Bergen County

Small businesses get free resources through county’s collaboration with Bergen Community College

The heart of Bergen County’s economy and community is small business and that has never been more true than it is today as we grow through a tricky economy following a worldwide pandemic.

To meet these challenges headon, Bergen County introduced the Business Resource Network (BRN) in March 2022 offering information and free services to help new companies successfully launch, build and grow. A key component of this multifaceted network comes through a collaboration with Bergen Community College (BCC).

The partnership forged between BCC President Eric Friedman and Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco offers entrepreneurs the chance to learn valuable skills from students trained as business support specialists.

Close to 600 companies have signed up for this free service and have gotten students’ help with creating business plans and websites, tracking customers and sales, balancing the books, and much more. This is all offered to businesses at no charge, and we’ve had nothing but good feedback.

For students, the collaboration can help develop connections and opportunities that can lead to jobs in the future or can give them insight into how to start a business themselves. The program helps students use skills they have that go beyond textbook learning and ties everything together. In addition, it’s considered a work-study program and students are compensated.

The county-college partnership has been a win-win for everyone involved, with both businesses and students benefiting from new learning experiences. Students in the program speak a total of eight languages, an added perk that’s helped get the concept of the program across to some small business owners.

Students have also been trained to help small firms in the county navigate the BRN’s SizeUp tool, which provides market research and business intelligence. Using a variety of metrics, SizeUp gives small business owners insight into how they compare to their competitors.

The data offered by the tool can guide businesses in knowing how to best invest their advertising dollars, how much to compensate employees, and even the best location in the county to situate their operation based on the competition.

Bergen County at a glance

•AAA Bond Rating

• Tax Base of Nearly $170 Billion

•More Than 979,000+ Residents

•Median HH Income of $103,915...55% > Nation

•49,000+. Businesses

•499,000+ Skilled Workers

•9000+ Acres of Parks & Recreation

•73 Highly Sought After School Districts

•Nationally Ranked Medical Centers & Hospitals

•Over 15 Colleges and Universities

•2,350+ Eateries

•Vibrant Downtowns

•Shopping & Entertainment Destinations

•Theaters, Arenas & Concert Halls

•Home of Two Major NFL Teams

With nearly 70 vibrant municipalities made up of one million residents Bergen County is no doubt a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. Bergen County attracted thousands of visitors each day to our businesses, educational facilities, historical sites and special events – and as we continue to fight our way through this pandemic, it is our hope that even better days lie ahead.

Our retail shopping facilities are second to none and Bergen Community College attracts students from across the county, state and country. Places to visit include the Meadowlands, the Steuben House (home to the Bergen County Historical Society), Overpeck Park, the Bergen County Zoo in Van Saun Park and the New Jersey Naval Museum – just to name a few, all of which are now reopened to the public.

As the largest county in New Jersey, Bergen County offers a sizable pool of diverse, well-educated, highly skilled workers who have adapted well to working remotely during this turbulent time. Our business community is a thriving mix of Fortune 500 companies and small businesses alike. My administration is always proud to partner with agencies and organizations to grow our economy and capitalize on opportunities for public-private partnerships.

We continue to strive every single day to make Bergen County the best place for our residents, businesses and visitors. This guide is a valuable resource of information for anyone who lives or works in Bergen County. I urge you to take advantage of the programs and opportunities available in Bergen County government for future growth and opportunities.

Should you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to reach out to me and my staff by calling (201) 336-7300 or emailing countyexecutive@co.bergen.nj.us. My staff and I are always happy to help.

Sincerely,

Jim Tedesco III

Bergen County Executive

With SizeUp, businesses can develop a targeted marketing campaign based around their ideal customer. The tool includes interactive map demographics, labor force data, and consumer expenditure information with tailored analysis.

Aside from the collaboration with BCC, the BRN also includes:

•Bergen County Economic Development

•Small Business Development Center at Ramapo College

•SCORE Mentors

•Bergen County Job Center

•Bergen County Chambers of Commerce

•New Jersey Economic Development Authority

•New Jersey Business Action Center

For more information on the BRN, Bergen County real estate, business tax incentives, SizeUp and more, visit www.bergenforbusiness.com today or call me at (201) 336-7503. Hope to hear from you.

Michael McPartland is the Deputy Director of the Bergen County Division of Economic Development.