New Jersey Chamber of Commerce

216 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08608 | 609-989-7888
Events Photos Member Directory Join Us My Chamber
NJ ChamberEdge
NJ ChamberEdge Sponsor
Business Insights & Inspiration
Business Insights & Inspiration
NJ ChamberEdge Sponsor

Smartphone Apps that Give Execs an Edge, Part 2

The Edge for October 2017

An Exclusive Article for NJ ChamberEdge

Back in May, we asked business people to name the apps they use most frequently, and there was no shortage of answers. So we are doing a sequel. We asked the same question this month, and the answers ranged from news apps to monitor the economy to apps that help manage employees. One exec mentioned a well-known networking app that keeps his phone buzzing. And, for down time, an executive said he checks the New York Giants app to keep tabs on his favorite football team.

 

Here is what the four executives said:

Keeping Up with The Business News

Bill Dressel

The apps I use the most are Spotlight and Politico – news sources that allow me to keep a close eye on New Jersey’s important issues. I monitor them several times a day. They keep up with the critical issues of the day, and the issues that I should know and my clients should know, such as changes in property taxes, corporate taxes, and the minimum wage. Any business person should be aware of the business climate in which they operate.

– Bill Dressel, Public Affairs Consultant

 

The App that Keeps the Phone Buzzing

Cal Thomas

LinkedIn is a strong prospecting tool. It connects me to people whose business I can help or to those who can help my business. It’s the only app that makes my phone buzz. My phone buzzes when somebody wants to connect or when somebody looks at my LinkedIn profile. I teach my clients how LinkedIn can help them get introduced to the right people.

– Cal Thomas, Vice President-Sales Training, Sandler Training

 

Managing Employees with a Smartphone

Roger Salomon

Montclair State University has made a concerted effort to make business processes move easily, and as efficiently as possible. Since moving to Workday, the human resource management system, it has become much simpler to manage employees in terms of vacation and sick time, hour adjustments, pay rates and salaries. The power of this cloud-based system is made even simpler with its mobile app. I can, for example, approve vacation time with a couple of taps on my smartphone. The app is extremely secure and makes managing all aspects of my staff’s employment quite simple.

– Roger Salomon, Technology Support Services Director, Feliciano School of Business, Montclair State University

 

Health Management, Business News and the New York Giants

Robert Garrett

I have four favorite apps: The Hackensack Meridian Health app (My Meridian Health) allows me to schedule follow-up appointments, pay my bills and navigate the services offered at our facilities. The Wall Street Journal app gives me a glimpse of the latest international and national headlines. The Business Intelligence app that Hackensack Meridian Health’s in-house team has created allows me to monitor patient volume, quality metrics and our finances. And the official New York Giants football app gives me updates on how the men in blue are doing.

– Robert Garrett, Co-CEO, Hackensack Meridian Health

 

 

Interviews and submissions are edited and condensed.

Responses for this article were edited for space and clarity.

Search the Edge Archive

NJ ChamberEdge Archive

Newsmakers

Hackensack Meridian Health has received a $125 million donation from an anonymous benefactor, the largest gift ever given to a New Jersey health system. The money will support an expansion of Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune City. At the donor’s request, a new pavilion will be named for John K. Lloyd, the network’s former co-CEO who died in February 2024.

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center has named Dr. William Holubek chief medical officer. Holubek, an emergency medicine physician by training, brings more than a decade of executive experience, previously serving as chief medical officer of Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Florida. He also held the role at University Hospital in Newark and served as vice president of medical affairs and CMO at Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center.

The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation has received a five-year, $3.7 million federal grant to expand lung cancer screening among high-risk populations.

RWJBarnabas Health and Monmouth Medical Center have opened a new 'Food Farmacy' at Monmouth Medical's Alexander Pavilion. It's the health system’s sixth location providing patients with nutritious food and individualized nutrition counseling.

Rutgers University and RWJBarnabas Health launched the Rutgers/RWJBarnabas Health Innovation Hub, powered by Amazon Web Services. Based at the Health and Life Science Exchange in New Brunswick, the hub will bring together students, clinicians, researchers and tech experts to address health care challenges.

Three New Jersey children’s hospitals have earned top rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-27 Best Children’s Hospitals list. Hackensack Meridian Health’s Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital and K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, considered as a single entity, tied for No. 1 in New Jersey with The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (part of RWJBarnabas Health). Atlantic Health’s Goryeb Children’s Hospital ranked No. 3 in the state and No. 6 in the NYC region.

Princeton University and NJIT have been named New Jersey’s top-ranked private and public universities in TIME magazine’s inaugural 'America’s Best Colleges 2026-2027' rankings. Princeton landed at No. 4 nationally among all 500 ranked schools; NJIT came in at No. 95 overall and No. 38 among public institutions nationwide, making it the state’s highest-ranked public university on the list.

Stockton University has completed a $24 million expansion and renovation of the Richard E. Bjork Library and Learning Commons at its Galloway campus. The project, which took two years, was completed in time for the fall 2026 semester.

Montclair State University has opened a virtual reality learning facility in partnership with Dreamscape Learn. The center is designed to expand experiential learning and prepare students for digital media careers.  

United Airlines has launched a time-saving benefit for customers: the ability to order food, drinks and other travel essentials in advance through the United app and have their order waiting at the gate.

The UMC Foundation has promoted longtime staff members Gary Engelstad to senior director of giving and Rebecca Roe to senior foundation director. Engelstad, with more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit senior housing and philanthropy, will focus on donor relationships and corporate sponsorships. Roe, who joined the foundation in 2013, will oversee strategic planning, staff management and cross-functional coordination.

Jennifer D’Angelo has been named interim president of the New Jersey Innovation Institute, an NJIT subsidiary founded in 2014 to accelerate technology development and connect private enterprise with university resources. D’Angelo will assume the role Sept. 21.

Novo Nordisk said it is rebranding its name to "Novo" and updating its corporate culture. Novo also announced a broader company rebrand focused around the phrase "Lasting Health Starts Now," which promotes the idea that patients should make progress toward long-term well-being immediately rather than later.

The New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJCPA) has launched its 17th food drive to benefit the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. Organized by the NJCPA’s Emerging Leaders Council, the food drive runs until Nov. 16.

JAG Physical Therapy has opened new clinics in North Brunswick, Old Bridge and Whiting, expanding access to rehabilitative and orthopedic services in Middlesex and Ocean counties. The additions bring JAG’s regional footprint to more than 180 locations.

Debra Rosen, a partner at Archer, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Honorable Joseph M. Nardi Jr. Distinguished Service Award from the Rutgers Law School-Camden Alumni Association. Rosen, who has spent 40 years at Archer, focuses on environmental and toxic tort litigation, compliance and due diligence. She serves on the firm’s Board of Directors and Equity and Inclusion.

Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis has formed a new practice team focused on legal services related to data center projects. Led by Barbara Koonz, the team can serve as lead counsel or as local New Jersey counsel for national and international law firms and developers.

Secaucus-based Quest Diagnostics has partnered with Apple to allow Apple's Health app users to purchase and schedule biomarker testing through the platform later this year. The service will offer a $119 laboratory panel measuring 50 biomarkers related to organ function and cardiometabolic health.

Advertise in the Edge