The Dow Chemical Company's products are so pervasive that most stores carry some items that contain them."The interesting thing about Dow is you can't go into a super-market and see the Dow name on any of the products," said Allan E. Fowler, director at Dow's Bound Brook facility, during a recent Site Visit with Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula (D-Middlesex, Somerset). "Dow provides the raw materials that wind up in other campanies' products."
Dow is is the world's largest producer of latex and the largest manufacturer of the chlorine used for water purification. Dow also makes dialectic materials used for computer chips, wire and cable casings, and hundreds of everyday products that make other products better.
Dow believes in mastering science and technology to improve the products upon which society has come to rely. The Bound Brook Operations Center (actually located in Piscataway) is dedicated primarily to research and development.
Fowler, Dow Responsible Care Coordinator Gene Reinhardt, Senior Project Manager Gary S. Collister, and Group Leader for Univation Research John Oskam recently took Chivukula and his staff on a tour of one of their facilities as part of NJBIA's Site Visit Program. The program is designed to give legislators a better understanding of area businesses and the issues they face.
The Bound Brook site became part of Dow when the corporation merged with the Union Carbide Corporation in 2001. Whether it will continue to operate in New Jersey is a decision the company will probably make in late 2003 or early 2004.
Several things are "poking away at our ability to compete" in New Jersey, Fowler said, citing the recent $1 billion increase in the state's Corporation Business Tax as one factor. He said he recently participated in a search to create a new Dow facility on the East Coast and none of the potential sites were in New Jersey.
For at least the next three years, however, Bound Brook will continue to be a key R & D site.
In the Univation Technologies lab, work focuses on new processes as well as new products. R & D Leader Tim Lynn demonstrated experiments with a new catalyst for making polyethylene, the most prevalent plastic in the world. Univation Technologies is a joint venture between Dow and Exxon Mobil.
The lab features a miniature reactor that allows Dow's scientists to try different formulations and develop a more promising product before testing it in a full-scale manufacturing facility.
Once a successful catalyst has been developed, which can take up to ten years, Univation will be able to sell both the catalyst and the process.
In another section of the Bound Brook site, scientists test various products to see how they will perform under real-life conditions.
In one experiment, Dow employees drop weights into plastic bags to determine how they will hold up when used in supermarkets. In another, personal care products are tested on locks of real human hair to see how much static they create.
"We do about 75 different tests in here," Collister said, "and while most of these tests are conducted at room temperature, we also have the capability to do tests at as low as minus 40 degrees (Celsius)."
NJBIA Briefing Breakfast:
Assembly Speaker Calls for Regulatory Reform,
Predicts Another Tough Budget
Assembly Speaker Albio Sires wants to streamline New Jersey's permitting process and predicts next year's budget adoption will be difficult. Speaking at an NJBIA briefing breakfast at the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place in Iselin, Sires spent an hour outlining his views on the fall legislative session and answering questions from the 120 business leaders who attended the September 18 event.Sires said he sympathized with many concerns of small businesses as he runs a title company in Union Township with nine employees. Like many NJBIA members, Sires said his company is facing a large increase in healthcare costs. As Mayor of West New York, Sires said he has first-hand experience in dealing with New Jersey's difficult regulatory process.Sires said state government regulations and permitting problems were delaying about $1 billion worth of development and redevelopment projects in West New York. To address the problem, Sires said he wants to "put something together to speed up the process." He said the NJ Department of Environmental Protection is particularly slow but indicated that the problem existed throughout the state bureaucracy.
On the subject of the state budget, Sires said that after meeting with the State Treasurer, he concluded that next year's budget process would be very difficult. In responding to a question from the audience, Sires said he had serious concerns with proposed paid family leave legislation. In response to another question, Sires conceded that he and the Association had a difference of opinion on legislation providing for project labor agreements on public building construction projects over $5 million. NJBIA strongly opposed the new law, which allows government entities to restrict contracts to union-only contractors.
NJBIA Members Get Info on New Business Tax
SAlthough the law increasing the Corporation Business Tax (CBT) was enacted in July, many of the details on how it will be implemented haven't been determined yet, according to several state Department of Treasury officials. Auditors and directors of the Department's Division of Taxation went through the details of the new CBT for a crowd of more than 150 CFOs, tax accountants, lawyers and other professionals at NJBIA's October 1 seminar on the new law. Department officials covered topics such as how to calculate the new alternative minimum tax on gross receipts or gross profits, who will pay the new $150 partnership fee, and a host of other issues.
