- 2017-10-20
New Jersey Chamber of Commerce members exchanged business cards and discussed the latest Chamber programs, events and ways to grow their businesses at a networking event October 18 held in the suites of the Gannett NJ-Asbury Park Press headquarters in Neptune.
- 2017-10-13
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce honored four legislators, the head of the state Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and a tireless New Jersey energy company executive - all of whom have gone above and beyond to help recharge New Jersey's business climate - at a reception in Pennington on Oct. 11.
Amazon already has major locations in New Jersey and it has proven to be a great employer and good corporate citizen.
The NJ Chamber of Commerce would enthusiastically welcome Amazon's new headquarters in our state.
We would welcome with equal enthusiasm the many thousands of jobs it would create and the positive economic impact it would have on our state's economy.
Based on Amazon's stated plans and growth projections, the return on these tax incentives could be significant.
If the incentive package does not entice Amazon to select New Jersey, the NJ Chamber strongly urges state government leaders to distribute these same tax incentives to the legion of entrepreneurial, small and medium sized companies already situated in New Jersey and loyally doing business here.
We feel that the economic impact of providing these incentives would equal, if not exceed, the impact of a potential new Amazon location.
We must not forget that these companies are the backbone of New Jersey's economy and they create many of the new jobs here.
We are obligated to do everything we can to retain these businesses and provide them with the best and most dynamic platform on which to grow their companies.
We encourage New Jersey's Congressional Delegation to support legislation that would reform the nation's Air Traffic Control system. In order to make our skies safer and air travel more efficient, our nation's aviation industry needs long overdue upgrades
Faced with antiquated technology and staffing shortfalls, the U.S. air traffic control system is under increasing stress. Congress needs to act now.
The New Jersey economy and its residents depend on our aviation industry. We rely on the safety and efficiency of both local, regional airports and our larger international hubs. Given the importance of travel and tourism to our state, ensuring that we have a world-class air traffic control system should be a priority.
- 2017-09-29
Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, fresh from a battle with fellow Republicans over federal funding for construction of The Gateway Tunnel, a critical rail link under the Hudson River, met exclusively with New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Cornerstone members in East Windsor on Sept. 22.
- 2017-09-21
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin, who has been with the Christie administration since Day 1, recalled a day eight years ago when gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie approached him and said, "I want you to be my DEP Commissioner!"
A stunned Martin, then a partner at the consulting and professional services company Accenture, paused and said: "DEP? I am not a scientist."
Christie's response, according to Martin, was without delay: "They don't need more scientists at the DEP. They need someone in there that can fix the place."
Awards Reception is in Pennington on Oct. 11
The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce announced that four state legislators - two Democrats and two Republicans - have won the Chamber's biannual Legislators of the Year Award; The State Chamber further announced James V. Fakult, President, Jersey Central Power & Light; and Richard S. Mroz, president, New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, have been named Business Advocates of the Year.
The N.J. Chamber selected these lawmakers based on their voting records, bill sponsorships and committee votes. All six recipients are being honored by the Chamber for their overall history of supporting the business community and for their work advancing New Jersey as a more business friendly state, and as a great place to live and work.
The six winners will be recognized at the New Jersey Chamber's Legislative Awards Reception on Oct. 11 at the Bank of America Hopewell Conference Center in Pennington beginning at 5 p.m.
The event is open to members of the media.
