OCBA 
The Ocean County Business Association (OCBA) is proud to help spread the word about two opportunities to support local children and families this holiday season. Purchase A Gift From Our Wishlist > Buy Tickets or Become a Sponsor here > OCBA member Ocean Partnership for Children (OPC) is organizing its 2026 Holiday Gift Drive and … Read more
When Blaise Scibetta started Southern Ocean Consulting, his original idea seemed straightforward: take the skills he had developed over roughly two decades in the automotive industry and use them to help other business owners run their companies more effectively. As Blaise explained during his Commercial Craft Talk at the Ocean County Business Association’s October 1 … Read more
Running a business comes with challenges that don’t always have obvious solutions. Finding financing, navigating state regulations, hiring employees, expanding into new markets, and securing government contracts can require expertise and connections that many small business owners don’t have readily available. What many New Jersey business owners may not realize is that the state offers … Read more
Buying a home, refinancing a mortgage, or deciding what to do with the equity in your current home can feel complicated—especially when interest rates and home prices dominate the headlines. During a recent OCBA Commercial Craft Talk, Rob Rauf of CMG Home Loans shared insights from nearly 40 years in the mortgage industry. His presentation … Read more
Downtown Toms River is changing, and much of that work is centered on a simple idea: give people more reasons to visit, stay, return and support the businesses and organizations that call downtown home. At a recent Ocean County Business Association meeting, guest speaker Melissa “MJ” Fernandez-Torres shared an inside look at that work. As … Read more
The voting round is officially open for the 2026 Official Community’s Choice Awards, and the Ocean County Business Association has plenty to celebrate. OCBA member businesses have earned nominations in more than a dozen categories across the Ocean County and Monmouth County awards, recognizing businesses and professionals in fields ranging from finance and home services … Read more
A well-designed landscape does more than improve curb appeal. It creates outdoor spaces your family enjoys, increases property value, and solves practical challenges like drainage, privacy, and accessibility. Those improvements also need to stand the test of time, which comes down to proper planning, quality materials, and experienced installation. During his recent Ocean County Business … Read more
Better Business Communication Starts with Better Storytelling Every business has a story. The challenge is communicating it in a way that people remember. At a recent Ocean County Business Association networking meeting, member Sandra Levine of Sandra Levine Productions shared lessons from a career spent telling compelling stories through television, documentary filmmaking, corporate video production, … Read more
At a recent Ocean County Business Association (OCBA) meeting, members heard from Michael Feliz, founder and managing partner of Shore Merchant Services. Michael has spent more than two decades helping businesses through the increasingly complex world of payment processing. While many business owners think of merchant services as simply “credit card processing,” Michael’s presentation revealed … Read more
At a recent OCBA networking lunch, members heard from Chris Emigholz, Chief Government Affairs Officer at the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA). His presentation offered a clear, honest look at the current economic climate in New Jersey and how state-level decisions are directly impacting local businesses here in Ocean County. For business owners, … Read more