I wasn’t expecting to get a crash course on Phillips 66 history, a rundown of Union County Savings Bank staff — or to get called out from a 200-person crowd mid-sip during the Gateway Regional Chamber’s recent Leadership Awards.
And I certainly didn’t expect to get a lesson in how a leader of an organization can work — and energize — a room.
But that’s what happens when you go to an event run by Brian Tangora.
Every chamber thanks its sponsors. Not every chamber tells the story of how they met their friend. That’s a regular occurrence at Gateway events.
Tangora has elevated the simple thank-you into something else entirely. He tells the room how a decades-long relationship began, what a company actually does, and who makes it work behind the scenes. Even the event photographer got a personal shout-out — plus a pitch for all of us to hire him.
Tangora doesn’t just thank organizations; he thanks the people he knows inside them. And he knows everyone.
“I really want to put a spotlight on those individuals or companies that are taking time out of their day or spending their resources to allow me to do what I love,” Tangora told BINJE. “For me it all comes down to my upbringing. I don’t take anything or anyone for granted. When people are there to support you, it’s in my DNA to thank you.”
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Tangora’s high energy is well-known — Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell even mentioned it in his keynote.
It was on display throughout the event.
Every speaker got the full Tangora treatment: a big thank-you, a personal anecdote, the works.
“I think please and thank you are two of the most unused words in the world,” he said. “At the end of the day nobody owes me a thing, nobody owes the chamber a thing. My thing is showing people they are seen and they are appreciated.”
Gratitude and community aren’t just themes for Tangora — they’re the basis for how he runs the Gateway Chamber.
He took over two and a half years ago after a decade at the North Jersey Chamber, where membership grew from the 19th largest in the state to the 5th in under four years. He’s aiming for similar growth at Gateway.
“I’m using that same blueprint from the North Jersey Chamber and applying it at Gateway: listening to our members, keeping a pulse on what they need and delivering,” he said. “For the businesses that allowed me to create those programs or host those events I always make sure to say thank you. I really want to make sure everyone knows they helped make this a success.”
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Tangora arrived with a plan to rebuild and rebrand the Gateway Regional Chamber.
He revamped the Annual Leadership Awards — shifting the focus from companies to individuals — and tied the event to his four pillars: Workforce Education & Development, Women in Business Leadership, Business Vitality and Community Outreach.
This year’s awards went to individuals who exemplified those pillars.
One of the night’s standout moments came when Russell Triolo of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County accepted his Community Impact Leadership Award — then handed the mic to 15-year-old Youth of the Year Jordan Bennet.
Tangora, a Boys & Girls Clubs board member and former club kid himself, encouraged Bennet to speak.
“I wanted to put the biggest spotlight on them and the work that they’re doing,” Tangora emphasized.
At an event where the Lieutenant Governor not only keynoted but also handed out every award, Bennet still stole the show.
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This is not an act. It’s all part of Tangora’s personality. And his plan.
Now in its 115th year, the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce is undergoing a rebirth.
Tangora aims to make Gateway a chamber that champions individuals and nonprofits as much as businesses.
He aims to make it a chamber that propels enthusiasm.
On this night, Tangora showed he has the energy to do all that and more. Those who saw it, we’re thankful that they came.
