Longtime readers — and eventgoers — know the drill: When the state’s business leaders gather for a networking event, BINJE takes a few unofficial polls to find out what’s on everyone’s mind.
At today’s ReNew Jersey Business Summit & Expo in Atlantic City, affordability emerged as the hot topic. Attendees were offered four choices — energy, housing, health care, and education (K‑12 and higher education) — and asked to identify the most pressing need.
The catch: They could pick only one.
In the end, housing and health care topped the list.
“Housing is everything,” one respondent said. (All responses were anonymous.) “If we don’t solve our housing problems, we won’t have a place for workers to live.”
Or a way for our kids to move out of the house — never a bad thing.
Health care had its backers, too.
“It’s crazy — we want to be healthy, but we can’t afford to do so,” one person said.
So who can help solve these challenges?
For starters, Gov. Mikie Sherrill.
She came into office pledging to make New Jersey more affordable — and more business‑friendly. So far, respondents say, she is keeping that promise.
When asked whether Sherrill appears more business‑friendly than the Murphy administration — at least in her opening months — she scored well.
“She has brought in a number of key people to help her,” one person said, citing Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell and Chief Operating Officer Kellie Doucette. “If she lets her team do their job, we will be in good shape.”
Sherrill also earned praise for her handling of World Cup planning, particularly her decision to cancel the Fan Festival in favor of more localized events.
“That was appreciated by the business community,” another respondent said.
The next test, according to attendees, is execution.
“If we do things right, we can use the World Cup as an economic springboard for businesses of all sizes,” one person said.
