GARDEN STATE LEADERS IN BUSINESS, CULTURE, AND THE ARTS SHARE FAVORITE ACTION STARS, ULTIMATE WINTER ACTIVITIES AND GETAWAYS, AND GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR
BY ERIK SCHONING, ARCHANA AITHAL ROSE, AND AMANDA MCCOY PHOTOS BY TOM ZAPCIC, ALEX BARETTO, AND VIOLET MAYER PHOTOGRAPHY
Ralph Lauretta
Owner/Buyer, Sal Lauretta for Men / sallauretta.com
The son of a Sicily-born master tailor, Lauretta has been with his father and grandfather’s family business since the late 1990s, a 6,000-square-foot full-service men’s clothing store in Midland Park. Since its inception in 1974, the high-end retailer has been providing well-heeled gents with a comprehensive selection of classic and contemporary ready-to-wear attire and accessories, plus custom clothing services and expert tailoring. Today, the third-generation owner wears several hats, from managing the team and sourcing new apparel and fabric to assisting with fittings or preparing a freshly brewed espresso for clients. is highly personalized level of customer service, Lauretta pointed out, is the key to the store’s success for 48 years – and counting.
“We’ve always stayed true to our core values: exceptional quality, customer service, and tailoring,” he added. “All of those factors combined translate into an unparalleled shopping experience.”
Sharing their success with the community has long been a pillar of the Lauretta family business, and after a pandemic-induced two-year hiatus, the store will be bringing back its annual fundraiser, Behind the Seams, to benefit Eva’s Village of Paterson this May. Since its launch in 2009, the fashion extravaganza has raised over $1 million for the charity and remains close to its founder’s heart.
WHAT IS ONE GOAL, PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL, YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN 2022?
Personally I’m always trying to be the best father possible to my girls. Professionally as the main buyer for the store, I’m looking forward to pushing the envelope in 2022 and finding new and exciting clothing lines to offer our customers.
ALL-TIME FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE/ACTION STAR?
I like the Avengers movies, and my favorite character is Thor, but my all-time favorite action heroes are the Denver Broncos. I have the tattoo to prove it!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINTER ACTIVITY OR GETAWAY?
Finding somewhere warm to get a few rounds of golf in. That’s usually Florida; I also get a few rounds of Disney and Universal Studios in as well with my wife and girls.
George Pillajo
Product Specialist, Paul Miller / paulmillerrollsroyce.com
With over a decade of experience as a sales professional with some of the world’s preeminent luxury automotive brands, including Lexus, Bentley, and now Rolls-Royce, George Pillajo believes he was destined for a career in wheels. He said of his serendipitous start, “A friend introduced me to car sales when I was struggling to pay for my first year of college at Rutgers University. I found out I really liked helping people buy something that provided transportation and happiness.”
Success quickly followed; Pillajo earned the number one salesperson award with Nissan, then moved into the luxury sector, working at Lexus followed by Mercedes-Benz before finding his home with Paul Miller. He said: “In 2009, I was invited to join Paul Miller Bentley and Rolls-Royce, a culmination of my goals to sell the nest automobiles ever made.” Today Pillajo’s roster of clients includes celebrities, industry titans, and industry innovators. “The future for luxury car sales is bright,” he continued. “I see the business continuing to flourish; the wealthy will always want the latest and the best in technology represented by exceptional consultants.”
WHAT IS ONE GOAL, PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL, YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN 2022?
To continue to grow our client list as we did in 2021, regardless of the challenges. We’ll be moving to our new location in Bergen County by the end of spring 2022.
ALL-TIME FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE/ACTION STAR?
I don’t have one. I love watching history and true-life documentaries, so I have more real-life heroes, past and present.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINTER ACTIVITY OR GETAWAY?
Taking a break from the cold in Turks and Caicos or other Caribbean Islands.
Dominick Rizzo
Chef/Partner, Catch19 / catch19redbank.com
Born and raised in New Jersey, this Culinary Institute of America graduate sharpened his tools in restaurants throughout Manhattan, Italy, and Florida before returning to his home state to lead the kitchen at Catch (now Catch19) in Red Bank. The high-end, seafood-centric eatery quickly gained a devoted following for its wild-caught fish, “angry” lobster and shrimp, and a cult-favorite Sinister Sauce that’s also sold by the bottle. Providing a personable dining experience was also a key ingredient in the restaurant’s success, and for that the chef credits every member of the staff.
“We all individually take pride and ownership of our restaurant,” said Rizzo of the Catch19 team, many of whom have been with the restaurant since day one. “No matter the server, busser, runner, cook, owner, or chef, we all treat this as our place. When a guest walks through our doors, it is our delight to make everyone feel as if they have been coming for years. We love knowing what you drink, what you enjoy food wise, and how we can tempt you with exciting specials.”
Catch19 fans can look forward to the group’s newest co-venture, Centrada Cucina and Cocktails, a Pan-Latin dining concept with a dizzying mezcal and tequila selection, set to debut in Red Bank this spring.
WHAT IS ONE GOAL, PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL, YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN 2022?
To build, sustain, and regrow a torn-apart restaurant industry since the COVID pandemic. To work with all our peers who have been hit so hard during the past two years, to emerge from this with our whole team stronger, better, and ready to give our guests the best experience they could imagine. Welcome to the scene Esperto Hospitality Group, where our focus is on the “total experience.”
ALL-TIME FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE/ACTION STAR?
Bill Murray. If he reads this he will have to come to Catch for dinner. I dare him!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINTER ACTIVITY OR GETAWAY?
Planning for a fun summer – I’m not a winter guy!
