The way the three government leaders in charge of growing New Jersey's economy see things, the newly created Governor's Office of Economic Growth will develop the plan, the NJ Commerce, Economic Growth and Tourism Commission will implement it, and the NJ Economic Development Authority (EDA) will finance it. That is how New Jersey will approach economic growth initiatives, according to Economic Growth Chief Gary Rose, Commerce CEO Virginia Bauer, and EDA CEO Caren Franzini.
Speaking April 21 at an NJBIA Meet the Decision Makers breakfast, the three agreed there was one common thread to the effort—a commitment by the Governor to do more for economic growth. As Franzini put it: “It is very refreshing for us in the economic development and finance areas to have Governor Corzine come in and say ‘I want to have a growth plan for this State.'”
What that growth plan will look like is a job that falls mostly to Rose. He said his office has already prepared three internal drafts of a growth plan. “I don't want you to get the impression that we're sitting around scratching our heads trying to figure out what to do,” Rose said. He plans to put together a world class private-sector-style tracking system to keep on top of the commitments State government makes. He also said he would review all of the State's economic development programs to see if they still make sense. This would include BEIP (the Business Employment Incentive Program), BRRAG ( Business Retention and Relocation Assistance Grant ), and the UEZ (Urban Enterprise Zone) program.
Bauer described the Commerce Commission as an advocate for business that does everything from helping small businesses get registered to finding new markets overseas for New Jersey companies. She said her main task is helping companies overcome the regulatory burdens they face in New Jersey . The commission serves as a liaison between business and other State agencies, and Bauer encouraged companies to contact her office if they are having difficulty getting an answer from any part of State government. “We may not always be able to get you the answer you want, but we will get you an answer,” Bauer said.
For EDA's Franzini, the trick is making financial investments at the right time and in the right place so they can have a big payoff for the State economy. She described a small high-tech company in South Jersey that obtained EDA financing three years ago. Today, that same company has 200 employees in three countries. Franzini said the EDA is also undertaking a pilot program that would cut its two-month approval process down to a few days.
The April 21 Meet the Decision Makers breakfast was sponsored by AT&T, MyWireless.org, The New Jersey Community College Consortium for Workplace and Economic Development, The New Jersey Council of County Colleges, NJM Insurance Group/NJM Bank FSB and Verizon.
Judge Department by Actions, New DEP Commissioner Says at Meet the Decision Makers Event —The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) should be an agency that takes a broader, more balanced approach to regulatory enforcement, uses environmental permits to encourage smart growth, and works closely with local and county governments in planning for growth. That was the vision of the future of the DEP presented April 26 by Lisa Jackson, the department's new commissioner, and three of her top assistants—Adam Zellner, deputy commissioner for policy and legislative affairs; Wolfgang Skacel, assistant commissioner for compliance and enforcement; and Nancy Wittenberg, assistant commissioner for environmental regulation. The four participated in an hour-long panel discussion and question and answer session with about 140 business and environmental professionals at NJBIA's Meet the Decision Makers breakfast.
Jackson said she would emphasize implementation of policy. State agencies come up with plans and strategies all the time, she said, but many are not implemented because of a lack of resources or consideration of what can be accomplished. “I would like you to judge us by what we do over the next four years.” The good news, she said, is that DEP will be getting increased funding through constitutionally dedicated sources. None of the new money will go to hiring new staff or paying for day-to-day operations, but instead will be used for park infrastructure projects and to get a new diesel-engine-retrofit program up and running.
Skacel runs a department that conducted 35,000 environmental inspections last year, along with its county partners, and took 15,000 enforcement actions. But Skacel wants inspectors and companies to look beyond the narrow boundaries of an individual regulation and address overall environmental performance. If a company is working with DEP to address an environmental issue in one area, it should not avoid environmental problems in another. “Let's put everything on the table and let's deal with all the problems at once,” he said. Skacel also said companies should be recognized for environmental stewardship or “going way beyond what our requirements are.” NJBIA looks forward to working with the Department on stewardship initiatives in the future.
Zellner said he wants to work more closely with local and county governments, specifically to coordinate their plans for growth with State resources such as sewer and water. “In towns that (plan for growth) effectively, there are synergies,” Zellner said. “The ones that do it well and plan it well…find themselves in situations that are more predictable.” This in turn, will allow the DEP to provide more incentives for development in growth zones.
The April 26 Meet the Decision Makers breakfast was sponsored by AT&T, Cole Schotz Meisel Forman & Leonard P.A., MyWireless.org, Exelon, Jersey Central Power & Light (a FirstEnergy Company), Langan Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc., NJM Insurance Group/NJM Bank FSB, Oyster Creek Generating Station, Saul Ewing, LLP, South Jersey Gas, South Jersey Industries, United Water, and Verizon.
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