ROI-NJ.COM Mo n d ay, Ma rc h 1 8 , 2 0 1 9 $2.

50

ROCKET MAN: Hodara launches Rocket Club, MONEY MOUNTAIN: NVP hosts the most FOCUS ON … RENAISSANCE CITIES: Newark,
an after-school STEM program in Hoboken Page 6 unusual elevator pitch — on a ski lift. Page 19 along with others are changing for the better. Page 25

Behavioral health care is booming, but payments are not

CarePlus New Jersey CEO says pressure threatens independent groups
BY ANJALEE KHEMLANI
akhemlani@roi-nj.com
Joseph Masciandaro is proud of his 40-
year history at CarePlus New Jersey, but
he worries about the future of its specialty
service — behavioral health — which still is
not fully understood.
The CEO and president of the Bergen
County-based organization has seen the movement to change
sudden shift of awareness that behavioral billing to a fee-for-service-
health has received in the past five to seven based system — are
years — and the boost it received from threatening the viability
former Gov. Chris Christie’s attention to of organizations like his
the opioid issue. And he’s glad it has helped to operate independently
erase the stigma and boosted the number of Joseph in the state.
patients seeking treatment. Masciandaro It’s why mergers such
But, he said, other pressures — and a as Hackensack Meridian Health and Carrier
Clinic make sense, he said.
This is just one example of mergers and
acquisitions activity in the sector around the
state, Masciandaro said.
Masciandaro wouldn’t rule out the
possibility of CarePlus New Jersey or any
other facility in the sector merging, though
he doesn’t know of any talks going on now.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

Jack
Morris
explains why
South Jersey project
is going to be special
— and perpetually redeveloped

TOP OF
THE HILL STORY ON PAGE 8
Jack Morris, principal of M&M Realty,
discusses the recent progress
at Park Place at Garden State Park
in Cherry Hill. —
­ PARK PLACE

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Tom Hughes
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Winning proposals include Cape May County, Hoboken, Newark, Paterson and Plainfield. economic policies that benefit people of color will benefit all

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MONMOUTH POLL:
dvocates fought to eliminate smoking on planes to need for the nation to thrive.”
Crowded
MACK-
SALES MANAGER protect flight attendants — and everyone benefited The country has tapped into this before.
Liz Dwyer Democratic from it. Stat No. 2: The entrepreneurs of the “Greatest

BOOKER WAY BEHIND

ldwyer@roi-nj.com field also Advocates fought to mandate seat belt use in cars to Generation.”
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE CALI SELLS has Harris, protect children — and everyone benefited from it.
Advocates fought to cut curbs where
“The would-be gold standard of the curb cut effect
would be the GI Bill,” she said. “I say ‘would be’ because it
Warren,

BIDEN, SANDERS
Damon Riccio

56-BUILDING
they reached intersections to help the was administered in a discriminately racist fashion. People
driccio@roi-nj.com
O’Rourke disabled — and everyone benefited from who were black didn’t have the same access to it, because
ahead it. local people got to make the rules. But it would be the gold

EDITORIAL OFFICE IN 2020 OUTLOOK of N.J.

senator.
What does all this have to do with
business? Everything.
standard because the GI Bill made the white middle class.
“There were 16 million returning veterans. A couple

PORTFOLIO
EDITOR So said Angela Glover Blackwell, people thought they might need a little help to get back
Tom Bergeron founder in residence at PolicyLink, a into society, so they designed the GI Bill and thought

RUTGERS BUSINESS SCHOOL ANNOUNCES

tbergeron@roi-nj.com policy advocacy think tank she formed in New York in 1999 maybe 100,000 veterans might use it. Eight million used

FOR $487.5M
@tombergeron5 to encourage the use of public policy to improve access and the education benefits alone, and a large number used the

LIFELONG LEARNING INITIATIVE FOR ALUMNI

opportunity for underserved, low-income communities mortgage benefit.
MANAGING EDITOR
of color, especially in the areas of health, housing, “The suburbanization of America was fueled by the GI
Anjalee Khemlani Real estate investment trust
transportation and infrastructure. Bill. There’s no question it went to the making of the white
akhemlani@roi-nj.com completes ‘strategic repositioning.’
First round will include lunch-and-learn webinars and more. Glover Blackwell, the luncheon keynote speaker at the middle class.”
@anjkhem
Go to ROI-NJ.COM to read more of the stories above and for the latest news from around the state. recent New Jersey Future Redevelopment Forum in New 
MANAGING EDITOR Brunswick, wowed the sold-out crowd with her thoughts Now is the time to do it for people of color, she said.
Eric Strauss — and stats — on how public policy can create racial And she said this after detailing the statistics to show
equity in the state and the country. And everyone will that people of color will no longer be able to be called
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
estrauss@roi-nj.com
@acerimrat UPCOMING EVENTS benefit. minorities very soon. Angela Glover Blackwell, founder in residence at PolicyLink, a policy
“When we focus with nuance and specificity on those “You’ve been hearing for some time that, by 2050, we’ll advocacy think tank she formed in 1999. ­— POLICYLINK

03/28/19
DIGITAL
MARIA VIZCARRONDO CHARLOTTE SIMONELLI who are being left behind, the future gets better,” she said. “I be a nation where the majority of people are people of color,”
CONTENT EDITOR
Council of N.J. Realogy Holdings Corp. call it the curb cut concept. she said. “That date is now 2044. It’s not news anymore. What Of course, this is nothing she hasn’t seen for 20 years.
Emily Bader
Grantmakers The residential real estate
“The lesson of the curb cut is, when you solve a problem is news to people is how much we have changed already. And, still, the problem exists.
ebader@roi-nj.com
2019 Night of Distinction for the most vulnerable, you help everybody.” “Since the summer of 2012, the majority of all babies I asked her: How do we go from a presentation to an
@emilybader
— New Jersey Food Council The Trenton nonprofit named services company named Including the bottom line. born in this country will be to people of color. By the end implementation?
Vizcarrondo, Simonelli,  of next year, the majority of all people in this country — 18 It’s a question, she said, with an easy answer.
STAFF WRITERS
What: An evening to celebrate
a former former chief Just as having more women on boards and in positions and under — will be of color. By 2030, the majority of the “It’s not like we don’t know how to solve these problems,”
Meg Fry
and pay tribute to food industry of power has been statistically proven to produce better workforce will be of color. she told me. “We do. We just have lacked the political will to
mfry@roi-nj.com administrator at financial officer
leaders who have made a financial results (don’t get us started), Glover Blackwell said “The shifting demographics of the nation will be the do it. And we had lacked the kind of solidarity of working
@megfry3
Cabrini University of Johnson &
meaningful contribution to her research shows that the country is leaving money on the story of this nation for the rest of the century. I don’t know if together to do it.
Brett Johnson
in Philadelphia, Johnson, as its
bjohnson@roi-nj.com advance the mission of the Food table by failing to eliminate racial inequity in employment. it will be a happy story or a sad story, but it will be the story.” “It takes a leadership team to say, ‘We’re excited
as its new executive vice
@reporterbrett Council. “If we were just able to get rid of the racial disparity Here’s how Glover Blackwell feels it should be written. about what Angela Blackwell said, let’s think about the
CEO. A former president, CFO in employment and wages nationally, the GDP in 2015 “What we need is equitable development,” she said. “We development process that we were about to undergo and ask:
ART DIRECTOR When: Thursday, March 28 member of Cory Booker’s and treasurer. She will serve on would be $2.5 trillion higher. In New Jersey, it would be need to develop in ways where we consciously try to reduce What are the equity goals and how are we going to achieve
Robert F. Russo at 5:30 p.m. Newark administration and the firm’s executive leadership $97 billion higher. That is the equity dividend, and we need regional and local disparities. them?’
rrusso@roi-nj.com
Where: The Palace at Somerset an executive and official in team, with responsibility for that,” Glover Blackwell said. “Think of development as producing a triple bottom line “We need to use the plans that are on the shelf.”
Glover Blackwell said two additional stats prove it, too. for people, the economy and the environment. And think New Jersey, she said, can be a leader. It needs to be, she
Park, Somerset. Essex County, the “trailblazer” all financial functions. Interim
Stat No. 1: The entrepreneurs of today. about development being done completely in partnership said, because New Jersey will be one of the first states to
BUSINESS More info: For tickets, go to: now aims to help New Jersey CFO Tim Gustavson will “When you think about what drives capitalism, it is with people who need to have their voices influence what become majority minority.
OPERATIONS njfoodcouncil.com/events, philanthropic organizations. resume his previous role as innovation,” she said. “People who are Asian, Latino and happens so it will actually benefit them. “What New Jersey needs to do now is double down and
SPECIALIST, or call Edie Esposito at chief accounting officer and African-American are three times as likely to start a small “If we develop that way, we get to counter the harm that start doing some things differently,” she said. “New Jersey is
OPERATIONS 609-392-8899. controller. business as people who are white. has been done. And, when you do it that way, you get the well-positioned to become a beacon for the nation, because
& CONTENT “We need people’s contributions, we need their curb cut effect, you end up benefiting everybody.” the whole nation is going to come where we are.
Alex Wolmart entrepreneurial spirit, we need for them to work, we need  “By the time the nation gets there, we should have some
awolmart@roi-nj.com for them to do all those things to fully tap the assets of this She had the audience nodding in agreement. ideas and examples for them.”
@alex_wolmart ROI-NJ is published biweekly by Prospect Publishing Group LLC, 3 Wing Drive, Suite 250, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ROI-NJ,
nation. This diversity of this nation is a gift. Afterward, they came up, one by one, to salute her talk and We can start by telling them about the cuts in the curb.
3 Wing Drive, Suite 250, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927. Email customerservice@roi-nj.com to subscribe. Vol. 3 | No. 7 “The very thing we have isolated is what we’re going to her ideas. — Tom Bergeron

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Food & Beverage

“The Three Musketeers.”
Just over a decade later, the company
would relocate to a 33,000-square-foot
location in Newark, and again in 2015, to
its current 87,000-square-foot location in
Union.
“At the very beginning, I thought we were
going to be maybe a couple of retail stores or
a charcuterie specialist in retail stores, but
D’Artagnan truly took on a life of its own,”
Daguin said.

Today, D’Artagnan continues to source
products from beef to lamb, chicken to
quail, pork to wild boar,
and rabbit to venison,
as well as gourmet food
products such as caviar,
truffles and mushrooms,
from small-scale, free-
range, organic farms and
Andy ranches who do not use
Wertheim
antibiotics or hormones.
Daguin attributes much of the company’s
success to her “magnificent” team of 280
employees, she said.
“Everyone is committed, engaged and
passionate about what we do, and I think
part of the reason is our philosophy and the
passion behind what we stand for, which is
Jersey business
It was just a few years ago that
D’Artagnan received an income
tax credit with the state of New
Jersey, Andy Wertheim, president,
said.
That was turned directly into cash
and benefits for its employees,
Wertheim added.
“We raised our minimum pay to
$15 per hour; we helped provide
401(k)s; we haven’t raised
medical costs for our employees
in five years; everyone here gets
a bonus; we have training grants.
And that is why we have low
turnover,” Wertheim said. “Over
Fact vs. fiction the last five years, I’ve been able
to promote 83 people from within
Andy Wertheim, president of D’Artagnan, said he and his team have worked a
our organization.”
long time to get the messaging right for the company.
“And, through our consistency and behavior, we prove who we are every time,”
he said. “We don’t compromise, even in the foie gras business. There’s a lot Wertheim said the next logical step is to
of noise out there about what foie gras is, but we know the truth when others move west of Denver — but how that will
claim otherwise.”
happen is still up for debate.
That is because on every piece of business D’Artagnan does, Wertheim said, “We’ve partnered with JPMorgan Chase
the company makes an extra effort that people never see. because we have some acquisitions on our
“They say character is what you do when no one is looking, and ours starts mind, and, if those come into play, you may
with Ariane Daguin, our founder and CEO,” Wertheim said. “I like to think the very well see us in some new geographical

Big on game
Ariane Daguin, founder and CEO of D’Artagnan, participates in sustainable farming practices. —
‘We are growing without compromise,’ D’Artagnan founder says
of her thriving gourmet meat business
BY MEG FRY
mfry@roi-nj.com
riane Daguin set out to become the
first purveyor of humanely-raised
gourmet game and foie gras in the
U.S. in 1985.
But she said she never expected
D’Artagnan to be the $130
million company it is today.
“The demand was high
right away,” Daguin, founder and CEO, said.
“So, we didn’t have time to look at the forest
when we were (busy) looking at each tree in
front of us every day.”
Though D’Artagnan has experienced
more than 100 percent growth over the last
five years and has quadrupled sales over the
­ D’ARTAGNAN
last decade, according to Andy Wertheim,
president, Daguin said the company has and
will continue to remain true to its mission,
even while expanding to its fifth location
nationwide, in Denver, this spring.
“We are growing, but we are growing
without compromise,” Daguin said.

Born into seven generations of cooks
and restaurant owners, including her father,
Andre Daguin, a chef famous in France for
his Gascon specialties, Ariane Daguin chose
Conversation Starter
To learn more about D’Artagnan,
visit dartagnan.com or email
d’artagnan@peppercomm.com.
instead to study political science at Barnard
College while working part-time at a pate
company in New York City.
However, fate caught up with her in
1984, when a few farmers came in with ducks
they were raising for foie gras, looking for a
partner to help process and commercialize
the whole duck — something Daguin already
had been raised to do.
“It was the perfect opportunity to start
developing a line of high-quality meats,
coming from animals raised the right way,
without medication or stress,” Daguin said.
Daguin invested $7,500 with her then-
partner, George Faison, in a small piece of
refrigeration in Jersey City and a secondhand
truck to found D’Artagnan, named for the
young Gascon hero from Alexander Dumas’
sourcing excellent ingredients only from
animals who are well-raised and from
processors who are very particular in their
butchering,” Daguin said.
Still, Wertheim said he had not previously
heard of D’Artagnan when he came to work
for the company in 2006, having spent most
of his career in packaged goods.
“But what I quickly found was that
Ariane had built a ubiquitous company in
the world of food for chefs, picking up right
where Julia Child had left off, walking not
just right into four-star restaurants, but into
their kitchens,” Wertheim said. “D’Artagnan
was one of the best-kept secrets around.”
Wertheim said that also presented him
with his biggest obstacle.
“While we were well known within chef
circles, the challenge always has been to get
ourselves more name recognition among a
broader swatch of society,” he said.