Stephen Cassidy
President, Denholtz Properties / denholtz.com
Stephen Cassidy isn’t just a heavy hitter in the Garden State. His firm, Denholtz Properties, maintains a portfolio of properties from Red Bank down to Greensboro, North Carolina, and Orlando, Florida. It’s part of a far-ranging operation that blends commercial and residential real estate, prioritizing long-term tenants, sound investing strategy, and the implementation of technology. Recently, the firm has moved into crowd funding, seeing it as the next evolution of real estate investment.
Cassidy’s been a part of Denholtz since 2002 and today serves as its president. His work with Denholtz led to a recent partnership with Rutgers, Cassidy’s alma mater, where he teaches a course at the Rutgers Center for Real Estate. It’s a way of reinvesting in a community that gave Cassidy his start. The long game has always been the story at Denholtz; the firm has been around for 70 years, constantly reinventing itself even while upholding its core values. It’s a philosophy that’s served both Cassidy and his company well.
WHAT IS ONE GOAL, PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL, YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN 2022?
To double the growth of our company!
ALL-TIME FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE/ACTION STAR?
The Avengers movies.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINTER ACTIVITY OR GETAWAY?
Going to Florida and playing golf.
Chris Gooch
Chef/Owner, Hearthly Burger / hearthlyburger.com
For Chris Gooch, the road to Hearthly Burger in Shrewsbury was a rather lengthy one. A Shrewsbury native, Gooch grew up with a natural-born passion for cooking. That fervor took him to Hawaii, where he learned how to cook animals whole, and to the International Culinary Center in Manhattan. After a stint working under Marc Forgione in the city, he returned to his hometown with a vision of his own: an organic, responsible approach to casual eating.
“Our idea was organic fast food,” Gooch said. “I wanted it to be the highest quality food you can have but quick, easy, and created by real chefs.”
Despite opening just before the pandemic, business has been booming at Hearthly Burger, and the restaurant pocketed eight awards in the Asbury Park Best of the Best, including Best Burger. Gooch runs the restaurant with his partner, Cache Coelho, serving fried chicken and burgers sourced through the Butcher’s Block in Long Branch. The beef comes from an organic farm in Rhode Island, the chicken from a small farm in Pennsylvania. This place is as local as it gets, and these days, that’s special.
WHAT IS ONE GOAL, PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL, YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN 2022?
We’re trying to open a second store this year. That’s a goal of ours. We’d love to have a beach location.
ALL-TIME FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE/ACTION STAR?
I have to say Daniel Craig as Bond.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINTER ACTIVITY OR GETAWAY?
My favorite is taking family ski trips in Colorado, just me and my wife and my tiny little daughter. She can’t ski yet she’s too little.
Joseph Collado
President, Bell Mitsubishi / bellmitsubishi.com
Though Collado received a formal college education, the NYC native credits his Manhattan upbringing with instilling invaluable lessons in business, culture, and fine arts throughout his childhood, teachings that would one day serve him well in a flourishing 36-year automotive career. The Formula 1 fan who explained he caught the car bug as a kid got his start in the industry in 1986 as a salesperson with the country’s first Acura dealership in Jersey City, and today he serves as the president of Bell Mitsubishi in Rahway, where he purchased several Mitsubishi vehicles himself from the previous owner.
The secret to a three-and-a half decade career? “Integrity,” noted Collado, who’s been sharing his personal number with customers since he purchased his first cell phone in 1990. “It’s about always doing the right thing regardless of the situation,” he said. “People know when you are honest and forthright that is all they really want. I am available seven days a week anytime to assist in any way that I can.”
Building this level of trust also translates to his employees, noted the dealership president, adding, “To know that people trust you with their livelihood and their cars is a big responsibility but it is also extraordinarily rewarding.”
WHAT IS ONE GOAL, PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL, YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN 2022?
To further grow our business with our employees so that they can also reap the benefits of our success, because we can’t be successful without them they are the engine that drives the car.
ALL-TIME FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE/ACTION STAR?
I am a huge James Bond fan, and I have been watching 007 since I was a little kid. He is always so cool, dressed well, hangs out in the nicest places in the world, and of course, drives the coolest cars.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINTER ACTIVITY OR GETAWAY?
I’m not much of a winter person. I love the sun and warm weather so every winter I look forward to a warm, sunny location that has blue water, beaches, and white sand to escape the cold weather. The Caribbean islands are my favorite. There’s nothing like the beach, sun, and good food that just rejuvenates my body and soul.
Scott Gilbert
Broker, O’Brien Realty / obrienrealtyllc.com
Real estate is famously competitive, but for broker Scott Gilbert, that’s nothing to shy away from. e Rumson-based realtor spent twenty years trading on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and as he explained, “You tend to pick up a sense of urgency in that kind of work environment.” Gilbert places a premium on making the process as smooth as possible for his clients, from the first open house to closing day.
“I take on a lot of the stress,” he noted. “Half of the time my clients don’t know problems that have arisen, because it’s my job. That’s why I’m getting paid, to deal with those problems and get those problems solved.”
Gilbert’s listings span the southern half of the state, with a focus on luxury coastal properties in coveted ZIP codes like Long Branch, Monmouth Beach, and Fair Haven. When he’s not busy closing, he loves spending time with his family. After all, home is what the real estate business is all about.
WHAT IS ONE GOAL, PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL, THAT YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN 2022?
To continue serving my clients with the same level that I have. I don’t ever want to get complacent with that, because that’s how you become irrelevant.
ALL-TIME FAVORITE ACTION MOVIE/ ACTION STAR?
Let’s go with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WINTER ACTIVITY OR GETAWAY?
Skiing. I went to the University of Utah. My brother still lives in Salt Lake City so I’m out there a lot. That’s my happy place.