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Proven Strategies for Meeting Prospects at Business Events

The Edge for March 2024

An Exclusive Article for NJ ChamberEdge

This Month's ChamberEdge Contributors

Now is a good time to brush up on your networking skills - with the state’s top business networking event, the N.J. Chamber’s ReNew Jersey Business Summit and Expo coming up on March 26 and 27. We have asked some N.J. Chamber members to dish out their secrets on meeting people and developing prospects. Their answers are below.

 

Tara ThurberBe Yourself. Be Authentic.

Actively listen and hear what others are saying. Try to understand their needs and interests. It will help you convey your message and make that connection. Be yourself. Be authentic. Share information. Stay aware of why you are connecting – whether you are looking for a role or looking to build relationships. Respect the other person’s time.

– Tara Thurber, Co-Founder & Director of Talent Partnerships, DefinedTalent

 

Omprakash RajagopalanPresent Mutually Beneficial Opportunities

Be selective on who you approach – think quality over quantity. When you engage in conversation, think about ways you can offer value to your new contact. Think about an article they should read or people they could meet. Present mutually beneficial opportunities. Perhaps you can make an introduction at the event. Building a network is not a ‘you’ exercise. It is a ‘we’ exercise.

– Omprakash Rajagopalan, Founder & CEO, Rzolve LLC

 

Charisse LimListen Attentively and Ask Meaningful Questions

Everyone at the event is there to network so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and make those connections. Best-case scenario, you will come out with a bunch of new connections you can follow up with later on. It’s a simple as saying ‘hi’ and introducing yourself. Listen attentively and ask meaningful questions.

– Charisse Lim, Senior Campus & Military Recruiter, Fiserv

 
Nick Malefyt

Follow-Up on LinkedIn with a Personalized Message

Be strategic in regards to overall networking approach. Focus on topics that will directly impact you or your business. Make sure you are attending networking events that are related to what you are looking to accomplish. Follow-up on LinkedIn with a personalized message.

– Nick Malefyt, Owner, Master Search Solutions

 

Responses for this article were edited for space and clarity.

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Newsmakers

Shannon Lazare

Shannon Lazare has been named M&T Bank’s New Jersey regional president, succeeding Tom Comiskey in the role. Lazare, who joined M&T in 2013 as a senior relationship manager with business banking, has held the role of regional manager since 2019.

Karen McClendon

JCP&L parent company FirstEnergy Corp. announced that Karen McClendon has been named senior vice president and chief human resources officer, effective Nov. 11.

Prudential Financial said Jacques Chappuis has been appointed president and CEO of PGIM, the global asset management business of Prudential Financial, effective May 1, 2025. He succeeds David Hunt, who will retire as president and CEO and stay on as chairman of PGIM until July 31, 2025. With nearly 30 years of investment management experience, Chappuis joins PGIM from Morgan Stanley, where he was co-head of Morgan Stanley Investment Management.

World Cup sponsor Bank of America teamed with FIFA for a second time, signing on as a sponsor for the Club World Cup tournament. Bank of America became FIFA’s first global banking partner in August and sealed a separate deal for a second event also being played in the U.S.

NJIT’s Institute for Space Weather Sciences has been awarded a $5 million NASA grant to open a new research center dedicated to developing the next generation of solar eruption prediction capabilities — powered by artificial intelligence.

Former New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli and former PSEG Chair and CEO Ralph Izzo are among a group of six leaders who will join the Hackensack Meridian Health Board of Trustees.

PSE&G was among the honorees at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's 43rd annual Recycling Awards, for its work to make the state a cleaner and safer place. Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G) is dedicated to recycling or reusing nearly all the waste it generates, the DEP said.

Kenvue is continuing to chart its own course in the Garden State after being spun out from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. Earlier this year it broke ground on a new global headquarters in Summit. Kenvue, which currently resides in Skillman, will employ some 3,000 employees at the new home base, a 290,000-square-foot campus, including a 100,000-square-foot extension for a state-of-the-art Science and Innovation Lab. The company is expected to open the new headquarters in the first quarter of next year – and be fully moved in by 2026

South Jersey Industries, in recognition of Giving Tuesday, announced it is partnering with its employees to donate more than $350,000 in support to local, regional, and statewide community-based organizations.

The American Water Charitable Foundation, established by Camden-based American Water, kicked off Giving Tuesday by awarding a $100,000 grant to Feeding America, helping to end food insecurity. It also provided American Water employees with a $100 reward to donate to eligible charities of their choice.

From a small 12-bed house to a nationally recognized 339-bed regional medical center with locations throughout Central New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, recently celebrated 125 years of providing health care to its community. The hospital was incorporated on Dec. 6, 1899.

Organ transplant recipients, living donors, and donor families from N.J, N.Y., and Connecticut gathered at MetLife Stadium to celebrate their achievements at the 2024 Transplant Games of America held in Birmingham, Alabama. The group, known as Team Liberty, brought home 118 medals in events such as basketball, track & field, swimming, pickleball and cornhole. They competed against thousands of participants from all 50 states. Team Liberty, a program of the Sharing Network Foundation, works year-round to raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

Santiago Tenorio

Basking Ridge-based Verizon Communications has appointed Santiago "Yago" Tenorio as chief technology officer and senior vice president of strategy and technology enablement. Tenorio will lead Verizon’s work in advancing 5G and mapping out the next generation of technologies.

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