Food service always has represented the
majority of D’Artagnan’s business, Wertheim
said, and still represents nearly 63 percent of
its consumers today.
“Food service will always be our legacy
and who we are,” Wertheim said. “This
company is about putting the best products
on chefs’ tables.”
Especially because, in the beginning,
Daguin said, chefs cooking in white
tablecloth restaurants were very concerned
about choosing the right ingredients.
“But now that this idea (of farm-to-table)
rest of us have adopted hers.
“Yes, in our culture, we are carnivores, but we treat our animals well, because
we believe in sustainability and we care about what we put in our bodies.”
has developed in other restaurant tiers, we
have many smaller bistros and restaurants
purveying meat from us,” she said. “Maybe
it is not the same cuts, but they are from the
same animals.”
“Our products are now being purchased
by restaurants in the fast-casual space, while
10 years ago, D’Artagnan products were
thought to be exclusive,” Wertheim said.
“We have worked really hard to make our
products more accessible for everybody.”
Wertheim said D’Artagnan also
restrategized its retail business, which
currently represents 25 percent of its revenue.
“We consolidated the number of SKUs
we sell to retail, and that strategy seems to
be working well,” he said. “It’s about taking
great products that you can find in the finest
restaurants and getting them into people’s
homes.”
D’Artagnan also has been targeting new
revenue streams, Wertheim added.
“For example, everyone gives wine or
chocolates to their customers and employees,
so we got together and figured out a way
to market D’Artagnan charcuterie as an
alternative corporate gift during the holiday
season, too,” he said.
One of its fastest-growing business
segments, however, is e-commerce,
Wertheim said, due to the fact that it is
growing nearly 30 percent and generating
$15 million in annual revenue alone.
“Our website not only helps to generate
sales, but also serves as a mouthpiece for
our organization, enabling us not only to
communicate to our consumers about the
value of our products, but also what the story
is behind them,” Wertheim said.
Finally, D’Artagnan has opened five
warehouses in five years, starting with its
relocation to Union.
“We have locations in Macon, Georgia;
Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; and will
be opening a location in April in Denver,
Colorado,” Wertheim said. “We also figured
out how to get our products across the
country with our own trucks, which has
enabled us to open up new markets.
“We’re picking up and delivering our own
products throughout the smallest towns and
cities in the country all the way to Denver.”
Amazingly, D’Artagnan still finds it can
operate within ‘95 percent’ time windows,
Wertheim added.
“We get our products to chefs and retailers
within two- to four-hour time windows
95 percent of the time, and, when you’re
working in high-stress environments like our
restaurateurs are, that is a must,” he said.
locations soon,” he said.

While the goal is to double in revenue
once again over the next couple of years,
Daguin said that, before it develops any
further, the company must make sure it is set
up with groups of farmers who are ready to
grow with D’Artagnan.
“We have become more and more
sophisticated in our ability to forecast, to be
able to say, ‘OK, in another couple of months,
we will need a new farmer in our group to
raise another 40 Berkshire pork a week,’ etc.,
because we don’t want to push our existing
farms to the limit of not having enough space
for the animals,” Daguin said. “We simply
will add farmers — and that is an easy path
for D’Artagnan, because farmers have seen
that when we say something, we do it; that
we accurately define the quantities we will
need every week; that we pay on time; and,
because our system is transparent, we make
the farmers happy.
“Raising heritage animals on more space
is always more expensive — but we do not
depend on commodity pricing. We set
transparent prices with our farmers based on
real costs.”
Wertheim said there is room for both
principle and profit.
“We’d like to be the biggest small
company in America while staying true to
the artisanal mission that Ariane started
nearly 35 years ago,” he said.
twitter: @megfry3

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Education & Technology

All
BY MEG FRY to laptops, Lego MINDSTORM EV3 kits,
mfry@roi-nj.com augmented and virtual reality equipment and
a 3D printer, kids in the classroom can track
how much Rocket Fuel they have earned via
a large digital leadership board.
Inspired investments “If you ever have played in a sports league
Alex Hodara, founder and owner of Rocket Club in Hoboken, said the where you were always looking up your stats,
surrounding neighborhoods have been incredibly supportive. you know that this experience is similar to
Rocket Club aims to launch Hoboken youths’ “We therefore want to offer free classes to the community to be able to give that,” Hodara said.
STEM careers through after-school robotics club

lex Hodara said he was amazed with the
technology that students were creating after
he was asked to sponsor a technology-based
“hack-a-thon” at his alma mater, Westfield
High School, one year ago.
“More than 50 kids showed up to create
robotics and mobile applications, including
artificial intelligence,” Hodara said.
However, in seeking more involvement
afterward, Hodara said he grew disappointed
with the overall lack of after-school programs
focused on science, technology, education
and mathematics, or STEM, especially when
such well-paying and important STEM-
related jobs are in high demand today.
“I wanted to give kids the education they
need to get the jobs of the future or to start
companies with products and technologies
that we cannot even think of yet,” Hodara
said. “That was my goal.”
Hodara therefore founded Rocket Club,
a robotics, coding and entrepreneurship
club in Hoboken for children ages 9 to 14, to
create opportunities he wished had existed
when he was a kid, he said.
“By building, coding and marketing
robots, our members will be performing at
a different level than their peers and even
most adults, all while having fun,” Hodara,
founder and owner, said.
To celebrate the launch of Rocket Club’s
inaugural class in February, Hodara and
Rocket Club’s president and director, Paulo
Nunes, have pledged a total of $10,000 in
prize money to at least three children when
the class concludes in June, to be used as an
investment with which to launch their own
Conversation Starter
Learn more about Rocket Club at:
officialrocketclub.com.
systems go
businesses or obtain patents.
“Our mission is to rid kids of any
limiting beliefs when it comes to developing
emerging technology or starting a business,”
Nunes said.
As entrepreneurs themselves, Hodara
and Nunes said they know this is easier said
than done.

As owner of the Hodara Real Estate
Group — a Boston-based real estate
development and management company
Hodara founded as a student-run brokerage
in 2008 while still a junior at Boston
University — Hodara purchased, renovated
and rented his first property in 2011, shortly
after being named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30”
real estate list.
Today, Hodara has developed hundreds
An on-site robot, right. Teenage girls work on a circuit board, above.­
of rental properties between Boston and
Jersey City, while residing in New York City.
That, Hodara said, is how he met
Nunes, a general contractor and owner of
PJN Construction, with whom Hodara has
developed real estate with in Jersey City for
more than two years.
“We started to talk about how we might
be able to open some sort of club for kids to
pursue some advanced learning,” Hodara
said.
Hodara said their subsequent research
into various STEM-related franchises proved
fruitless after they could not find one that
truly matched their vision.
“I have nephews, and it can be
frustrating when they sit behind screens all
day,” he said. “We wanted to do something
more hands-on that included robotics,
coding and entrepreneurship.”
Hodara said he ultimately decided to
fund and create the club himself with the
help of Nunes, who, as a mathematically- and
scientifically-inclined student in Newark,
was exposed to robotics at Science Park
High School.
“I knew from my own personal
experience at the age of 14 that robotics is
what would engage these kids the most,”
Nunes said. “The physical representation of
the concepts we were working on was one of
the best ways for me to understand them.”
But Nunes said the metrics regarding
attention spans today have only grown worse
since he and Hodara were kids.
“A big part of what we wanted was to
make sure the club was an opportunity to
‘hack’ the learning for these kids, to make
The Rocket Club in Hoboken is a robotics, coding and entrepreneurship club for children ages 9 to 14. —
sure they are engaged, challenged and
having a good time,” Nunes said. “We knew
capturing and maintaining kids’ attentions
was going to be the challenge.”
Nunes said he and Hodara were therefore
inspired by For Inspiration and Recognition
of Science and Technology, or FIRST, a
nonprofit international youth organization in
Manchester, New Hampshire, that operates
FIRST Robotics, FIRST Lego League, FIRST
Lego League Jr. and FIRST Tech Challenge
competitions around the world.
“The FIRST Robotics Competition, for
example, is an international platform for
competitive robotics for kids ages 6 through
18 at varying levels of difficulty,” Nunes
said. “We were inspired by FIRST Robotics
to entice excitement by pushing the level of
innovation to something that was going to
back,” he said.
Paulo Nunes, president and director, agreed that Hoboken is an amazingly
helpful place.
“We’ve even had a few local business owners reach out about potentially
sponsoring underprivileged kids,” he said. “These are people who honestly
appreciate what we are doing and want to get behind it and that is one of the
most humbling things.”
­ PHOTOS COURTESY ROCKET CLUB
pay dividends in the actual child’s experience.
“We never wanted anyone to leave Rocket
Club to then describe their experience that
day as ‘fine.’ It needed to be much more than
that.”

Rocket Club’s curriculum is therefore
developed and instructed with other
members of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” lists, as well
as those involved with the FIRST Robotics
Competition, iRobot and the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration.
“We designed our curriculum around
friendly and cooperative competition to tap
into a child’s creativity and drive,” Hodara
said. “For example, we created this internal
mock-economic system called Rocket Fuel,
in which kids can earn units over the course
of each level to then use for prizes such as
drones or to hire their friends to help them
consult on their projects.”
Students can earn Rocket Fuel through a
number of different ways, such as attendance,
robotics competitions, consultations within a
classroom and moral objectivism, Nunes said.
“If students become particularly good at
something, whether they be a master builder,
coder, debugger or more, a classmate can
draw up a business contract to then hire that
classmate as a consultant,” Nunes said. “We
also want to help create not just people who
are good at robotics, coding and business,
but also good people. So, like in video
games, we have hidden objectives within
the classroom, such as, the first one to work
as a consultant for free will earn double the
previously arranged Rocket Fuel.”
Hodara said that, in addition to access
“We wanted to capture that same sort of
microcompetitive environment to help breed
innovation and push each other within the
classroom to develop new ideas and innovate
in new ways,” Nunes said.
Then, at the end of each level, there is a
robotics-based, “Shark Tank”-style business
competition, Hodara said.
“Each kid will come up with their own
robotic design, creating anything from an
autonomous vacuum to a remote-controlled
racing car,” he said. “We then help them
put together a business plan with a simple
financial model, branding, comparative
pricing, product positioning and more
before they pitch their idea to three fellow
Forbes ’30 Under 30’ entrepreneurs.”
The first month of Rocket Club is free
for all current members, Hodara said, with
the cost hovering around $395 per month
afterwards, in line with other after-school
programs in the area.
“We wanted to make sure both the kids
and their parents were loving the club,” he said.

Hodara said it is his hope that kids will
grow up from the club into college thinking
about graduating into a STEM-related field
instead of one that may not yield the same
results.
“We give out jackets to our kids, hoping
they will wear them proudly, like varsity
jackets,” he said. “Our goal is for Rocket Club
to become the cool thing to do.”
After promoting Rocket Club for only
three weeks, Hodara and Nunes were able to
max out their first class with 30 students.
“So, I think that we’re definitely getting
there,” Hodara added.
While Hodara said membership will
remain small, in order to give the kids
in the club the best experiences possible,
Rocket Club does intend to open up 10 to 20
additional memberships in September and
maintain a wait list.
Nunes said the results of their opening
could not be any better nor clearer.
“All you really need is the know-how and
imagination to change the world,” he said.
twitter: @megfry3w

6 7
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019
Real Estate
Morris’ mix
at Garden State Park, the 220-acre mixed-
use site that includes residential, retail,
commercial and office.
The project, which has 1.2 million square
feet of retail, has attracted some of the largest
retailers and anchor shops in the country.
Demand, Morris said, is bigger than supply.
That has led to competing or similar entities,
such as Trader Joe’s and Wegmans, as well as
Shake Shack and Five Guys.
The massive redevelopment site also is
going to be home to a new Costco, a luxury
Park Place at Garden State Park development hotel and conference center — of which
there are few in the area — as well as a new
in Cherry Hill will have condos, retail, offices sports betting facility.
and more — even sports betting Morris, who also is the CEO and president
of Edgewood Properties, detailed the current
success and future plans for the property.
ROI-NJ: Let’s first address the residential
properties. What do you have available?
Jack Morris: We have housing for all ages
of living. (There are) rental homes for new
beginners who may want to rent or buy. They
can transition from an apartment starting at
one bedroom and two bedrooms to condos.
They can get two-bedroom condos or
three- or four-bedroom townhomes, with
basements, which, in most cases, are larger
than most single-family homes.
We also have rental and affordable
housing housing units, which we are very
proud of.
ROI: On the commercial side, it looks like
a mix of entertainment and business. What do
you have?
JM: We have office spaces and a number
BY ANJALEE KHEMLANI of office tenants. In addition to retail, we have
akhemlani@roi-nj.com many great restaurants. There is also some
nice nightlife. People who come after work
ifteen years after starting the have places to meet. We believe that we have
Clockwise from redevelopment of the former built and created the destination place for
above: Park Place at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, people to want to go to shop and dine.
Garden State Park Jack Morris still isn’t sure when the
in Cherry Hill. Jack project will be fully complete. ROI: What other amenities elevate the
Morris in one of the But Morris, a principal of M&M Realty project?
many retail shops along with longtime business partner JM: There’s a seven-acre park, so there
open in Park Place. Joe Marino, said he knows one thing for (is potential for) great outdoor activities.
Architectural plans for sure: The next generation will likely face And the train station gives us proximity to
the sports book on the same question of completion. Philadelphia, if you’re commuting. We think
Morris’ desk. Morris “We’re always building and rebuilding we’ve created something for everybody.
in a hallway of “the here,” he said. “It’s a little city. I don’t think
clubhouse” —
­ part of we’ll ever be done here.” ROI: There are some pretty big national
the residential unit. Morris sat with media outlets recently names for the retail space. How about local
­— PARK PLACE to discuss the recent progress at Park Place shops or tenants?
8 9
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY
JM: I’m a big proponent of helping
people who start businesses. One of the new
things I’m building are food courts to give
a chance to young men and women who
don’t have half a million dollars to open a
restaurant. And, if you don’t have money, we
will help you.
Unfortunately, banks today can’t make
character loans anymore. I have a whole division
(to find the tenants). We’ve got hundreds of
people who are working on (finding people).
ROI: Helping others appears to be a
running theme for Park Place. What else have
you done to help the community?
JM: We had a tenant that sold wedding
dresses and gowns that filed for bankruptcy
protection. As part of that (process), we
ended up with about 800 wedding gowns
and prom dresses. A liquidator came in and
offered us a sum of money for them. I said,
‘No.’ I told my team to find women who need
these dresses and can’t afford them.
We gave the wedding dresses to veterans,
primarily, but also people in the community.
We worked with the Camden County
Board of Freeholders and had a benefit for
veterans and their families. Brides had the
opportunity to come out and pick dresses
and accessories. More than 500 dresses were
donated as a salute to our veterans.
And RWJBarnabas, which I’m chairman
of, full disclosure, gave the prom dresses out.
We had an educational awareness event
for young ladies, 14-16, that focused on
violence prevention and promoting healthy
relationships. Those young women had the
benefit of getting those dresses.
So, we were proud of what we were
able to do from the unfortunate situation of
someone having to file for bankruptcy.
ROI: Anything else?
JM: When we went through the
recession, we thought it was important to
keep people’s property values, rather than sell
more homes quickly. So, we didn’t fire sale
anything. We waited through the recession.
I think that that really says a lot. I hope
that our residents understand that we didn’t
come in and say we’re just going to build
a cheaper product. I understand public
companies have to do what’s best for their
stockholders and investors, but we’re a private
company and we didn’t have to do that.
twitter: @anjkhem
ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY

NAI Mertz’s founder is proud of child’s success,

confident in his ability to take over real estate firm Focus
On …

FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES
From left are Barry Mertz, Faye Mertz and Scott Mertz of NAI Mertz, a Mount Laurel-based brokerage business. —
­ NAI MERTZ

THE SON
ALSO RISES
B
BY BRETT JOHNSON
bjohnson@roi-nj.com

arry Mertz, CEO of NAI Mertz, is as professional as they come.

