Earlier this month, Bernie Heinze, executive director of AAMGA, briefed A.M. BestTV’s John Weber about his recent visit to Lloyd’s to discuss the role of MGAs in transfers, audits and more. Watch the interview here.
The majority of hotels recognize the critical need for crisis response planning. But have they factored in social media? Over at Hotel Executive, Gary explains eight ways hotels can be effectively using social media during a crisis response.
Addison Wolfe Real Estate, a boutique real estate firm specializing in distinctive properties, today announces New Hope’s historic Logan Inn has sold for $5.6 million to Landmark Hospitality, headquartered in Jersey City, N.J.
According to Addison Wolfe Realtor® Caryn Black, who represented Landmark Hospitality, the Logan Inn deal represents the largest commercial real estate transaction in recent history within the borough of New Hope.
“This deal has been in the works for some time, and promises to remake the face of downtown New Hope while remaining true to the building’s historic roots and New Hope’s distinctive character,” says Black. “Landmark Hospitality has an impressive track record of restoring historic commercial properties and turning them into remarkable destinations that complement their environment. The same will be true of Logan Inn.”
Established in 1722 as a tavern, the Logan Inn at 10 West Ferry Street in New Hope is Bucks County’s oldest and only in-town, continuously operational inn on the National Register of Historic Places.
Frank Cretella, principal of Landmark Hospitality, intends to work closely with New Hope’s Historical Architectural Review Board and Doylestown Architect Ralph C. Fey, AIA, to enhance the property’s curb appeal. In its current form, Landmark’s plans call for constructing two additional permanent structures that will add 17 new guest rooms and a pebbled court yard.
“As we did with the Ryland Inn in Whitehouse Station a few years ago, our intention is to return the Logan Inn to its true landmark status,” explains Cretella. “Logan Inn has been a centerpiece for New Hope since the dawn of this town, and we intend to renew its promise, restore its history and remake it as a showplace of fine dining and lodging for the hundreds of thousands of people who visit the area annually.”
Landmark Hospitality, a leader in urban renewal and adaptive reuse practices for historic and existing commercial structures, also operates Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City, Stone House at Sterling Ridge in Warren, N.J., and Celebrate at Snug Harbor in Staten Island, N.Y., in addition to the Ryland Inn. The company also recently unveiled its other distinctive New Hope property, the fully renovated Hotel Du Village on River Road.
Gloria Nilson & Co. Real Estate today announces it is scheduled to open its newest office in Toms River at 411 Main Street in early December 2015. This newest location brings the company’s total number of offices to 24 throughout New Jersey, with two locations in Bucks County, Pa., and more than 700 agents working throughout the region.
“Toms River is an extremely diverse and dynamic downtown environment that continues to be a destination of many throughout the state,” explained Jacqueline Paterno, the broker-associate branch manager who will lead the Toms River office. “With so many of our clients looking to Toms River and surrounding areas for homes, this was the next logical location for our business and our agents. We’re thrilled to be joining the local community.”
In addition to Paterno, 12 additional sales associates from Gloria Nilson & Co.’s Brick, N.J., office will join the Toms River office. Plans for an official grand opening celebration in the first quarter of 2016, as well as recruiting for additional experienced and well-trained local sales associates, are also underway.
Sales associates who will work from the Toms River office include: Ramona Bruno, Anna Fimagnari, James Hawkes, Michael Meehan, Sima Parisi, Loretta Parody, Peter Paterno, Tom Rafferty, Sarah Rullo, James Schneider, Roseann Smith and Donald Stout
“One of the reasons Gloria Nilson & Co. has continued to grow as a successful real estate brokerage is because our expansion is strategic and it focuses on meeting the needs of our buyers and sellers,” said company President Pat Bell. “Toms River gives us another key regional location in Ocean County as well as further reach into other desirable shore communities where buyers are most interested.”
For more information about Gloria Nilson & Co. and its new Toms River location, please visit www.glorianilson.com or call Paterno at (201) 218-6388.
At its recent annual public meeting in Lower Macungie Township, Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF), a nonprofit non-governmental organization dedicated to educating, supporting and financing energy users seeking sustainable energy options, announced it had committed nearly $4 million dollars to regional renewable and sustainable energy projects during its fiscal 2014-2015 calendar year.
Those commitments, totaling $3,952,871, represent low-cost loans to help fund a variety of energy projects across approximately 20 different organizations, including nursing homes, condominium developments, day care centers, museums, municipal governments, non-profits and various commercial enterprises.
