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Employers and Schools Recognized at KMM’s Annual Meeting

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wisnewski speakingOver 125 people attended the Annual Membership Meeting of Keep Middlesex Moving, Inc. (KMM) to hear Assemblyman John Wisniewski, Chairman, Assembly Transportation and Independent Authorities Committee discuss the looming depletion of the Transportation Trust Fund and his comprehensive plan to remedy the problem.  The May 19 meeting took place at the Forsgate Country Club.

Thirty-Six Middlesex County companies received the prestigious 2016 NJ Smart Workplaces Award.  These awards honor companies for their outstanding achievements in providing commute alternative opportunities for their employees, thus reducing traffic and congestion and improving air quality.  (List featured below)

sponsors“KMM’s programs promote mobility, safety, and sustainability.  But these programs can only be implemented with the help of our partners, like the employers we are honoring with Smart Workplace Awards,” said KMM’s Executive Director William Neary.

Neary recognized the sponsors of the Annual Meeting, Saint Peter’s University Hospital, Johnson& Johnson, Magyar Bank, Provident Bank, GoCentralNJ, Magic 98.3, 1450 WTC and Northfield Bank.

In addition, KMM recognized four Middlesex County schools and one municipality in the NJ Safe Route to School Recognition Program, part of NJDOT’s statewide Safe Routes to School program.  The awards are given based on their commitment and involvement in the Safe Routes to School program. This year, two schools achieved First Step, one achieved Bronze, and two achieved Silver level recognition.  (List featured below.)bookmarkwinnersrts

“The NJ SRTS Recognition Program is a way for KMM to thank our school and municipal partners for their hard work throughout the year making it safer and easier for children and their families to walk and bike to school. We hope that our combined efforts can create a better neighborhood not just for schoolchildren, but for everyone who lives, walks, and bikes in these neighborhoods,” said SRTS Coordinator Peter Bilton.

2016 New Jersey Smart Work Place Recipients

Borough of Sayreville Bronze
Granville Y. Brady Jr. Au.D. P.A. Bronze
Magyar Bank Bronze
Hoagland Longo Moran Dunst & Doukas LLP Bronze
Township of North Brunswick Bronze
Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce Bronze
County of Middlesex Bronze
Northfield Bank Bronze
Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer Bronze
State Theatre Bronze
South Brunswick Township Bronze
Wells Fargo Bronze
Bristol-Myers Squibb Bronze
Middlesex County Workforce Development Bronze
Township of East Brunswick Bronze
Monroe Township Bronze
Piscataway Township Bronze
New Brunswick Parking Authority Silver
Greater Media Silver
Borough of Metuchen Silver
Keep Middlesex Moving, Inc. Silver
City of Perth Amboy Silver
City of New Brunswick Silver
North Brunswick Township High School Silver
St. Peter’s University Hospital Gold
Township of Woodbridge Gold
Hyatt Regency New Brunswick Gold
Firmenich, Inc. Gold
Township of Plainsboro Gold
Township of Edison Platinum
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Platinum
IEEE Platinum
Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Platinum
Johnson & Johnson Platinum

2016 NJ Safe Routes to School Recipients

Silver:
City of New Brunswick
Oak Ridge Heights Elementary School, Woodbridge

Bronze:
Campbell Elementary School, Metuchen

First Step:
William C. McGinnis Middle School, Perth Amboy
Samuel E. Shull Middle School, Perth Amboy

Halloween Pedestrian and Driver Safety Tips

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halloween safety tips The ghosts, monsters and other creatures walking the streets on Oct. 31 aren’t the most frightful thing about Halloween. Here’s a scary fact: Halloween is the most dangerous night of the year for children walking on roadways across the country.

Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other night of the year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that children are four times more likely to be hit by a vehicle on Halloween. That makes following safe pedestrian and driver practices all the more important as children set out to trick or treat this year.

The Street Smart NJ campaign wants to make sure that costumes are the only thing causing a scare this year. Be sure to follow these tips to make your Halloween happy and safe.

For Pedestrians

• Make sure costumes don’t impair your child’s ability to walk or see. KidsHealth.org warns against wearing masks that can limit visibility.

• Before crossing look left, right, and then left again.

• Use sidewalks. When there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic.

• Be visible. The Safe Kids Worldwide campaign suggests adding reflective tape to costumes or having children carry a light or glow stick. A survey by the group found that only 18 percent of parents have their children use safety lighting on Halloween.

• Cross at corners and intersections and use marked crosswalks when possible.

For Drivers

• Obey the speed limit. AAA suggests driving 5 mph below the posted speed limit on Halloween.

• Stop for pedestrians. New Jersey law requires motorists to stop for pedestrians in cross-walks. Violations of the law carry a $200 fine and two points on your license.

• Don’t drive distracted. New Jersey prohibits talking and texting while driving. Fines range from $200 for first-time offenders to as much as $800 for repeat offenders.

