Saint Clare’s Health announced that it is one of only six hospitals in New Jersey to receive an overall fivestar rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the federal agency’s latest hospital performance report. The CMS’ overall Hospital Star Rating provides patients with the important information they need to compare hospitals and make informed healthcare decisions.
The hospital has been recognized by the American Heart Association and Laerdal Medical for its commitment to high-quality CPR competency through adoption and implementation of a Resuscitation Quality Improvement program (RQI). Saint Clare’s is among the first hospitals in New Jersey and the only in Morris County to adopt this program. Saint Clare’s Health Denville recently held a ribbon cutting for its newly remodeled 12-bed Critical Care Unit. Remodeling of the unit began in the summer of 2018 and included a wide range of technological upgrades. 

Michael Stanzilis has been serving as the new vice president of membership engagement and business development at the Morris County Chamber of Commerce since April 1, where he is responsible for membership sales, retention and overall member experience, including creating, developing and overseeing a membership strategy for chamber growth. “I am thoroughly enjoying this new position,” he said. “What has impressed me is the passion of our members. They are all dedicated to growing their businesses. And willing to help each other. It’s amazing. “I am getting to know as many members as I can and finding out how I can help them make connections.” Mike has a strong track record of success. Most recently he was general manager at security services entity G4S Secure Solutions (USA) Inc., where he led the company’s Northeast Region in bottom-line growth for
two consecutive years and advanced the New Jersey portfolio from the third-largest in the region to the largest. Prior to G4S, Mike worked for Securitas Security Services USA, New York Life and Harrison Securities. Mike also serves as the mayor of Mount Arlington. He said his business background and government experience position him well to support chambers members.

​   “The chamber is the perfect intersection of my business and government experience and my passion for economic growth,” he said. “In addition, in my previous position I was a chamber member so I understand the perspectives and needs of businesses.” Mike’s goal for the member experience side of his job focuses on ensuring members get the most out of their membership, he said.

“I want to really define the value proposition of the three business sectors within our chamber – small, medium and large businesses – and ensure our activities are in line with those value propositions so they maximize the benefits of their membership. “I also want to show prospective members the benefits of membership, including the opportunities to network with other businesses of all sizes and interact with government officials, as well as education and training.”

Mike is an active volunteer in Morris County, including with the Morris County League of Municipalities as an executive board member and Habitat for Humanity, Morris County, as a past board member. He attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts and holds a certificate of security management from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Mike and his wife, Laura, and son, Mike, Jr., live in Mount Arlington. When he is not working or tending to township business, he is an assistant scout master for his son’s Boy Scout troop and loves skiing and camping.

When Marjorie Perry graduated college after growing up in the projects of Newark, she told her mother she was going to be rich one day. Her mother told her to get a job at Bambergers. Perry didn’t listen. Today she is president and CEO of MZM Construction & Management Company, Inc., a privately owned construction management and transportation company serving clients from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofits, educational institutions and others. Some of MZM’s signature projects include New Jersey Performing Arts Center, MetLife Stadium, Newark International Airport, NJ TRANSIT Hudson Bergen Light Rail and Marriott Hotel guest room renovations. Perry has been recognized often for her career achievements, including by NJBIZ as One of New Jersey’s Best 50 Women in Business and as one of the Top 25
Entrepreneurs in New Jersey and in 2018 became the first woman and African-American chair of the NJIT Board of Overseers. Perry recently shared her experiences and thoughts at a luncheon hosted by the Women in Business Committee of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce at the Westin Governor Morris in an interview format with WIB member Leslie Allen of West End Residential. The theme of the discussion was Building Greatness from Within. Allen asked Perry if she had a seminal moment in her journey to success. “I don’t think anyone is born knowing what greatness
is,” Perry said. She told the audience she had wonderful teachers who told her she could do anything and to think big. She became the first in her family to graduate college and never looked back.

   After years in the corporate environment – “I was a complete failure because I wasn’t CEO,” she said – Perry started a consulting company and took on MZM as a client. The owners soon asked her to join the firm as a partner. Allen asked Perry how she succeeded as a black female in a white male-dominated industry. Perry explained she has great street wit developed in Newark and never backed down, even following a customer who owed her $500,000 into the men’s room to demand payment. “That’s the survival part,” she said. “No is not an option. I didn’t wake up with a girlish attitude. I would not have survived in construction without that.” Perry also said she had not known racism growing up in Newark. “When I went into construction, I didn’t realize how hated I was,” she said, adding that running MZM helped her cope with racism. “Being black and female can be something you hold on to or can be something for them and you stick to what you’re doing,” she said. Allen asked Perry what message she would give to young people about persevering through challenges in their career. “I got my confi dence through a lot of failure and readaptability,” she said. “Each time I came back I became a force to be dealt with.” Perry also had a message for millennials, who will soon make up more than half the workforce. “You can’t get there before your time,” she said.
“Young people have to slow down and know there will be a dues period…The mistakes you make today will impact you for the next 30 years.” Allen asked Perry for her secret to achieving
emotional intelligence.“People need to be okay with constructive criticism,” she said. “If you have a problem hearing constructive criticism and all you hear is (someone) putting you down, that’s the greatest impediment to achieving emotional intelligence. “If you’re not questioning, you’re not moving forward,” she added.