He’s a former attorney who now heads the largest real estate
brokerage firm in southern New Jersey. So, it’s no surprise he’s
all business when it comes to communicating.
But, when he speaks of the career of his son, Scott Mertz — now the second
generation of the Mount Laurel-based brokerage business, which is an affiliate of leading
real estate company NAI Global — his tone is more like Little League bleacher boaster than businessman.
He sounds like what he is: a proud father.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY

Focus On … Family-owned Businesses Focus On … Family-owned Businesses

The
He had mechanical skills from working on
the printing press; he knew how to make
portable lighting and batteries.”
The company fed the growing
broadcast news industry as it grew,
supplying all the networks and stations
with increasingly advanced products. Over
the years, the company’s lighting products
in particular became like what Kleenex is
to facial tissues.
“Barbara Walters was interviewed and
was asked, ‘How do you do a good interview?’
light is right next to him.”
Frezzi’s products are made in local
machine shops with materials matching “Stations tried to go the cheaper route, and
the durability of aircraft aluminum. It’s
rough and tumble — and still the go-to for
it failed miserably,” he said. “The news is
all major broadcasters. outdoors, in all weather conditions, where a
“The pros know the difference, and
that’s what keeps us in business,” he said. consumer product isn’t going to hold up.”
“In this industry, you learn fast what it
— Kevin Crawford, a vice president of engineering at Frezzi
costs to miss a shot.”
twitter: @reporterbrett

t
She said all it takes is a cameraman, a camera
and a Frezzi,” Crawford said. “We’ve become

Hawthorne
a branded name for portable lighting in
ss in

h
ily busine
Little fam
this industry. It’s a reputation we still have.
Anyone who has been in the industry for a
while knows us.”

il g
That said, broadcast journalism
is changing all the time. As Crawford
explained, the industry has started bringing
in a lot of young multimedia journalists in
t place of seasoned news cameramen and
en
photographers.
pm

“Now, 24-year-olds with camcorders

ui

are being sent out to shoot, edit and produce

eq

media content like one-man bands,” he

m

said. “Their equipment needs are different

is
al

— they like to travel light. So, we’re adapting

rn

our product to that market as well.”

ou

ff More news content migrates to online

tj

platforms every day. And amateur video

as

journalists have, in some cases, started to

dc

encroach on the market share of traditional

oa

A Frezzi SkyLight, above. Kevin Crawford, below,

broadcast media.
br

a vice president of engineering, with some of

Regardless, Crawford said, the
in

Frezzi’s products. ­— FREZZOLINI ELECTRONICS INC.

company is still dedicated to making
e

stu
m

products for professionals and the high-

na

end broadcast market. It isn’t trying to

g
bi

compete with inexpensive products found

ns

on the consumer side, the tools more often

ai

used by the new do-it-yourself internet

m

media creators.
re

That reluctance to step down the

BY BRETT JOHNSON
bjohnson@roi-nj.com
As the world watched the trial of former
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein that led to
his execution, there was, in the unlikeliest
of places, the presence of a local family
business outside the frame.
In fact, a Garden State family business
with only about a dozen employees was
in large part why the world was able to
watch. The business, Hawthorne-based
Frezzi, provided the lighting, cameras and
even robotic control systems used by news
networks covering the trial.
It was a historically significant moment
that the company’s equipment helped
capture,
but also not the
only one over its more
than 70 years of providing
tools to broadcast news stations.
Because, even if you’re not familiar
with the name, products made by Frezzi,
or Frezzolini Electronics Inc., have been
a staple for virtually every major television
network and cable station for a long time.
Kevin Crawford, a vice president of
engineering at Frezzi whose grandfather
founded the company back in the 1940s,
said that’s all thanks to word of mouth.
“Early into the company’s history,
there just wasn’t anyone else doing what
we were doing,” Crawford said. “And the
broadcast industry was a small industry at
the time — everyone knew everyone else.
So, we formed tight relationships with every
station as it came online: CBS, NBC, Fox,
ABC.”
Crawford’s grandfather was an Italian
immigrant who went from working at a
printing press for the newspaper industry
to becoming the first cameraman at one of
the country’s first broadcast news outlets.
“He didn’t like the stress of that job
because, if you missed the shot, you’d be
in trouble,” Crawford said. “So, he ended
up moonlighting as the person making
lighting equipment for those guys instead.
quality and price of the products was
tested about a decade ago, when, according
to Crawford, a lot of big networks and
stations started cutting staff for freelancers
and purchasing bargain alternatives for
their equipment needs.
“Stations tried to go the cheaper
route, and it failed miserably,” he said.
“The news is outdoors, in all weather
conditions, where a consumer product
isn’t going to hold up. … When you see
Geraldo (Rivera) hanging onto a street
sign horizontal from a hurricane, our
Conversation Starter
Reach Frezzi at: frezzi.com
or 973-427-1160.

12 13
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY

Focus On … Family-owned Businesses Focus On … Family-owned Businesses

Designed organization, it’s hard to maintain a family

for future
business.”
Gropper is Shiman’s brother-in-law and
Third generation grandson of Max Gropper, the company’s
original founder. Gropper said the company
has helped with started with his grandfather and his great-
uncle, Jack Gropper, selling aluminum storm
transformation windows in downtown Somerville after

success
World War II came to an end.
of Bellari Home The second generation picked up the
business in the ’60s and ran with it — going
Remodeling — beyond aluminum storm windows, racing to
fill a need in the postwar housing boom for
and aims to many different homeowner products.
“Throughout the years, because of the
continue it growth of the surrounding areas, we really
morphed into a remodeling company,”
Gropper said. “Those original products put
our name on the map, but we’ve transformed
into a company that designs and builds
much more.”
BY BRETT JOHNSON The owners of what was then called

G
bjohnson@roi-nj.com Somerville Aluminum also had identified
that, as more families were moving from one
ary Shiman, one of two current income earner in a family to two, families
owners of Bellari Home had less time to take care of their home. So,
Remodeling, has heard of many they focused on the design and installation
family businesses failing in the of maintenance-free products.
transition from the second to the That direction catapulted the business
third generation of ownership. from a limited Somerville operation to a full-
Bellari survived it. service business that did kitchens, bathrooms,
The company also somehow survived doors, decks and awnings across the region.
without having a single computer until 2003. With the increase of scope and the actually is today. In 2013, it moved out of Shiman said. “But to say they’re competition
Shiman, no Luddite himself, admits that’s business being passed down to its current its longtime home in Somerville to a larger would be the greatest misnomer. They got
unheard of. third generation ownership, the company Branchburg facility and showroom, one the involved in our business only to the extent
But the fact that it changed has something needed a rebranding. It went from being company calls one of the most comprehensive that they market to someone who thinks
to do with the family business surviving known as Somerville Aluminum to Bellari remodeler showrooms in the nation. they’re handy enough to put things in
today, he said. Design in 2016. Bellari had been fueled with business themselves. But these companies are starting
“The mark of David (Gropper) and I “That was gigantic for a 68-year-old around the period it moved into this to find that doing installation is hard to
as the third generation of this company was organization,” Shiman said. “To wake up location by the home rehabbing required by execute correctly and accurately.”
to improve upon what was already coming one day and say, ‘We’re doing great, growing Superstorm Sandy, devastating as it was. The Even if the third generation of the
through from previous generations, building tremendously, but our name is holding us company had previously planned to move to family business seeks to innovate — and
on it with technology,” Shiman explained. back’ — it’s a calculated risk. But we believe it a different base in Somerville, but it pulled buy a computer or two — Bellari remains
“That’s important, because, without bringing better reflects who we are today.” the plug during the financial crisis of 2008. committed to having a quality installation-
something else to the table in terms of It also reflects where the company Gropper and Shiman report that their based remodeling business instead of
innovation or a change in direction in the business is doing well today. Bellari boasts focusing on the supply side, where larger
increasing annual sales and experienced businesses still have the market cornered.
Conversation Starter double-digit growth in 2018, even with the “We stay where we’re strong,” Gropper
Reach Bellari
Gary Shiman, left, is one of two current owners recent upheaval the duo has started to see in said. “A lot of homeowners looking for no-
Home Remodeling at:
of Bellari Home Remodeling. The other, David bellarinj.com. the remodeling industry. nonsense quality product. That’s what we
Gropper, right, is Shiman’s brother-in-law. or 908-725-8401. “You’ve got the Home Depots and Lowe’s continue to offer.”
­— BELLARI HOME REMODELING of the world entering into this market,” twitter: @reporterbrett

14 15
ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY

Focus On … Family-owned Businesses

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 to transform into a second-generation company’s executive team after working at
business,” Barry Mertz said. “Scott’s one of NAI Global, has taken on many of her day-
“Between 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, our leading brokers that takes on the largest to-day tasks.
Scott ranked as NAI Global’s No. 1 in the assignments throughout the Delaware Valley. Even if Barry Mertz doesn’t have plans to
world and, for the other year, No. 2,” he said … He even did a real estate deal in Germany retire — he doesn’t play golf or tennis, as he
of his son’s performance. “At NAI Global’s recently (for NAI Global).” says — he sees the business as resting in the
convention in September, they’ll announce Barry and Faye Mertz are still active capable hands of his son and the firm’s other
2018. I’m confident Scott will either be No. 1 with the firm. But Faye Mertz, who once executives.
or right near the top.” wore a lot of hats as the de facto HR person “Scott really exemplifies the model of
Family and business go hand-in-hand and everything else on the company’s back innovation that NAI Global pushes for,”
for Mertz, as well as his wife, Faye Mertz, end, has taken something of a step back. Barry said.
who has long served in a chief financial Bobbi Jean Formosa, who joined the local twitter: @reporterbrett A property brokered by NAI Mertz. —
­ NAI MERTZ
officer-like capacity at the company.
In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that Faye
Mertz was tucking Scott into bed before
doing bookkeeping for the business —
during its infancy, in the early ’80s.
“Our children were about 4 or 5 years
old and Barry needed someone basically to
pay the bills, and he taught me how to do the
commissions,” she said. “We have twins, now
adults, who I’d put to bed at night and go into
the office and do as much as I could.”
She took up this line of work at Barry
Mertz’s fledgling business after being
employed as a medical social worker. He had
the equally unlikely background of as a legal
practitioner. He had gone from being a lawyer
in Philadelphia to being offered a job at a global
industrial real estate firm, the Hart Corp.
His experience there, and later at
Trammell Crow Co., another real estate firm
once active in the region, would lead him to
starting his own operation in 1981.
“And, from the start, we made a good team,”
Faye Mertz said. “I didn’t want to go out knock
on doors; he didn’t want to do paperwork.”
Their business, formerly known as The
Mertz Corp., started solely in the industrial real
estate brokerage and property management
sectors and then evolved to a more full-service
commercial real estate firm that does about
2.5 million square feet of real estate each year.
Along the way, it linked up with NAI
Global, a conglomerate of 180 worldwide
real estate firms. It was one of the original
firms to join NAI Global’s platform.
Throughout the years, the once-modest
Pennsauken operation has grown to three
offices and 20 licensed sales associates, many
of whom have been with the firm for the past
two decades. A significant number of them
have built prestigious reputations in the New
Jersey real estate community there.
The Mertzes entered a new chapter when
their son, Scott, joined the firm in 2001.
Needless to say, he figures heavily into the
company’s succession plan.
“Under him, we’ve really started

Conversation Starter
Reach NAI Mertz at:
856-234-9600
or visit: naimertz.com.

