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The Edge for August 2021

An Exclusive Article for NJ ChamberEdge

We asked New Jersey business executives to tell us how COVID-19 is affecting their vacations this summer. Their answers involve COVID tests, vigilance and flexibility. See exactly what they said below:

 

Don MeyerHow Did He Get to Maui? He Started with a COVID Test.

After our 2020 Hawaiian vacation was canceled, my family was determined to overcome any obstacle to visit Maui in June. To avoid the 10-day quarantine period, Hawaii required a negative COVID test no more than 72 hours prior to landing. For weeks prior to our trip, I worried that we wouldn’t get the test results back in time or worse, test positive. But everything – from testing to the flight to arrival in Hawaii – went off without a hitch. Kudos to United Airlines and the state of Hawaii. P.S. Hawaii dropped their test requirements two weeks after our trip.

– Don Meyer, Chief Marketing Officer, NJCPA

 

Dawn AfanadorDriving, Not Flying, and Vigilance

My family and I will be venturing out to Vermont to visit extended family and make up for traditions we have dearly missed over the past year. We have not traveled since January 2020, and this vacation will be different for us. We will be driving, not flying, and we’ll continue to be vigilant especially since we will have a young, unvaccinated child in tow. I am fortunate to work at a firm whose leadership has focused on keeping our team safe and healthy in a remote environment since March 2020. Now, the firm’s leadership is encouraging everyone to enjoy some downtime and mindfully step away from work. I am looking forward to the opportunity to unwind, recharge and reset.

– Dawn Afanador, Chief Marketing Officer, Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC

 

Randy StodardVacationing Within an Easy Car Ride

Due to COVID-19 safety concerns, rising hotel and airfare costs and the general hassle of air travel, we are vacationing within easy car rides from home this summer. July 4th weekend, we enjoyed a family reunion near Annapolis, Maryland, where over 20 kids and adults got together, many for the first time since the pandemic started, for kayaking on the Chesapeake Bay and sightseeing in Washington, D.C. We’ll continue to keep it local with a trip down to the Jersey Shore before the kids head back to school.

– Randy Stoddard, Chief Marketing Officer, Delta Dental of New Jersey

 

Gary HoranThe Key to Vacationing this Year? Flexibility.

Late last year, my wife and I booked a Caribbean cruise that will take place shortly. Recently, we were notified that certain islands on the itinerary are now off-limits. We probably won’t know the final itinerary until it’s time to go. Without a doubt, the key to vacationing this year is flexibility.

– Gary S. Horan, President & CEO, Trinitas Health & Regional Medical Center

 

Responses for this article were edited for space and clarity.

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Newsmakers

As Jennifer Shimek transitions to a new leadership role at KPMG LLP, the company announced Jeffrey Knight has succeeded her as office managing partner in Short Hills.


Ernst & Young LLP appointed Eduardo Villa to serve as the Iselin office managing partner. In his new role, Villa oversees more than 1,200 EY professionals. Villa has been with EY for more than 22 years and has served as the New Jersey Tax Market Leader since 2019.


EisnerAmper has appointed David Frigeri to serve as partner and chief artificial intelligence officer. Frigeri will work with leadership to integrate AI, machine learning, and automation into EisnerAmper’s services to enhance client value and operational efficiency.


Fortune magazine named Merck, Hackensack Meridian Health and Atlantic Health System among the country’s 100 best companies to work for in its latest such list, released April 2. The 100 Best Companies to Work For list honors businesses that build a high-trust workplace environment, and is based on employee surveys.


Public Service Electric & Gas was recognized by J.D. Power as the top utility for residential customer satisfaction in both the electric and gas customer service categories in the East Large Segment for 2024. This achievement marks the second time PSE&G has earned this prestigious dual recognition for its residential customer satisfaction.


Prudential Financial has expanded the role of Caroline Feeney, appointing her as CEO of Global Retirement and Insurance Businesses, a newly created position that will oversee the company’s domestic and international retirement and insurance operations.


Former NJ Transit General Counsel Brian Wilton is joining the national bipartisan government affairs practice of Newark-based McCarter & English LLP.


Kenvue Inc., the maker of well-known brands like Neutrogena, Listerine, Aveeno and Tylenol, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 19 for its new, 290,000-square-foot global headquarters in Summit. The company has officially moved its headquarters from Skillman.


South Jersey Industries has donated $46,000 to the Southern New Jersey Chapter of the American Red Cross. The gift includes $23,000 in pledges from SJI employees as part of the company’s annual giving campaign, matched dollar-for-dollar by SJI. In total, this year’s campaign raised $350,000 for various organizations – a new record for the company.


Rowan University’s Edelman Fossil Park & Museum in Mantua opened March 29. It features towering dinosaur models, interactive exhibits, and a quarry where visitors can dig for fossils.


Thomas Edison State University has appointed Dr. Henry Collier as the new dean of its School of Science and Technology, effective April 7. Collier, a cybersecurity and artificial intelligence expert with more than 15 years of experience in higher education, will lead the school’s efforts to expand its programs and prepare students for careers in emerging technologies.


Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, part of RWJBarnabas Health, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School recently received a $2.4 million grant to develop technology to better manage patients presenting with heart attacks.


RWJBarnabas Health celebrated the grand opening of its largest academic ambulatory outpatient facility, a 15-story ambulatory medical pavilion on the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital campus in New Brunswick.


CentraState Medical Center, part of Atlantic Health System, unveiled the Hersh Pediatric Center at CentraState, a facility that combines advanced pediatric emergency and inpatient services in one family-friendly location.


Cooper and Inspira Cardiac Care team members at Cooper University Hospital in Camden were excited to announce they surpassed 1,000 cardiac surgeries in 2024, the highest number in South Jersey, and third highest in the state


The New Jersey Economic Development Authority Board approved the creation of the New Jersey Film Works Grant Program and entered into Memorandums of Understanding with Montclair State University and Brookdale Community College to expand film and digital media workforce development initiatives.


Merck has signed a licensing agreement for a heart disease drug with Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals worth up to $2 billion. Merck will get exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and sell Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals’ experimental oral heart disease drug, HRS-5346, worldwide, except in the China region.


Jefferson Health in New Jersey announced its newly elected medical staff officers, who will serve two-year terms. Dr. Gopika Banker was named medical staff president; Dr. Gerardo Varallo was named medical staff vice president; and Dr. Siddharth Bhimani was named medical staff treasurer.