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2017 was a stellar year for NJBIA in terms of new features and impactful events for the association and its members. Here are the Top 10 Moments from this year – among many!

    1. State ELC Dinner with Gubernatorial Candidates: NJBIA continued its tradition of hosting the unofficial kickoff of the general election campaign for governor, held in Hamilton, with Phil Murphy and Kim Guadagno taking separate swings at each other’s agendas and setting the early tone for two very disparate campaigns.
       
    2. New Health Benefits Program for NJBIA Members: NJBIA soft-launched a program providing member companies access to affordable health benefits for their employees through the not-for-profit Association Master Trust. With the high cost of health insurance in, interest has been extremely high in the large, self-funded health plan and is expected to grow with the full launch in January.
       
    3. Women’s Business Leaders Forum: The hundreds of women – with some men, too! – who attended the always-popular event in Somerset were galvanized by discussions on the pursuit of the C-Suite and board room, and how to increase gender diversity in corporate leadership and provide personal strategies for success.
       
    4. Start of Legislative Manufacturing Caucus: The state Legislature announced the creation of a Manufacturing Caucus in August – something NJBIA’s Government Affairs department had long-advocated for. The goal of the caucus is to redraft policies to take advantage of the expected renaissance of the manufacturing industry in the state.
       
    5. Big Shot Contest: This fall, NJBIA launched a contest offering member businesses the chance to win $15,000 in cash and various consulting services by submitting videos explaining why their operation should be taken to the next level. Videos of the three finalists have gone viral and the winner will be announced in January.
       
    6. NJBIA hosts event to retain NJ’s Future Workforce: NJBIA hosted an Education Equation event in March focusing on strategies to stem New Jersey’s outmigration challenge. The event spawned NJBIA’s Post-Secondary Education Task Force, which aims to keep millennials in state and match education programs to private sector jobs.
       
    7. Partnerships: NJBIA added the most number of new partners in its history this year, bringing its total number of partners to an all-time high.
       
    8. New law renaming EDA HQs as Caren Franzini Memorial Building: Christie signed into law legislation to rename the headquarters of the state Economic Development Authority as the Caren Franzini Memorial Building. Franzini, who passed away last January, led the EDA for nearly two decades and was an NJBIA board member and close friend. NJBIA also announced Anne Estabrook as the recipient of the first Caren Franzini Leadership Award.
       
    9. NJBIA Basic Skills Program Celebrates 10 Years of Success: NJBIA commemorated the 10th anniversary of its Basic Skills Workforce Training Program, which has trained more than 113,000 workers for more than 7,500 employers in New Jersey over the past decade.
       
    10. New look, new sound! NJBIA revamped and updated our website with a cleaner design and more user-friendly features. NJBIA also launched the popular Other People’s Business podcast, a fun, biweekly chat with New Jersey business owners.