Business Briefs

Kids Smile of Princeton/New Brunswick, 3759 Route 1, Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick, will hold its grand opening during August and September. The office is headed by Dr. Dawn Forbes. The grand opening will feature free seminars, office tours, mini exams, and gift bags. Forbes completed her training at Columbia University School of Dentistry and Oral Surgery. For information, call (732) 297-5200 or visit www.KidsSmileNJ.com.

John McCormac, a resident of Woodbridge and former state treasurer, is continuing his public service by giving back to small businesses through serving on the Statewide Advisory Board of the N.J. Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) network. A certified public accountant (CPA), McCormac announced his intentions last year to return to the private sector to focus on business development activities for small businesses, and often reflected back to his private practice as a CPA when he talked about the importance of the NJSBDC network's impact on the state economy. He worked with NJSBDC for four years as state treasurer and joined its advisory board to help further the network's cause. The board's mission is to lend expertise in its members' respective areas of business to develop recommendations and advice for the network's 11 regional centers and five specialty programs.

The NJSBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Additional funding is provided through the N.J. Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism Commission, as well as the Rutgers Business School graduate programs in both Newark and New Brunswick.

The Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce will hold its 14th annual "largest networking party" Sept. 12 from 5-8 p.m. on the rooftop of the Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick. Tickets are $35 at the door and $25 in advance. More than 120 exhibitors will be present, such as Johnson & Johnson, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Wachovia Bank and United Way of Central Jersey. Chefs from the Pluckemin Inn, The David Drake, Stage Left and Sophie's Bistro will also be preparing signature dishes. For more information, call the Chamber at (732) 821-1700 or e-mail NLP@mcrcc.org.

The Rotary Club of New Brunswick will hold its fourth annual murder-mystery dinner Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. at the State Theater, 15 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick. The event will feature professional actors and foods from various New Brunswick restaurants. There will also be a silent auction. Cost is $75 at the door, and $65 in advance. Proceeds benefit club activities and projects to help children in New Brunswick, North Brunswick, and Highland Park. For more information, call Marta at (732) 309-3699.

The Entrepreneurial Training Institute (ETI), Trenton, will offer the classes "Earned Income Venture for Nonprofits" Oct. 11 and 18 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The feasibility class will be held at Commercialization Center for Innovative Technologies, 675 Route 1, North Brunswick. The ETI program supports state initiatives to foster the growth of small businesses. For more information, call Glenn J. Phillips at (609) 292-9297.

Rainbow Academy, a family of child care centers with locations in Brick, Iselin, Cranford, Woodbridge, Rutherford, Whippany, North Brunswick and Summit, announced it has been nominated for the New Jersey Family Business of the Year award.

The award, sponsored by New Jersey Monthly magazine, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and the Rothman Institute of Entrepreneurial Studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University, recognizes the significant role that family businesses play in the nation's economy, as well as their importance and vital contribution to the state and local business community.

Rainbow Academy Child Care Centers was founded by the Falzarano family in 1997. Its first center in Iselin, where the family was living at the time, was 4,700 square feet in size, employed 20 people and served 100 children. Today, the family-owned company has eight centers throughout the state, employs more than 250 child care professionals and can accommodate 1,573 children.

Recipients of the award will be honored at a luncheon to be held at Crystal Plaza in Livingston on Oct. 3.