January 28th, 8:30 am, Wyndam Mt. Laurel

Despite the snowy welcome, 62 business people gathered for our first event and the Wyndham Mount Laurel provided excellent food and great service. While the event ended at 9:30,  members and guest businesses alike remained until after 10:00 am exchanging business cards and making appointments.

Everyone seemed to be looking forward to the next event (February 25^th, same place, same time).

With 60 member businesses already on board, and another 50 members from Moorestown, Maple Shade, Marlton and surrounding communities, your Chamber is proud to announce this inaugural event.

The new Mount Laurel Chamber of Commerce joined our Cherry Hill Regional family of organizations which include Camden, Gloucester Township, White Horse Pike and Winslow Township Chambers of Commerce.

This exciting initiative continues our strategy to provide a professional business resource organization in the markets we serve. We look forward to offering well attended and well structured monthly networking events, exposure and business connections for companies in and around Mount Laurel. As we do in other chamber communities, we will also provide a voice for business in the local municipality.

We have found that using the infrastructure, resources and staff of the regional chamber to support the activities of local business organizations they can concentrate on growth, local events and local issues.  At the same time local businesses can enjoy the broad based networking, member discounts, products and services of the regional organization.

There are no additional dues and fees for members.  One membership pays for access to all affiliated chambers and we even offer a monthly payment option.

Our local Board of Directors will make decisions about monthly events, larger community activities and issues important to that local business community.

Please meet our local Board of Directors:

Todd Hesbacher (Impact Office Products), Jill Ross (Beneficial Bank), Michelle Moken (Ansercomm), Paul Hamlin (TD Bank), Caryll Tighe (Wyndham-Mount Laurel), Justin Cunnane (Susquehanna Bank), Leo Liu (Applied Business Computers), Bob Klaiss (National Employee Management Resources) and Ken Annarelli, CPA (Heffler, Radetich & Saitta LLP).

Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Art Campbell will also serve on the Board and  Heather Riley, the Chamber’s Marketing and Event Coordinator, will provide support in those areas.

The local Board has determined that the monthly networking events will be held as a breakfast on the 4^th Wednesday of each month at the Mount Laurel Wyndham (8:30am - no reservations).

ACN

827 Bluebird Circle

Mays Landing, NJ 08330

Contact   Chris Doolittle

(856) 296-9564

Atlantic Business Products

4390 Route 1 North

Princeton, NJ 08540

Contact   Cheryl Burke

(732) 425-1592

Cherry Hill Midget Football

421 Tuvira Lane

Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Contact   Danny Clark

(856) 433-8520

Distribution One, Inc.

3 Terri Lane

Unit 6

Burlington, NJ 08016

Contact   Donna Ward

(609) 387-4500

J. Cwanger, Inc.

1818 Morris Drive

Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Contact   Patricia Cwanger

(856) 795-5480

K & M Pack-N-Mail           

1230 Chews Landing Road

Laurel Springs, NJ 08021

Contact   Mary Lynch

(856) 258-6675

 

Penberthy & Penberthy

2001 Lincoln Drive West

Marlton, NJ 08053

Contact   John C. Penberthy

(856) 983-2603

Prometheus IT Solutions

447 Willow Drive

Cinnaminson, NJ 08077

Contact   Mike Donkowycz

(856) 685-4416

SoJo 104.9 Fm Radio

309 Fellowship Road

Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

Contact   Andy Gury

(856) 642-4050

Soul Purpose Lifestyle Company

110 Somerset Drive

Willingboro, NJ 08046

Contact   Kenya R. Bradley

(609) 521-7038

Stanbery Cross Keys, LLC

(The Shoppes at Cross Keys)

328 Civic Center Drive

Columbus, OH 43215

Contact   James Westfall

(614) 437-8114

 

Winslow Township

125 S. Route 73

Braddock, NJ 08037

Contact    Erik Kolb

(609) 567-0700

Adams Technical Maintenance Service Company

American Cancer Society

Camden County Technical Schools

CDI Group Inc.

Cherry Hill Public School District

Cherry Hill Retail Partners/Garden State Park

Chick-Fil-A at Garden State Park

Cooperative Business Assistance Corp.

Costco Wholesale

CyberGnarus, LLC

Eagle Embroidery

Expert Technology Associates

Filan & Conner Plumbing, LLC

JRH Electronics, LLC

Law Office of William Tobolsky

Morey’s Piers

Mount Laurel Marriott

Needleman Management Company, Inc.

Philadelphia Business Journal

Rutgers Camden Business Incubator

Ryan Bansky Expert Tree Service

SBSC - Small Business Service Ctr., LLC

Sign-A-Rama Cherry Hill

Strayer University

The Bagel Spot

The Procz Group, Inc.