The four winners of the Legislative Awards are:
- Sen. Nellie Pou (D-35/Passaic and Bergen counties)
- Sen. Robert W. Singer (R-30/Monmouth and Ocean counties)
- Assemblyman Troy E. Singleton (D-7/Burlington County)
- Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-26 / Morris & Essex and Passaic counties)
The two winners of the State Chamber's Business Advocacy Awards are:
- James V. Fakult, President, Jersey Central Power & Light Company
- Richard S. Mroz, President, N.J. Board of Public Utilities
"The honorees were selected because each has taken substantive action to improve New Jersey's economic climate and each has been at the forefront in the fight for tax and regulatory reform and fiscally responsible infrastructure investment," said Tom Bracken, president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. "New Jersey faces many challenges, and the business community is fortunate to have individuals such as these taking action to help make our state more affordable and more competitive"
Profiles of Legislative Award Winners
Sen. Nellie Pou supported the replenishment of the Transportation Trust Fund which will lead to critical investments in the state's transportation infrastructure, and she backed the tax reform package which featured the elimination of the estate tax. In addition, she sponsored Bill S-1761, which directs the Community College Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development to promote basic skills training for specific segments of society. Pou has been a vital point of contact in the Senate Majority caucus for the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. She is a regular participant on the N.J. Chamber's annual Walk to Washington train trip, where she is open to discussing issues with Chamber members. In 1997, Pou became the first woman and first Hispanic to represent the 35th district.
Sen. Robert Singer has sponsored and co-sponsored several pro-business bills, including S-1286, which provides tax credits to companies that either invest in certain manufacturing equipment, expand their facilities, or hire new employees for manufacturing purposes. He was a staunch supporter of the replenishment of the Transportation Trust Fund which will lead to critical investments in the state's transportation infrastructure, and he backed the tax reform package that featured the elimination of the estate tax. Singer sponsored S-2212, which prohibits property taxpayers from filing property tax appeals with respect to the property of others.
Assemblyman Troy Singleton is an advocate for incentivizing capital investment and workforce training in New Jersey, and he has always provided the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce with a seat at the table to discuss legislation. The State Chamber, for example, was able to negotiate amendments into several of his bills, such as A-3333 which allows business counselors to provide training to microenterprises (business with five or fewer employees). He sponsored A-322 which expands the scope of the New Jersey Regulatory Flexibility Act, easing the impact of rules on small businesses. He also sponsored A-4432 which boosts tax credits under the Grow New Jersey Assistance Program for certain businesses that collaborate with colleges or universities. Assemblyman Singleton was a prime sponsor of A-10, which replenished the Transportation Trust Fund and will lead to critical investments in the state's transportation infrastructure, and he supported the tax reform package that features the elimination of the estate tax.
Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce has sponsored and co-sponsored several pro-business bills, including A-2223 which establishes a Main Street Economic Growth Program to encourage business development in small, highly developed municipalities; and A-5014 which established the Red Tape Review Commission that is making it easier for businesses to operate in New Jersey. DeCroce supported the replenishment of the Transportation Trust Fund which will lead to critical investments in the state's transportation infrastructure, and she backed the tax reform package which featured the elimination of the estate tax. DeCroce is a regular participant on the Walk to Washington train trip, where she discusses important issues with N.J. Chamber members.
Profiles of the Business Advocate Award Winners
James Fakult is president of JCP&L, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. Fakult has been a key advisor to the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce on vital infrastructure enhancement projects that provide safe and reliable electric service to business and residential customers. Fakult's leadership was instrumental in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, which led to hardening the utility system so it could better withstand the next event. JCP&L is investing $359 million on infrastructure projects and other work to enhance reliability across its 13-county Northern and Central New Jersey service area. JCP&L serves 1.1 million New Jersey customers in the counties of Burlington, Essex, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.
Richard S. Mroz has served as president of the state Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) since 2014. He also is the chairman of the Critical Infrastructure Committee for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, where he serves on the Subcommittee on Nuclear Issues-Waste Disposal. That Subcommittee deliberates on nuclear policy recommendations, nuclear waste disposal and emerging issues. Under Mroz's leadership, the BPU is furthering the state Energy Master Plan's priorities of improving energy resiliency and the emergency preparedness and response of utility companies. One such proposal involves the establishment of microgrids to improve the grid's resiliency and reliability in the event of a major emergency. Before becoming president of the BPU, he worked in private practice as a lawyer and lobbyist, serving as managing director of Archer Public Affairs in Trenton, and serving 'of counsel' to Archer & Greiner P.C., in Haddonfield.