A sampling of these projects include:
“We continue to see in both the non- and for-profit sectors a recognized need to control costs, plan for the long-term and commit to more sustainable energy alternatives,” said John Costlow, president and CEO of SEF.
TRSA, the leading global textile services trade association, today announces its Hygienically Clean Healthcare Certification program standards have received the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Seal of Recognition™ for its certification materials.
The AORN Seal of Recognition confirms the certification program has undergone a thorough quality review by AORN and is consistent with the organization’s Guidelines for Perioperative Practice. According to AORN, this is not a product endorsement but rather a demonstration that the educational and informative material provided about the certification program is sound and reliable. Specifically, the Seal of Recognition recognizes the certification program’s materials on the “Standard for Producing Hygienically Clean Reusable Textiles in the Healthcare Industry.”
“Since the creation of the Hygienically Clean certification in 2012, TRSA has continued its work to raise the bar and standards within the commercial laundry industry through this program,” explained Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of TRSA. “We’re honored to have successfully earned AORN’s Seal of Recognition for our Hygienically Clean program and we’ll continue to work with our membership to ensure the industry is held to the highest possible standards of cleanliness and safety.”
To be considered for Hygienically Clean Certification, facilities handling healthcare linens are inspected for adherence to best practices and quality assurance requirements. This inspection is preceded by two rounds of bacteriological testing of laundered textiles by an independent, TRSA-approved laboratory. Samples must pass a total of three rounds of testing to qualify for certification.
To maintain certification, facilities must regularly repeat the tests: the Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) protocol, quarterly, rather than the previous protocol of twice per year; and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) 62, for microorganisms most commonly found in healthcare environments, twice yearly. This frequent quantification of performance fosters continuous improvement through adoption of new laundering techniques to deliver a better level of cleanliness.
“Hygienically Clean standards have a very large and positive impact on public health in general because they lower the overall community infectious disease risk burden,” said David F. Goldsmith, MSPH, Ph.D, an occupational and environmental epidemiologist with George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health in Washington, D.C., who recently conducted a third-party review of the certification program. “TRSA Certification offers a serious marketing advantage versus competitor laundries who have not adopted the Hygienically Clean process.”
According to TRSA, by Dec. 31, 2015, it expects approximately 50 percent of commercial laundries exclusively handling linens and other textiles from healthcare facilities will have earned its Hygienically Clean certification. Complete information on the program and its newly revised protocols and best practices can be found on the program’s new website at hygienicallyclean.org.
Kimball Communications (www.kimballpr.com) today announced it has added Mark Ladley to its team of public relations professionals. Ladley joins the agency as public relations manager and is responsible for managing client accounts, including strategic planning, media relations, social media advising and crisis consulting.
Prior to joining Kimball Communications, Ladley honed his PR expertise in travel and tourism, as well as political communications, at boutique agencies and in state politics. Most recently at En Route Marketing in Philadelphia, he successfully developed relationships with journalists and bloggers to bolster clients’ reputations in the travel and tourism market. Prior to that, Ladley was communications director for Pa. Rep. Brendan Boyle, developing messaging and public relations strategies that led to significant media placements and high-profile press conferences. He began his career in communications working for esteemed pollster and political pundit, Frank Luntz.
“As we continue to grow our agency, Mark’s experience in B2B and travel and tourism PR is a complementary and welcome addition to the work we do,” says Gary Kimball, president of Kimball Communications. “I’m looking forward to the positive results he’ll produce for our clients, both current and future.”
A resident of Lansdale, Pa. in Montgomery County, Ladley is deeply involved in his local community, serving as a member of the Lansdale Communications Commission, the Philadelphia Public Relations Association and The Penn Club. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in politics from The Citadel and the University of Glasgow, respectively.
Ladley is the most recent addition to the Kimball Communications team since the agency’s move to the Philadelphia region earlier this year. The agency is currently celebrating its 20th year in business.
photo via Atos on Flickr
Want to be a thought leader in the legal field? What exactly does it mean to be a thought leader?
Our VP Rod Hughes offers Meg Charendoff some sensible advice for readers of the National Law Journal.
Bernie Heinze of AAMGA speaks with John Weber of A.M. BestTV.
Eight months after the National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers Act (NARAB II) was signed into law, the federal government still has not appointed board to oversee its provisions.
In a conversation with A.M. BestTV’s John Weber, AAMGA president Bernie Heinze discusses this issue and the steps the AAMGA is taking to address this problem. Watch the interview here.
You may know your stuff, but that doesn’t mean you will be recognized as an authority on the topic. How can lawyers become thought leaders and better media sources? Rod answers that question for Meg Charendoff in a recent Legal Intelligencer article.
PR Matters 