Crown Jewels: For Rent, Not Sale
Housing Prices Hold Despite Rate Hikes
NJ by the Numbers: Pluses and Minuses
Just for Women: Measuring Body Fat
Retail Management at Mercer College
E-business Awards From Ernst & Young
Corrections or additions?
Author: Melinda Sherwood. Published in U.S. 1 Newspaper on March 15, 2000. All rights reserved.
NMR Spectrometer at Rider
Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation,
Rider University will upgrade its nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
facility and make it available to small science-related companies.
Corporate sponsorship is sought to provide matching funds that Rider
must provide to get the $183,887 grant.
The college will acquire a NMR spectrometer with network capabilities
and also train faculty and students at Rider and four other colleges
that can now share this technology. The four are community colleges:
Mercer, Raritan Valley, Middlesex, and Delaware Valley.
Students will be able to identify materials, determine the chemical
structure of organic compounds, and analyze chemical compositions.
"The use of NMR instrumentation by two-year college students is
very rare," says Alexander Grushow
of chemistry at Rider, "which is one reason why this particular
program appeals to the NSF.
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Crown Jewels: For Rent, Not Sale
Patents are not just security for proprietary technology
or ideas — they also can bring a windfall of royalties to a
company,
says Emmett Murtha
"It’s
public knowledge that IBM earns well over a billion dollars every
year in licensing revenues and Lucent earns close to that much,"
says Murtha, who talks about "Licensing as a Business," at
the Venture Association meeting on Tuesday, March 21, at 11:30 a.m.
at the Westin in Morristown. Call 973-267-4200, extension 193. Cost:
$45.
Currently, U.S. business brings in over a $100 billion a year in
royalties.
Hidden treasures — that’s how Murtha sees proprietary company
technology. He should know — as director of licensing at IBM from
1981 to 1997, Murtha brokered deals with companies for the use of
IBM’s PC technology and laser technology that became widely-used to
perform laser eye surgery.
Never underestimate the value of your product or technology, says
Murtha. "Lucent had patents that covered disposable diapers (they
had developed an insulating materials for underwater cables), and
as you can imagine, Bell Labs had a lot of patents dealing with sounds
and generating sounds and tones so they went to people who make
synthesizers,"
says Murtha. "It’s a lot of fun and it takes a lot of imagination
and insight, but if you choose, you can bring in significant revenues
by licensing those patents and collecting a royalty."
The subtitle of Murtha’s talk is "License the Crown Jewels? Are
You Crazy" and suggests that not everyone in the corporate world
is enthusiastic about making proprietary technology available to
outsiders,
even at a price. But Murtha argues that everyone benefits when
companies
share their work — even with competitors.
"By allowing others to use their patents, businesses really foster
a larger amount of product sales," he says. "The personal
computer industry is the size that it is because all the companies
that make PCs license one another so the products are compatible,
easy to use, and have more advanced features than they would. There’s
a bigger pie for everybody."
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Housing Prices Hold Despite Rate Hikes
The housing market has been a seller’s market and it
remains one, even with interest rates climbing, says Karen
Friedman,
of Prudential Fox and Roach Realtors, the 3,500-person firm with a
strong presence in the Delaware Valley. "People are anxious to
buy," she says. "The rates are climbing slowly so people on
the fence deciding to do it are doing it now rather than waiting for
later."
For beginner homebuyers or sellers, Friedman is offering a seminar
entitled "Everything You Need to Know About Buying or Selling
a Home" on Thursday, March 16, at 7 p.m. at the office on 44
Princeton-Hightstown
Road. Joining her is Tom Walls
and Caryn Rubinstein
and Ragsdale. Call 609-799-2022.
Due to the low inventory of homes, housing prices have appreciated
steadily over the past 10 years. First time homebuyers may find it
a bad market, but says Friedman, a lifelong resident of Lawrenceville
and Hopewell who covers all of New Jersey: "It’s an amazing time
to sell and step up."
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Energy Savings?
Energy deregulation has not yet sparked the interest
of New Jersey consumers. "Even though customers may now enjoy
lower electricity costs by purchasing electricity in a competitive
retail marketplace, instead of from regulated utility companies,
studies
have shown that only 14 percent of the consumers in New Jersey have
taken advantage of this savings," says Jeffrey Grant
director
of corporate energy for Utilipro Solutions Inc. and chair of this
year’s Energy Expo on Wednesday, March 22, at 9 a.m. at the Woodbridge
Sheraton in Iselin. Call 908-359-1184 or visit www.energyexpo.org.
The Energy Expo was founded in 1975 by the New Jersey Departments
of Labor and Energy in response to the oil crisis of the 1970s.
