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TagsChristie sees as sign his economic growth effort working
Coca-Cola Enterprises will soon break ground on a new facility in South Brunswick while expanding operations at its Carlstadt plant. The planned South Brunswick plant is described as state-of-the-art and environmentally sustainable.
Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who oversees the administration's economic growth effort, welcomed the news Monday as a sign that Coca-Cola has faith in the economic polices being pursued by the administration and as an indicator that the state must move on changes that will help spur economic growth in New Jersey.
"Coca-Cola is a world-class, Fortune 500 company that is recognized all over the globe as a symbol of growth and success,'' Christie said in South Brunswick. "The company's decision to partner with and remain in the state of New Jersey is one of the clearest signals yet that our efforts to improve the state's business climate is working.
"If we maintain our focus and move aggressively to create a positive climate for job creation, New Jersey can and will emerge from the recession as a national leader in economic expansion,'' the governor said. "Our Reform Agenda will create good paying jobs for New Jersey families by building on our current efforts and achievements to foster business growth and make a culture of expansion and prosperity a permanent fixture in our economy."Reflecting the administration's commitment to attracting and supporting business and job creation in the state, Christie noted his administration's new Business Action Center, a component of the New Jersey Partnership for Action, provides a one-stop shop for business, combining all economic development activities under one roof, including business retention and attraction services. The center has launched a business call center, where customer service representatives are available to answer inquiries and businesses will get a return phone call from an account manager within 24 hours.
Christie said the Business Action Center will work closely with Coca-Cola as it moves on construction of the South Brunswick plant and will continue to assist other companies that have recently chosen to grow in New Jersey, including:
- Intrasphere Technologies -- Relocation from New York City to Jersey City, 300 new jobs);
- Watson Pharmaceuticals -- Parsippany expansion involving 175 new jobs;
- UPS -- Retention of over 740 jobs in sites throughout Passaic and Bergen counties;
- Diversified Foam -- 68 retained and 30 new manufacturing jobs in Gloucester County;
- PNY Technologies in Parsippany -- Chose to remain in New Jersey and upgrade its flash memory card manufacturing facility.
Monday's announcement adds Coca-Cola Enterprises to an expanding list of Fortune 500 companies opting to continue operating in New Jersey, including Campbell's Soup Co. Honeywell, and Pitney Bowes.
Fourteen other firms from New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee and Maryland have made the choice to relocate operations to New Jersey since January. The moves represent 1,180 new jobs and nearly $27 million in total public-private investment generated for the state.
Christie aides said the new 230,000-square foot facility in South Brunswick, set to open in mid-2011, and the expansion of the existing Carlstadt plant will result in the retention of over 1,000 jobs and ensure the company has the space to accommodate future growth.
"After a comprehensive assessment, the decision was made to build a new facility in South Brunswick, and to expand our current operations in Carlstadt," Michael Sullivan, Coca-Cola's Market Unit vice president, CCE New Jersey, said . "Working with the state of New Jersey and the Christie administration, we were able to keep jobs in New Jersey and be well positioned to grow in the future."
Since January, the administration has implemented what Guadagno describes as an aggressive economic development strategy that is helping to jumpstart the state's economy through sustainable job creation and economic expansion -- from reducing red tape to make it easier for New Jersey to do business, and conducting a comprehensive review of tax policies to bringing focus to business attraction and retention services through the Partnership for Action.
"Ensuring that New Jersey is a home for growth is our number one priority as we work to jump start our economy," Guadagno said. "We're taking measures to make doing business in New Jersey easier for companies through our Business Action Center. As we continue to work with our partners at the Economic Development Authority and Choose New Jersey we are actively working to attract and retain businesses and create jobs. Today's announcement by Coca-Cola Enterprises demonstrates how and why companies are once again choosing New Jersey."
– TOM HESTER SR., NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
