Executive Moves is an occasional feature on ROI-NJ.com describing some of the important personnel changes in the New Jersey business community. Reports are based on news releases, edited for content, clarity and style.
Paul Grzella, Somerset County Business Partnership
The Somerset County Business Partnership has announced that Paul Grzella, recently retired general manager/editor of the Courier News, Home News Tribune and mycentraljersey.com, has been selected as the 69th Somerset County Outstanding Citizen of the Year.
The Citizen of the Year award, given annually to Somerset County’s premier civic and business leader, is the county’s most prestigious individual award recognizing a single person for community and professional activities that have contributed to making Somerset County a special place.
The dinner honoring the Citizen of the Year continues the seven-decade long tradition of bringing the community together to honor an individual’s volunteer efforts in support of the County and provides the opportunity to reflect on Somerset County’s rich history and the people who have provided the leadership that has contributed to that success. Grzella will be honored on May 2, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Bridgewater Marriott.
Craig Leach, Seton Hall University School of Law
Craig Leach, founder and CEO of Collegium Holdings Inc., has been named to the board of visitors of the Seton Hall University School of Law. Leach, a 1999 graduate of the Law School, has focused his career on higher education advancement and more recently on building and acquiring professional service companies to serve the nonprofit, social impact sector.
“Seton Hall Law has emerged as one of America’s finest law schools, and I am honored to accept Dean (Kathleen) Boozang’s invitation to join its board of visitors,” said Leach, who also serves on the board of visitors at the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy.
“Craig is the perfect example of the broad spectrum of career paths followed by Law School graduates. He chose to apply his Law School education to help build an incredibly successful management consulting firm,” Boozang said, referring to Graham-Pelton Consulting, which is now one of many brands which now make up Collegium Holdings, Inc.
Sabeen Masih, Capital Impact Group
Capital Impact Group is pleased to announce that Sabeen Masih was recently named vice president of public affairs.
A former intern at CIG while a graduate student at Rutgers’ Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy in 2013, Sabeen joined the firm as a full-time professional in 2015.
“Sabeen’s policy expertise and strategic planning ability makes her an indispensable resource for our clients and the firm,” said CIG Principal Gerry Gibbs.
Daniel Reiman, URSB
URSB, Carteret’s hometown bank, with an outstanding 100-year reputation for personalized service and commitment to the community, has announced that Daniel Reiman, mayor of Carteret, is the bank’s newest member on the board of directors.
First elected as mayor in 2002, Reiman was the youngest person to hold the role in Carteret’s history; he subsequently went on to be elected for five consecutive terms. In the past, he has served as a borough councilman and planning board member, among other notable civic duties.
“I am pleased to join the board of URSB, which has been an institution in the Carteret community and surrounding area for over 100 years. My first banking experience as a child was opening a savings account at URSB and I am proud to say 30 years later I’m still a customer,” Reiman said.
Henna Reit, Smolin, Lupin & Co.
The accounting firm Smolin, Lupin & Co. is pleased to announce the promotion of Henna Reit to the position of member of the firm.
Reit, a CPA with more than 20 years’ experience, is based in Smolin’s Red Bank office, where she specializes in financial reporting, business consulting, audits of commercial entities, employee benefit plans and tax services.
She serves various industries including real estate, manufacturing, distribution, retail and service businesses.
Scarinci Hollenbeck
Jersey litigators Raymond Brown and Gregg Hilzer have joined Scarinci Hollenbeck’s Litigation Group. Together with Partners Robert Levy, Paul Lieberman and Roshan Shah, they will help lead the firm’s growing Criminal Defense and Corporate Compliance practice groups.
Brown and Hilzer have significant experience in handling matters related to criminal defense, corporate compliance, internal investigations and complex commercial litigation. Brown will be joining the firm as partner and Hilzer as counsel. Both will be located in the firm’s Lyndhurst office.
“I have practiced in international courts, in many federal district courts around the country, and in every county in New Jersey,” said Brown. “I had a choice of where to practice, including staying at my previous firm. I chose Scarinci Hollenbeck because it is progressive and dynamic, with lawyers I have known and respected for years as well as others with whom I have not yet worked but who present the opportunity for new challenges in a rapidly changing legal environment.”
Hilzer worked alongside Brown for over a decade at their previous law firm, where he focused his practice on representing individuals, corporations and governmental entities in a myriad of litigation matters in front of both state and federal courts. He also has experience counseling clients in various regulatory and transactional matters related to the emerging legal cannabis industry.
