Gov. Chris Christie last week launched Choose New Jersey, an independent, nonprofit corporation that aims to promote business growth and retention in the state.
Choose New Jersey’s board of directors consists of 16 business leaders, including executives at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield of New Jersey, and Prudential Financial Inc. as well as a prominent pastor and a vice president of the Laborers International Union of North America.
Dennis Bone, president of Verizon New Jersey, will chair the board, which will now seek an economic growth and business development expert to be chief executive officer for Choose New Jersey.
The corporation will educate the private sector on New Jersey’s business incentives. It will also promote the state’s location and its assets that are beneficial to businesses, such as transportation hubs, higher educational institutions, and a highly trained workforce. The corporation, which is independently funded and managed, will report directly to Lieut. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who also serves as New Jersey’s secretary of state.
The Christie administration aims to increase jobs in the state through growth in the private sector. New Jersey’s unemployment rate is 9.8%, down from 10% in December, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
“Getting New Jerseyans back to work is our number one priority,” Christie said in a prepared statement.