17
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY

Tech Trends: Esther Surden Venture capital

Ready for reboot

Adams shifts gears at Newark’s Fownders by adding Yobo as acting CEO
BY ESTHER SURDEN FOR ROI-NJ impact on people within the group ages
esurden@njtechweekly.com 17 to 27. All others are also welcomed at
Fownders, he said.
Inspirational leader Gerard Adams (also Yobo described Fownders’ offering like
known as the “millennial mentor”) arrived in this: “When people go to college, they have
Newark in 2016 with bold plans for energizing
entrepreneurship in the city. Adams, the former
teachers and advisers who are there to help
guide them through that process, so they
Peak Pitch networking event
president of Elite Daily (based in New York), sold can get to a place where they are ready for takes startups out of elevator …
that platform for $50 million, and was returning the next step.” Similarly, people who work
and puts them on skis

Money
to his roots in New Jersey. at large companies have HR guiding them
With a great deal through their career steps.
of enthusiasm and “College students have professors,
energy, Adams opened executives have advisers and entrepreneurs
Fownders, an incubator have Fownders,” he said. “We have essentially
for young Newark positioned ourselves to be the advocate for
residents and others who entrepreneurs. Our job is to advocate for their

had good ideas, but not
enough education about how to bring them
to market. He also offered an educational
platform to millennial entrepreneurs who
were farther along in their journeys.
Along the way, Fownders had many
successes, but Adams’ vision of doing
good by doing well was being fragmented
by his willingness to help everybody with
everything. He cared so much about
millennial entrepreneurs, he would get the
team together help them with their individual
business plans, systems requirements or
Peter Yobo, left, and Gerard Adams at Fownders, an incubator in Newark. —
push humanity forward through innovation,
creativity and unique perspectives.
“It’s important that we start giving
access, education and belief to underserved
communities to support the next generation
of conscious leaders. For Fownders, it starts
with Newark; and with the leadership of
Peter Yobo by my side, we plan on taking this
from inner cities to Third World countries
globally. This is for legacy.”
­ FOWNDERS
Future Fownders, the nonprofit arm
of Fownders, will continue, Yobo said.
“We’re taking everything we are teaching
entrepreneurs, and creating a package for
high school students. That’s in full swing.
We created an eight-week program. We are
looking to go into high schools and deliver
hands-on training.”
However, there is no longer a physical
space in Newark where people can come
mountain
success, all the way through their journey,
until they hit their goal as entrepreneurs.”
Fownders plans to execute this vision
by connecting entrepreneurs with the right
resources that can help them at any given
point on their journey. For example, there
may be an entrepreneur who needs to meet
someone with a complementary skill set to
help make progress on his or her company.
“We’ll go ahead and match them up. We are
doing that today, but, in the future, our plan
is to use artificial intelligence and machine BY TOM BERGERON business prospects in a less formal, more
learning to make those connections.” fun and friendly way.

whatever problems they were having.
Also, “We saw so many opportunities
and so many challenges both in Newark
and all over the country in underserved
communities,” said Peter Yobo, acting CEO
of Fownders. “We essentially put an iron in
the fire for each one of those challenges that
we wanted to be a part of solving,”
Fownders needed to get back to the
basics. In 2019, Adams decided that
Fownders needed a reboot.
By bringing in Yobo, Adams told
NJTechWeekly.com, he was able to concentrate
on the big vision for the company, and leave
the day-to-day to Yobo. Eventually, said Yobo,
there will be an even stronger Fownders,
one that he will be able hand over to a new
leadership that will take the company forward.
“The world, more than ever before,
needs conscious entrepreneurs to solve big
problems for humanity,” Adams said. “I
truly believe that not only entrepreneurs, but
entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds, will
TECH PARTNERS
ROI-NJ has teamed up with Esther Surden, creator of njtechweekly.com, to bring you weekly insight into the tech world.
Yobo is an experienced strategy
consultant with a background in emerging
technologies. “The value-added that I
bring is that I am very passionate about the
millennial generation,” Yobo told us.
“I always knew that I was different in
the way I saw work, and then I found out
we were called ‘millennials.’ I got excited
when I saw research on the impact we would
have on the workforce, the economy, our
spending and our work habits,” he added.
At PwC, Yobo served on many committees
focused on how firms can attract, engage and
retain millennials; and his job was to know
what tech was innovative.
Adams met Yobo right after he sold Elite
Daily, and the two hit it off. Their ideas and
passion about millennials were similar. Yobo
walked Adams through a “strategy session,”
and the idea for Fownders was born. Adams
put his reputation behind it, put the team
together and started the company. Yobo
continued to serve as a business consultant.
in and experience what it is that Fownders
is building. “It was a partnership between
Gerard and a local real estate investor that
allowed us to have that physical space.
However, the physical space wasn’t bringing
all that value, and it was the event piece that
was making entrepreneurship real. We’ve
rerouted some of those efforts and resources
to making great events. We have a new
reinforced focus on our events that bring
people together in Newark,” Yobo said.
Fownders held its first 2019 Fownders
Value Exchange meetup on Feb. 28 in
Harrison, and plans five or six more events
in Newark during the year. Other events will
be held in Miami and Los Angeles, where
people will be able to physically interact with
the brand.
Fownders is now clearly focused
on bringing entrepreneurs through the
entrepreneurship journey, Yobo explained,
and has broadened its focus from millennials
to Gen Z because it has had the biggest
H
Yobo said Fownders is creating an ever-
expanding list of service providers, so that,
when entrepreneurs have questions, they can
meet with some of those service providers.
Fownders is negotiating with the service
providers for a discounted referral or sales
fee, which it will pass down to its members.
“We are helping them get services at a lower
cost than they usually would.”
Plus, he added, the members are part of
an entrepreneurial community. “It’s easier to
go down this path when there are others on
the same journey as you.”
Fownders has a subscription model, with
entrepreneurs paying $27/month, which gets
them access to the community and all the
concierge services and events. The company
charges for the events. And, Yobo noted, “We
are launching a three-month online business
school program, with in-person check in.”
Those are the company’s three main revenue
streams.
twitter: @njtechwkly
tbergeron@roi-nj.com
ere are the problems with
the traditional elevator
business pitch:
1. You never really
know how long the elevator
ride will last;
And ...
2. You’re on an elevator — how much
fun is that?
Newark Venture Partners appears to
have found a way around them.
NVP, in conjunction with Propelify,
recently had the most unusual networking
event: Peak Pitch XIII, a two-day
networking and social event at Mountain
Creek Resort in Vernon Township.
The 13th annual event features an
opening night of networking in the ski
lodge with dinner, drinks (including a
whiskey tasting), and fun and games
(including a Texas Hold ’em tournament),
followed by a day on the slopes, where it
replaces the elevator ride with a six-minute
ski lift pitch.
A group of more than three dozen
founders and three dozen investors talked
So said Chisa Egbelu, the co-founder
and CEO of PeduL, an online platform
where students can apply for thousands of
scholarships with one common application.
“This event was really unique, because
it’s set up like a retreat that has a business
aspect to it,” he told ROI-NJ. “We’re there
on the first night for dinner and a lot of
networking. On the second day, it’s game
time, in the sense of, now, it’s time to
officially pitch on a more formal level.
“The reason this event is very different
is because you really have the time to
create these relationships over the two days
instead of an hour, like most networking
events.”
This is just what Thomas Wisniewski,
managing partner of Newark Venture
Partners, said the group intended.
“Peak Pitch is disrupting the model for
pitch events, while bringing together top
innovators in every industry,” he said. “We
get everyone on skis, or around a card table
— and, suddenly, the pretense drops, the
guard comes down and it becomes more
about building relationships than about a
singular pitch.
Kayla Jackson, left, and Chisa Egbelu, the co-founders of PeduL, won the award for “best pitch” of all
the startups at the event. ­— PEDUL
“It’s a community-building event,
where pitches happen organically — and
in between adrenaline rushes.”
Aaron Price, founder of Propelify and
the New Jersey Tech Meetup, agreed.
“Besides being one of the most unique
startup events in the Northeast, we’re proud
to give entrepreneurs an opportunity to
build so many relationships with top-tier
investors in just 36 hours.”
Egbelu can attest to that.
The 2016 Rutgers University graduate
came to the event as his startup is finishing
up its $1.2 million seed round.
He and co-founder Kayla Jackson left
with four solid meetings that Egbelu said
will help them meet their goal.
“Usually, you’re lucky to get one good
meeting,” he said.
Egbelu and Jackson won the award for
“best pitch” of all the groups. Egbelu said
he felt the style of the event led to his team’s
success.
“It was the most fun we’ve ever had at
a working event,” he said. “Raising money
and talking to investors is rarely a fun time,
but when you get to do it while you’re
snowboarding and you’re skiing and you’re
in a lodge, it definitely makes it a lot easier.
“It was really great that everyone gets
to see everyone else on a personal level. It
didn’t have that structure of, ‘Hey, what,
what value can you offer me?’”
twitter: @tombergeron5

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 So, they may be able to drive the market up.”
Which may also be why hospitals are
It’s all part of the uncertain future of the increasingly playing in the behavioral health
specialty. space.
CarePlus has been able to woo medical It’s something Masciandaro says is
professionals away from large health systems a welcome change, even if it does bring
in the state, has launched a school for those competition.
with disabilities and has a presence in schools “I’m not saying I don’t experience some
around the state for behavioral health needs. level of threat by it,” Masciandaro said. The CarePlus
Despite all this, changes to the fee-for- “Ultimately, the quality is going to be the New Jersey facility
service Medicaid reimbursement under the differentiator.” in Bergen County. —
­
Christie administration, as well as grant twitter: @anjkhem CAREPLUS NJ

funding that will run out this year and next,

will make it hard for CarePlus and others to
sustain their current levels of service.
Tara Augustine, chief operating officer
of CarePlus, said the new reimbursement
system, which changed to fee-for-service
from a contract-based payments per patient,
threatens the quality of service.
Behavioral health used to be reimbursed
in lump-sum payments because of the amount
of attention a patient needs, Augustine said.
Ironically, the system has changed in
reverse from the rest of the health care
community.
Health systems in the state have been
having discussions of moving away from fee-
for-service payments to value-based systems
— which focus on keeping patients engaged
with the health care system and healthier to
avoid costly emergency visits.
In the behavioral health space, it was
easier to follow up with patients and give
them the time and attention they needed.
But, with a fee associated with each service,
there is more incentive for behavioral health
centers to focus on the number of services
provided.
The state isn’t seeing the implications,
Augustine said, but the more patients
CarePlus sees, the more money it loses.
“The only way to make it work in fee-
for-service is to focus on productivity,”
Augustine said.
“When you’re focusing on productivity,
you’re really diminishing the quality of
service. The types of clients we are seeing
sometimes need multiple engagements …
because they are very resistant or paranoid.
And if you’re only being paid when you see
the patient, you don’t get paid for all of those
attempts. So, people just don’t attempt. And
(patients) get dropped and you’re seeing an
increase in hospitalization.”
Which is why the more entities joining in
to provide care, the better, Masciandaro said.
“There is just not enough capacity to
provide (care) with the current system,” he
said. “The only way that you can solve is
by growing the total pool of money that’s
available to share. When we talk about fee for
service, it’s not based on real cost. Hospitals
at least have the advantage that their payment
methodology is based on retrospective cost.

21
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY

Op-Ed View Point

N.J.’s mandates ramp up corporate tax-dollar game Flood Defense Act is smart long-term investment

T C
ax reform. In the state THE COMPLEXITIES locking in at more than 64 inches of damage structures, but it can deter commercial activity.

There is a growing number of

New Jersey can now lay claim to a piece
of New Jersey, these two OF COMBINED REPORTING precipitation, 2018 was the wettest year While the first instinct of many business leaders may be
words are enough to strike In its January bulletin, the New Jersey on record for New Jersey. Even so, experts to balk at any new potential fee, not considering the growing
fear into virtually everyone, Division of Taxation indicated the state predict worsening weather is still to come. businesses that define success risks and costs of inaction could be considered to be a
from homeowners plagued is transitioning to mandatory combined of the tax-revenue pie for businesses Increased precipitation means according to the triple bottom breach of fiduciary duty. In this case, what may look like an
by some of the highest reporting for taxpayers with year-ends on increased polluted stormwater runoff, line: people, planet and profit. expense to a business taking a narrow, short-term view will
property taxes in the nation to business
leaders alike. While many of the former
or after July 31. Given the state’s definition
of “common ownership” and “engaged in a
headquartered in low- or no-tax states. which is creating serious challenges. In fact, estimates are
that it’s a $16 billion problem.
look like a smart investment by those viewing it through a
long-term, triple-bottom-line business lens.
— mostly in the northern counties — are unitary business where at least one company When rain or snowfall creates stormwater runoff in protect against flooding and repair failing infrastructure. Since the 1970s, more than 3,300 homes and businesses
feeling the pinch of is subject to tax under this chapter” language, natural environments, that runoff can flow These are smart, effective and fair solutions, and throughout the state have flooded. How many thousands
the $10,000 property- a good number of entities that once filed compliance and planning to profit mitigation. equal footing in corporate taxation of interstate into nearby streams or be absorbed by the more than 1,600 communities across 40 states are already upon thousands of dollars is the New Jersey business
tax cap just weeks a separate return now find themselves and global sales destined for the Garden State. ground. But this isn’t always possible in benefiting from them. It’s time New Jersey joined them. community losing every year due to flooding? We will only
before the federal filing reclassified into the combined group category. INTERSTATE AND GLOBAL COMMERCE As a result, New Jersey can now lay claim to more developed regions. When water falls Business leaders evaluating the costs and benefits of this continue to lose business unless we take action.
deadline, the latter are Such entities include: U.S. corporations AND MARKET-BASED SOURCING a piece of the tax-revenue pie for businesses onto hard surfaces, like streets or roofs, it legislation must consider the likely impacts over the near Flooding is a risk, and it’s incumbent upon businesses
considering their next and foreign, banking, financial and professional Another major consequence of headquartered in low- or no-tax states. can’t be soaked up. term and the long term, as well as who will be affected. Both to mitigate any hazards. Addressing the risk proactively and
steps in addressing the corporations; casinos; domestic and foreign New Jersey’s tax-reform legislation is the Although the concept of market-based As a result, stormwater that is not the scope and outcome of this type of analysis will be based building resiliencies will yield economic benefits.
Jason Richard
impact of new, far- limited liability companies (excluding those implementation of market-based sourcing. sourcing seems fairly straightforward, and is a managed properly can lead to frequent upon how business leaders define success. Stormwater presents real dangers to New Jersey —
Rosenberg Lawton
reaching tax legislation classified as partnerships or disregarded Simply put, this shift away from cost-of- windfall from the state’s perspective, corporations flooding. The effects of flooding can range There is a growing number of businesses that define flooding occurred on a regular basis last year, at times with such
taking effect in 2019. entities); federal S corporations and qualified performance sourcing — where taxes are are left in a quandary. And, many are turning to from frustrating to catastrophic — including traffic nightmares, success according to the triple bottom line: people, planet quick intensity that residents had almost no time to respond.
While legislators and industry analysts subchapter S subsidiaries (that have not made based on the location in which a corporation their professional tax advisers to sift through the tainted drinking water and destroyed homes and businesses. and profit. Commercial success is not narrowly defined in Fortunately, the New Jersey Legislature and Gov.
are introducing cause/effect and chicken- the state’s S-corporation elections); and N.J. S performs its income-producing activity — potential pitfalls. Among these are how to apply The Flood Defense Act, which is currently pending economic terms only, but also by a company’s net social and Murphy may grant our communities and businesses the
or-the-egg theories regarding New Jersey’s corporations and N.J. qualified subchapter S places a new burden on corporate taxpayers the various rules for different states, avoiding Gov. Phil Murphy’s signature, gives New Jersey communities environmental impacts. opportunity to take on this threat.
enduring tax-revenue slump, the Garden subsidiaries (which have elected to be included). engaged in multistate sales of services. Under the potential for double taxation and correctly the opportunity to establish stormwater runoff management Stormwater programs present a chance for local The Flood Defense Act is our chance to protect our
State is joining ranks with a good number of While New Jersey is simply following New Jersey’s market-based sourcing guidelines, classifying the circumstances/services to which programs on a purely voluntary basis. businesses to adapt to changing environmental conditions in businesses, our drinking water and our environment so that
its fellow states by transitioning to two very a trend of the last several years established corporations — regardless of where they are an apportionment should be applied. Stormwater utilities assess a simple and reasonable fee ways that will protect long-term profits against more serious our communities and local economies can continue to adapt
impactful corporate tax-generating initiatives: by approximately half of all U.S. states, based — must now assign tax apportionment on properties with nonabsorbent surfaces — like concrete damages and expenses in the future. and thrive.
mandatory combined reporting for business the combined reporting mandate is not to sales received in or delivered to New Jersey. Jason Rosenberg, senior manager, or roofing — that contribute to flooding from runoff. Local Without improved stormwater infrastructure, New
taxpayers and implementation of market- without its own complexities and headaches. The primary motivation for switching to State and Local Tax Practice governments use those funds to construct proven on-the- Jersey businesses will have to contend with even greater Richard Lawton, executive director,
based sourcing. These run the full gamut of corporate tax market-based sourcing is to give New Jersey WithumSmith+Brown P.C. ground, job-creating projects that capture polluted runoff, costs. Not only does flooding lower property values and New Jersey Sustainable Business Council

