says Forrester. “But with us, parents know where
the top is. They know they can talk with Lisa Forrester.”
— Barbara Fox
Object Data Inc., 666 Plainsboro Road, Suite1116, Plainsboro 08536. Mostaq Hossain, owner. 609-936-8420; fax,609-936-8224.Mostaq Hossain is the owner of this new information technology companythat does software and consulting for mainframes.Top Of PageExpansionsNorwest Mortgage, 600 Alexander Road, Princeton08540. Michael R. Johnston, area manager. 609-243-0001; fax, 609-243-0417.Norwest Mortgage, a national banking chain responsible for roughly1 out of every 12 loans in the United States, is joining the Princetonfranchise of Remax, one of the largest real estate firms in the world,to launch a subsidiary company that would bring real-estate and financingunder one roof. Behind the synergetic venture is Robert Lyszczarz,an account executive with Norwest who owns Remax franchises in Morristown,Kendall Park and Princeton.A Plainsboro resident who grew up in Edison, Lyszczarz graduated fromRutgers in 1990 with a BS in accounting and received an MBA from Rutgersin 1992. An entrepreneurial spirit has motivated Lyszczarz in thenine years that he has been in the mortgage business, and in 1997he even acquired a ski resort in Vermont: Magic Mountain. “I wastrying to find a way to be more productive,” he says “andthis kind of company would enhance our control in the mortgage operation.”Lyszczarz expects the company to pull in between $40 and $60 millionin originations.The synergy between real-estate and financing may be an advantageto the new company, but not, Lyszczarz says, the only one. “Thiskind of company would address local needs rather than the nationalagenda,” he says.The name of the new company is still being determined, but Lyszczarzsays it is likely to be Progressive Mortgage or Progressive Home Mortgage.It will be located next to Norwest at 600 Alexander Road. The companywill hire two or three new sales people to make a team of roughly10 employees.Top Of PageOn the Road:New DriversBostonCoach, 19 Wall Street, Princeton 08540. LouUritz, operating supervisor. 609-924-4090. Home page: https://www.bostoncoach.com.An executive at Fidelity Investments Company had one too many badexperiences with car services, it seems. He decided to start his ownexecutive ground transportation service specifically for Fidelityemployees. Today, that company — BostonCoach — has officesin New York, Boston, Newark, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicagoand Minneapolis. A branch has opened at 19 Wall Street with a fleetof 25 1999 Volvos. Todd Stephens, vice president and regional managerin the Elizabeth office, won’t say who the clients are but pointedout that it was a good spot for executive travel between Philadelphiaand New York.Davis Transportation Company, 114 Evelyn Avenue,Trenton 08619. Jim Davis, owner. 609-586-1169.Jim Davis has opened a limousine business starting with one sedan,a 1997 Lincoln Town Car, equipped with soda, spring water, coffee,newspapers, cellular phone, and weather reports from the Internet.Davis graduated from the New York School of Visual Arts, Class of1982, and worked in New York as a photographer before founding PenningtonPhotographics, a professional photo lab. He sold that in 1993 andbegan working for limousine companies. “I loved being a photographerbut driving is the only other thing I enjoyed,” he says. “You’rewearing a nice suit and driving a nice car and the money is reallyvery good.”His first marketing endeavor: distributing 3,000 business cards toNew Jersey hotels.Top Of PageStart-UpsOuterbridge Morgan Partners, 1729 Linvale HarbourtonRoad, Lambertville 08530. Peter Morgan, architect. 609-466-7796; fax,609-466-7823.It was his independent streak, says architect Peter Morgan, founderof Outerbridge Morgan Partners, that led him to resign from HillierGroup last year and start his own architectural firm. “I wantedto do everything,” he says, “and I love the promise of beingable to do stuff with people overseas through the Internet.” Morganpaired up with Bermuda native Andrew Outerbridge in 1998 to startthe Lambertville-based architectural firm. In addition to a few residentialhomes on Province Line Road, Outerbridge Morgan also did the interiorlayout of a securities firm on Nassau Street.A native of Princeton, Morgan has a BA from Brown, Class of 1982,and received an MA in architecture and preservation from ColumbiaUniversity.English architecture — traditional forms, ideas and a sense ofscale — are what Morgan favors, and what he finds most lackingin today’s modern buildings. Still, he says, he and Outerbridge complementeach other well. “I like bigger, my partner likes the smallerstuff — he’s very detail-oriented.” The firm also does spaceplanning and planning for its commercial and residential clients.With low overhead, and other businesses in the area to which theyfarm out some of the work, Morgan says it wasn’t too difficult toget the company launched on just savings and the help of friends.It’s a challenge, nonetheless, he says. “You find out quicklyhow much you do and don’t know.”Top Of PageCrosstown MovesThomas U. Foster, 195 Nassau Street, Thompson Court,Princeton 08540. 609-921-7787; fax, 609-921-7797.Thomas U. Foster, a residential and commercial real-estate appraiser,has moved from 65 South Main Street in Pennington to Thompson Courtat 195 Nassau Street.Century Small Business Solutions, 168 FranklinCorner Road, Building 2, Suite 200, Lawrenceville 08648. Thomas H.Judge, president. 609-620-0011; fax, 609-620-0277. Home page: https://www.comprehensiveusa.com/0640.The accounting firm has moved from its shared space at 321 Wall Streetto its own office in Lawrenceville. It does bookkeeping, consultingand tax services, and is an accredited tax preparer. Phone and faxare new.Kenan Systems, Carter Road, Box 900, Princeton08542. Paul Lunden, acting branch manager. 609-639-2100; fax, 609-639-2167.Home page: https://www.kenan.com.As of March 1 Kenan Systems Corporation, an international communicationssoftware firm, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lucent. Althoughin this merger Kenan is retaining its name, 25 Kenan employees haveleft 300 Alexander Road for temporary quarters with Lucent Technologyon Carter Road. Soon they will move to Lucent’s Liberty Corner facility.The 17-year-old firm is headquartered in Cambridge and has officesin Denver, London, Singapore, Washington D.C., Paris, Munich, Miami,and Buenos Aires. Peter Anewalt, formerly Kenan’s branch manager inPrinceton, opened an office in Sydney, Australia, last year.”Lucent is synonymous with innovation,” says Paul Lunden.”Historically they have been known as a hardware company. Themerger leverages our expertise in billing systems to supply a morecomplete solution for our corporate clients.”Princeton Alliance Church, 20 Schalks CrossingRoad, Plainsboro 08536. Robert R. Cushman, executive pastor. 609-520-1094;fax, 609-520-8843.The church has moved from 4315 Route 1 South to its new 40,000 squarefeet facility on 25 acres at Schalks Crossing and Scudders Mill.The Sengstack Foundation, 993 Lenox Drive, Suite200, Lawrenceville 08648. David K. Sengstack, chairman. 609-844-7570;fax, 609-844-7572.The non-profit foundation promoting awareness of the importance ofearly childhood development has moved from 195 Nassau Street to 993Lenox Drive in Lawrenceville. Phone and fax are new.Top Of PageLeaving TownShimadzu Scientific Instruments Inc., 262 D OldNew Brunswick Road, Piscataway 08854. Thomas J. Moran, regional manager.732-981-4440; fax, 732-981-4420.The sales branch of the Maryland-based Japanese company has movedfrom 12 Roszel Road to Piscataway. The company sells scientific/analyticalinstruments, and has grown from 11 to 18 employees.Guard Technologies Inc., 101 Carnegie Center, Princeton08540.The electronic access and security firm and its subsidiary, MonitoringCorporation of America formerly located at 100 Canal Pointe Boulevard,has moved to Edison.Houghton Mifflin Co., 103 Campus Drive, UniversitySquare, Princeton 08540.The regional office of the school division