Thomas N. Ganiaris Law Offices

UBS Financial Services

University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ

Virtua Health Foundation

THE CHAMBER CONGRATULATES OUR NEW MEMBER REFERRAL BONUS RECIPIENTS

 New Company Referred          Referring Member          Award

ACH                                                 Fred Doolittle                  $50

KPOZ Martial Arts                             Jim Forte                        $50

Pink Lady 101                                Norm Buehler                    $50

K & M Pack-N-Ship                        Jim Forte                           $50

Crabcake Hotline 2                       Jim Forte                           $50

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Philadelphia Business Journal - by Bernard Dagenais

Most Philadelphia-area business leaders expect their 2009 salary budget to be smaller than last year. Significantly fewer expect to hire new employees and attracting customers is the top challenge.

Those were some of the highlights from the annual Sovereign Bank survey presented Tuesday at a Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce economic outlook breakfast. Sovereign Executive Vice President for Commercial Banking Larry Delp presented the survey results at the Park Hyatt Philadelphia.

Only 25 percent of the 400 respondents said they expect to hire in 2009, compared with 55 percent a year ago.

The projections were supplemented by a presentation by Abby Joseph Cohen, president of the Global Markets Institute and senior investment strategist for Goldman Sachs, who predicted unemployment would peak at 9 percent later this year. Unemployment nationwide now stands at 7.2 percent.

Cohen also pointed to indicators that a rebound wasn’t far off, including low company inventories indicating potential for more production, and federal government policy to shore up financial institutions and stem job losses by shifting funds to state governments now facing budget shortfalls. The fact that some sectors, particularly residential real estate and labor, have been in a recession for quite some time could be an indication that economic cycles are heading for a rebound, she said.

The survey showed a significant shift in financial health compared to a year ago, when 62 percent of the chamber members who responded to the November survey said they were in slightly stronger or significantly stronger position. This year 65 percent said they were in about the same shape or worse.

When it comes to challenges facing the region, 49 percent ranked taxes as the greatest, following by high crime, the cost of health care, the quality of education and neighborhoods in decay.

For top strengths, they ranked institutions of higher learner at the top, followed by arts and cultural attractions, overall quality of life, quality of health care and cost of living.

An accompanying consumer survey by Sovereign found that 57 percent of respondents pegged rising unemployment as the top threat to the U.S. economy. Declining home values and foreclosures ranked second, followed by the cost of the financial bailout and stock market volatility.

The survey was followed by a panel of business leaders who offered their views of their respective industries:

• John Gattuso of developer Liberty Property Trust said capital debt markets are closed and said commercial real estate will likely continue to suffer through 2010 and 2011, lagging the rest of the economy. He pointed out that current vacancy rates in Philadelphia and the region are relatively low, although they have risen slightly in the suburbs.
• William Graham, president of the Enterprise Integration Group at defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp., said his company would continue to grow from its present 12,500 employees in the region.
• Judith Mondre, president of Mondre Energy, said energy prices are currently a bargain and represent an investment opportunity.
• Ralph Muller, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, touted health care as one of the region’s strengths.

Sovereign also conducted a survey of 400 consumers and found that quality of life of the region was the top asset, while cost of living is the top challenge. Better than half of those respondents said their economic situation was worse than a year ago, compared to only 27 percent in the 2008 survey.

When it came to the impact of the recession and financial crisis on consumer borrowing, 68 percent said it had no impact on their borrowing. The most challenging financial issue they faced in the next two years, however, was maintaining their current standard of living, with 61 percent ranking that above meeting everyday expenses and saving for retirement. Nineteen percent put job security as their top concern.

Long Valley, New Jersey - December, 2008 - GARDEN STATE WOMAN magazine has selected long time member (and board member) of the Cherry Hill Chamber of Commerce, Aldonna R. Ambler, CMC, CSP, as its Garden State Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for 2008.  One of 50 women nominated, Ambler was selected “in recognition for her many accomplishments, [her] impact on the lives of others, and for serving as a role model for younger New Jersey women, “said Judy Chapman, the Founder and Editor of GARDEN STATE WOMAN magazine.

With over 30 years of experience, Ambler has earned the right to be called The Growth Strategist^TM. The resilience and growth of her multiple international businesses has been recognized by over 2 dozen national, regional, and state level “entrepreneur of the year” awards. Ambler was named NATIONAL Woman Business Owner of the Year for 2000 and her graduate school at The University of Pennsylvania named her an Alumnus of the Year for “innovative approaches to help executives in today’s corporations.”  More importantly, her clients get on…and then stay on…published lists of the fastest growing privately held corporations.

The President of AMBLER Growth Strategy Consultants, Inc., Ambler is entering her 5^th year as the host of the weekly peer-to-peer-to-peer Internet radio show, THE GROWTH STRATEGIST^TM, which attracts over 180,000 listeners. The show features lively interviews with Presidents/CEOs of mid sized businesses ($20 -200 Mil/yr) sharing practical tips about the growth strategy-of-the-week.  A certified professional speaker (CSP), Ambler keynotes 40-50 major business conferences each year. Her most popular speech is “WHAT DO THE TOP 2% FASTEST GROWING COMPANIES DO THAT THE REST OF US NEED TO LEARN…NOW.” Active in economic development initiatives for many years, Ambler chaired the NJ delegation for the most recent White House Conference on Small Business, has provided expert testimony at over 30 national and state legislative hearings, and has conferred with 4 US Presidents in the Oval Office of The White House. She was the 5^th statewide President of the New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners (NJAWBO) and served for several years on the boards and then executive committees of the New Jersey and Cherry Hill Chambers of Commerce.