Winslow, NJ - A coalition of groups representing thousands of businesses and dozens of labor groups urged the Superior Court of New Jersey to uphold a key decision on the South Jersey Gas Cape Atlantic Reliability Project, which ensures energy reliability for thousands of residents and businesses in Cape May and Atlantic counties, and reduces the environmental impacts by converting an aging coal-fired generation facility to cleaner natural gas.
The brief filed yesterday outlines the legal support for the Pinelands Commission's approval of South Jersey Gas' Cape Atlantic Reliability Project earlier this year. The groups have extensive experience and expertise in economic development, job creation and balancing those activities and needs against environmental impacts. In 2016, the same Court affirmed the project is "reasonably necessary for the service, convenience, or welfare of the public."
The Cape Atlantic Reliability Project will provide the former B.L. England electric generation facility in Beesley's Point, Cape May County, with the natural gas supply needed to discontinue the burning of coal at its facility, a major goal of New Jersey's Energy Master Plan. The pipeline will also reinforce the area's access to safe and reliable energy by providing a critical back-up supply route for natural gas to more than 142,000 customers in Cape May and Atlantic counties who are currently served by a single line. The new pipeline will make them far less vulnerable to a service outage in the event of an accident or natural disaster.
"We continue to fight for this long overdue project because it is necessary to help improve our air quality and ensure safe, reliable energy for Southern New Jersey," said Michael Egenton, executive vice president of the New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce. "In addition to providing a reliable, affordable supply of natural gas to the region, the B.L. England plant is located in a critical electric congestion area and is the only major electricity generator in Southeastern New Jersey. Ensuring that this plant continues to generate electricity, and doing it in a more environmentally friendly way, is critical to meeting the needs of this region's residents and business owners."
"We applaud the focus on critical infrastructure improvements that the Cape Atlantic Reliability Project represents for our region," said William Pauls, president of South Jersey Building Trades Council. "Projects like this provide South Jersey residents the energy needed to heat their homes and to power the local economy."
"This project was designed and studied for over four years and will meet or exceed the most stringent state and federal regulations for safety," said Dan Cosner, president of the Southern New Jersey Building Trades Council. "It is time to put a stop to the delays and move forward with improving the air quality by converting the B.L. England facility from coal to cleaner natural gas."
The Building Trades Councils have 19 member unions with a combined total of 35,000 construction workers that live and work throughout Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties.
"The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce remains firmly in support of this much-needed project. We understand the environmental and energy reliability benefits it will have for the businesses and residents of this region, and we are proud to do our part in making sure the project moves forward without any further delay," said Vicki Clark, president, Cape May County Chamber of Commerce.
The following list represents individuals and groups who filed the brief:
- New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce
- Southern New Jersey Building Trades Council
- South New Jersey Building Trades Council
- South Jersey Mechanical Contractors Association
- Southern NJ Development Council
- Cape May County Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce
"We applaud the focus on critical infrastructure improvements that the Cape Atlantic Reliability Project represents for our region," said William Pauls, president of South Jersey Building Trades Council. "Projects like this provide South Jersey residents the energy needed to heat their homes and to power the local economy."
- New Jersey State Chamber of Commerce
- Southern New Jersey Building Trades Council
- South New Jersey Building Trades Council
- South Jersey Mechanical Contractors Association
- Southern NJ Development Council
- Cape May County Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Atlantic City Chamber of Commerce
We congratulate the young men from Holbrook Little League, Jackson, N.J., for making it to the mountaintop of their sport - the Little League World Series tournament in Williamsport, Pa.
Getting to the World Series is a great achievement considering only eight American teams and eight international teams make it that far. These all-stars, their coaches and their families deserve the honor based on their dedication, hard work and winning 20 of their 21 games this summer.
We wish Holbrook the best of luck in their first game tomorrow afternoon.
To the team, we'd like to say that we will be watching you on ESPN and cheering for you every step of the way! You have much to be proud of and so does all of New Jersey.