Maura Carley, President and CEO of Healthcare Navigation, a patient advocacy and consulting firm with an office in Darien, has written an informative book on the devastating consequences of being `coverage illiterate' about health insurance -- "Health Insurance, Navigating Traps & Gaps." Before founding Healthcare Navigation, Carley served as the vice president of operations for the Northeast Region of PhyMatrix, a physician practice management company. Early in her career, she was recognized by the American Hospital Association as one of the nation's 50 outstanding young health professionals and featured in Hospitals Magazine.

Like the ingredients in your favorite meal, events throughout the past several months have blended into a winning recipe for Dee and Alina Lawrence, who opened the doors to Olivette, 1084 Boston Post Road, on Dec. 27 last year. Alina was struggling to find a job when she was inspired to open Olivette, a specialty food store and tasting room to 46 varieties of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. In addition to olive oil and balsamic vinegar, Olivette sells bread, olives, sea salt, toffee, honeycombs, sauces, preserves, honey grown in Weston, and other gourmet foods. Less than a month after the store opened, it helped them book three private parties in February and they began to see returning customers. Each olive oil and balsamic vinegar lives in a stainless steal dispenser on tables that line the shop walls and comprise a center island. Labels inform the customers what type of olive or grape the product is made of, where it was produced, the bitterness level, and nutritional information. Dee and Alina said theirs have a lower acidity level than balsamic vinegars in grocery stores, making them healthier.

Available in different price ranges, the unique look of these contemporary homes presents something out of the ordinary for a buyer who yearns for a distinctive look. In Darien, 614 Hollow Tree Ridge Road is an international style contemporary built by Edward Durell Stone, the world-renowned MoMA and Kennedy Center architect. Listed for $2.599 million with Halstead Brokers Ed Strauss and Jean Coleman, the four-bedroom, six-bathroom home features an open floor plan and indoor pool. Halstead Property is one of the largest residential real estate brokerage firms in the metropolitan area. [...] the development marketing division of Halstead Property is the exclusive sales and marketing firm for many new developments in the tri-state area and through the Property Management Division, Halstead manages more than 18,000 residential units within 180 buildings.

Annette Richmond, founder and executive editor of career-intelligence.com, announces the company's first live event: A career strategies conference which will take place May 22 at the Hilton Stamford Hotel and Executive Meeting Center. The career strategies conference offers two events in one: A day-long conference and an early-evening networking reception.

First County Bank streamlines closing process First County Bank recently said it has streamlines the mortgage closing process. "First County Bank delivered what big banks could not," said customer Ammar Murad, when referring to a recent search for a mortgage on a Greenwich condo. [...] we're putting our money on it. First County Bank, headquartered in Stamford for more than 160 years, is an independent mutual community bank with 15 branches in Stamford, Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk and Westport offering deposit products, mortgages, trust and investment services, business banking services and online banking. First County Bank has more than 220 employees and assets in excess of $1.3 billion.