Cheers! (or jeers) Show & Tell

LIFE LEARNING: A new report from CBRE found that New Jersey is one of the Gov. Phil Murphy recently reached an agreement with
nation’s top life science real estate clusters, thanks to its ample lab space and deep legislative leaders to legalize recreational marijuana
talent pool. In a crowded field that includes rivals like the Boston area (No. 1) and New use in New Jersey.
York City (No. 7) in the Top 10, it’s good to see the Garden State is still living up to its
reputation as America’s medicine chest. Cheers! He talked about the reasons

“
CHARITY BEGINS AT THE STATE he’s been pushing for the measure.
HOUSE: In Gov. Phil Murphy’s budget proposal, Legalizing adult-use
the level of charity care funding for hospitals marijuana is a
held steady — itself a win — but there’s a “but” monumental step to reducing
attached. Hospitals can only get the money if they disparities in our criminal
are part of the New Jersey Health Information justice system. After
Network of electronic records. That’s a good thing, months of hard work and
however, as the state aims to boost participation. thoughtful negotiations,
The more data at doctors’ fingertips, the better for I’m thrilled to announce
patients. Cheers! —­ Eric Strauss an agreement with
my partners in the
Legislature on the broad
outlines of adult-use
marijuana legislation. I
“Proving once and for all that believe that this legislation
will establish an industry
we’re not the same person.” that brings fairness and
— N.J. Attorney General Gurbir economic opportunity
to all of our communities,
Grewal, retweeting a photo of while promoting public safety
by ensuring a safe product
himself, at right, with Hoboken and allowing law
Mayor Ravinder Bhalla, a enforcement to focus
their resources on
fellow Sikh American. serious crimes.”

22 23
ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY

Focus
On …

RENAISSANCE CITIES
FEELING
SKY-HIGH
Cover story in United’s magazine reveals Newark’s renaissance
to global tourists — and visitors bureau loves it

E
BY TOM BERGERON
tbergeron@roi-nj.com

llen Carpenter thinks like many area residents.

Newark = airport.
But she has one characteristic that differentiates herself
from the others. She is the editor of a travel magazine.
After 17 years of being on the job at Hemispheres, the in-flight travel
magazine produced by United Airlines, Carpenter and her team decided to do
a story on Newark as a tourist destination rather than a place that flies you to them.
“I had come to Newark 100 times, but always to the airport,” she said during an event to
promote “Newark: Three Perfect Days,” the cover story in this month’s issue.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

25
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY
Focus On … Renaissance Cities
BY TOM BERGERON
F
tbergeron@roi-nj.com
or Paterson Mayor Andre
Sayegh, it’s all about legacy.
Sayegh, who took the
oath of office July 1 as the
first Arab-American to
hold the top job in Paterson, said
he hopes to leverage the city’s
glorious past — it was designed
by Alexander Hamilton as the first
industrial city in the country —
into a better future.
And he’s saying that to everyone
and anyone in the economic
development
and investment
world.
Sayegh
has become a
fixture on the
networking
Andre circuit in an
Sayegh
effort to bring
recognition — as well as capital
investment — to the state’s third-
largest city. (I’ve seen him at three
events in the past month alone.)
Sayegh said he feels it’s
important for him to be out there,
touting the city.
“I see myself as more than
just a mayor,” he told the audience
at the recent New Jersey Future
Redevelopment Forum in New
Brunswick.
“I’m the brand ambassador,
I’m the head of sales and I am the
cheerleader in chief — and I’ve got
my Paterson pompons on display
today.”
Sayegh’s energy and
enthusiasm is needed.
Paterson has its share of
challenges. Sayegh inherited high
debt, not enough employment
opportunities and a series of
government scandals that has
led to two recent mayors being
arrested on corruption charges
and an FBI investigation of the
police department.
Sayegh, who served on the
Legacy-driven
Paterson’s energetic, enthusiastic new mayor
hoping to use city’s past to build its future
“Paterson is the home to the Great Falls (above), great food and we have a great future,” Andre Sayegh said. ­— FILE PHOTO
city council for 10 years before
becoming mayor, has been
telling crowds that economic
development and investment is
the key to turning around the
city.
Here’s a look at some of his
statements — and sales pitches —
at recent events:
ON THE CITY’S OUTLOOK:
“We’re looking to play to our
strengths in Paterson.
“We’re looking to rebuild the
city, so the first thing we did was
rebrand the city. Paterson is the
home to the Great Falls, great food
and we have a great future.
“We believe in best practices,
but also believe in next practices.
I see our city as the ultimate
startup.”
ON TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
THE PATERSON GREAT FALLS
NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK:
“The Great Falls speak to the
history of Paterson; it’s where
Hamilton had the vision to create
the first planned industrial city in
the country.
“Alexander Hamilton is the all
the rage because of the musical. We
want to leverage that. We had over
300,000 people come to Paterson last
year. We want to create a first-class
visitor and education center in that
area to attract even more tourists.
“And, at the Falls, we can envision
a food hall. We’ve talked about
our culinary culture, becoming a
destination for foodies, that should
happen there as well. There should
be entertainment by the Falls. And,
also, a hotel. A city of our size, we
26
don’t have a hotel, unfortunately.
That will be a job generator as well.”
ON THE CITY’S DIVERSITY:
“We want to play to our
diversity. We have one of the
largest Muslim populations in the
country in South Paterson. It’s a
very vibrant business sector that I
affectionately refer to it as the Halal
Meat Packing District.”
ON RESTORING DOWNTOWN:
“We talk about the city having
good bones; now, it’s time to put
some meat on those bones. We
have a train station; unfortunately,
it’s underutilized. But, through that
transit-oriented development, we
could attract the millennials, or
Generation Z, the next face that
will be coming into urban areas.
March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM
“We have a new urban agenda
in Paterson. We’re looking to do
more transit-oriented development
and send a message to developers
that we are open for investment.”
ON OTHER OPPORTUNITIES:
“Just recently, (Gov. Phil
Murphy) announced plans for
the innovative economy, and we
embrace it wholeheartedly. The
governor was in Paterson a couple of
weeks ago to announce the historic
(preservation) tax credits. We’re
going to leverage those as well.
“We have $130 million in state
tax credits that we are looking to
utilize relatively soon.
“We also want to attract the
film industry to come to Paterson.
We want the (Steven) Spielbergs
of the world to come to Paterson.
We’ve had (Al) Pacino and a whole
host of others come. We’ve had
‘The Sopranos.’ ”
Sayegh sees the possibilities.
And sees how Paterson can
benefit from the fact that other
nearby North Jersey locations are
starting to run out of real estate
options, especially affordable ones.
He said Paterson is ready to take
advantage of that.
But, in doing so, Sayegh said
it is important to remember those
who helped create the city — and to
make sure they are not left behind.
“We have three legacy projects
that we are laser-focused on
making sure that they manifest for
our city, but we also want to focus
on equitable growth, as well.
“We want to address
the affordable housing issue
appropriately, so we’re looking at
mixed-income as well as mixed-
use.”
Simply put, Sayegh is open to
all opportunities.
“Clearly, we are in growth
mode and we’re looking to leverage
legacy assets and transform them
into legacy projects,” he said.
twitter: @tombergeron5
ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019
Good to great
Plainfield’s Mayor Mapp hopes Opportunity Zone program takes city’s recent success to next level
BY TOM BERGERON
tbergeron@roi-nj.com
With more than $500 million in projects
under construction or in predevelopment,
Plainfield is not hurting for investment. But it
could always use more. So said Mayor Adrian
Mapp, who served on the city council for 16
years before becoming mayor on Jan. 1, 2014.
Mapp has made investments key to
growing the city. But those investments, he said,
have to come the right
way. That is, they have to
be something that benefits
both the city and its
residents, the developers
and local businesses.
ROI-NJ caught up
Adrian
with Mapp at the recent
Mapp
Opportunity Zone
Summit sponsored by Choose New Jersey
to discuss investment in Plainfield — and
the impact the Opportunity Zone incentive
program could have on it.
ROI-NJ: Some communities view the
Opportunity Zone incentive program as not
only a game-changer, but a lifesaver. Plainfield
was doing well before the program was
introduced this summer. Do you think it will
give the city a big boost — or just be a little bit
more than the city already has?
Adrian Mapp: It’s more than just a little
bit more. But, although we have been doing
very well and we continue to do well with
the businesses and investment dollars that
we’ve been able to attract, I think every bit
helps. If there are additional tax incentives
that will defer capital gains and that didn’t
exist previously, I think it certainly helps. If
some of tax incentives allow investors and
developers to come together to bridge some
gaps in the financing, that’s great.
It’s certainly not a panacea, but it is an
opportunity for cities like Plainfield. I think
we are good fit. We have two train stations
and other areas that can benefit from being
in Opportunity Zones.
ROI: The rules and regulations are still being
sorted out, but many cities already have begun
making plans to attract this type of investment.
How are you approaching it in Plainfield?
AM: I think it is extremely important
that, as these opportunities come about,
cities like Plainfield need to assemble their
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY
Focus On … Renaissance Cities
professionals — whether we are talking about
our internal staff, whether we are talking
about lawyers and engineers. We need to
assemble them and provide them with
training that will make us ready, willing and
able to take advantage of these opportunities.
I think we need to be mindful of
the timing of the approval process so, as
developers and investors approach us, we
are ready. Just last week, we had 20 of our
residents, staff members and professionals at A rendering of Muhlenberg Medical Arts Complex in Plainfield. —
­ CITY OF PLAINFIELD
the New Jersey Future conference, where they
received training so that they can work with opportunity when big dollars are thrown at who will be investing $140 million. It is going
the investors as they come into these zones. us. We’ve got to be selective. So far, we have to transform an entire city block. There will
been very intentional. All that we do in be 800 market-rate residential units, 46,000
ROI: Underserved communities have the city is to make sure we spur economic square feet of retail space, a restaurant and a
learned to be skeptical whenever big government development. 700-seat banquet facility. This is the project
programs are presented. Too often in the past, I’m proud to bring to the table and will do all
such programs have benefited everyone but ROI: OK, last question: Give us one area that I can. But there is a gap in the financing.
members of those communities. How do you where the Opportunity Zone program could So, we’re trying to bring together the right
ensure everyone in Plainfield benefits from the really help the city? investment partners. The Opportunity Zone
Opportunity Zone opportunities? AM: Right in the heart of our downtown, incentives could definitely help.
AM: In taking advantage of these type of we are in conversations with a developer twitter: @tombergeron5
opportunities, the word gentrification always
comes to mind. We have to be very careful
that the people who need to benefit from these
opportunities are not left out of the process. We
need to make sure the rising tide lifts all boats.
It is critically important, and I am very
laser-focused on ensuring that our residents,
whether we are talking job opportunities
for our residents in new businesses or small
business opportunities for existing ones — such
as making sure our local appliance dealer is
able to provide his appliances to the apartments
and mixed-use facilities as they are constructed
— we have to make sure we do the right thing.
We vet all of the projects as they are brought
forward, and we aren’t necessarily going to
jump at every opportunity. It has got to be the
right fit for the city of Plainfield, and it’s got to
fit into the vision that my administration has
for the city: a vision of transformation, a vision
of making sure that we bring just services to
the people where they are and that we have
projects that will complement the type of
residents that we want to have in our city, the
types of businesses we want to have in our city.
ROI: How can you tell if a potential
investment is not a good fit?
AM: If the numbers don’t pan out as you
put pen to paper, then, it’s a bad project. It’s
not going to be successful no matter whether
you get Opportunity Zone investment or
not. So, we’re not just going to jump at every
27
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY
Focus On … Renaissance Cities
“Our primary goal is to promote Newark as a travel destination. And we do that through our
partnerships with our airlines, with our hotels, with our attractions, with our small businesses, that
creates demand for the public to look at Newark for the first time and creates an opportunity for people
who haven’t been to Newark for a long time to come and see this place from a very new perspective.”
— Jill Kaplan, president N.Y./N.J. for United Airlines
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
“I never got off one stop earlier until last summer, when
we finally decided to do this story.”
The resident of Manhattan said she is glad she did.
“Discovery is what drives travel journalists,” she said.
“What’s new? What’s next? What’s exciting? I know Newark isn’t
new, but I feel what’s happening here is new and it’s inspiring.
The creativity, the passion, the pride — combined with this rich
history — (makes it) a city in the midst of a renaissance.
“I’m so excited to share it with the world. And, with United
Airlines, you really are sharing it with the world.”
Greater Newark Convention and Visitors Bureau
CEO and President Karin Aaron wants to share Carpenter’s
story.
Changing the perception of the city is her most important
task.
“We run interference all the time on our social media
platforms,” she said. “We’ll do a promotion or a contest, and
people will say, ‘Oh, I’m never coming to Newark. That place
is a dump.’
“And we immediately come back and say, ‘When is the
last time you’ve been to Newark?’ We flip it — and we have to
do it really quick, so it doesn’t spread.”
✦✦✦
The numbers say Aaron’s team has been doing a good job.
Hotel occupancy in Newark is up by 4 percent so far in
2019.
And the city already attracts more than 1 million
overnight visitors a year — which helps to generate more than
$8 million in tourism annually.
Newark soon may be getting much more of both.
In addition to the cover story of the magazine, which was
At top are three of the magazine’s spreads, each depicting a different day in Newark. ­— HEMISPHERES
placed on United Airlines planes March 1 and will remain
there all month, there was a lengthy video on the city, which
also will be available to fliers.
United officials estimate the magazine will be seen by
nearly 12 million travelers, while the video will be accessed
by more than 2 million.
Aaron, who hosted a breakfast for more than 100 at Nico
Kitchen & Bar at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center
earlier this month, said she felt it could have a huge impact.
“This is a fantastic day, because there’s been so many
naysayers that say Newark can’t compete,” she said. “There are so
many people who look at Newark as a travel stop or a bus stop.
“This is an opportunity to show Newark to the world. To
show people who have not seen or had the old perception of
Newark to get a chance to see it and watch it and view it for
themselves.”
The story details the city as a tourist destination,
highlighting its history, its modern resurgence and its
diversity.
It features pictures and stories on sites such as the
Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Branch Brook Park,
Riverfront Park, the Lucent Technology Center for Arts
Education, NJPAC, the Prudential Center, the Newark
Museum, the Grammy Museum, Broad Street Station and
the Paramount Theater, as well as the Ironbound and other
areas.
Conversation Starter
Learn more about Hemispheres at:
unitedmags.com.
28
March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM
It also features establishments such as Ward Coffee,
GlassRoots, Hobby’s Deli, All Points West Distillery, Black
Swan Espresso, Dan’s Hats & Caps, Arts & Artifacts of
Newark, Vonda’s Kitchen, Tryp by Wyndham, The New Ark
Hanger Steak at Marcus B&P and the Jimenez Tobacco cigar
lounge, plus other spots.
The inside of the Newark Public Library is featured on
the cover.
✦✦✦
Jill Kaplan, president N.Y./N.J. for United Airlines, said
featuring Newark in the magazine — and placing it on the
cover — is symbolic of the city’s rise in stature.
“We are so excited about this,” she said. “I came
to United Airlines from the media world, and when we
started to talk about (putting Newark in Hemispheres),
it really ignited so many elements of what brought me to
United Airlines.
“(It’s) the magic that I feel in Newark. And being able
to bring to life and be able to share with the world with
our customers how you can enjoy culture and the arts, eat
so incredibly well and see the incredible development that
is going on … is a testament to the spectacular elements of
what’s happening here in Newark.”
Aaron said working with United Airlines and others is
the key to helping Newark promote itself.
“This is something that we cannot do alone,” she said.
“For those who work in this industry, you know, it is a very
concerted effort.
“Our primary goal is to promote Newark as a travel
destination. And we do that through our partnerships with
our airlines, with our hotels, with our attractions, with our
small businesses, that creates demand for the public to look
at Newark for the first time and creates an opportunity for
ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019
people who haven’t been to Newark for a long time to come
and see this place from a very new perspective.
“These types of partnerships will allow Newark to thrive
and allow us to live, work and play in that space that we’ve
been hearing about so often.”
The economic impact is huge, Aaron said.
“Tourism in Newark supports over a thousand jobs,”
she said. “So, when you’re in a restaurant and you’re in a
hotel, these are the people who are in the front line to the
window to the visitor and their experience when they come
to Newark.
“Over $8 million in economic impact comes from
… the tourism industry. This is something that the city
welcomes openly. And this is why, when you hear of new
growth in hotels and new growth in restaurants, you can
understand that there’s a pulse here and a need here for
more people to see this city for the first time.”
✦✦✦
Newark also needs people to take a second look.
People such as Richard Morgan, the writer of the story.
Morgan had lived in Newark previously — in the Ironbound
section. But he admitted he knew little of the city that wasn’t on
the walk from his apartment to Newark Penn Station.
The story, he said, gave him a second chance.
“As a travel writer, you’re often playing within the
boundaries of other people’s bucket lists,” he said. “You are
going to Paris or Venice not because you want to go, but
because readers want to know about those places because
they’ve been told about those places for ever.
“What was appealing about Newark was that we had the
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Focus On … Renaissance Cities
chance as creatives to add something new
to those traditional conversations. We had
the chance to play a part in the readers’
sense of discovery and adventure in this
overlooked city.”
Morgan said his favorite quote in the
story came from chef Marcus Samuelsson,
who recently opened Marcus B&P.
“He said, ‘Newark has the energy of
emergence, which is the true energy of
beauty.’
“I’d add a sense of urgency.”
Morgan said he feels Newark’s
time is now.
“One of the reasons that bucket
list can be put off is because you can
go to Taj Mahal or the Golden Gate
Bridge because it’s going to be the
same in five or 10 or 20 years,” he
said. “Newark is in this moment of
really electric renaissance.
“It’s going to really change
in five or 10 or 20 years, but you
really want to be a part of it now. That’s what I
hoped we related in the story.” are in my generation
Aaron can only hope it will be another factor in changing say, ‘I think I know about Newark, but I haven’t
the perception of the city — especially for a new generation. seen anything or heard anything for a long time.’
“We have this window. I find we’ve got people who have a “Where we’re really making a difference is that we’re
negative perception in Newark, or they have no perception of talking to those people who have no perception.”
Newark. We have a chance for a generational shift. Those who twitter: @tombergeron5
29
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Focus On … Renaissance Cities Focus On … Renaissance Cities

