Biz News: College Consultant Offers Free Workshop; CFO Award Finalist

Chuck Hastings, Chief Financial Officer of Juniper Communities and a resident of Basking Ridge, already has been has named a finalist in the category of private company with revenues up to $50 million in the 2011 NJBIZ CFO of the Year awards program.

The finalists in the awards program all will be recognized — and winners in each category will announced — during a breakfast awards ceremony scheduled for Tuesday morning at The Palace in Somerset Park in the Somerset section of Franklin Township.

The program celebrates New Jersey' financial executives at all levels who contribute to the success of New Jersey's economic growth and stability, according to an announcement of Hastings' selection as finalist.

Hastings is a financial executive with more than years of experience in health care finance.  He has demonstrated success in a growth-oriented, for profit environment that has a private equity base, the release said. As CFO of Juniper Communities, he oversees the operations of 15 assisted living and skilled nursing facilities located throughout the United States.

"Chuck has helped build Juniper Communities by maintaining a firm foundation of strong operations. Since joining the company in 1996, he has assisted in the company's growth during a period that the need for senior housing has been changing from individuals needing 24-hour skilled nursing care to those seeking varying degrees of living assistance," said Lynne Katzmann, founder and president of Juniper Communities. "With his financial acument for leveraging assets, Juniper has expanded with great success."

Hastings received his B.A. degree from Princeton University and his MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, the release said.

He lives in Basking Ridge with his wife and children. In his personal time, he spends his time coaching his children¹s athletic teams. For three years, he was his daughter's lacrosse coach, and he also was his his son's basketball coach for four years.

Finalists for the awards program were chosen by an independent panel of judges including: Bill Carson, Hudson Ventures; Robert Chefitz, NJTC Venture Fund and Egis Capital Partners; John Frankel, ff Venture Capital; James W. Hughes, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and Denis C. Picard, Alvarez & Marsal Technology Asset Management.

Juniper Communities, based in Bloomfield, was founded in 1988, owns and operates 15 long-term care communities in New Jersey, Florida, Pennyslvania and Colorado.For more information on Juniper call 973.661.8300 or go online.

Basking Ridge-based college consultant will offer free workshop on 'Navigating the Road to College.'

This Tuesday evening, Basking Ridge-based college consultant and author Kris Hintz will be offering a free workshop for parents based on her new book : A Handbook for Parents. The workshop is scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 25 at the Bernardsville Library off Anderson Hill Road in Bernardsville.

Hintz is founder of Position U 4 College, a college and career coaching service.

FEMA deadline for New Jersey disaster assistance extended to Nov. 30

At the request of the state, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is extending the registration deadline until Nov. 30 for renters, homeowners and business owners who suffered damage from Hurricane Irene.

The extension is for those affected by the storm and flooding from Aug. 27 to Sept. 5.

“We've extended the registration deadline for people who — for whatever reason — have not had the opportunity to register for assistance,” said William L. Vogel, FEMA's federal coordinating officer. “The goal is to ensure all eligible Irene survivors have the chance to seek assistance.”

There are three ways to register  — go to www.disasterassistance.gov, m.fema.gov or call FEMA toll-free, 800-621-3362 (FEMA).  hose with access or functional needs and who use a TTY may call 800-462-7585 or use 711 or Video Relay Service to call 800-621-3362. Telephone lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern time. Multilingual operators are available.

Disaster assistance to individuals could include grants to help pay for temporary housing needs, essential home repairs and other serious disaster-related expenses not covered by insurance or other sources. Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) are also available for homeowners, renters and business owners to repair or replace real or personal property, according to an announcement from Somerset County.