Guadagno Launches NJ Pro-Business Initiative

New Jersey Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno has begun a statewide “100 Businesses” initiative to highlight the work of the New Jersey Partnership for Action and the Christie Administration’s ongoing, hands-on approach to economic development. The Lt. Governor’s new initiative follows Governor Christie’s “Creating Jersey Jobs Summit” held earlier this month at the Rutgers Business School in Newark.
The summit, moderated by Neil Cavuto of FOX News Channel, brought together Fortune 500 CEOs and industry leaders from New Jersey and neighboring states for a frank dialogue on how businesses can grow and create jobs in today’s economy.
“My conversations with hundreds of CEOs, executives, representatives from mid-sized companies and small business entrepreneurs has been invaluable to the success of the Partnership for Action and our Administration’s ongoing red tape review,” said Lt. Governor Guadagno. “Yet this progress requires a focused, ongoing dialogue with the economic stakeholders and job creators across New Jersey in order to continue. The ‘100 Businesses’ initiative will ensure just that. I look forward to continuing to hit the road and hear directly from job creators, share the resources the State has to available for businesses, and promote why companies should continue to choose New Jersey.”
Since Governor Christie took office, through the Partnership for Action, the Administration has continued to advance policies that will improve New Jersey’s business climate, including the need to exercise fiscal discipline and spending restraint. He has sunset the corporate business tax surcharge, put a hard, two-percent cap on property taxes, signed new, robust business attraction legislation, and protected businesses from an average $400 per employee, or 52%, increase in the unemployment insurance payroll tax. Those policies coupled with our recent Illinois ad campaign to promote New Jersey as a destination for businesses, all demonstrate that New Jersey is well-positioned for business expansion, economic growth and job creation as our economy recovers.
The “100 Businesses” initiative is a collaborative effort between the Business Action Center (BAC) and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA). The Lt. Governor’s visits will crisscross the state and focus on industries and companies reflective of the state’s unique appeal across industry sectors large and small, those that have traditionally been the foundation of New Jersey’s economic growth, and those that will be crucial to gaining an advantage in today’s highly competitive innovation economy.
“States are working hard for any advantage to gain a foothold in these critical markets, and to attract the jobs that come with it,” added Guadagno. “Not only will New Jersey outwork them, but we’ll show them that we have the incentive programs, the skilled workforce, unmatched infrastructure, and, most importantly, the leadership to prove firsthand that their future success lies in New Jersey.”