January 2014 - Hudson County Chamber of Commerce

PRESI D E NT’S REPORT
January 2014
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Looking Ahead to the Next 125 Years
The start of a new year, as we all know, is a great time to reflect on accomplishments and envision
our future goals. This year is an especially opportune time here at the Chamber as we begin to work
on our next 125 years of serving the community.
In 1888, when this organization was founded as the Jersey City Chamber of Commerce, Jersey City
was still a fairly young town with a population approaching 163,000. Incorporated in 1820, through
much of its early history the City was a dock and manufacturing town. The largest employers were
the national railroads, whose networks terminated on the Hudson River.
Fast forward to 2014, the City is now the second largest in New Jersey. After many decades of
population decline in the mid-1900s, residential growth has been on the upswing over the last 20
years. The City’s largest employers now occupy glass and steel towers on the very sites that once housed those rail terminals.
Jersey City has been fortunate, due to its location across the Hudson from New York City and its robust transportation
network, to evolve beyond its manufacturing roots to comprise a more diverse service economy, which notably includes
financial services, healthcare enterprises and technology firms. A more recent, ongoing flow of immigration to the region has
once again bolstered population growth.
Over the years the Chamber evolved as well. An innovator, in 1921 the Chamber produced the first $1M boxing match to
be broadcast by radio in the United States, as well as the first national demonstration of television reception in 1930. The
Chamber has been active throughout its history in both community and economic development and has influenced local
policy makers. In 1979, the organization merged (Read more)
n f or
Mak i n
it Hap
pe
g
Thank you to all of our Members, both long-time supporters
and new Members of our community, for your support.
We look forward to continued growth with you!
WELCOME ABOARD
From the third largest stock exchange in the country to a state-of-the-art printing and distribution
center for the New York Daily News, and restaurants from across the county including the newest
steak house in Jersey City, our diverse membership continues to grow! 64 New Members joined the
Chamber in 2013. We thank all of them for their support! The following is a list of Members joining
between September 2 and December 31:
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
Gotham City Orthopedics
BJ's Wholesale Club
Direct Edge
D'Jamoos Law
The Torch House Restaurant
Liberty Prime Steak House
Hopkins Group, LLC
M&T Bank
Mary Kay Skincare and Cosmetics - Individual Representative Kim Spataro
Home Depot – Jersey City, 12th Street Store
Caola & Company, Inc.
McLaughlin Funeral Home
MNT Contracting
Daily News, L.P.
Partners in Sound Entertainment Group
Ocean 7 Day SPA & Salon
Chili’s Bar and Grill Restaurant
Houlihan’s – Bayonne Restaurant
Houlihan’s – Secaucus Restaurant
Houlihan’s – Weehawken Restaurant
EVENTS
Business Networking at
Pole Position Raceway
Wednesday, February 12
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Pole Position
99 Caven Point Road, Jersey City
Rev your engines! Best Male and Female track time
winners will receive an AMEX Shop Small gift card!
2014 Annual Business Meeting
SAVE THE DATE
Wednesday, February 26
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
New Jersey City University, Jersey City
Featured Speakers: Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and
Mitchell Hersh, President & CEO, Mack-Cali Realty Corporation
See the Chamber’s Calendar of Events for
all of our upcoming opportunities to connect!
PULASKI SKYWAY UPDATE
The Pulaski Skyway Rehabilitation project is moving forward with an expected closure of the Northbound lanes to be
effected sometime in March. We encourage our Members to stay abreast of the alternate routes and expanded public
transportation options that the New Jersey Department of Transportation has been working on.
Among the options being made available are vanpool subsidies. Starting January 1, 2014 and continuing for the
duration of the Pulaski Skyway Rehabilitation project (anticipated to be through June 2016),
vanpool groups that operate to or from certain zip codes can qualify for a $325 monthly sponsorship
amount. This subsidy level will apply to vanpools with origin and destination zip codes of 07030 in Hoboken and 07037,
07306, 07310, 07302, 07304 and 07305 in Jersey City.Vanpools that are eligible for this program that also use the New Jersey
Turnpike High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane will receive a maximum total subsidy of $325 per month. Please note that a
vanpool will be ineligible for a subsidy if it competes directly with available transit service, as follows: Vanpools that have
destinations within 1/2 mile of PATH stations and begin in locations with direct rail or bus services.
We encourage our Members to keep track of the project and alternate options at www.pulaskiskyway.com.
THE CHAMBER MAKES NEWS
The Chamber has worked steadily over the past year to ensure that the business community is connected to Emergency
Management providers in the public sector at the State, County and local levels. Our efforts in Jersey City were the subject
of a front page article in the January 6, 2014 issue of NJBIZ. See Ready to roll: Jersey City has new plan for emergencies by
Joshua Burd at NJBIZ.
LEGENDS BALL
On Thursday, December 12th we held our 6th Annual Legends Ball at the new Mac Mahon Student Center on the campus of
Saint Peter's University. Close to 300 members of the business community joined us to celebrate Daniel Altilio, Benjamin
Dineen, Sister Maeve McDermott, and Joseph F. Scott as our newest class of Hudson County Legends. We'd like to thank all
of our sponsors and supporters for making the event such a huge success!
DISCOVER MORE:
f
VISIT
EMAIL
857 BERGEN AVENUE, 3RD FLOOR • JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY 07306
T: 201.386.0699 • F: 201.386.8480