POWER PLAY | JUNE 2009
Women diversify Newark Mayor Cory Booker’s cabinet—bringing often overlooked issues to light.
On his desk in City Hall, Newark Mayor Cory Booker has two statues of Harriet Tubman, the slave who escaped and returned to the South over and over to help other slaves find freedom, and also served as a Civil War nurse and a spy.
IN OFFICE | JUNE 2009
In Paterson, the only recourse in recession is cutting costs and stretching aid.
Our state budget has experienced decreases, just as the average property owner has. Any time you have to reduce anything, it’s not a popular decision. But through some adjustments that the Paterson government and I have made, we have been able to save a significant amount of money to handle this financial crisis as best we can and without providing less of our services.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FORUM | JUNE 2009
Will business buy into the state’s ambitious new Energy Management Plan and make it work?
The goals are ambitious, the stakes are high, and not everyone quite agrees on how to get there. That’s the overview of New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan (EMP), issued last October after more than a decade in the works.
URBAN MATTERS | JUNE 2009
In a tough economy, the only way up for developers is green.
Raise your hand if you’re tired of hearing it: “In this challenging economy…” In stark contrast to the sky’s-the-limit confidence that characterizes boom times, developers, builders, and investors in This Challenging Economy have circled the wagons and hunkered down a bit.
GREENING THE GARDEN STATE | JUNE 2009
New Jersey becomes the first state to use public financing for renewable energy projects.
Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA) has received renewable energy project funding which allows local public entities to produce environmentally-friendly energy. This is New Jersey’s first public financing of renewable energy projects.
FEATURE FOCUS | JUNE 2009
Recent tax law changes could make New Jersey more business friendly.
Two acts by the New Jersey legislature late last year changed three aspects of the law governing taxation in the state—the throwout provision, rules about maintaining a “regular place of businesses” in other states, and carryforward periods. To an ordinary New Jerseyan, all of them might seem hopelessly obscure.
BUCKING THE TREND | JUNE 2009
With sour markets come sweeter deals. So, landlords and tenants—sit back and enjoy the lemonade.
No matter what you read or who you talk to these days in the world of New Jersey real estate, it’s the same old story. Regardless of the marketing spin, you can’t steer clear of the fact that it’s a tenants’ market, with a veritable smorgasbord of commercial vacancies and a flurry of incentives that are simply there for the taking.
PRO FORMA | JUNE 2009
Some New Jersey banks are refusing federal stimulus funds.
Though still an infant among federal programs, it’s already been a long, strange trip for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). It’s also been something of a no-win situation for banks, including the varied spectrum of banking here in New Jersey, at least in terms of the image of the industry—which hardly needs further tarnishing.
LAW+ | JUNE 2009
Allowing guns in locked vehicles on company property has some employers up in arms.
On February 19, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court ruling and upheld an Oklahoma law that gives workers the right to keep guns in their locked vehicles.
NEXT? | JUNE 2009
iCIMS providing HR departments with software-as-a-service for talent management support.
Like most adages, “If you build it, they will come,” has a resounding ring of truth. Take the case of iCIMS, based in Hazlet. Founded in 1999 by entrepreneur Colin Day—then aged 23—this highly successful software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider came “this close” to being a failure statistic.
BACK STORY | JUNE 2009
Jay Kislak, chairman of J.I. Kislak, Inc., shares his collection of rare books and pre-Columbian artifacts with the Library of Congress.
I’ve always liked books. But when my book collection became too large for the small room I kept it in, I figured it was time to start focusing on collecting specific kinds of books.
