Great Oak Awards: Small Companies

These are the Great Oak finalists for small companies, or businesses with up to 100 New Jersey employees.

Alan G. Trembulak, Esq.
Montclair

Industry: Law practice
NJ Employees:
3
Cash giving:
$2,500
Volunteer hours: 75
For the past 20 years, Alan G. Trembulak has provided legal services to Montclair-based nonprofits, including Homes of Montclair Ecumenical Corp (HOMECorp), the leading developer of affordable housing in Montclair. Trembulak’s effort supports affordable housing and helps maintain the socioeconomic diversity that is a hallmark of the community.

Amanti Vino
Montclair
Industry:
Retail beverage sales
NJ Employees: 10
Cash giving: $2,000
Volunteer hours: 200
Amanti Vino supports the local community with several fundraisers each year, including a benefit for Intensive Therapeutics, which provides occupational support to children with special needs. The retailer also donates gift baskets, seats in wine classes and more to countless fundraisers annually.

Crest Savings Bank
Wildwood
Industry:
Banking/finance
NJ Employees: 85
Cash giving: 10 percent of net income
Volunteer hours: 1,550
Crest believes that community is the foundation of any business. In addition to raising money, the bank encourages employees to dedicate their time and seek leadership roles in charitable organizations. Crest is a major corporate sponsor of the Boardwalk Basketball Classic (BBC), which raises college scholarship money for graduating seniors at two local high schools.

Dairy Queen
Plainfield
Industry
: Retail ice cream & cakes
NJ Employees: 10
Cash giving: $4,000
Volunteer hours: 600
Owned and operated by the Albanese family, this Dairy Queen partners with the Salvation Army to refurbish old bicycles. The Bicycle Giveaway Program—dispensing 236 bicycles in 2013—provides teenagers with transportation to work and school and promotes exercise and fun for younger children. The family has also partnered with the Sharing Network Foundation to help raise awareness about organ and tissue donation.

Eastman Companies
Livingston
Industry:
Real estate development & property management
NJ Employees: 26
Cash giving: $29,350
Volunteer hours: 250
One of Eastman Companies’ principles is “creating better places” by giving back in hours and expertise. They’ve donated time and office space to organizations such as the Livingston Arts Council, the Jimmy Hersh Family Foundation, Livingston Robotics and the Rotary Club of Livingston.

The Festival Group
Fairfield
Industry:
Event planning
NJ Employees: 4
Cash giving: $3,000
Volunteer hours: 1,000
The Balloon Festival has donated more than $2.2 million in the last 21 years and a food drive has been incorporated into the event. The operation raises money for local nonprofit groups such as volunteer fire departments, ambulance corps and school groups that assist at the festival.

Law Coffee Co.
Newark
Industry:
Coffee manufacturing, distribution & service
NJ Employees: 35
Law Coffee’s most visible program in 2013 was its pink coffee-cup lid event. Posters and tabletop tents promoting the usage of pink coffee lids to support Breast Cancer Research were seen by thousands throughout New Jersey and neighboring states.

Lowy’s Moving Service
Neptune
Industry:
Moving & storage
NJ Employees: 35
Cash giving: $5,000
Through Move for Hunger, Lowy’s delivered nearly 90,000 pounds of food to food banks throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties last year, enough to provide 75,000 meals to those in need. In just four years, Move for Hunger has expanded to work with nearly 600 moving companies across 47 states. In New Jersey alone, Lowy’s and Move for Hunger have together delivered enough food to feed almost 300,000 individuals.

Passion Vines Wine & Spirit Company
Somers Point
Industry:
Retail beverage sales
NJ Employees: 25
Cash giving: $25,000
Passion Vines’ main philanthropic focus for fiscal 2013 was the Right Notes, an annual fundraiser in collaboration with the National Sclerosis Society and the Somers Point Jazz Society. The benefit raised $60,000 for its two partners. Passion Vines also plans local fund-raising events, and donates scooters, walkers and medical devices to help improve the lives of those living with multiple sclerosis.

The Rockefeller Group

Mount Olive
Industry:
Real estate investment & development
NJ Employees:14
The Rockefeller Group supported at least 28 separate organizations or initiatives with charitable donations averaging about $2,500 per organization for the calendar year. The company’s giving leans toward organizations and initiatives dedicated to children and education. The firm has been involved with Daytop New Jersey, which delivers comprehensive substance-abuse treatment. Rockefeller Group has also supported Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey and has long maintained a company-matching gift program of up to $1,000 per employee per year.

Roof4Roof
Montclair
Industry:
Construction
NJ Employees: 15
Volunteer hours: 6,000
With every new roof purchased, Roof4Roof gives free roofing to a family in need. In 2013, Roof4Roof provided roofing to over 100 families in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Colombia, and to the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillipines. In all, the company has provided roofing for nearly 300 homeowners, which impacts approximately 1,500 people, at no charge.

Salvatore Minardi Salon
Madison
Industry:
Beauty salon
NJ Employees: 11
Cash giving: $4,000
Volunteer hours: 100+
The Salvatore Minardi Salon spearheads Beauty Will Cure, an all-day benefit for the American Cancer Society. The salon also holds cut-a-thons and pop-up salons in Madison and surrounding communities, and has donated thousands of dollars in products and services to local causes.

Studio 1200
Short Hills
Industry:
Architecture & interior design
NJ Employees: 18
Cash giving: $6,500
Volunteer hours: 220
Studio 1200 focuses on sharing architecture and design knowledge through intern programs and pro bono architecture and design services. In 2013, the firm donated $1,000 to Impact 100 Garden State, an organization of women of diverse backgrounds with a commitment to New Jersey. It also granted $135,000 to the Printmaking Center of New Jersey for its Combat Paper NJ Project, a program for veterans that uses art as a healing tool.

True & Associates
Westfield
Industry:
Insurance & surety
NJ Employees: 47
Cash giving: $17,585
Volunteer hours: 40
True & Associates sponsors charitable organizations and encourages employees and friends to share good will during the holidays and every day. It supports several local branches of organizations, such as the Marine & Law Enforcement Foundation, Toys for Tots NJ, Adopt a Family for Christmas and Wounded Warriors, with nearly $20,000 in grants.

Click here to read about the other Great Oak Award finalists.

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