​People are odd when it comes to risk. Marc Adee, chairman and CEO of insurance giant Crum & Forster, noted people living near water often opt not to purchase flood insurance for $300 but buy insurance on their smart phones. “They get to watch all their worldly possessions float down the river while filming it on their fully insured phones,” he said. Adee was the keynote speaker at the Annual Meeting Luncheon of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce in January, held at the Hanover Marriott. His topic was how businesses can mitigate risk. “It’s fun to talk about things like landing on Mars or automated vehicles,” he told the audience of more than 500. “I’m not going to talk about anything fun like that. I’m going to talk about things that can go wrong and how you can navigate that.”

​People have different levels of appetite for risk, according to Adee, yet he offered the following advice to all business owners and managers:

1. Identify the risk
2. Assess the likelihood of occurrence and the resultant impact on the business
3. Create a plan to mitigate that impact
4. Monitor

“You can share (the risk) with insurance or you cankeep your fingers crossed,” he said.
Adee discussed a number of issues impacting risk for New Jersey businesses. He noted New Jersey placed seventh on a recent list of the most litigious states in the nation, resulting in high levels of liability. The list identifies states with an unfair bias against defendants, often businesses, he said. He said the state’s new equal pay law increases the threshold of risk for businesses being sued by current or former employees. He called such laws job killers. Adee reported that twice as many people move out of New Jersey as move in, which impacts employee recruitment and retention. Reasons include affordability and taxes. “Making New Jersey in its entirety a place people want to move to is a challenge,” he said. The state’s approaching legalization of marijuana also will increase risk for businesses, Adee warned. “It’s unlikely productivity is going to go up for employees,” he said, drawing laughs. Adee cited problems experienced by Colorado, the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use, including issues such as employee testing, work accidents and driving accidents.

Cyber attacks are an increasing cause of risk for businesses, Adee said. “The guys who built the internet did not design it to be defended,” he said. “So defending your little part of it can be problematic.” Adee told the audience most cyber attacks are emailbased and 90 percent of related costs are due to human error. Therefore, educating employees about cautionary policies and procedures is essential, he said. For example, he recommended sending a fake phishing email and seeing which employees open it. “If you walk the halls and find everyone has sticky notes with their passwords, it’s probably an indication further education is needed,” he said. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes and extended power outages, were the final issues Adee discussed. He suggested small businesses evaluate how long they can go without cash flow and all businesses consider the secondary effects of disasters when creating a disaster recovery plan. “What you’re looking for is resilience so you bounce back better than the next guy,” he said. In summary, Adee said, “Having a healthy respect for risk involves going through the process, assessing and planning…It (also) increases the long-term success of your business.” ​

One-2-One meetings allow you to establish the Rapport that helps build Relationships which can lead to a Reward. Here’s how to make the most of your One-2-Ones:
​

1. DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. Someone’s gym buddy might be the person you’ve been hoping to meet. Don’t limit your opportunities based on assumptions.
2. CONNECT RIGHT AWAY. If your One-2-One is from a structured networking event, do yourself a favor - reach out within 24 hours to set up the meeting and always confirm the day before.
   
3. BE RESPONSIVE. Always reply when a fellow member follows up with you for a meeting. Remember - not responding is a response.
   
4. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Visit the member’s website or LinkedIn profile before you meet so you can ask insightful questions to show that you’re prepared, interested and engaged.
   
5. GET PERSONAL. Use your One-2-One to uncover common ground besides work. Ask people what they do in their spare time, if they belong to other organizations, or where they volunteer.
   
6. LISTEN AS MUCH AS YOU SPEAK. We’ve all been on the receiving end of a one-sided conversation. If you find yourself dominating the discussion, redirect by asking a question.
   
7. LEAVE A TERRIFIC IMPRESSION BY FOLLOWING UP. Thank the person for their time, mention a point you discussed, and provide any promised information. Better still, offer to make an introduction to someone you think they should meet.