On the comeback trail

Newark isn’t the only New Jersey city undergoing a renaissance. Of course, you’ve heard about strides being
made in Camden and Trenton, as well. But here is a closer look at four smaller cities whose development Perth AmboyD E V E L O P M E N T
and growth efforts are flying under the radar. S TA T E O F E C
ONOMIC the city is very
busy,” Perth

Harrison
pment,
omic develo works. And it
the area of econ projects in the
have many . … We have
“Right now, in a Diaz said. “We th e) community
ild (in
LOPMENT ayor W nesses o phases.
Amboy M all busi
T E O F E C O NOMIC DEVE that, four year
s ago, we were
on
actual ly com plem en ts the many sm
de of the ci ty, whi ch is go ing through tw
S TA o and now is ansitional aid on the north si

Hackensack
s ag tr developments
tween four year
e be e had been on “W redevelopmen
t.”
“The differenc mes Fife said. had a burst in
H arrison Mayor Ja nts. ye ars, we have
transitio na l ai d, ”
s for variou s am ou “In the last four
NT r about 10 year the developers
and
E C O N O M I C DEVELOPME ayor John from th e st at e fo
so m e money from at is OR DEVELOP
MENT
S TA T E O F ” Hackensack M ttin g aid. Th (S ) F

Bloomfield
e ge na l S T
three years ago, d have one ing up, we wer t off transitio C A TA LY ency
e from ages. We di “Buildin gs w er e go
ithin thre e ye ar s, ge
r year for th re e development ag
city’s re
a large differenc the planning st d re we would, w ss than $20 pe g through the
“There is quite e m ostly in and running an t a pa th w he ly w en t up le and th in gs  Streamlinin
k then, we w er cil. That was up we se ) taxes on projects
PMENT id. “B ac us coun le an d ur (municipal r infrastructure
MIC DEVELO Labros se sa d by the pr ev io en up for a w hi t w e di d. O ey aw ay fo r bo rrow ing
ou
O F E C O N O ,” Bloomfield had been planne ect on State Street. That has be ts. w ha k, we put m on nd rating… ES
pick up in 2014 ac bo
S TA T E TOP QUALITI
project which bl 2
field started to uple of id s
ia’ pr oj ngs on the other projec years. We’r e in th e
ent up, we are
no w an A
Bloom truction on a co ay … Mer oundbreaki bond rating w ent up.”
velopment in rented right aw d se eing gr
like that. Our any money, w mass transit
“Economic de ted seeing cons ojects that wer
e ne year ago, we
star te
tle time. Rome t bo rrow ed n
ha el Venezia sa id. “W e star
t three or four pr g. is doing well. O s), so it takes a lit power, (even)
th ou gh w e have n’
 Proximity to e Perth Amboy NJ Transit statio
M ic abou m in ta xe nce. th
M ayor
those projects
, there wer e
more proj ec ts co ents in lieu of ly see a differe  Upgrades to y administration
projects. After e a phase II of lot with (paym d, now, you real PME NT
“We worked a FOR DEVELO
startin g to se ha pp en in g an m os t icon ic ness-frien dl
time. Now, we’r
e ve three itely ng our  Busi
going on that
ects recent ly an d no w w e’re going to ha
of months.” wasn’t built in
a day. It is defin
gs co m in g out of the grou
nd. You’re seei
ur eyes . It is really grea
t to see.” C A TA LY S T (S )
S TA C L E
als for two proj e next couple se e bu ild in g befo re yo n expansion
BIGGEST OB
yo u m in
“We have had approv
g with approv
als w ithin th Now,
middle of tow
n transfor  PATH statio
ojects get goin building in the  Ratables
or four more pr  Cost of remed
iation
PMENT
FOR DE VELOPMENT S T (S ) FOR DEVELO ES . P R O J E C T (S )
C A TA LY S T (S ) CA TA LY
ation and rede
velopment plan TOP QUALITI d the PATH st
ation,” Fife said OMPLETED ners
n zone design station, the PA
TH station an
R E C E N T LY C r — Bridge Dev
elopment Part
ross three
e economy  Rehabilitatio  “The PATH Bulls and Red Bull Arena (pictu
red)
Bridgeport Lo
gistics C en te n space ac
 Change in th success e I of C lass A distributio et
of York Red ns hip  Ph as
t 1.3 million sq
uare feet of ated site Targ
s.
 Recognitio n
ES N ew
istration-deve
loper relatio
delivered almos veral contamin
TOP QUALITI ev io usly se
rail lines ansportation  Town admin stand on what
was pr
e at the logistic
s center.
 Access to
n across al l types forms of tr buildings that nter in the stat
ntatio tion ce
 Transit-orie ew York City and “the country” opened its first
di stribu
ES
TOP QUALITI ity to N en
ity and Hobok UCTION
 Prox im
 Pricin g re lative to Jersey C
J E C T (S ) U N DER CONSTR rmer ASARCO
site, Bridge
 Affordability PRO ase II — At the fo
deliver more
 Location stics Center Ph t Co. are set to
S TA C L E the same w ay gi men
 Bridgeport Lo ners and Commercial Develop ace. When completed, the
 Diversity BIGGEST OB to change it. It can’t be e old elopment Part l industrial sp
city, you have k, it can’t be th Dev additiona . Diaz said
ighted land
to rebuild your
 “In order new Hackensac
e b, unty hu square feet of of previously bl
going to be th are still the co than 1 million ac res boy.
S TA C L E se said. “This is unty hub. We redeveloped ov
er 190
ty of Perth Am
BIGGEST OB it was,” Labros
it was thriving an d th e co
nt downtow n th an w hat is was
center will have d add ov er 30 0 jobs to the ci
om townspeop
le Hacke ns ac k w he n
going to be a differe
living in it; it w
ill ase alone coul
 Skepticism fr in g to change. It is ns w ill have people the second ph
ar e go nt ow
S TA G E S
but w e at new do w
OMPLETED P R O J E C T (S ) artment several years ag
o. We know th
J E C T (S ) I N PLANNING s tried seeking
a developer fo
r the
R E C E N T LY C delivered an ap stinatio n. in this market
for PR O e city ha said she
2016 , Atlantic Realty ing. The Grove not be just a de in dow s only stay open is a little z sa
y Gateway —
id th
Dia em ay or
inated land. Th
at 192 — in late dustrial build
Watsessing an obstacle. R
eal estate w ws are op en  Perth Ambo 0 acres of contam the entrance of
the city.
 The Gro ve
former Hartz
M ount ain in
next near the “Time is (also) gs in w hile the windo w hich to tals over 10
im ity to
site of a ity center
ying to get all
thes e th in Gateway si te, given its pr ox cial and is open
complex at th e
ts and a comm
un
so long, and tr rtun ity for the site, ix ed -use, commer
t 300 apartmen sees grea t op po
site for resident ial m
delivered almos bit tricky.” has zoned the said.
Perth Amboy er space, Diaz
train station. ce nt
P R O J E C T (S ) l distribu tion
to additiona
UCTION OMPLETED LOPMENT
C T (S ) U N DER CONSTR ceived approv
als for 176 R E C E N T LY C O OK FOR DEVE
PRO J E ain St. O U T L one of the mos
t
recently re
ion. Venezia sa
id y store, 492 M S TA C L E S H O R T- T E R M
BIGGEST OB
C
enewal LL
Station Urban
R anna train stat  ALDI grocer rth Amboy is going to have bs it will be
 Lackawanna ar the Lackaw ars, Pe the jo
ck ne UCTION , in a few ye ent because of
DER CONSTR “We know that will be living
g de
o-story parkin
er. U N 210-214  Contaminat
ion area of redevelopm ity, people who
units and a tw nd this summ J E C T (S ) itage Capital at ra m s in the m un
will break grou PRO veloped by Her ul prog ss co m
all business
P R O J E C T (S )
succes sf all busi ne
the develope r ect being de id. “For the sm ning in our sm
mixed-use proj OMPLETED state ” D ia z sa ng an d di
R E C E N T LY C
g, pi
7-unit ird St. by Iron crea tin be sh op omy.
S TA G E S  A 12
ent at 777 S. Th rth Amboy will boost our econ
O J E C T (S ) IN PLANNING p the Westingh
ouse lamp plan
t
Main St. y, a 409-unit developm in the city of Pe
at will be an ec on om ic engine and
We are curren
tly
P R velo re  Harrison Urb community. Th ent in the city.
S TA G E S
ovals to rede to go befo pm at
IN PLANNING
pr lty lo th
lty is seeking ap cts Atlantic Rea to develop 254 Developmen t.
see a lot of mix
ed-u se de ve n station … so
 Atlantic Rea at 192. The mayor said he expe P R O J E C T (S ) ekemian is set around the trai
OPMENT “We’re going to radi us nt als with
K FOR DEVEL
ile to re
nd The Grove amden St., H e rezoning of a
on e- m
e can be transf
ormed in
behi .
future River at 18 E. C M O U T L O O mpleted,” Fife
said. working on th es that are ther create
ard in the near  The Cu rrent on
S H O R T- T E R aion partially co sp ac t to be able to
the planning bo at North of G had a m eeting rren t em pt y office
to move to th at area . W e wan
PMENT residential un
its project
will have the actually
tructure. We
the cu
getting people
O O K FOR DEVELO PMENT “Hopefully, we away for infras d the DEP. the objective of n station.”
FOR DEVELO
O U T L grow,” t mon ey ssaic Valley an ai
S H O R T- T E R M es to help them O O K se said. ting no w to pu th e Pa ’ around the tr
rrent business O U T L anged,” Labros “We are star age overflow w ith
‘Live and work,
S H O R T- T E R M
ith our cu e st before w new water
to do is work w town thrive fir skyline has ch t combined sew to maybe put a
e’re tr yi ng t reta il in le to od job when yo
ur ing ars and it go (recently) abou truc ture
“Wha t w see the cu rr en t place for peop u’ve done a go look in five ye away for in fr as ey now.”
e m ay or sa id . “We want to
ntin uing to gr ow into a grea t reside nt s in. “Y ou kn ow yo
will have a to ta lly di ffe re nt
more pedestri
an-friendly
e tr ying to pu t some money ar e tr ying to save a little mon
th plan on co ects is to ge in ou r city se e m uc h “We ar e that. We
re ta il. We th es e proj
cide that is in “Our skylin e are going to ay. We are es or things lik
bring in ne w The goal w ith
pefully, they de
it rent vibe. You reet to a two-w line in or gas lin
or k an d raise a family. ho us e, ho to have a tota lly di ffe
e one-w ay on Stat e St
e are doing
live an d w
look to move on
and bu y a
e ha ve al re ady changed th a tw o- w ay as we speak. W l the
And when they areas. W ain Street to king care of al
live in. I see th e pr oc es s of changing M it th e righ t way. We are ta ational and
Bloomfield. go od plac e for people to in
ings and we ar
e doin g
sure Main Stre
et is oper
ep working an
d to create a all the right th done to m ak e
“We want to ke train station.” that needs to be
th around the infrastructure ere.
th
continued grow there are no is
su es
a lot of people
here.”
e a vibr an t downtown with
to se
“You are going

