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Business Insights & Inspiration
Business Insights & Inspiration
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The Edge for May 2018

An Exclusive Article for NJ ChamberEdge

Any workday can get stressful. That is no secret. But how we manage the stress, well, that is more complicated. We asked some New Jersey Chamber of Commerce members to share their methods for dealing with workday pressures, and for unwinding at the end of a hectic day.

 

Patrick Mulvey

Chess Refreshes My Mind

I play chess on my phone. I do puzzles, which are partial chess games, in the morning and at night. A daily puzzle in the morning gets me thinking. It gets my brain started. At the end of the day, the games focus my mind away from whatever it is during the day that has me worried. It replaces the clutter and refreshes my mind.

– Patrick Mulvey, Sales Associate, Weichert Community Brokerage

 
Greg Riccardi

A Snippet of Mental Peace

I use a meditation app on my phone. It’s called Calm. You can open it up and hear soothing sounds. You can set it up to send you calming messages throughout the day. You can also use it to meditate. By pausing your work routine, even if just for a moment, it creates a snippet of mental peace. You go back to work feeling energized.

– Greg Riccardi, Partner and Co-Owner, 360SiteVisit.com

 
Scott Fergang

The Theater Is an Escape

The arts are my passion. When I see a show, opera or ballet, it takes my mind off everything. It’s an escape. We have a saying here at the State Theater: ‘The power of live.’ There is nothing like it.

– Scott Fergang, Chair, Board of Trustees of the State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick; and Senior Vice President, The Fergang Group, RBC Wealth Management

 
Jennifer M Bredehoft

Horse Riding Gets You ‘Outside Your Regular Life’

I ride horses at a small farm near Allaire State Park. It’s a different world. Nothing bothers you. Nothing hurts you. You are in the moment with the animal. I try to get out there a couple of times a week for half-hour rides. When riding, it’s relaxing. When you are competing, you are forced to get outside your regular life.

– Jennifer M. Bredehoft, Vice President, Recruitment, Alumni Relations & Communications, Lead New Jersey (pictured at left)

 

Responses for this article were edited for space and clarity.

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Newsmakers


The Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation will award $2.3 million in 2026 grants to strengthen the dental assistant and hygienist pipeline in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Foundation plans to invest more than $3.5 million in workforce development over the next three years. It includes a $1 million grant to the County College of Morris Foundation to launch dental hygiene and dental assisting programs.


Control Point Associates, Inc., the provider of land surveying and geospatial services with headquarters in Warren, has completed its acquisition of Borbas Surveying & Mapping, a Boonton-based firm. This move strengthens Control Point Associates' regional presence and expands its technical capabilities across infrastructure, environmental and industrial markets while enhancing service capacity for clients.


Robert Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, attended the JPMorgan Health Care Conference in San Francisco, widely regarded as the industry’s premier gathering of executives and investors. The health system was invited to present its financial position and long-term strategy. Garrett said the conference allowed Hackensack Meridian to reintroduce itself to financial markets and noted the organization may pursue borrowing to support growth over the next 12 to 18 months.


Rowan University’s College of Education has been awarded a $900,365 grant from the N.J. Labor Department to pioneer a new era of teacher training in South Jersey. The funding will create 76 “earn-while-you-learn” positions designed to tackle the regional educator shortage. Each apprentice receives approximately $12,000 in financial support, removing the “student teaching” hurdle that often prevents talented candidates from completing their degrees due to unpaid clinical requirements.


JAG Physical Therapy hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new Hackettstown facility, marking an achievement: the firm is now the first physical therapy provider to operate in all 21 New Jersey counties. The Bridgewater-based company has rapidly expanded to over 170 locations across the Northeast.


Rizco is helping lead the 58th Jersey Awards, the signature program of the NJ Ad Club recognizing excellence in marketing, advertising and communications. Rizco President Debra Rizzi and her team are providing strategy, creative direction and operational execution.


Rutgers University recorded its strongest innovation showing in years, climbing 16 spots on the National Academy of Inventors’ 2025 Worldwide Universities List. Rutgers ranked 52nd globally and 33rd among U.S. institutions for utility patents granted, driven by a record-tying 69 U.S. utility patents in 2025 – the university’s highest total since 2022.


Rutgers University–Newark, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Stevens Institute of Technology were named among the nation’s Top 100 MBA programs in Fortune magazine’s 2026 rankings, highlighting their academic quality, career outcomes and competitiveness.


Odette Perriel has been named senior vice president of support services at RWJBarnabas Health, overseeing food and nutrition, environmental services, and patient transportation.


Bergen New Bridge Medical Center opened its newly expanded emergency department – with 47 treatment beds, up from 19. A centerpiece of the expansion is a calming, living-room-style spaces for people experiencing a mental health crisis.


Connell Foley LLP announced Tuesday the launch of a dedicated Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy practice. The firm has bolstered its ranks, bringing on five veteran partners, and established a new office in the nation’s corporate litigation hub: Wilmington, Del.


Rahway-based Merck and Mayo Clinic announced a research partnership to apply artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and multimodal clinical data to accelerate drug discovery and development.


Valley National Bank and OceanFirst Bank are among the banks and credit unions named to Newsweek’s list of 'Best Regional Banks & Credit Unions 2026.'


Quest Diagnostics announced that Benjamin Beauvalot has joined the company as senior vice president, chief strategy and M&A officer.


Parsippany-based Wyndham Hotel & Resorts named Amit Sripathi to serve as its CFO. Sripathi previously served as the company’s chief development officer for the North America region.