10 Things You MUST Know Before Selling Gold

Maximize your profit when selling your gold and silver by knowing your rights, and knowing how to stay away from scams and cheats.

1)    Do business locally. Beware of ‘one day’ temporary and hotel/Mall buying events. Some sellers will leave the next day and you won’t have anyone to complain or go back to, if you find out you were cheated out of your valuable Metals. AVOID mail-in services; you have little control over the sale. And sometimes you will never see your items OR a check again. The best sellers are licensed, monitored, registered and bonded with the state of New Jersey and the municipality they are in. It’s especially important to find a seller who is trusted in the Ocean County area, including Toms River, Manchester, Jackson, Lakewood and Brick. (more…)

Happening People: Mark Retacco

Mark Retacco Proudly Standing Next To One Of His Great Works of Art

Artist. Downtown Toms River Business Proponent. Ocean County Icon. That’s Mark Retacco.

Since moving to Bayville in 1971, Mark’s commitment to Ocean County has been unmatched. As an adolescent in 1976, Mark first made a local impact when he won a costume award in the Toms River Halloween Parade. It was a small victory for Mark, who had a difficult time fitting in with the other children at school. To Mark, his “refuge” was Art Class. As he described it, “In art class we all seem to have a equality that was surpassed by any other within the wall of school we were unique in our own way we were encouraged to be different. It was there that I found my true self and passion.”

After studying the arts in New York, Mark moved to Hollywood where he worked for Ted Turner and converted Turner’s black and white movies to color. Mark eventually moved back to Ocean County in the 1990s and found great success as an artist. One of his paintings received a special recognition from President Bill Clinton. Mark’s artistic work was also featured in MTV’s Real World Boston in 1997. He even created a special painting for Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard who was beaten to death as part of a hate crime. According to Mark, Mrs. Shepard described the incredible painting (entitled “End Hate Crimes”) as “bitter sweet”. Last year, Mark created a special painting for TV Personality Wendy Williams and presented the painting on her show. (more…)

Could The Federal Government Be Your Next Client?

Did you know that there are millions of dollars worth of contracts that are available to small businesses that sell goods and services to the Federal Government? Topics like this and more will be answered during a FREE Business Seminar on Wednesday February 29^th at 10AM at the Lakewood Municipal Building (231 Third Street) in Conference Room C.

Sherry Rose and Dolcey Chaplin of the NJIT Defense Procurement Center will conduct the Business Seminar entitled “Doing Business with the Federal Government”. This workshop will explain the process of coordinating business opportunities with the Federal Government. This will be followed by a question and answer period. (more…)

A Local Love Story, Brought To You By The Inn At Bowman’s Hill

This is a great local love story from Ocean County involving two wonderful people. Meet Karen and Vincent Haas of Jackson. Karen described to us her and Vincent’s amazing story of local love:

We met on a golf course. It was only the second time I was on a golf course. I was very nervous because there were a lot of people waiting in line at the first tee box. I was walking up to get in line when I saw this guy with a great golf bag and I said, “nice clubs.” He said they have to be because I cannot play very well. He was actually quite good. We started to play almost every day because I was hooked on this game and he was helping me.

We became great golf friends. We were not looking for anything else. After a year and a half of playing golf and just enjoying each other’s company we realized we were more than just friends. We married on the same golf course 2 years after we met. For our first anniversary Vinnie came home and said, “Don’t make any plans for this weekend. I am taking you away. We are going to a romantic winery and golf resort. I said that’s great but our anniversary is next month. He said, “So, I’m a month early. He couldn’t wait. (more…)

How To Survive a Move to a New Home or Office

Although you’re looking forward to moving, you’re probably more stressed than excited. After all, moving isn’t easy. Not only is it physically taxing, but moving is mentally draining.

The key to preserving your sanity during the moving process is organization. By preparing the proper supplies, you ensure that your move will go as smoothly as possible.

In order to survive your family or corporate move, keep the following tips in mind: (more…)

5 Chambers, 1 Night!

This expo is so big, it has the name “Mega” in the title.

The Mega Business Expo will take place on Thursday, November 17^th, 2011 from 5:00-7:30PM at Martell’s Tiki Bar in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. What’s so “Mega” about this expo? It’s sponsored by five local chambers of commerce: Brick, Lakewood, Point Pleasant Borough, Point Pleasant Beach and Toms River. (more…)