Experts
will explain how the newly deregulated marketplace works, and the
keynote of this year’s conference, Eric J. Steig
University
of Pennsylvania Department of Earth and Environmental Science, speaks
on "The Truth About Global Warming." The expo will build on
the collective experiences of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
customers and utilities, and provide an in-depth report on the
economics
of energy efficiency improvements, efficient electricity market
trading
tools, and pending legislation on air pollution and the greenhouse
effect and global warming.
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Family Medical Leave
There are two family medical leave acts — federal
and state — and disentangling them can be difficult for companies
without an experienced human resources professional, says Louis
Sapirman, an attorney with Buchanan Ingersoll on College Road East.
"A lot of employers don’t know that the New Jersey Family Leave
Act exists, quite frankly," says Sapirman, who will be discussing
family and medical leave issues on Thursday, March 16, at 8:30 a.m.
at the Marriott. Call 609-833-3959. Cost: $189.
The seminar covers such questions as what notification employers need
to provide, how to control the use of intermittent leave, how to
differentiate
between a medical problem and a serious health condition, how to deal
with complicated "return" to work situations, how to avoid
violating the FMLA act, what remedies are available to employees,
and how to defend FMLA. claims.
"The thing that I like to get across to employers is the
difference
and the interplay between the various laws that govern leave in New
Jersey," says Sapirman, who has a law degree from Rutgers, and
a BA in philosophy from the SUNY Geneseo, Class of 1991. "A lot
of employers tend to get tripped up because they don’t pay attention
to the various laws."
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NJ by the Numbers: Pluses and Minuses
If it is true that every picture tells a story, you
can also paint a picture with numbers, says Jon Shure
of New Jersey Policy Perspective (http://www.njpp.org). Founded
three years ago as a nonprofit and nonpartisan research and
educational
organization, NJPP aims to promote debate about important state
issues.
NJPP’s latest publication is "New Jersey Snapshots 2000,"
a tall, slim, pamphlet with 58 statistical tables that show New
Jersey’s
position on everything from governors’ salaries to welfare caseloads.
(If you guess that New Jersey ranks high on both counts, give yourself
an A). "It captures our state at a statistical moment in
time,"
says Shure.
"Its purpose is to put New Jersey in context with the rest of
the nation, and also to show us as a society where we are and where
we need to go," says Shure. Anyone speaking on public policy or
politics will find this valuable. To order, call 609-771-4280, fax
609-771-8818, or E-mail njpp@juno.com. Send a check for $7 including
sales tax and shipping to Box 77291, West Trenton NJ 08628. "We
plan to do a new issue every year."
For instance, New Jersey residents pay taxes equal to 37 percent of
income, a percentage that is the sixth highest in the nation, behind
District of Columbia (41 percent), Connecticut, Wisconsin, and
Minnesota.
New York is just slightly higher at 37.1 percent. Pennsylvania is
35.2 percent.
In absolute dollars New Jersey residents pay an average of $13,165
per person in taxes, third behind Connecticut and District of
Columbia.
The national average is $9,881.
On the other hand New Jerseyans get off lightly on gasoline taxes,
with 10.5 cents per gallon. Pennsylvania collects 30.7 cents, and
Maryland 23.5 cents. New Jersey has the fifth lowest diesel fuel tax.
The state ranks high on college graduates, according to the NJPP
brochure,
with 30.1 percent of the population possessing a sheepskin, making
it eighth in the nation. And the state is 10th in the nation in
funding
higher education with $2,623 million.
But housing costs are high. New Jersey ranks ahead of New York and
second behind only Hawaii in the average cost of a two-bedroom
apartment
($829).
Shure was the former communications director for former Governor
Jim Florio.
communications
and public affairs at Rutgers Cook College, did the research on this
project. Other NJPP publications include "When Washington Tightens
its Belt Will New Jersey Lose its Shirt" by Henry J.
Raimondo,
"The Senior Tax Freeze: Piecemeal Property Tax Reform Comes at
a Price" by David C. Mattek
the Working Poor: Lower Their Taxes; Let’s Share the Boom" by
Jon Shure
How to Make a Bad System Better," by Judith C. Cambria
"If there is one message to be gotten from the pages of figures
it is that New Jersey may have advanced far as a state, but it has
a distance to travel to become a community," says Shure.
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Just for Women: Measuring Body Fat
The Wellness Shop, a mobile screening and diagnostic
kiosk, offers free body fat analysis and bone density screenings at
MarketFair on Thursday, March 23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Friday, March
24, 10 .m. to 7 p.m.
The Comprehensive Medical Group, headed by CEO James Clingham
markets the services of this kiosk to corporations for wellness days
for their employees. The body fat and bone density services are
offered
in celebration of Women’s History Month, but clinically-trained
technicians
can also conduct such additional tests as blood pressure screenings,
lung and breathing capacity tests, and cardiac functioning tests.
Follow-up evaluation and educational services are also available,
as is a health and wellness website, www.leaseonlife.com, with
features
such as Mydailyhealth and Mydailyrecovery. Participants can log in
exercise routines, read health-related activities, and do research
on information vital to their health. Call 609-924-1001 for
information.
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Retail Management at Mercer College
When the job market loosens up, retailers can afford
to be choosier. Now most stores are happy to hire any live body who
will work Saturdays. When it comes to managers, it is even more
difficult
to find good workers, and most retail stores have no formal employee
training program. Carl Kovelowski
Mercer
County College, has announced a new credit certificate program in
retail management. Completing the 30-credit program prepares graduates
for jobs as assistant managers and manager trainees in retail
operations.
A poll of area businesses showed that 80 percent of the businesses
saying they would be much more likely to hire someone for managerial
positions with that kind of educational background. Courses will
include
merchandising, retail procedures and terminology, effective ad
campaigns,
consumer behavior, salesmanship, marketing, total quality management,
interpretation of business documents, business math, and computer
concepts. The credits earned can apply to an associate’s degree in
general business. Call 609-486-4800, ext. 3482 or E-mail:
Top Of Page
New in Management
Students enrolled in Thomas Edison State College’s
on-line
master of science in management degree (MSM) can now elect a
specialized
track in project management. This track integrates specialized
knowledge
and skills with management and leadership skills. It is offered in
partnership with the Hampton Group, an international provider of
project
management education.
"What’s unique about the Project Management Track," says
George
Pruitt, president of the college, "is that it allows students
to control their own study schedules even as they enhance their
management
competencies and develop state-of-the-art project management
skills."
The MSM degree is offered entirely on-line. For information call
609-292-5143
or E-mail info@msmpm@tesc.edu
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B&B Onsite Training
Still fantasizing about running your own bed and
breakfast?
Experts in the B&B capital of the world, Cape May, will share secrets
on innkeeping at the "INN Deep Workshop," which begins Sunday,
March 19, and continues through Wednesday, March 22. All session are
held at the Aleatheas Restaurant, 601 Beach Drive in Cape May. Cost
for four full-days: $275. Call 609-884-5404.
Workshops begin on Sunday at 2 p.m., with refreshments, and a
discussion
of innkeeping profiles and lifestyles at 3 p.m. "Location,
Location,
Location," is the subject of a workshop that begins at 7 p.m.
Monday’s theme is "Innkeeping 101: Shark Innfested Waters,"
and includes a discussion on purchasing, renovating and decorating
a B&B. On Tuesday, participants learn about marketing and number
crunching,
and on Wednesday, about staffing and computing. A seminar on marketing
will be held on Thursday, March 23.
Top Of Page
Free Tax Guide
Get a free Year 2000 Tax Pocket Guide from Amper,
Politziner
& Mattia by calling Karen Tortoriello
309, or E-mail: tortoriello@amper.com. The guide has information on
social security tax, individual and corporate income tax rates,
retirement
plan contribution limits, standard mileage rates for business autos,
estate and gift tax rates, and depreciation schedules.
Top Of Page
E-business Awards From Ernst & Young
You know that E-business is really here when it has
been elevated to the status of a category in the beauty contests.
E-business categories have been added to the Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur
of the Year awards. Regional and national awards will be given for
E-business, E-tailing, E-content, E-products, and E-software and
information.
The requirements for an owner or manager to enter: the company must
have been operating for at least two years. If the company is publicly
held, the founder must be active in top management. Nominations must
be received by April 7, and you can nominate yourself — or a
supplier,
a customer, or someone you work with. Individuals who have shown
extensive
support for entrepreneurial ventures can enter for the Supporter of
Entrepreneurship award.
The banquet will be Tuesday, June 20, at the Marriott at Glenpointe
in Teaneck. For nomination forms call Margie Check
732-516-4431
or go to http://www.ey.com/eoy.
Top Of Page
Corporate Angels
worth of sporting good equipment to the Trenton Area YMCA, as part
of the company’s Olympic Sports Legacy Program. Call 732-417-3122.
was the first non not-for-profit organization to have fully sponsored
and manned a TASK meal last year, says Joe Arlotta
of the employee-administered volunteer task force to which the company
allocates funds. The employees pitched in again last month to help
serve 200 hot lunches at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), and
also donated three pairs of socks to each guest that day.
chapter, honored John L. McGoldrick
Morris,
for their efforts in dealing with diseases that affect 1 million
Americans.
McGoldrick, as executive vice president of Bristol-Myers Squibb and
president of the Medical Devices Group, was named Man of the Year.
Morris, senior vice resident of ConvaTec, was named Humanitarian of
the Year.
Corrections or additions?
This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com
— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
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