October was full of activity as Mayor Gusciora delivered his first State of the City featuring several initiatives in partnership with Greater Trenton;
Governor Murphy outlined his economic development plan likening the Trenton Ma
kes Bridge as a symbol of New Jersey’s innovation; and CompTIA's study ranked
the Capital City as one of the top 20 tech towns in the country.
There are so many great events happening throughout the city including Art all Day, Pioneer Songs, and The Collaborators Opening Reception, to name a few.
Finally, with the ongoing success of TrentonDaily, we continue to uncover a number of hidden gems in the Capital City. If you haven’t already done so, please sign up to receive daily news alerts by
clicking here
or reach out to Bryan Evans, our Vice President of Marketing and Communications with any questions you may have.
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On behalf of all of us at Greater Trenton, thank you for your continued support and we hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter!
Best,
George
George D. Sowa
Chief Executive Officer
GREATER TRENTON
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First Annual Caren Franzini Capital City Award Celebration
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Greater Trenton will bring together hundreds of attendees including prominent community, government, and business leaders at its First Annual Caren Franzini Capital City Award Celebration. Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora will provide welcoming remarks and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy will speak at a pre-celebration reception for designated Impact Pass holders and sponsors.
An elegant evening of cocktails, conversations and collaborations, participants will reflect on Trenton's past, reimagine its future, and mingle with some of the most influential leaders impacting the Capital City. The celebration will honor the legacy of the late Caren Franzini, former NJEDA CEO and one of the founders of Greater Trenton, by presenting the Caren Franzini Capital City Award to Anthony R. Coscia, Partner, Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP.
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Bold, courageous and relentless! These are just a few of the descriptors of the late Caren Franzini – a woman known as a friend, advocate and leader extraordinaire in the Capital City and throughout the State of New Jersey. “When we pull together, we move things forward,” was her motto. Ms. Franzini helped found Greater Trenton and served as the first co-chair of the organization along with Bernie Flynn, former president and CEO of NJM Insurance Group, Ms. Franzini was dedicated to bringing jobs, businesses and places to live to the downtown.
It was Mr. Flynn who initially suggested the creation of The Caren Franzini Capital City Award as an annual celebration that would revisit Caren’s vision and revolutionary work in support of Greater Trenton’s mission. The selection of Anthony R. Coscia, Esq., as the inaugural recipient of the award, further inspired the initiative as Mr. Coscia was recognized as Caren’s mentor.
A portion of the event proceeds will benefit a scholarship fund dedicated to developing writing and communication skills for Trenton's youth.
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Mayor Gusciora Delivers His First State of the City Address
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The interest was high, seats were filled, and overflow crowds gathered to watch on closed-circuit television as Mayor Reed Gusciora delivered his first State of the City address at City Hall on Thursday, October 25th.
Highlighting the realistic challenges and opportunities facing the city, the mayor called out members of City Council as “exemplary partners” who have the “best interest of the city at heart.”
“Our problems are not insurmountable but the solutions involve all of our collective efforts and a positive force from city residents,” proclaimed Trenton Mayor Gusciora as he addressed the sizable crowd. “From my first moments in office, I have been working to bring competency and stability back to city government – this is the only way to restore confidence in our citizens that we are working for their best interests.”
The mayor spoke in detail about finance, water, public safety, education and housing & economic development. He emphasized that Trenton is strong at its core, but that work needs to be done. “I am encouraged that Governor Murphy issued Executive Order Number 40, which commits the State to an active role as partner in achieving Trenton’s vision of revitalization and prosperity, said Mayor Gusciora.
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Mayor Gusciora is working in partnership with Mercer County Improvement Authority, Trenton Public Schools, Greater Trenton and New Jersey Future as part of a competitive Innovation Challenge Planning Grant awarded to the City of Trenton by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. The three-year grant will help the city plan a build out of Mercer County Community College’s James Kerney Campus as a multi-university collaborative hub and a new research and commercialization nexus near Trenton Transit Center. This partnership will be led by a consortium of all five Mercer County Anchor Institutions of higher education: Mercer County Community College, Princeton University, Thomas Edison State University, Rider University, and The College of New Jersey.
The mayor also spoke about being awarded a grant from the National Resource Network, “a five-year financial and capital planning grant to not only help with optimum financial planning but help the us with development opportunities that will ultimately create jobs for the next generation of Trentonians,” said Mayor Gusciora. “This planning grant was achieved through the active participation of Greater Trenton and Trenton Downtown Association.”
“And at Councilwoman Robin Vaughn’s suggestion, we are actively applying for a $3 million grant from JP Morgan for Advancing Cities. This is a great opportunity to catch the brass ring of grant funding, and I hope to have Council’s support in securing this award,” added Mayor Gusciora.
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Gov. Murphy Talks Trenton, Innovation, and Building A Stronger Economy in New Jersey
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On October 1st, Governor Murphy took the podium to outline his economic development plan, one that should bode well for the Capital City. During the speech, he talked about Trenton’s historic brownstones across from the Statehouse and described the Trenton Makes Bridge as being a symbol of New Jersey’s innovation economy.
The plan includes the following four strategic priorities, with targeted initiatives designed to support those priorities:
- Invest in people to help all New Jersey residents find work that supports and sustains families.
- Invest in communities to build world-class cities, towns, and infrastructure statewide.
- Make New Jersey the State of Innovation to create more and better jobs across the State.
- Improve government efficiency and advance New Jersey’s competitiveness and business climate.
Some specific programs outlined included NJ Talent, NJ Communities, NJ Innovate, and NJ Accelerate.
