UPPER TOWNSHIP – The Upper Township Business Association’s (UTBA) annual meeting was much different this year due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the all-volunteer community organization carried on with a special ceremony Zoom meeting held Feb. 25 with the induction of officers and board members, along with a timely program by Upper Township Mayor Richard Palombo and his presentation on the “State of the Township.”
2021 marks the 10th anniversary for the UTBA with 120 active members from across the retail, service, professional and non-profit sectors of Upper Township, located in northern Cape May County, New Jersey.
Officers and Board Members:
Mayor Palombo conducted the induction Ceremony for the 2021 Board.
Officers are:
Steve Zellers, president, advertising director for the Sentinel newspapers;
Liz Foglio, secretary, with Foglio’s Flooring Center;
Ralph Cooper, treasurer, with the Historical Preservation Society of Upper Twp.;
Jack Griffin, past president, with Dompierre, LLC
Board members:
Blanche Adams, Heist Insurance Agency;
Pandora Mason, Foglio’s Flooring Center;
Kathy Peasheck, Wings Travel;
Christina Tolson, Broadley’s; and
Dana Wilson, Yes She Can!
Steve Zellers, President
Steve Zellers, advertising director for the Sentinel newspapers, is the new president of the UTBA for 2021.
Zellers has spent his career working in Cape May County after graduating with a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Rutgers University.
He has extensive experience in sales, marketing and management and currently works for the Upper Township Sentinel as advertising director. He resides in Ocean City with his wife and sons.
Two new UTBA Board members were inducted. They are Christina Tolson, marketing manager for Broadley’s, and Dana Wilson, owner of Yes She Can!
Christina Tolson, UTBA Board Member
Christina Hagan Tolson grew up in Seaville, attending the Upper Township school system and graduating from Ocean City High School in 2004.
She completed her undergraduate education at Philadelphia University (now Thomas Jefferson University) in Philadelphia.
Tolson started her career in advertising in 2008 with a local advertising agency, and is now the marketing manager at Broadley’s Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning in Marmora since 2019.
She resides in Upper Township with her husband and her daughter.
Dana Wilson,
UTBA Board member
Dana Wilson grew up in Upper Township and graduated from Charter Tech High School of the Performing Arts in 2001.
She then went on to get her bachelor’s degree from Stockton College in 2006 for business marketing.
She spent years working in marketing, a real estate office and a law office before finding her passion for uplifting ladies with proper-fitting bras in 2011. For more than six years she had a mobile bra fitting business and since 2017 a brick and mortar boutique in Marmora called Yes She Can!
She resides in Upper Township with her husband and two sons.
Mayor Palombo outlined his experiences and accomplishments for the past year, and the span of over 20-years, as the lead official for the Upper Township municipality.
Mayor’s Highlights included:
– Township help and guidance for retail and outdoor dining.
– Beesleys Point Beach improvements
– B.L. England plan status and future site plans
– Road improvement plans
– Township computer system upgrades
– Attracting new commercial ratables for the township.
UTBA meetings
Monthly membership meetings (Zooms) are planned for the UTBA this spring. See the UTBA Facebook page and Eventbrite emails for details.
UTBA Committees will be active in the coming months on a range of topics including:
– Marketing
– Beautification / Community Pride
– Sustainability
– Civic Engagement
– Business / Professional Development Workshops
Scholarships
UTBA is again sponsoring two $500 scholarships for Ocean City High School Seniors graduating for the Spring of 2021. In addition, the Upper Township Business Association is offering one $500 scholarship to a Cape Technical High School graduating Senior. Applications are available at the high school Guidance Offices.
Website and Facebook
The UTBA has vibrant website www.upperbiz.com with a membership Business Directory and numerous informative pages.
UTBA Zoom meeting video recording are shared on the Business Association Facebook page www.facebook.com/UpperBiz