• Drive sober. On Halloween Night between 2009 and 2013, 119 people were killed by drunk driving, according to the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration.

Want more suggestions on how to stay safe? Check out our Street Smart Safety Tips page.

This post was written and created by Street Smart NJ Pedestrian Safety Campaign in conjunction with NJTPA.

 

iCarpoolNJ ~ Do you?

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icarpoolnjpage KMMCommuters who visit www.iCarpoolNJ.com are eligible for gift card incentives in two ways.  Those who take a brief online survey will be entered to win a $25 gift card. Once the survey is completed, participants can refer their friends to register with KMM for ridesharing.

If a NEW, previously unregistered, referral completes a rideshare application, KMM will send the person who made the referral a gift card. Gift cards will be awarded for referral of NEW applicants only. Participants can receive up to 4 gift cards*.  In addition, the new rideshare applicants will also receive a thank you gift.

This program is KMM’s way of thanking commuters for recommending our rideshare service to their friends and family. For more information, log on to www.icarpoolnj.com.

*While supplies last

What’s So Special About Middlesex County?

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WWWEYEfinal1Nearly six years ago I stumbled into a meeting with the Director of the Middlesex County Regional Chamber of Commerce (MCRCC).  The people at the meeting were discussing creating a Convention and Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) within the chamber in order to promote tourism in MiddlesexCounty.  Although I thought tourism in this county was somewhat laughable, they were serving sandwiches so I decided to stay for the meeting.

Since that inaugural meeting, we have seen this idea develop and grow into a high functioning part of the MCRCC.  The mission to collaborate with the business community has been greatly enhanced by our efforts with the hospitality industry.  Thanks to the financial support from our charter members, state grants, and membership dues we have seen the CVB become a valuable resource for our county’s economy.

Travel and tourism is not something that is foreign to Middlesex County.  Our history for travelers goes back before colonial times.  Route 27, which dissects the county, was called the King’s Highway in the 18th century connecting New York and Philadelphia.  New Jersey is the crossroads of the American Revolution and Middlesex County is the crossroads of New Jersey.  No where else does the Turnpike and Parkway intersect.  Our commerce has something for everybody along Route 1, Route 9, Route 18, Route 34 or Route 35.  An employee at the gift ship I was at in Xian, China asked me where I was from in the United States, and when I said NJ he said , “Exit 8A?” (which is also located in Middlesex County).  There is no place else that can be called the home of Thomas Edison and Elsie the Cow.

Middlesex County is the definition of a great location with so much to offer.  We have first-rate theaters, diverse ethnic restaurant choices, a rich history, first class hotels and meeting rooms, and a nationally prominent university.  These are the reasons that these numbers make so much sense.

The state total is over $ 38 billion, and one tenth of our employment base is tied into travel and tourism.

In 2011,  Middlesex County  tourism generated $ 1.8 billion of revenue and provided for over 35,000 jobs.  Middlesex County has and will continue to be near the top in occupancy tax dollars collected, which directly assists municipalities with the ever-increasing burden of property taxes.

Understanding the financial value to this industry is how a regional CVB and MCRCC can help grow our economy.  As I said, our first few years with a volunteer board and a decreased amount of state aid, we were still able to develop a strategy and plan to promote travel and tourism.  In 2012, we began to see the implementation of this plan beginning to take hold.  Our sleek modern website, travel guide, search engine upgrades, and direct radio advertising has seen a significant increase in our visibility and viability.  Our website in 2012 had a 500% increase in hits, our RFP collaboration with hotels has generated some significant business opportunities, and our outreach to local municipal leaders has extended our capacity for local business.

We look at 2013 as a watershed opportunity to have the MCRCC and CVB play a vital role helping our local businesses recover from the doldrums we have seen over the past few years.  We see the Big Ten participation and the Superbowl Game as major boosts to the travel and tourism industries in MiddlesexCounty.  But I believe it would be too limiting to call tourism a sight specific business.  If our restaurants got more people to eat dinner out, there will probably be more work for local plumbers.  If more people visit Middlesex County, our gas stations will sell more gasoline and accountants will have more service station owners needing tax assistance.

Our Freeholder Director announced at his reorganization last week of how much additional collaboration he hopes to achieve with us in 2013.  Our partnership has always been extremely valuable, but having additional support will go a long way to a stronger economic development plan for our county.

We plan on using our business support for over 100 years as a stepping stone to advance the potential positive impact coming our way this year.  We will be promoting Superbowl and Rutgers packages.  We will be fine tuning our marketing research, we will be hosting Meet the Mayors meetings, and we will use our marketing tools to help you grow your business.  We want to help.  We know our value, and we want you to join us to work together for the greater good for Middlesex County residents and businesses.

~BN (Speech given at the Convention of Visitor’s Bureau 2.10.13 event)