2C — October 25 - November 7, 2013 — Executive Women in Business — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
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Executive Women in Business
Ellen Raineri, Ph.D. President ARK Commercial Real Estate
Denise Schmidt Risk Manager, New Business Development Hillmann Consulting, LLC Tell us how and when you began your career in the profession you are in? After starting my career in the customer service department at Automatic Data Processing, ADP, Inc., an opportunity for me to transfer into the Risk Management department arose and I accepted. After
Tell us a little about your family. I ammarried and have 2 sons. We have several cats that were strays or were adopted from the SPCA. What is the funniest, most unique situation you have faced / conquered during your business ca- reer?
My Seller did not have a chance to brush hog the 100+ acre Marcellus Shale gas field that we were touring. He invited the Buyer to join him in the front seat and the other Buyer to join me in the back seat of his Rover golf cart. So, as my Seller feverishly pressed the petal to the metal to forge a path, we were rapidly attacked with ongoing picky hay particles, snapped branches, thick worms, and 2 inch insects that accumulated inside and outside our summer clothing. As the worms and 2 inch insects were unexpectedly hurled on us, I would inadvertently jump and utter a startled “huh” which then triggered the, otherwise calm, adjacent passenger to also jump as he spontaneously reacted to my repeated actions. Oh, that Rover ride could not have ended quickly enough for either of us! What outside activities do you enjoy during you free time? For leisure, my husband and I have “exercise dates” (smile). It’s my way to ensure I take time off from work. It’s also my way to motivate my husband to come to exercise with me. My husband and I also enjoy humorous sitcoms Education: all brokers courses, SIOR course, and commercial invest- ment courses, Ph.D., Masters, and 2 Bachelors - applied in my business. 2. Real Estate experience: industrial, retail, office, land, invest- ments and Marcellus Shale properties - applied in my business. 3. Corporate experience: Executive Leadership, Strategic Planner, and numerous Sales roles - applied in my business. 4. Taught university courses in Commercial Real Estate, Entrepre- neurship, Management, Marketing, IT - applied in my business. n and movies. I also like reading and meditating. What do you feel is the key to your success? 1.
entering the Risk Management arena, my career further advanced to Prudential and later to the Diocese of Paterson. I became a prominent speaker in the industry, educating people locally and nationally about opportunities they have to grow and protect their business, assets and families. Do you feel being a woman is an advantage in today’s business world? Why? Why not? Women who succeed and accelerate in business take great pride in setting and accomplishing goals. I believe there is no longer a glass ceil- ing for woman. Many progressive companies have demonstrated their confidence in today’s capable and engaging females by putting them in key leadership roles. This is proven by the fact that many of today’s fortune 500 companies have women in leadership roles. If you are the primary caregiver to your childrenwhat obstacle and challenges do you meet on a day to day basis? As a primary care giver and a single parent, I’m proud to say that my daughter has helped me excel in my profession. We know that today’s life experiences are challenging, but we have developed a rapport and sense of caring that makes each of us understand situations that both impact us singularly and together as a family. What do you feel is the key to your success? In addition to one’s health, which is a key focus of mine, education is the single most important factor in the success of a person. I constantly strive to keep my clients up to date as they endeavor keeping their business competitive. n
Local NJ businesswoman becomes president of national recycling association Valerie Montecalvo is named president of the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association
W
OODBRIDGE, NJ – V alerie Monte- calvo , president
growth industry all across the United States,” Montecalvo said. “As landfills continue to fill, new disposal facilities are not being established to keep up with the volume of mate- rials being generated. Public consciousness is continuing to shift to “green business practices” and strategies like material recovery and recy- cling of C&D debris to advance sustainability goals. To say the least, it is a very exciting time for the [C&D recycling] industry!” Coupled with the C&D in- dustry’s growth and rebrand- ed identity comes the need for a renewed and expanded focus on strategic planning. Montecalvo’s immediate plan is to target focus on goals to expand C&D recycling na- tionwide and to harness the tremendous energy the CMRA was already generating. Ef- fectively managing member- ship growth will be key to the organization’s success in delivering expanded services, while mobilizing collective skills, knowledge and expertise
to help influence policies affect- ing the industry. Towards shaping national environmental policy, Mon- tecalvo and her team plan to reconstitute a legislative and regulatory committee onto the current CDRA board of direc- tors. This will help develop model legislation and rules, which will be shared with members to put advocacy for C&D recycling into action. Montecalvo is eager to follow in the CMRA’s immediate past president (and president of CPRC Group in Maine) John Adelman’s footsteps, where he lead the CMRA to achieve many accomplishments under his guidance and expertise. “Beyond the exciting path our board of directors and past presidents have set us on, being the first woman president of the CDRA has enormous meaning to me and further demonstrates the growth and diversity of our industry,” Montecalvo ex- plained. “I have been blessed with an extraordinary career in contracting and material
recycling. Working in partner- ship with my husband Frank, we have taken a “mom and pop” operation with a single truck performing utility contracting work, to operating the largest and most diversified recycling company in the State of New Jersey, processing as much as 10,000 tons per day of mate- rial through seven distinct operations.” The CDRA’s full executive committee will consist of Ja- son Haus, CEO of Dem-Con, Shakopee in Minn., as vice president; Patti Hamilton, vice president of marketing and communications at Sun Recycling in Lantana, Fla., as secretary/treasurer; at- large member Mike Dinneen, vice president of operations at Agg Rok Materials Co. in Grove City, Ohio and current executive director, Bill Turley who also manages the day-to- day work of the CDRA out of Chicago. Bayshore Recycling (Bay- shore), a WBE in NJ and NY, currently operates seven different NJDEP approved
recycling businesses, all located on a 55-acre site in Woodbridge Township, NJ, making the com- pany one of the most innovative and vertically integrated in the Northeast. Services include: recycling of concrete, asphalt, brick, block and glass cullet into aggregate materials; remediation of petroleum contaminated soils; materials recovery of mixed construc- tion and demolition debris into secondary products such as landscaping mulch and bio-fuel; full-service metal re- cycling; recycling of consumer electronics and acceptance of dredge material via barge. Construction & Demolition RecyclingAssociation (CDRA) is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes the recycling of construction and demolition materials. It began in 1996 to provide an information ex- change for the rapidly growing C&D recycling field. It became a spokesperson for the indus- try, while continuing to help direct those seeking informa- tion about C&D recycling to answer sources. n
and owner of Bay shor e Recycling i n Wo o d - bridge Town- ship, NJ, will serve as the 2013 – 2015 n a t i o n a l Construc-
Valerie Montecalvo
tion & Demolition Recy- cling Association’s (CDRA) first-ever woman president. Formerly the Construc- tion & Material Recycling Association (CMRA), Monte- calvo was appointed by the general membership board as president for a two-year term inApril, and she humbly accepted. For the next two years, Montecalvo will lead the CDRAwith its rebranding, mission to promote recycling of construction and demoli- tion (C&D) materials, orga- nizational growth, national environmental legislation and education to the public. “C&D recycling is now a
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