Lehigh Valley News Bytes

Teens Beautify Bethlehem Park

Visitors to Rockland Park, Bethlehem, will be able to enjoy art as well as open space thanks to the hard work and artistic talents of eight area teens who spent their summer beautifying the park through the Banana Factory’s BananaWORKS job skills and public art program.

The teens, under the guidance of Banana Factory artist Kim Hogan, used brightly colored mosaic tile pieces to decorate a bird bath and four park benches, thereby enhancing the park’s beauty.

BananaWORKS is a collaboration between ArtsQuest’s Banana Factory and Pennsylvania CareerLink Lehigh Valley, in which low-income youth learn valuable job training skills while designing and producing a public piece of art that enhances the community.

Sponsors of the Rockland Park mosaic project are Just Born Inc., Marlene (“Linny”) and Beall Fowler, Morning Star Rotary Club of Bethlehem, Pearson Funeral Home, Claire Rij, ArtsQuest, and the Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board.

Rockland Park is at 1300 Stefko Boulevard.

The project was dedicated on Friday, Aug. 21, 2009.

Teens Create Mural at Bethlehem's Bodder House

When residents of Bethlehem Housing Authority’s Bodder House visit the center’s community room, they’ll be greeted by the tranquil image of a picturesque landscape and seascape, thanks to the hard work and artistic talents of seven teens who spent their summer creating a large, colorful mural as part of the Banana Factory’s BananaWORKS program.

BananaWORKS is a collaboration between ArtsQuest’s Banana Factory and Pennsylvania CareerLink Lehigh Valley, in which low-income youth learn valuable job training skills while designing and producing a public piece of art that enhances the community. Mural sponsors are Bethlehem Housing Authority, Conectiv Energy, ArtsQuest, and Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board.

The official unveiling of the mural took place Thursday, Aug. 20, in Bodder House’s community room. In attendance were the teen artists and Banana Factory artist and project leader Angie Snyder-Lande.

Parry is Named Kistler O’Brien Service Sales Representative

Bethlehem, Pa.--Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection, Bethlehem, Pa., has named Andrew Parry of Allentown, Pa., a service sales representative for regions in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 

In this position, Parry will develop and maintain relationships and acquire new business in the Mercer, Burlington, Monmouth, and Ocean counties of New Jersey as well as Bucks and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania. In addition, Parry will help businesses in those areas meet their life safety needs and requirements with seminar and training efforts.

Prior to joining Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection, Parry served as marketing coordinator for WhoTales, LLC, in Bethlehem. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from Pennsylvania State University.

“Andrew has achieved much in the sales and service area at a very young age,” says Eric F. Blasser, president of Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection. “Current and prospective customers in the region will benefit from Andrew’s energy and commitment to excellence.”

Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection is a full-service company specializing in consultation, system configuration, installation, inspection, and maintenance of fire protection equipment. Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection has been in business since 1933 and has a workforce of 150 full-time employees. The company services nearly 20,000 customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the peripherals of Maryland and New York. It records annual sales of more than $17 million. For more information, visit www.KOBFire.com.

Hillside School Names Board Members, Officers

Macungie, Pa.--Three area individuals were named to the Board of Trustees at The Hillside School, a Macungie-based K-6 elementary school whose mission is to maximize the potential of the child with learning disabilities through excellence in education and specializes in teaching children who possess the ability to excel, despite specific learning differences.

The three individuals are former Hillside guidance counselor and teacher, Karen Samuels, of Bethlehem, Pa.; Charles Stinner, vice president of taxes, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown; and David Weinstein, owner of Sunburst Property Management, also in Allentown. 

The three were elected during a recent board meeting and will serve three consecutive-year terms.

Samuels served as the art teacher at Hillside as well as guidance counselor in the late 1990s. She writes a weekly historical column for the Bethlehem Press and is editor of “Look Back Again,” a newsletter of the Lower Saucon Township Historical Society. She is author of “Images of America, Lower Saucon Township” and maintains the Web site   www.lehighvalleyhistory.com. Samuels has served as vice president of Saucon Valley School Board and as president of Lower Saucon Township Historical Society, Saucon Creek Watershed Association, and Saucon Valley Conservancy. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stockton College and a master’s in education in counseling psychology from the College of New Jersey.

Stinner joined Air Products in 1991 and was appointed vice president, taxes, in 2007. He is responsible for managing the tax affairs of the company, including tax planning and compliance. Prior to that, Stinner had practiced law at Schnader, Harrison, Segal & Lewis in Philadelphia.
 
Stinner earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Pennsylvania State University and a law degree from Cornell University, where he was editor-in-chief of the “Cornell Law Review.” Following law school, he clerked for the United States District Court. Stinner is a member of the Pennsylvania bar and several tax and industry organizations. He is on the board of Lehigh Valley’s public television station WLVT-PBS 39 and is a former board member of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

Weinstein is owner of Sunset Property Management. He is a licensed Pennsylvania real estate broker and holds the Accredited Residential Manager (ARM) and Certified Property Manager (CPM), both designations earned from the Institute of Real Estate Management. He has also earned the prestigious Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation from the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute, a designation held by only 6 percent of the estimated 150,000 commercial real estate practitioners nationally. Since starting Sunburst in 1981, Weinstein has grown it into a premier property management company which today services customers in Northampton, Lehigh, and Berks counties. Weinstein is the parent of a former Hillside student. He served on the board from 1996 to 2007 and is now rejoining.

In addition, four current board members were named as officers of The Hillside School Board of Trustees: Peggy Brady-Nallo of Emmaus was named president; Wendy O’Connor, an associate attorney at Tallman, Hudders and Sorrentino, PC., was named vice president; psychiatrist Dr. David Schwendeman of Bethlehem was named secretary; and Bob Locke of Fogelsville was named treasurer.

Samuels

   

Stinner

 

Weinstein

CleanRental.com Names Executive Sales Director

Lisa Furey of Breinigsville, Pa., has been named executive sales director for CleanRental.com, a Philadelphia-headquartered business with an office in the Lehigh Valley.

Furey, who has served as national sales director for CleanRental.com for the past six years, has been in sales and new business development for more than 15 years. As executive sales director, she will be responsible for CleanRental.com’s business development in current and new industry offerings, including food processing, chemical, pharmaceutical and biotech, transportation, utilities, manufacturing, hospitality, hospital and healthcare, along with any of the service industries, including HVAC companies. Her primary area of focus will be those customers in the Fortune 500 arena and other large scale uniform rental clients.

Prior to joining CleanRental.com, Furey was an account executive with Verizon Yellow Pages where she managed advertising campaigns for new and existing clients in the northeastern Pennsylvania territory. Earlier, she was an account executive with Choice One Communications and Cellular One/AT&T Wireless, respectively, where she was responsible for managing exiting client services and new business development.

CleanRental.com is a privately held uniform rental and cleaning business in operation since 1918. In addition to Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley, the business maintains offices in Newtown, Pa., and the New Jersey/New York area. CleanRental.com is one of the largest independent launderers in the United States. The business provides services to more than 10,000 customers in 48 states with more than 100,000 individuals wearing CleanRental.com products on any given day. CleanRental.com counts a wide variety of industries among its private and government customers, including food processing and manufacturing, pharmaceutical and biotech, hospital and healthcare, hospitality, maintenance, and janitorial. To learn more about CleanRental.com and its services, visit cleanrental.com.

Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection Names Service Sales Representative

Bethlehem, Pa.--Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection has named Joanne Link of Allentown, Pa., service sales representative for Northeastern Pennsylvania.       
           
In this new role, Link will provide territory sales and service support for the Lehigh Valley and north through the Poconos to Scranton. Primarily, she will help businesses in those areas meet their life safety needs and requirements.

Prior to joining Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection, Link served as a service manager with the Lehigh Valley operation of Pulte Homes. Earlier in her career, Link provided sales and service support for YellowBook USA and in the mortgage industry.

“Joanne has a tremendous record of experience in the sales and service area,” said Eric F. Blasser, president of Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection. “Current and prospective customers in the region will gain the benefit of her expertise and her commitment to the customer.”

Link earned her bachelor’s degree in community health from East Stroudsburg University.

Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection is a full-service company specializing in consultation, system configuration, installation, inspection, and maintenance of fire protection equipment. Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection has been in business since 1933 and has a workforce of 150 full-time employees. The company services nearly 20,000 customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the peripherals of Maryland and New York. It records annual sales of more than $17 million. For more information, visit www.KOBFire.com.

Kistler O’Brien Veteran Employee Earns High-Level Industry Certification

Bethlehem, Pa.--Robert Reppert of Emmaus, Pa., installation division assistant manager at Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection, has received the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies Level IV Certification for Fire Alarm Systems. He is now considered a senior engineering technician in the category. 

The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) provides universally recognized certification for individuals in engineering technology and related disciplines. Certification through NICET is recognized and often required for work the field of fire protection for local and state government as well as federal agencies. Reppert is among only 125,000 technicians who have met NICET’s demanding certification criteria.

A Kistler O’Brien employee for more than 20 years, Reppert has served in the drafting, design, and technical services area since his hire. In 2005, he was promoted to technical services manager and to his current position in 2008.

He also holds the NICET Level IV certification for Special Hazards Suppression Systems and a NICET Level I in Automatic Sprinkler Systems Layout, both of which he earned in 2001. He is a member of the local chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, an organization of more than 4,500 members worldwide representing individuals in the field of fire protection engineering.

“Bob has demonstrated a commitment to the industry, the company, and our clients by completing the certification process,” said Eric F. Blasser, president of Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection. “He represents the kind of employee that is as committed to excellence as an individual as we are as an organization and we congratulate him on this stellar achievement.”

Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection is a full-service company specializing in consultation, system configuration, installation, inspection, and maintenance of fire protection equipment. Kistler O’Brien Fire Protection has been in business since 1933 and has a workforce of 150 full-time employees. The company services nearly 20,000 customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and the peripherals of Maryland and New York. It records annual sales of more than $17 million. For more information, visit www.KOBFire.com.

DeSales University Students Begin 'Hero's Journey'

Center Valley, Pa.--Twelve DeSales University students begin a year-long national leadership development when they attend a three-day retreat in late August as part of the 2009-2010 “Catholic Hero’s Journey” of the Salesian Leadership Institute (SLI). 

In its fourth year at DeSales, the program is sponsored by the Salesian Center for Faith and Culture and is made possible through a grant from the Ryan Family Foundation. The program was created in collaboration with the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI), in Exton, Pa., and has been customized for the University to incorporate various elements of Salesian spirituality.

During the retreat, students will be guided to discover their own special gifts and talents and learn how to apply those talents in ways that maximizes the impact of their efforts. Following the August retreat, students will then participate in 10 monthly meetings with fellow participants on the DeSales campus, part of the program’s support network with which they can share their experiences and challenges and motivate each other to achieve their goals.

All students participating in the SLI program will enter their junior year at DeSales in the fall. They are as follows: physician assistant majors Mary Kate Boylan of Doylestown, Pa., Elizabeth Wenck of Allentown, Pa., and Chase Schaeffer of West Lawn, Pa.; communications majors Kevin Enright and Laura Fehrle, both of Philadelphia; also from Philadelphia, Stephanie Chrzanowski, a nursing major; sport and exercise science majors Alex Brown of Nazareth, Pa., and Melissa Gilroy of Shohola, Pa.; Justin Campanelli of Langhorne, Pa., a marketing major; Megan Montchyk of Bellmawr, N.J.; and Elizabeth Valk of Birdsboro, Pa., an elementary education major.

The Salesian Center
Established in 2000, The Salesian Center for Faith and Culture’s mission is to promote the interaction of faith and culture, in a mutually beneficial engagement, through academic initiatives that focus on the authentic integration of social concerns and gospel values. The Salesian Center supports intellectual activity in research studies, dialogue events including public forums and lectures and partnership programs. For information about The Salesian Center for Faith and Culture, click on the Salesian Center icon on DeSales University's home page at  www.desales.edu or call 610-282-1100, extension 1244.

CLI
Founded in 1991, CLI is an organization of lay Catholics whose mission is to build Catholic leaders for today and tomorrow. It offers leadership-development programs for priests and seminarians; young adults and university students; and parish, diocesan, and apostolate staff. Since 1991, CLI has helped more than 7,000 Catholics reach their God-given potential as leaders and Christian witnesses in their family, workplace, community, and church. CLI is headquartered in Immaculate Conception Hall at St. Joseph-in-the-Hills, Malvern Retreat House, Malvern, Pa. For more information on CLI, call 610-251-3750 or visit the institute's Web site at http://www.catholicleaders.org/.