NJ Talent outlines a focus on investing in people as the program includes expanded apprenticeships, computer science education, a career network, and a task force devoted to putting and keeping all New Jerseyans in the innovation economy.
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NJ Communities outlines a focus on investing in communities with the NJ Aspire Tax Credit Program, a re-imagined Brownfields Program, a Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program, and an improved Opportunity Zone Strategy.
Mayor Gusciora was particularly excited about aspects of the NJ Communities initiative as he said, “I share Governor Murphy’s vision of showcasing urban areas as new epicenters for the innovation sector, New Jersey’s greatest opportunity for overall economic growth. But I support this plan specifically because it focuses on investing in people and addresses several key challenges faced by the City of Trenton. First, Trenton gains another tool for returning dormant properties to productive use with the expansion of the Brownfields Tax Credits. Second, we can better serve the City and its historical assets with the Historic Tax Credits. Third, and critically, the renaissance in Trenton relies greatly on the State’s continued support of place-based incentives, now known as the NJ Aspire Program.”
With the creation of the New Jersey State Capital Partnership, free college tuition at Mercer County Community College for those with household incomes under $45,000, and this outlined economic development plan, Trenton seems poised for revitalization.
As Governor Murphy put it, “Not far from my office, a bridge across the Delaware River is lit up every night with the words ‘Trenton Makes, the World Takes.’ Right now, the bridge is a reminder of the past. But, if we get New Jersey right, it will be a symbol of the future.
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Trenton Ranked #18 IT Town in the Nation
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As published on
NJBIZ.com, Trenton ranked 18 out of the top 20 Tech Towns in the country according to a study released Tuesday by information technology association CompTIA.
CompTIA identified America’s Top 20 Tech Towns by factoring in new data on tech job openings, median salaries and cost of living. CompTIA made this list based on job posting data from August 2017 to July 2018, and looked at 20 metropolitan areas with populations greater than 250,000, where demand for tech workers is greatest.
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The study found that Trenton’s tech workforce includes 9,447 jobs that were posted in that city from August 2017 to July 2018 and that median salary for IT professionals were $91,104.
CompTIA found that the number of IT jobs in Trenton is expected to grow by 5 percent over the next five years. On the other hand, CompTIA determined the cost of living in Trenton is 21 percent higher than the national average.
The top five tech cities in the nation, according to CompTIA, are Charlotte, N.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; Austin, Texas; San Jose, Calif.; and San Francisco.
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WHAT'S HAPPENING IN TRENTON?
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Trenton Economic Development Breakfast Series
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November 1, 2018
7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Keynote speaker: Tom Szaky, Founder & CEO, TerraCycle
Tom Szaky is CEO and founder of TerraCycle, a company that makes consumer products from waste. Szaky's parents are medical doctors, and Szaky himself is an only child. At age four, Szaky left his home in Hungary after the Chernobyl disaster. In 1987, Szaky immigrated to Canada,where he grew up in Toronto. Szaky attended high school at Upper Canada College. He attended college at Princeton University, majoring in psychology and economics. He dropped out during his sophomore year to focus on TerraCycle.
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Trenton Country Club
201 Sullivan Way
West Trenton, NJ 08628
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The Collaborators Opening Reception
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November 2, 2018
5- 7 p.m. Opening Reception
C.a. Shofed’s “The Collaborators”
Opens November 2nd
Another BSB Gallery Exhibit featuring
unique interpretations by 13 local artists
“The Collaborators” is about pushing the artform of photography through collaboration. Artist and curator, C.a. Shofed invited thirteen artists from various backgrounds to work with him on this multidisciplinary project, to stretch one another’s boundaries, both stylistically and thematically.
Exhibition Dates: Friday, November 2nd-Saturday, December 1st
Opening Reception: Friday, November 2nd, 5-7 p.m.
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“The Collaborators” is the product of a 2 year creative project designed and curated by Shofed. Individually, artists selected one of Shofed’s original fine art photographs to transform into an original collaborative piece. Shofed chose artists that he felt would push him as an artist, and the collaboration process. To date, “The Collaborators” has been C.a. Shofed’s most intentional collaborative art series.
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The BSB Gallery
143 East State Street, Ste 4 | Trenton, NJ
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November 3, 2018
Noon to 6 p.m.
It's just around the corner again: Art All Day, Trenton's open studio tour, is Saturday, November 3rd, from noon to 6 p.m. This year it's more important than ever to show the world that Trenton's arts community stands as one.
The magic of Art All Day is that it showcases our whole city as a hub where the arts are, all the time -- the studios, the galleries, the creative spaces and community boosters, the scores of artists that create, connect, and thrive in Trenton every day.
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Art All Day gets people, even those who already think they know Trenton, to discover and see our city in a new light. We're proud to be part of this amazing community with you.
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19 Everett Alley | Trenton, NJ 08611
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November 20, 2018
7:45 p.m.
Just imagine- it’s 1841 and you decide to make a journey from the American frontier to California to make a better life for yourself. It’s 2,000 miles away, and it will take you 6 months through the desolate prairie, treacherous mountains, and unforgiving desert. You’ll be traveling entirely through unsettled lands- no towns to stop in for resupply or rest.
You have to make it on just the handful of things you can fit in your wagon train, and live off the land. Five gifted soloist, including international superstar soprano Carla Maffioletti, will lead you on this perilous adventure across America in Pioneer Songs, an epic 15-song musical event.
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19 Everett Alley | Trenton, NJ 08611
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VISIT TRENTONDAILY.COM TO GET YOUR DAILY DOSE OF STORIES SURROUNDING TRENTON'S ECONOMIC PROGRESS, NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITY HEROES, ARTS & CULTURE, HISTORY, BUSINESS ASSETS AND MORE.
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