New Jersey Economic Policy Forum Focuses on Challenges, Opportunities
Program Reveals C-Suite Survey Results, Features Expert Panel Discussions
Survey Summary (PDF)
PLAINSBORO, N.J., Dec. 15, 2008 – Members of the New Jersey business, academic and legislative communities gathered today for the 2nd Annual New Jersey Economic Policy Forum at the Wyndham Princeton Forrestal Hotel and Conference Center. Centering on an ambitious, twice-yearly C-Suite Survey of top-level executives in New Jersey, the program and discussion featured the latest survey results and two compelling panel discussions highlighting the attitudes, challenges and solutions among organizations and businesses based in New Jersey. Governor Jon Corzine served as keynote speaker, and Jerry Zaro, Chief of the Governor's Office of Economic Growth, spoke at the luncheon.
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, real estate services provider Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. and several partner trade associations created the Forum last year to bring together key stakeholders to discuss economic challenges and opportunities facing the state.
The initial C-Suite survey was conducted in the fall of 2007 by The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. The survey, to be administered every six months, asks executives a variety of questions associated with the state's economy and business climate. More than 110 executives responded to the fall 2009 survey.
“The Forum is especially important considering the current economic situation, since it unites New Jersey’s leading organizations with businesses to discuss critical issues,” noted Joan Verplanck, Chamber president, who welcomed the group along with Cushman & Wakefield’s Gualberto “Gil” Medina, executive managing director for the company’s New Jersey operations. “Much has changed in the last year, but our survey reflects that New Jersey continues to provide strong fundamental appeal as a place to do business.”
“The high-level participants in our 2009 Forum event illustrate the critical nature of this effort – and the strength behind it,” Medina noted.
Cushman & Wakefield's President and CEO Bruce Mosler said, "As the global economy faces challenges of unprecedented scale and complexity, public-private collaborations like the C-Suite Survey are more important than ever, especially in a regional economy as large and diverse as New Jersey."
Marc D. Weiner, J.D., Ph.D., faculty fellow and associate director of the Bloustein Center for Survey Research, and Jim Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, provided an overview of the survey methodology and results, and compared the latest findings to those from previous versions.
Joe Seneca, professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, followed with a presentation of New Jersey economic data. Carl Van Horn, professor of Public Policy at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, and director of the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, presented “The New Jersey Workforce: Enhancing the State’s Greatest Competitive Advantage in a Global Economy.”
Economic Policy Forum association partners comprised the first, roundtable-format panel, which Verplanck moderated. Participants included:
- Hon. Bob Franks, president of the Healthcare Institute of New Jersey;
- Michael McGuinness, chief executive officer of NAIOP New Jersey;
- Maxine Ballen, president and CEO of the NJ Technology Council;
- Cheryl Graziano, vice president of FERF Research and Operations, Financial Executives International;
- Debbie Hart, president of BioNJ; and
- Jim Bourke, immediate past president of the NJ Society of CPAs.
A second panel, consisting of C-Suite level executives from participating companies, featured a town hall-style format where audience members were able to ask questions. Brian Thompson, NJ correspondent, NBC News4NY served as moderator. Participants included:
- Ken Parker, president of Atlantic City Electric;
- Bruce Mosler, President & CEO, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.;
- John F. Crowley, president and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics; and
- Dan Schulman, CEO of Virgin Mobile USA [VM:NYSE].
According to Schulman, “It's critical that local and state governments work closely with the business sector in setting priorities. This is a valuable and important process. These are tough decisions, the kind that business leaders make every day, particularly in a rough economy.”
Dec. 15, 2008