“If GSW’s awards recognize industry leadership, community service, entrepreneurial success, resilience, and mentoring, then GSW really should include Aldonna Ambler in the list of winners,” said Joan Verplanck, President of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce in her nomination letter.

For more information about GSW or Aldonna Ambler, contact Melissa Norcross at 609 567 9669 or Melissa@AMBLER.com.

Media Contact: Glenn J. Phillips
New Jersey Economic Development Authority
(609) 292-9297
(609) 292-5722 (Fax)
gphillips@njeda.com
www.njeda.com

 

InvestNJ, Main Street Programs Support Capital Investment, Job Creation

TRENTON, N.J. (Jan. 21, 2009) - Applications are now available online from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) for $170 million in financing assistance to help state businesses face the fiscal challenges of the national economic crisis.  The funding is being made available through two new programs created under Governor Jon S. Corzine’s Economic Assistance and Recovery Plan to stimulate capital investment and job creation.

            “In creating the InvestNJ and Main Street Business Assistance programs, the Governor and the Legislature have taken critical steps to support business growth and community investment in New Jersey and help our state emerge from a national economic recession,” said Jerold L. Zaro, chief of the Office of Economic Growth.

 ”Early interest in these initiatives has been strong, and we expect this interest to grow as more businesses become familiar with what the new programs offer,” said Caren S. Franzini, chief executive officer of the EDA, which is administering both programs. 

The $120-million InvestNJ program includes two components.  One offers a $3,000 grant to New Jersey businesses for each new job created and retained for one year.  This component will provide up to $50 million, not to exceed $500,000 per grantee, for each eligible position created after Dec. 1, 2008 and before Jan. 1, 2011 by qualified businesses that experience a net increase in employment of eligible positions in the state during the same 12 consecutive months. 

Another element of the program authorizes the payment of grants equal to seven percent of a business’s qualifying capital investment of at least $5,000 made prior to Jan. 1, 2011.  Up to $70 million is available for capital investment grants, not to exceed $1 million per grantee, to fund expenses for the direct use and operation of a business. 

To take advantage of the job creation grant component of InvestNJ, a business must have operated continuously in New Jersey for at least the prior two years, and must have at least five full-time eligible employees.  To benefit from the capital investment grant, businesses must have operated continuously for at least the prior two years and have at least five full-time employees.  Other qualifying factors for both programs can be found at www.njeda.com.

The Main Street Business Assistance Program also has two parts - a loan participation and/or guarantee product that is being offered through participating banks and a line of credit guarantee offered through the EDA’s 14 Preferred Lender partners.  To qualify, borrowers must be in business at least two years, maintain jobs in New Jersey and meet other EDA eligibility requirements. 

For term loans secured by fixed assets like buildings and equipment, the EDA will provide a maximum participation of 25 percent, or $1 million, in a bank loan and a maximum bank loan guarantee of 50 percent, up to $2 million.  For working capital loans to cover operating expenses, the EDA will provide up to 25 percent of a bank loan, not to exceed $750,000, and a maximum guarantee of 50 percent, up to $1.5 million.  The aggregate EDA exposure cannot exceed 50 percent of the total bank loan amount to a total maximum of $2 million.  The interest rate on EDA loan participations are fixed at 5 percent for a maximum of five years.  Borrowers also can use the Main Street program to refinance higher-interest debt.

The line of credit guarantee, which can be used for fixed assets or working capital, will be set at a maximum of 50 percent of the bank amount, up to a maximum of $250,000.

Applications and more details on both programs are available at www.njeda.com.  For more information on InvestNJ, you may also call 1-(800) 537-7397 or e-mail ServiceCenter@njeda.com.  Additionally, you can get more information on the Main Street Business Assistance Program by calling 1-(800) 537-7397 or sending an e-mail to MainSt@njeda.com.

Jody Raines has joined WWWC as the National Director of Business Development. Ms. Raines has worked in technology environments in a marketing and sales capacity, as V.P. of Marketing and Business Development, most recently with Theometrics, a company pioneering “architectural navigation”. In addition, Ms Raines has worked for the CIT Group as National Sales Manager, Canon Financial Services as National Program Manager, and Okidata Americas as Marketing Director. Her articles have been published in several trade magazines for the Shopping Center, Retail, and Construction Industries. Ms. Raines holds an MBA in Technology Management from the University of Phoenix and also completed Masters Work at Fairleigh Dickenson University. Her undergraduate degrees are in Management and Marketing from Rider University. She was a teacher and lecturer for the International Council of Shopping Centers and owned a consulting company Rainessence LLC, which specialized in marketing, events and public relations.

To learn more, please visit www.wwwcomm.com