BURLINGTON, CAMDEN AND GLOUCESTER COUNTIES PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
AT 2008 SUMMIT
For Immediate Release: October 1, 2008
Contacts: KEN SHUTTLERWORTH

MOUNT LAUREL -- Prospects for expansion and new business development are the focus of the 3RD annual Tri-County Economic Development Summit co-sponsored by Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties on Friday, Oct. 3, at the Westin Hotel and Conference Center in the Burlington County community of Mount Laurel.

Economist Marc Michael Goloven, formerly of JPMorgan Chase & Co. will be the keynote speaker, focusing on late-breaking developments in the financial crisis that have come to light and gripped the nation in recent weeks. He is one of several speakers who will outline economic development prospects in the three-county region. Retired from JPMorgan Chase since 2004, Goloven is an expert on providing research data and advice on large regional economies, including New Jersey.

Several awards also will be presented for outstanding achievement, including a special presentation by the Burlington County freeholders of each county’s Workforce Investment Boards. The three boards acted collectively in support of hundreds of workers laid off by Jevic Transportation of Delanco, which had been one of the largest employers in Burlington County. The Burlington County freeholders also will honor Cinnaminson Township, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the developers of the Cinnaminson Shopping Center, who worked cooperatively to fast-track road improvements for the refurbished retail center on Route 130.

Gloucester County Freeholders will honor Habitat for Humanity for its efforts to enable families to achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency through home ownership. Art Guild, an 80-year-old sign-making firm headquartered in West Deptford, also will be honored by the County for its expansion and creation of new jobs.

Camden County freeholders will honor Susquehanna Bank for investment in Camden City and the Camden-based South Jersey Tourism Corporation for its promotion and development of tourism in the region.

“A big part of the focus of the summit is to promote public and non-profit partnerships that result in big gains for the region, particularly new, well paying jobs,” said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. of Camden County, who helped initiate the Tri-County Economic Development Summit four years ago. “In five years, you won’t be able to recognize the city of Camden,” Cappelli said, because of the proliferation of new public and private buildings and the refurbishment of downtown neighborhoods which are, in large part, driven by the expansion of such prominent institutions as the Campbell Soup Co., Camden County College, Rutgers University and Cooper University Hospital.

In Burlington County, much attention has been focusing on the creation of a new and thriving “megabase,” according to Freeholder Joseph Donnelly, who said that a study is moving aggressively forward to ensure that the military’s expanding mission will work in harmony with the communities that surround it.

“From the get-go, we’ve known that the creation of Joint Base New Jersey – McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix, and Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst would means hundreds of millions of dollars in new construction and hundreds, if not thousands, of new military and civilian jobs,” said Donnelly. “The regional impact cannot be overstated.

The Economic Development Summit offers each freeholder board an opportunity to advance the goal of demonstrating to business representatives how each county is committed to tearing down regional barriers by bringing together all the resources businesses need to succeed.

“We understand that working together as a region is a benefit to all of our residents. County lines are not important when it comes to making sure our families are working,” said Stephen M. Sweeney, Gloucester County Freeholder Director. “We are all working hard to keep economic development moving in the right direction, particularly now with the state of the national economy, and that is why a regional approach is important,” Sweeney stated.

For example, if a company is looking to locate in the region, but it does not prove a good fit in one particular county, economic development officials reach out to their counterparts to find a suitable spot, explained Marlene Asselta, president of the Southern New Jersey Development Council. “They’re a true three-county region,” Ms. Asselta said.

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