of the publishing companyhas moved to 307 Fellowship Road, Mount Laurel 08054. There had been45 people working here.Equity One Inc., 65 South Main Street, Pennington08534.Equity One Inc. closed its office at 65 South Main Street in Penningtonand moved remaining employees to its Langhorne, Pennsylvania, office.The company was having trouble hiring employees, says John Cobb, aloan officer with the company, and had not found a considerable financingcommunity in the area.Fresh Air Communications, 29 Emmons Drive, Princeton08540.This 24-year-old video and multi-image slide presentation firm doesnot answer its telephone and is no longer listed in directory assistance.It has no forwarding address.Public Service Electric & Gas, 104 InterchangePlaza, Cranbury 08512.In a reorganization move the gas distribution facility moved the 25employees at Interchange Plaza back to a headquarters in Burlington:300 Connecticut Drive, Burlington 08016; phone, 609-239-2471.World of Knowledge, Dennis Veccia, executive director.888-953-7737. Home page: https://www.today-tomorrow.org.World of Knowledge Foundation started out with high hopes for usingtelecommunications grants for community outreach programs, (U.S. 1,September 2, 1998). But it closed its office in Forrestal Villageon March 31. Director Dennis Veccia says the foundation can operatemore efficiently from Orlando, where its financial center is located,but also indicated that the close was precipitated by the resignationof executive director Janice Berg-Levi late last year. “We’restill looking for an executive director,” he says.OdysSea Cruises, 329 Princeton-Hightstown Road,Cranbury 08512. Carolyn Zengel, partner. 609-448-7500; fax, 609-448-8600.OdysSea Cruises, a corporate cruise agency, has moved from 329 PrincetonHightstown Road, and the phone has been disconnected.Red Flannel Design Group Inc., Bob Flanagan, partner.732-761-8998; fax, 732-761-9424.The marketing communications firm that caters to pharmaceutical firmshas moved from Princeton Meadows Office Center to 40 Broad Street,Freehold. Phone and fax are new.Top Of PageManagement MovesRecording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 20 Roszel Road,Princeton 08540. Richard Scribner, president. 609-452-0606; fax, 609-520-7990.Home page: https://www.princetonol.com/groups/rfb.Ted Taylor is the new executive director of the state unit of Recordingfor the Blind & Dyslexic at 36 Hibben Road (609-921-6534). He replacesAnne Young, who retired after 20 years with the organization. An economicsmajor from College of William & Mary he has a master’s degree fromthe Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, and was avisiting scholar at Oxford University.Top Of PageName ChangesEast Coast Power, 1095 Cranbury-South River Road,Forsgate Technical Center, Suite 10, Jamesburg 08831. Barbara Hoover,manager. 609-409-9403; fax, 609-409-9404.Cogen Technologies Energy Group has changed its name. It is the regionaloffice for cogeneration plants in Bayonne, Linden, and Camden.Park Place Center, 2 Deer Park Drive, MonmouthJunction 08852. Kim Frazee, administrator. 732-274-1122; fax, 732-274-1991.The 96-bed skilled nursing facility changed its name from Deer ParkNursing and Rehabilitation Center.Top Of PageCorrectionBAI Personnel Solutions Inc., 110 Stanhope Street,Princeton Forrestal Village, Princeton 08540. Leigh Clayton, president.609-919-9190; fax, 609-919-9655.The employment agency has a new phone and fax that was not reportedin a previous issue.Top Of PageDeathsAvery Odell Hutto Sr., 30, on April 21. He was a supervisorat Princeton Forrestal Village.Christopher M. Hayman, 26, on April 23. He was restaurantmanager of the Peacock Inn.Thomas P. Miloszar, 46, on April 23. He was a travel counselorat American Express on Lenox Drive.Harvey B. Wyche, 51, on April 23. He was manager of exhibitservices at Bristol-Myers Squibb on Scudders Mill Road.Loretta B. Argust, 69, on April 23. Until 1992 she wassenior tax clerk for Hamilton Township.Previous StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