In addition, Scarinci Hollenbeck is pleased to announce the addition of Alyssa K. Weinstein to the firm’s Labor & Employment and Government & Education Law practice groups. Weinstein brings with her nearly two decades of experience representing public and private clients in a wide range of matters. Based out of Scarinci Hollenbeck’s Red Bank office, Weinstein will continue to represent individuals, businesses and public entities in a myriad of specialized, highly-sensitive matters.
“I am very excited to be bringing my experience over to the firm. This is the perfect opportunity for me to showcase my skill set as a member of a well-regarded law group of which I am delighted to be a part,” stated Ms. Weinstein.
As part of the firm’s Government & Education Law practice, Weinstein will devote much of her focus to the firm’s Special Education Law practice, led by Nathanya G. Simon and Carolyn R. Chaudry.
Eric Shishko, eDriving
Cape May-based eDriving, a global provider of driver risk management programs, has appointed Eric Shishko as vice president of strategic partnerships.
As a leading proponent of behavioral-based risk management in the telematics market, Shishko has a passion for addressing driving risk through the implementation of effective behavioral-based programs based on telematics data and feedback loops.
In his new role, he will facilitate key strategic partner relationships and spearhead new business development around the world.
Partha Biswas, Component Hardware Group
Component Hardware Group is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Partha Biswas as CEO and president of Lakewood-based CHG. Biswas succeeded, in late 2018, interim CEO Greg Tucholski, who continues to serve on the company’s board of directors.
“I am excited and honored to have the privilege of leading CHG, a company with a rich history and tremendous potential for growth,” said Biswas, who brings more than 25 years of general management, global supply chain, strategic planning, engineering and technology leadership experience to the role.
Prior to joining CHG, Mr. Biswas was the Group President for seven years at Middleby Corp., a publicly traded global manufacturing company in the food service and food processing equipment industry.
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Lawrence Chu, Netta Architects
Netta Architects is proud to announce that Lawrence Chu has joined the firm as a principal and director of Architectural Interior Design Services in its New York City office, where he will deepen and diversify the firm’s design capabilities for its corporate, aviation and higher education clients.
Netta Architects, with headquarters in Mountainside, and offices in New York City and Boca Raton, Florida, is a full-service, award-winning architecture firm offering services in interior design, sustainable design/LEED certification and construction management.
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Michael Keyes, Proximo Spirits Inc.
Proximo Spirits Inc. announced that Michael Keyes has been appointed as CEO and president, effective Feb. 4. In that capacity, Keyes will manage all operations of Proximo and its affiliates in the U.S. and Canada.
Keyes is a veteran executive with over 30 years of experience in the distilled spirits industry, including over 10 years as president, North America region, for Brown-Forman Corp. Keyes joined Brown-Forman in 1991. His service included overseeing the company’s most important brands as a marketing executive and then serving in management positions of increasing responsibility for the company’s marketing, sales and finance functions, both in North America and globally.
Keyes will succeed Michael Cheek, who has overseen Proximo’s operations on an interim basis since July 2018.
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Newmark Knight Frank
Newmark Knight Frank is pleased to announce that industry veterans John Ennis and Brett Lake have recently joined NKF Valuation & Advisory as senior vice presidents in the Financial Reporting practice. Ennis and Lake bring more than 45 years of combined industry experience to the Whippany office.
“We’re incredibly excited to have these two seasoned financial reporting professionals join our growing V&A team to provide industry-leading services,” said V&A Financial Reporting Practice Leader John Corbett. “NKF’s clients will benefit from Brett and John’s expertise in navigating complex financial, accounting, tax and regulatory issues.”
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Jesse Wiley, John Wiley & Sons Inc.
John Wiley & Sons Inc., a global leader in research and education, announced that Jesse Wiley, a member of the seventh generation of the Wiley family, has been appointed nonexecutive chairman of the board. Wiley, 48, has served on the board since 2012. He will succeed Matthew Kissner, who has served as chairman since 2015. Kissner will step down from the board to take on the role of executive vice president and group executive, reporting into CEO and President Brian Napack.
“Wiley’s success over 200 years has been the result of a continuous focus on innovation, performance and continuity in governance,” said George Bell, chair of the Governance Committee. “In that tradition, we are very pleased to announce the appointment of Jesse Wiley to the role of chairman. As a longstanding company executive, board member, Technology Committee chair and forward-looking business leader, Jesse brings to the Chairman’s role a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of our evolving markets, customer needs, and company culture. He will guide Wiley’s strong, independent board of business leaders and innovators.”
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