The Division of Taxation in the near future will determine some details of the new law, such as specific definitions of what constitutes taxable income under the new formula. In the meantime, companies must begin making their first estimated payments under the new law on December 15 and the new fees for partnerships on April 15, 2003. Businesses seeking more information should go to the Department's Web site at www.state.nj.us/treasury.
Kelly Stewart Maer Joins NJBIA Government Affairs Staff
Veteran lobbyist Kelly Stewart Maer joined NJBIA's Government Affairs Department on September 3. As assistant vice president for health affairs, she will represent our member companies on healthcare issues before the Legislature and state agencies. Maer brings nearly a decade of political and government affairs experience, having served as manager of government affairs for Cablevision, manager of corporate communications for NJ TRANSIT, and director of public affairs for the Stewart Agency. She has also served on the Assembly Democratic Office staff and as an aide to Governor Jim Florio. Maer has a BA in journalism from the University of South Carolina and a Masters in corporate public relations from Rowan University in New Jersey. Maer can be reached at ext. 203 or at kmaer@njbia.org.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Hot Legal Topics for Employers Seminar
Some of the state's foremost attorneys will address a host of current legal issues at NJBIA's Hot Legal Topics for Employers seminar on November 1 at Forsgate Country Club in Monroe Township. Learn about employee handbooks, family and medical leave, hiring issues, employee privacy, and sexual harassment. The program begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 12:15 p.m. The cost per person is $99 for NJBIA members and $139 for nonmembers. To register, call Lisa Figatner at 609-393-7707, ext. 239.
Register
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Made in New Jersey Day
If your company makes a product in New Jersey, showcase it by exhibiting at NJBIA's 7th Annual Made in New Jersey Day, which will be held on Monday, November 18, at the State House in Trenton. There is no cost to be an exhibitor! You can also provide a product sample for our New Jersey Sampler Bag. If you are a member of NJBIA and would like to be an exhibitor, a Sampler Bag contributor or an event sponsor, contact Stacy Wichner at 609-393-7707, ext. 213, or Sherry Esteves at ext. 219. Register
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4
Public Policy Forum
In keeping with tradition, this seminar will present our Business Outlook Survey results and feature a lively discussion between Republican and Democratic leaders on pressing business issues. The event will be held at the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place in Iselin from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and includes breakfast and lunch. Cost to attend is $160 per person for NJBIA members and $220 for nonmembers. For more information, call Stacy Wichner at 609-393-7707, ext. 213. Sponsorships are still available; for information, call Sherry Esteves at ext. 219. Register
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
Briefing Breakfast with NJDEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell
NJ Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Brad Campbell will lay out his environmental action plan for next year and summarize the McGreevey Administration's accomplishments during its first year in office. This breakfast will give NJBIA members an opportunity to discuss important environmental policies and procedures with the Administration official responsible for the management of environmental regulations in New Jersey. The event will be held at the Clarion Hotel and Towers in Edison from 7:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. The cost is $49 per person for NJBIA members and $89 for nonmembers. For more information, contact Lisa Figatner at 609-393-7707, ext. 239. Register
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17
Building the Schools: Update on the State School
Construction Program
Governor McGreevey has made jump-starting the $12 billion school construction program a top priority. He's formed a new agency, The New Jersey Schools Corpora-tion, to take charge of the program. Get up-to-the-minute information on the program from the new top administrators, meet project managers responsible for construction, and learn where the work is. The event will be held at the Sheraton at Woodbridge Place in Iselin from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Cost to attend is $99 per person for NJBIA members and $139 for nonmembers. For more information, call Lisa Figatner at 609-393-7707, ext. 239. Register
2002 NJBIA Sponsorship Opportunities
Contact Sherry Esteves at 609-393-7707, ext. 219, to reserve the sponsorship(s) that best achieve your company's goals!Made in New Jersey Day, Nov. 18 - State House, Trenton
New Jersey manufacturers set up displays in the halls of the State House. Legislators and the Governor stop by and visit with the exhibitors. There is also a luncheon with legislators. It is an enjoyable day.
$2,500 luncheon co-sponsorship includes:
Two invitations to the luncheon, signage at the event, and post-event publicity.
$4,000 NJ Sampler Bag sponsorship includes:
Logo on all sampler bags, two invitations to the luncheon, and post-event publicity.
Public Policy Forum, Dec. 4 - Sheraton Woodbridge
NJBIA's Public Policy Forum typically draws over 200 New Jersey business and government leaders. Promote your company and raise your profile among New Jersey's business and political elite by becoming a sponsor. Sponsorships are available ranging from $1,500 to $2,500. Call for more information.
The Dow Chemical Company's products are so pervasive that most stores carry some items that contain them.