Business Briefs

James Dattolli Sr., a broker associate with Re/Max Shore & Country in Spring Lake, has been inducted into the Re/Max International Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is the most prestigious award given by Re/Max, and only 10 percent of individuals among the more than 87,000 Re/Max Associates worldwide were inducted this year. Associates who have helped at least 350 families during their careers earn this award.

Dattolli is also in the Re/Max 100 Percent Club and was awarded the New Jersey Association of Realtors Circle of Excellence Award at the bronze level.

Dattoli, a resident of Brick, has been a licensed Realtor for over 30 years, and has been associated with Re/Max for the past 12 years. He specializes in the listing and sale of properties in Point Pleasant, Brick, Point Pleasant Beach and South Monmouth.

Lauren Burke, R.N., M.S.N., has been appointed as the vice president of patient care services at Community Medical Center in Brick. She has been serving in an interim capacity in this role for the past five months, and previously held the position of administrative director of critical care services at the hospital.

In this role, Burke is responsible for the hospital’s nearly 1,200-member nursing staff, along with several other patient care areas including radiology, radiation therapy, the emergency department, respiratory care, neurology, cardiac services and volunteer services. She will work closely with management and staff to ensure safe, efficient and therapeutically effective nursing care for all Community Medical Center’s patients.

Burke is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University and obtained her master’s degree in nursing administration from Seton Hall University. Prior to her tenure at Community Medical Center, Burke was employed by St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark as administrative director of nursing from 1996 to 1998, and at Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel from 1981 to 1996 in several different roles.

Ocean County Freeholder John C. Bartlett Jr., Pine Beach, was recently elected president of the Southern New Jersey Freeholders Association.

The Brick Township Chamber of Commerce will hold a "Business After Hours" event, hosted by Fleet Bank, 545 Brick Blvd., March 31, 5:30-7:30 p.m. It will be red, white and blue to celebrate Fleet’s merger with Bank of America.

The cost to attend is $7 per person or two for $10 for members and $15 each for nonmembers. Admission includes hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, prize drawings and gifts for all who attend.

A resource table will be available for shared promotional materials. Attendees are encouraged to bring a large supply of business cards. To register, call (732) 477-4949 or online at www.brickchamber.org.

OceanFirst Foundation, the nation’s first community charitable foundation established as part of a bank’s initial public stock offering, donated $100,000 to LADACIN Network, formerly Cerebral Palsy of Monmouth and Ocean counties. This latest grant brings OceanFirst Foundation’s total giving to LADACIN to more than $300,000. The grant will be used to make improvements to LADACIN’s Lehmann and Schroth centers, as well as to buy a client transportation van for the Lehmann Center.

LADACIN Network is dedicated to ensuring the rights of people with physical disabilities and to improving their lives. The agency is made up of volunteers, staff, people with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities and their families.

"We are truly grateful to the OceanFirst Foundation for their recognition and support," said Patti Carlesimo, Acting Director, LADACIN Network. "With no increase in our state aid this year, this grant is especially welcome. The facility upgrades and new van purchase we were able to make now, simply would not have been possible without the OceanFirst Foundation grant."

One of the main goals of the LADACIN Network is full community inclusion for their clients. Transportation plays a vital role in achieving this goal. While LADACIN receives state aid to pay for staffing associated with client transportation, the aid does not cover the cost of vans or their repairs. The new patient van purchased with the OceanFirst grant will be equipped with a lift and can carry up to six clients at a time.

Facility improvements that will be made using the OceanFirst grant include the upgrade of fire, smoke and security detection systems in the Lehmann Center, upgrades to the heating and air conditioning systems at the Lehmann and Schroth centers, and the replacement of tile and carpet in the child care center of the Schroth Center.

Founded in 1996, OceanFirst Foundation is the first foundation in the country to be established by a bank as part of an initial public offering, with a grant of $13.4 million in OceanFirst common stock. OceanFirst Foundation provides grants to local organizations that make a real difference in the lives of their customers and neighbors.

OceanFirst Bank, founded in 1902 and headquartered in Toms River, is a federally chartered stock savings bank with $1.8 billion in assets and is the oldest community-based financial institution headquartered in Ocean County. OceanFirst serves Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties.