Business

SOMERVILLE – New York’s loss may be Somerset County’s gain, if the county Freeholder Director gets his way. Freeholder Director – and former township mayor – Brian Levine on Feb. 22 announced that he is trying to revive the pitch the county made to host the Amazon HQ2 on a site in Somerville, but this time with a twist. Levine’s …

The Franklin Food Bank recently received a $1,200 donation from Unity Bank and its employees. The donation, made through the bank’s Somerset office, was part of $22,800 in donations made to 19 food pantries in New Jersey and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, according to a press release from the Clinton-base company. The money, a record for the fundraiser, was donated by …

The township’s newest health club, the Fitness Factory, threw itself a party on Dec. 14. The occasion was the Cedar Grove Lane club’s grand opening, and owners, staff and club members celebrated with food games and demonstrations of classes offered. On hand to help with the celebration was Deputy Mayor Shanel Robinson, who assisted with the ribbon-cutting. The Franklin Reporter …

Ocean State Job Lot celebrated the grand opening of its Franklin Park store Dec. 1 by giving gifts to local organizations. The Rhode Island-based discount retailer opened its 133rd store in the country and fifth store in New Jersey at the Franklin Towne Center, at the corner of Route 27 and South Middlebush Road. A donation of $1,000 was made …

The township’s newest store will hold its grand opening celebration at 1o a.m. Dec. 1. Ocean State Job Lot, which recently held a quiet opening in its store in the Franklin Towne Center at South Middlebush Road and Route 27, is planning several events to mark the grand opening of its fifth store in New Jersey. A 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting …

The fifth Ocean State Job Lot store in New Jersey held a “soft opening” Nov. 21 at the Franklin Towne Center in Franklin Park. The Rhode Island-based discount retailer is occupying about 31,000 square feet in the strip center located at Route 27 and South MIddlebush Road. A self-styled “opportunistic buying” company, Ocean State Job Lot obtains most of its …

For the fifth consecutive year, members of the U.S. Armed Forces serving abroad will be treated with candy donated by a local dentist’s patients. As he has for the past quinquennial, Dr. Joseph Haddad of Advanced Dental Arts on Easton Avenue offered to pay for excess candy collected on Halloween. This year, he said, people brought in more than 150 …

As many as 100 new jobs will come to the township as a result of a planned expansion at Ferrero USA on Cottontail Lane. The expansion, which will bring the company’s packaging and warehousing facility to 67,000 square feet, was commemorated Oct. 18 with a groundbreaking attended by company officials and township, county and federal dignitaries. The expansion should be …

Franklin will be getting a second Dollar Tree store with the scheduled opening of an Elizabeth Avenue location on Nov. 8. The store will fill the space formerly occupied by Rite Aid, 464 Elizabeth Ave., before the location was closed after the sale of more than 2,000 Rite Aids to Walgreen’s. Dollar Tree has another location in the Rutgers Plaza …

By PJ Parker. Members of Somerset Family Physical Therapy on World’s Fair Drive walked Oct. 14 in the Central Jersey “Autism Speaks” 5K Walk. The walk was held on the grounds of the Educational Testing Systems campus in Princeton. They walked with one of their patients to bring awareness to a charity dear to her heart. Joan Farrell, a four-year …