NJJBA annual Legislative & Business luncheon
The New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance held its 12th annual Legislative & Business luncheon on August 5 at the Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, convening business owners, corporate executives, and state and local officials for an afternoon of recognition and dialogue on the issues shaping New Jersey’s economy.
David Rosenberg, NJJBA executive director, center in the photo, welcomed the 250 guests from across the state to the luncheon, hosted by the Berger Organization. They included Assemblywoman Lisa Swain, (D-Dist. 38); Livingston Mayor Ed Meinhardt; Jill Hirsch, president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority; Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer (D-Dist. 36); Jason Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey; and Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes.
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez received the NJJBA Excellence in Leadership award. Appointed commissioner in September 2023, Ms. Suárez oversees one of the state’s largest departments, with a $2.152 billion operational budget and more than 1,000 employees. Under her leadership, DCA has allocated over $100 million through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to develop affordable housing statewide, while advancing initiatives to end veteran homelessness, expand shared services, and build generational wealth through homeownership. The award was presented following an introduction by Jim Hughes, CEO of Unity Bank.
Fabuwood received the NJJBA Corporate Excellence award, accepted by founder and CEO Joel Epstein. The premium semi-custom cabinetry manufacturer is headquartered in a one-million-square-foot facility in Newark and employs more than 1,200 associates nationwide.
“Commissioner Suárez and Joel Epstein represent two sides of the same story,” Miles Berger, NJJBA and the Berger Organization chair, said. “One is building the policy framework that lets New Jersey businesses grow, and the other is proof of what happens in this state when a business is given room to build. Newark is better off for both of them.”
“This luncheon exists because relationships between the business community and the people writing the rules cannot be built in a crisis — they have to be built in advance,” Nathan Herzog, NJJBA board member and Royal Wine president, said. “Twelve years in, that room gets fuller and the conversations get more substantive every year.”
The program was emceed by Ezra Friedlander, CEO of the Friedlander Group, and Nachum Segal of Nachum Segal Networks.
The 12th Annual Legislative & Business luncheon was supported by many businesses including Fabuwood, United Airlines, Royal Wine Corp., Sills Cummis & Gross P.C., Alma Bank, Catchmaster, Newlines Land Consultants, the New Jersey-Israel Commission, ELEC 825, Hackensack Meridian Health, Unity Bank, and Bern & Associates LLC.