Celebrating The Chamber & Achievement Of Our Members

This past year the resilience and perseverance of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce has been remarkable. The chamber celebrated its annual meeting in 2021, its centennial year, in the middle of a pandemic. While it was not the in-person celebration we initially envisioned it was a celebration nonetheless. In the face of a virus that is keeping us apart the virtual annual meeting brought us together like never before!
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With more than 400 attendees we congratulated our leaders in business award winners for their contributions to their business, community and the chamber, celebrated the Huber Award winner, Tyler Cerbo, welcomed a new slate of officers to the board and heard from an inspiring keynote speaker, astronaut Captain Scott Kelly, a New Jersey native who overcame the odds to travel to space for a year despite having a learning disability and lack of direction early in his life. His message was clear: “If I can achieve my dreams, so can you.”

In this issue of Business Edge we look at the tremendous contributions of the aerospace industry right here in Morris County and the $277 million impact it has on the regional economy while employing thousands of people. Read about the successes of companies like Howmet Aerospace, a publically traded company, and Marotta Controls, a third-generation family-owned business, and the New Jersey Innovation Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to innovation in our state. These members demonstrate that Morris Chamber members contribute to the regional and global economy in no small way.

In this issue we also celebrate the marketing profession, which has been a beacon of light during this crisis, helping companies navigate the world of digital marketing and advertising during this challenging time for many. With online purchasing skyrocketing during the pandemic, their expertise has been needed now more than ever to help firms elevate their brand and sell products and services on websites, via social media and through video marketing. At our annual DigiCON event we honored digital marketing award winners, including chamber members Summit Medical Group and Paradigm Marketing and Design. Donna Miller of C3 Workplace moderated a panel discussion that featured Kit Gates of Google, Samir Mistry of Visible and Rob Schnapp of Coyne PR, joined by Randy Stodard of Delta Dental of NJ that offered insight into trends and key takeaways for the business community. 

This winter we also celebrated the winner of the 2020 M&T Bank Woman of Achievement award, Debbie Wolpov of Merx Payments, at the Chamber’s Women in Business virtual event held in December, which was the first to feature a husband and wife as keynote speakers. Vanessa Deleon and her husband, Bobby Bournais, spoke about the importance of supporting each other as they each run their own businesses and making time for each other and their family during the week. Their story about work- life integration resonates with many of our members especially during this time, and it was a milestone event in one of the chamber’s most successful and impactful programs, one of which we are proud.  
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Finally, the chamber continues to offer networking events virtually and I am excited that we are collaborating with other organizations on new platforms like Blitzr to connect you with each other and other chambers. As we look toward the warmer weather, I am excited to announce that the chamber’s golf outing for 2021 is on the calendar for June 7 at Springbrook Country Club. I hope you can join us on the links then!

​Read Business Edge Spring 2021 Edition