30 31
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We’re not in
Kansas…
When the Midwest is kicking
your (redevelopment) butt,
you need to make changes
which could lead to urban growth
I
t’s easy to compare New
Jersey with New York and
Pennsylvania when you’re
looking for examples of
economic opportunities and
programs the state should
offer and embrace.
Gov. Phil Murphy goes farther
west. To the heartland. To Kansas.
Speaking to an overflow crowd
at the annual New Jersey Future
Redevelopment Forum recently at
the Hyatt in New Brunswick, Murphy
used Kansas —
a state that has
nothing that
compares to New
Jersey (trust me, I
lived there) — to
explain the benefit
of the proposed
historic preservation tax credit he
wants to bring here.
“Look at Kansas,” he said. “That’s
right, Kansas.
“In the first eight years after the
enactment of their historic tax credit,
the state saw a more-than-10-fold
increase in projects and a doubling
in total investments, not only over
the previous eight years, but over the
previous 20 years.”
I know that Kansas is more than
farmland and “The Wizard of Oz.” But,
while it has a rich history, it does not
have the type of history that is calling
out to be a leader in the economic
revitalization of unappreciated and
forgotten cityscapes.
Both Gov. Phil Murphy and Tim Sullivan believe a historic preservation tax credit program can convert old factories and Murphy sees it, too.
warehouses, like the one above, into the type of small-scale redevelopment that revitalizes a community. ­— FILE PHOTO “A few weeks ago, I was on one
32
March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM
of my favorite streets in New Jersey:
Spruce Street in Paterson,” he said. “It’s
a historic street lined with century-
old textile factories. These buildings
should not just be remnants of our
past, but of our future.
“They speak to why we need
a historic preservation tax credit
program.”
Tim Sullivan, the CEO of the
New Jersey Economic Development
Authority, said he sees it, too.
In spots all over the country.
“If you look at, particularly, smaller
and midsize cities across the country,
places like Chattanooga, Tennessee,
and Asheville, North Carolina, places
we have seen a real vibrancy and return
of their downtowns, one of the things
that marks them is the repopulation
or reactivation of historic structures,”
he told ROI-NJ.
“Whether they are old mills, or
old factories or old warehouses or
old townhouses that you can convert
into retail, residential or commercial
office spaces, it is the type of small-
scale redevelopment that fires the
revitalization of a community. So,
the opportunity to bring more jobs
and housing to historic structures is
a really important opportunity — and
one we’re missing.”
The talk was music to the ears of
Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh.
He told the crowd about legacy
projects in his city, starting with the
Paterson Great Falls National Historic
Park, which attracts more than
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300,000 people a year. He wants to leverage “Our spiritual leader in this is Wayne
it to create a first-class visitor and education Gretzky,” he said. “When he was asked why
center, a food hall that will highlight the he was such a great hockey player, he said,
town’s extensive culinary culture and what he ‘Because I go where the puck is going, not to
calls entertainment by the falls. where it’s been.’
Sayegh wants to utilize the city’s train “We’ve been going to where it’s been for
station area, too — in an effort to attract far too long. We want to take this economy
millennials and the generations to follow. — and the incentives along with it — to
“We have a new urban agenda,” he said. where we are going.” The interior of a
One Sayegh said will thrive with Who’d have thought that might start with warehouse that could
investment dollars. a quick detour through Kansas? be redeveloped. —
­ FILE
“I see our city as the ultimate startup,” he — Tom Bergeron PHOTO
said.
But this isn’t just about Paterson, Murphy
said.
“I look at Trenton. I look at Camden and
Bridgeton and Plainfield — all proud cities
with historic building stocks,” he said. “We
don’t need to bulldoze our past, we need to
make it part of our future.”
Sullivan said the incentives would work
in all those places and more.
“There’s broad applicability,” he said.
“And you’ve got to have an appetite to want
to redevelop it into something besides just a
single-family house. We want to encourage
that.
“These can be great locations for small
offices for young companies, great spaces
for incubators, great spaces for residential
housing with mixed-use, where you’ve got
some retail and some cafe space or arts and
cultural uses. They’re enormously powerful
redevelopment opportunities.”
Sullivan even referenced the late Jane
Jacobs, a famed journalist, author, activist
and big-city planner, who wrote the book
“The Death and Life of Great American
Cities” in 1961.
“Jane Jacobs famously said new ideas
need old buildings,” Sullivan said. “We need
lots of new ideas in New Jersey, so we’ve got
to repower our old buildings.”
Others already are doing so.
And while it would be nice to say New
Jersey is trailing only Kansas, the fact is, it
is trailing almost everyone, including New
York and Pennsylvania.
“We are just one of 15 states that do
not currently have a historic preservation
tax credit,” Murphy told the audience. “And
we’re poorer for it.
“Consider that, in 2017, there were
only seven historic redevelopment projects
undertaken across the entire state. Seven,
with a total investment of only $1.1 million.
Meanwhile, right next door in New York,
71 projects put more than $1 billion of
investment to work. On the other side, in
Pennsylvania, (there were) 39 projects and
more than $330 million.”
Murphy said his inspiration for this
movement comes not from a famed urban
thinker, but the greatest hockey player who
ever lived.
33
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Food Fella

Amazon ready to double down on grocery business Chick-fil-A to replace landmark diner in Ramsey

T
he Horizon Diner, which has modern Chick-fil-A restaurant, complete model is very stringent, though, as sources
Interesting, but not totally unexpected developments that have been rumored about Amazon’s desired before. Amazon’s Happy Belly private been a landmark on Route 17 with a drive-thru window, once approved. have told us that, out of close to 60,000
growth into food retailing may come to fruition very soon. According to a recent published report from label, which includes milk and dairy in Ramsey for decades, recently The property sits adjacent to a parking lot franchise applications, roughly 80 get
the Wall Street Journal that cited unnamed sources close to the matter, the e-commerce giant, which products, and is available only through closed its doors for good and for the Uncle Giuseppe’s supermarket that approval from the corporate office. Also,
owns the Whole Foods grocery chain and seems ready to take over the world, has made it known it’s AmazonFresh, was launched for the first will be replaced by the popular Chick-fil-A replaced the former Pathmark supermarket at the corporate level, Chick-fil-A was just
interested in expanding its grocery footprint beyond the Whole Foods banner. time several weeks ago. franchise. The Saites family owned the diner, almost three years ago. named one of the best large companies for
Although the Garden and, according to Stafford Saites, the closure Once this location opens, there will women based on compensation and culture.
The yet-to-be-named chain’s first State and our metro wasn’t due to any financial issues, but a be five Chick-fil-A restaurants
location could open as early as the end of this area was not initially decision based on lack of family interest to operating in Bergen County: one
year in Los Angeles. According to the report, mentioned in the continue operating the business. each at the Paramus Park mall and
the chain would be a different concept from proposed rollout, Amazon’s Saites told NorthJersey.com that her Garden State Plaza in Paramus, one
Whole Foods, carrying a broader assortment vast holdings here along with father, who opened the business many years in Englewood (formerly a Wendy’s)
of products. The stores could target strip our dense population make back, is now 90 years old and there was no and the free-standing (with drive-
malls as well as open-air shopping centers for it a logical choice. Many of our one else in the family, including herself, her thru) eatery at Teterboro Landing,
expansion and are planned to cover roughly conventional grocers here in New Jersey, such brother and their children, that wanted to a new retail development built
35,000 square feet each. as ShopRite/Wakefern, Acme/Albertson’s, continue the family tradition. opposite Teterboro Airport on the
Even more interesting, demographic. This would allow Whole Foods billion market cap — puts it in an elite Stop & Shop/Ahold-Delhaize have done “It’s very bittersweet for us,” she said, old Curtiss-Wright property.
the report divulged that to maintain its positioning toward the high class in the supermarket industry. a good job maintaining their margins and noting that some of Horizon Diner’s According to a report in late
Amazon also plans to end of the market, which it has worked so  Amazon also could use its new stores as volume, and already offer online shopping employees had worked with them for years. December 2018, Restaurant
acquire regional grocery hard to cater to, and may curtail any further distribution points for its growing grocery options in the face of the 2017 Whole Foods The building is now closed and will be Business boldly stated that Chick-
chains with around price cuts it implemented when the chain was e-commerce business, according to WSJ purchase by Amazon. Now, this news could razed to make way for construction of a fil-A is now McDonald’s biggest
12 stores in order to purchased close to two years ago. reports. Currently, same-day delivery represent a new competitive challenge for competitor in the fiercely competitive
accelerate the new chain’s growth. Amazon is There are certainly lots of synergies that through Whole Foods has reached more them and other supermarket giants around Quick Service Restaurants space.
Conversation Starter
currently negotiating deals to open grocery can be developed by the world’s largest online than 60 markets, while store pickup the country such as Kroger, Publix and even The combination of menu choices
For more information on
stores in shopping centers located in several retailer from going deeper into the brick and accounts for 20-plus. Both services offer Walmart. Many of these chains have strained and a focus on quality customer
the ownership of Chick-fil-A
key U.S. cities, including San Francisco, mortar side of business, and here are a few an option for Prime members that waives their profitability as they struggle to insulate franchises, go to its website at: service has propelled the chain to
Seattle and Philadelphia. examples: the fulfillment fee — a move that deals their businesses and have accelerated their chick-fil-a.com/franchising. launch many new restaurants all
At this point, it is not clear how Amazon  Front and center, a conventional with the price sensitivity many shoppers rollout of store technology and more online over the country. The ownership
would position the new chain, but it seems supermarket chain could offer an have toward online grocery shopping. shopping options.
more than likely it would be in line with a opportunity for Amazon to collect  In 2017, AmazonFresh had exited several As more developments continue to
traditional supermarket. With ever-increasing
competition coming from discounters like
consumer data and to teach the
e-commerce giant how to sell more
markets; however, now, with a physical
footprint, this would allow it to build out
surface, we will keep our eyes and ears open
to bring more details and, hopefully, a clearer
iPlay, he cooks! New chef, culinary team hired
Aldi and Lidl that have popularized value cereal, produce, meat and other groceries that segment of business once again and picture of what our retail food landscape Some exciting food news coming from iPlay America. The scene, and diners have come to expect quality food with
pricing, a new brand could be more price- to consumers. The company’s ability to generally get food and beverage orders may look like here with a physical Amazon popular indoor family entertainment and events center an exciting flair, no matter whether they’re stopping at a
conscious while reaching a more mainstream adapt and learn — in addition to its $850 to shoppers faster and cheaper than grocery store crashing the scene. located at the junction of routes 33 and 9 in Freehold has fast-casual spot for a quick bite or celebrating at a fine
upped its game on the food and catering side of business dining restaurant. With the new menu at Game Time Bar &
with the announcement of two new hires to help lead Grill, we’ll be offering guests quality and delicious versions

Inserra honored at Montclair State scholarship dinner

Congratulations to Larry Inserra Jr., the chairman
and CEO of Mahwah-based Inserra Supermarkets,
who was honored for exemplary service, philanthropy
and leadership at the Montclair State University
Foundation’s 2019 Annual Scholarship Dinner on
March 9. The event attracted almost 350 Montclair
State alumni, friends, benefactors and community
members, who gathered in the Alexander Kasser
Theater to raise funds for student scholarships.
The gala raised over $550,000 for scholarships
that will provide financial assistance to hundreds
of students of limited economic means. The
scholarships will help provide students today, who
will be tomorrow’s leaders, with the ability to pursue
and complete their studies at Montclair State.
“We cannot do it without you, our friends and
supporters, and our alumni,” said Susan Cole,
Montclair State’s president. The presentation of the
award followed, with Inserra Supermarkets and Inserra
himself receiving the Rose and John J. Cali Award for
the facility’s evolving food and of familiar favorites, with a twist.
beverage team. This, coupled with the fact that
menu items are available at a
Adam Livow has joined iPlay
may not know is the Inserra family has made a price point that won’t break the
America as executive chef and will
lasting impact to benefit students at Montclair State bank, makes the restaurant itself a
be working closely with the vice
University through its generous support of initiatives draw for a family meal or a friends’
president of food and beverage,
including student scholarships, the Emergency Book night out.”
Kevin Hayes Jr., to develop menus
Fund, athletics, the Coccia Institute, the Red Hawk and set the culinary direction for In his 15-plus years of food and
Pantry, and the Theresa and Lawrence R. Inserra
Game Time Bar & Grill, the Event beverage experience, Livow
Endowed Chair in Italian and Italian-American Studies.
Center @iPA, and the new Top previously worked in kitchens for
In addition to his many family business Golf Swing Suite. Additionally, well-known New Jersey event
accomplishments and contributions to the university, Mathew Marini has been hired as venues, including the Grand
Inserra provides leadership to a number of community the manager of Game Time Bar Marquis in Old Bridge and the
and other business organizations. He serves on the & Grill and Top Golf Swing Suite Radisson Hotel and Banquet
From left are Susan Cole, Larry Inserra Jr. and Michael Nevins. —
­ Montclair State University board of trustees, is the and will be focusing on the overall Center in Freehold, and brings
MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY chairman of Hackensack University Medical Center restaurant experience and leading a variety of experience and new
Foundation and is a member of the board of directors the front of house staff. flavor to this position at iPlay
of Wakefern Food Corp., the Commerce and Industry America. He is a New Jersey
Business Leadership and Community Engagement, “Over the years, iPlay America
Association of New Jersey and Lakeland Bank. native and earned his Grand
presented by Rose Cali’s son, Michael Nevins. has become a destination for
Certificate of Culinary Education
I’m sure many may know of Inserra in his role entertainment, games, events and fun in New Jersey.
Conversation Starter from the French Culinary Institute in New York City.
with one of the largest supermarket chains in With our new menus, we’re now looking to establish the
For more on donating to MSU, go to:
the metropolitan area, operating ShopRite stores restaurant and Event Center as a true dining destination We wish “Chef Adam” and the whole new food and
montclair.edu/giving/.
throughout New Jersey and New York. What you in the area,” said Livow. “New Jersey has a great food beverage team at iPlay much success!

Conversation Starter
To find out more about iPlay’s menu and corporate event space, check out its website at: iplayamerica.com.
FOOD FINDINGS
Have a question, idea or news about the food business? You can reach Damon Riccio at driccio@roi-nj.com or 973-512-7525.

34 35
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY
Non Profit
Volunteer Lawyers
for Justice
Where: Newark
Serving: All of
New Jersey
Key members:
Cathy Keenan,
executive director;
Jessica Kitson,
managing
attorney;
Jaclyn Kramer,
development
director
Origin
Created in 2001 by a
small group of advocates
Volunteer Lawyers
for Justice is a legal
services organization
headquartered in Essex
County and utilizes the
skills and dedication
of staff and volunteer
attorneys to provide free
civil legal assistance
to New Jersey’s most
vulnerable residents.
Goals
VLJ strives to meet its
motto of “Taking Cases.
Changing Lives.” It
does that by seeking to
increase the breadth of
pro bono legal services
offered; recruiting,
training and supporting
new and veteran
volunteer attorneys;
working effectively with
social service providers
to identify emerging legal
issues throughout the
state; and securing the
generous and necessary
funds to support VLJ’s
programming.
Mission
To improve the lives of economically disadvantaged adults, children and families
in New Jersey by empowering them with tools, advice and pro bono representation
with the goal of securing fair and equal treatment within the legal system.
A client gets help at one of Volunteer Lawyers for Justice’s clinics. —
Fundraising
VLJ is a privately-run,
501(c)(3) organization,
receiving generous
support from
corporations, law firms,
foundations, government
funders and individual
donors. VLJ coordinates
several fundraising
initiatives throughout
the year, including an
annual giving campaign
geared towards licensed
attorneys, small
networking events and
an annual fundraising
dinner held in the fall.
VLJ is mindful of the
scarcity of funding
for legal services.
Accordingly, VLJ
leverages every dollar it
receives to provide the
maximum amount of
services for a minimal
investment.
­ VLJ
Programs
VLJ currently operates
several distinct legal
projects in the areas
of special education
and bullying, tenants’
defense, prisoner re-
entry, divorce, consumer
defense, bankruptcy,
disaster response and
holistic legal services
to veterans, survivors
of human trafficking
and families within
Newark’s South Ward
neighborhood. Those
programs administer
legal assistance through
legal counsel and advice
clinics, educational
or “know-your-rights”
seminars and direct
referral of cases to
volunteer attorneys who
are trained, recruited and
mentored by VLJ.
36
March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM
Free legal assistance
for the most vulnerable
Benefactors
VLJ’s largest donors
include AT&T, BASF
Corp., Bershad Family
Foundation, Lowenstein
Sandler, Legal Services
Foundation, McCarter
& English, Merck & Co.,
Panasonic Corp. of North
America, Prudential
Financial Inc., PSEG
Foundation, New Jersey
Department of Law and
Public Safety Division
of Criminal Justice,
South Ward Promise
Neighborhood, and Weil
Gotshal & Manges.
Finally
VLJ is fortunate to view
and address emerging
civil legal barriers faced
by New Jersey’s low-
income communities, by
designing programming
that connects them to
some of New Jersey’s
Achievements expert attorneys. All
 Opened 1,353 new legal cases, which impacted 4,400 attorneys have a civic
low-income and vulnerable New Jersey residents.
duty to provide their
 Recipient of the New Jersey State Governor’s time and expertise to all
Jefferson Awards, the nation’s oldest and most people, not just those
prestigious recognition program for volunteer/public who can afford it, and
service. as an experienced pro
 VLJ hosts up to 150 legal clinics, 12-20 free legal bono provider, VLJ is
“know-your-rights” seminars and several continuing positioned to connect
legal education trainings for New Jersey attorneys attorneys who want
each year. to give back to their
community with the
 Developed New Jersey’s first program to provide
individuals who need the
holistic legal services to survivors of human
legal assistance.
trafficking — the New Jersey Human Trafficking
Victims’ Legal Assistance Program.
 Worked with Public Service Enterprise Group’s legal
department to development a pilot Veterans Legal
Program, which serves approximately 250 veterans
a year.
 Created the Disaster Legal Response Program, a
statewide legal services program responding to the
devastation of Superstorm Sandy.
Conversation Starter
To learn more about VLJ, contact Jessica
Kitson, managing attorney and coordinator
of VLJ’s Human Trafficking Victims’ Legal
Assistance Program, at 973-645-1951, ext. 116.
ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ.COM ROI-NJ.COM March 18, 2019 ROI-NJ RETURN ON INFORMATION-NEW JERSEY

Real Estate Roundup Executive Moves

Real Estate Roundup is an occasional feature describing some of the important real estate transactions in the New Jersey region. Executive Moves is an occasional feature describing some of the important personnel changes in the New Jersey business community.
Reports are written by ROI-NJ staff. To see more deals, go to roi-nj.com. To submit your deal, email editorial@roi-nj.com. Reports are written by ROI-NJ staff. To see more moves, go to roi-nj.com. To submit your move, email editorial@roi-nj.com.

Vantage RES, Burlington Eric Poe

CURE Auto Insurance TANESHIA NASH LAIRD George L. Fotiades
Cantel Medical
Newark Symphony Hall
Marlton-based Vantage Real Estate Eric Poe, chief operating officer Little Falls-based Cantel
Services announced the sale of a retail property in of CURE Auto Insurance, Medical Corp. announced it has
Newark Symphony Hall has a new CEO and president, its
Burlington. was recently honored by appointed George L. Fotiades
parent, Newark Performing Arts Corp., announced recently. its new CEO and president.
The sale of 1104-1110 and 1112-1128 Sunset the African American Chamber
Road consists of three condominium units totaling of Commerce of New Jersey Taneshia Nash Laird joined the organization in November after Fotiades, who has succeeded
more than 34,000 square feet. for his support of New Jersey’s a national search, succeeding interim Executive Director Leon Jorgen B. Hansen, also will
African-American community, Denmark, NPAC said in a news release. serve on the company’s board
Leor Hemo, founder and managing principal
the organization announced. of directors.
of Vantage RES, and Peter Abdallah, vice
“Today, a new curtain rises at Newark Symphony Hall,” Alfred
president, procured the buyer, Burlington Property Poe received “It has been a privilege to lead
the 2019
Bundy, chairman of the NPAC board, said in a prepared
Management LLC, and the sellers, Filler Properties the team at Cantel. During
Commitment statement. “Our board of directors is proud to announce that
and 1112 Sunset Properties LLC. my tenure, we executed
and we have selected Taneshia Nash Laird as our new president on our ambitious strategy,
“Our team has the tenacity and experience to
Achievement and CEO of our historic arts organization. The members of strengthening Cantel’s business
tackle tough projects and help our clients achieve
Award, our search committee recognize and global reach. By doing so,
their goals. This was a challenging project, but we recognizing that we have chosen a bright and we have taken the company’s
achieved the results we were hired for,” Hemo said. his work with the chamber mission of saving lives through
shining star for the Newark arts
and community to shed light infection prevention to the next
community.”
on unfair practices in the level. I am proud of what we
The Cobalt, Somerville have accomplished together,”
auto insurance industry. The Laird was most recently the
A New York-based real estate financing firm arranged $27.5 million Hudson County Community College, Jersey City Hansen said.
executive with Princeton-based executive director of the Arts
in financing for a Somerville multifamily property, it announced this The Hudson County CURE was presented with the
week. Community College board
Council of Princeton — only Fotiades has more than 35
award by John Harmon, the
The Cobalt, a luxury residential building with 117 apartments at of trustees has approved the third executive years of experience in the
chamber’s CEO and president. health care and consumer
70 Veterans Memorial Drive E., was developed by New Brunswick- the college’s first student director since 1967
based Weiss Properties and completed in 2017. Meridian Capital center, repurposing an “Driving is not a luxury in this and the first one products industries, both as an
country, but a vital necessity operator and investor. He’s been
Group, which also has offices in New Jersey, arranged the 12-year unused building into a of color. She has a member of Cantel’s board
loan for the property owner. new facility, it announced in order to earn a decent decades of
The loan was negotiated by Shaya Ackerman, senior managing recently. living, start a business and since 2008 and most recently
leadership in served as operating partner at
director; and Shaya Sonnenschein, senior vice president. Funding of up to $8.2 create opportunity, and Eric
million was approved at the understands this better than the nonprofit, Five Arrows Capital Partners.
board’s January meeting most,” Harmon said in a government
325 Ferry Street, Newark
and work is scheduled to begin this month, HCCC said in a news release. prepared statement. “His work and
The new facility will be located at 81 Sip Ave. on the Journal Square has ensured that African- private
A new luxury residential building will open in Alessandro Riva
Newark’s North Ironbound neighboorhood in
Campus in Jersey City, HCCC said, at a property that has been vacant since the Americans do not get price- sectors, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
Fall 2017 opening of the college’s STEM Building. The project will completely gouged for legally mandated
the next couple of weeks, the community’s renovate the 26,000-square-foot, two-story building. It is expected to be
NPAC
developer announced. insurance, and there is no said.
completed in 2020. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals,
better person to receive this
325 Ferry Street is a collection of 91 luxury “This is Hudson County Community College’s first dedicated student center a global pharmaceutical
award than our friend and ally,
rental residences and will provide its residents building,” President Chris Reber said in a prepared statement. “This new facility company based in Mumbai,
Eric Poe.”
with upscale amenities. The property features will provide students with a place to study, to relax and to interact with one India, announced it has
one- and two-bedroom units with spaces from another, sharing ideas and building relationships.” appointed Alessandro Riva
638 to 1,116 square feet. the CEO of its new subsidiary
Prices start at $1,750 for a one-bedroom based in Paramus, effective
and $2,303 for a two-bedroom.
Scott Gindea Darryl Isherwood April 2.
“325 Ferry Street will offer finely-crafted
Bergen Logistics, North Bergen Hylan State of New Jersey Riva is the current executive
living spaces in one of the most exciting,
unique neighborhoods in New Jersey, and that is something we are really looking forward to,” said T. Gary Gutjahr,
Cushman & vice president, oncology
Wakefield announced it Hylan, a Holmdel-based provider of Well-regarded journalist and public affairs professional therapeutics and cell therapy
who is developing the property along with his partner, J. Gordon Gutjahr.
has arranged about $51.5 communications engineering services, has Darryl Isherwood was named a senior adviser of economic for Gilead Sciences.
million in financing for named a new CFO and a new president of development communications by the Glenmark said Riva will head
Bergen Shippers Corp. one of its divisions. state.
The Cliffs Collection, Jersey City to help it refinance two
the new subsidiary as well
Sixty luxury condominiums have been released for mortgages and establish a The company said Scott Gindea will serve as Isherwood, currently a vice president as a management team and
its chief financial officer, heading up financial independent board of directors.
sale at The Cliffs Collection, a factory now turned loft credit line for the company’s at Mercury Public Affairs in Westfield, will
residences in Jersey City. 730,000-square-foot Bergen operations at Hylan and its subsidiary work out of the New Jersey Economic “We are pleased that
The sales launch follows the completion of a Logistics warehouse companies. Gindea, who succeeds Luke Development Authority’s office in Alessandro will assume
modernization program at the five-story building, which properties in North Bergen. McKinnon, will report to CEO Robert DiLeo. Trenton but will be on call to all state the role of CEO of the new
includes amenities that incorporates elements of Blue The properties, which McKinnon had been with Hylan for two years. economic agencies and will report to Mahan Gunaratna, the innovation business,” Glenn
Zone Living, a lifestyle concept about eating habits and are located at 5903 and
communications director for Gov. Phil Murphy. Saldanha, chairman and
social engagements for a healthy and happy life. 7300 Westside Ave., are “We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome managing director, Glenmark
The complex features studio, one-, two-, three- and comprised of a four-story, Scott to Hylan, where he will undoubtedly He began his new role March 11. Pharmaceuticals, said. “His
four-bedroom units ranging in since from 570 to 2,200 600,000-square-foot industrial warehouse and a single-story, 130,000-square- make an immediate impact as we continue extensive and diverse industry
square feet. Prices start at $500,000. foot industrial warehouse, respectively. on our ongoing transformation into the Isherwood will be responsible for leading the development experience leading global R&D
“There is simply nothing like The Cliffs Collection John Alascio, Mark Ehlinger and TJ Sullivan of Cushman & Wakefield served leading provider of full turnkey contracting and execution of strategic communications efforts will no doubt be invaluable in
offered in Hudson County,” Sanford Weiss, CEO as the advisors for Bergen Shippers, supported by Bonni Heller, industrial leasing services for all fiber optics, wireline, wireless to advance the state’s economic growth through driving our pipeline towards
of Manhattan Building Co. and owner and developer of specialist. and electrical services,” DiLeo said. implementation of Murphy’s economic plan. commercialization.”
The Cliffs Collection, said.

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