Enterprise 3Q 2014

Join us for New Jersey’s 350th Anniversary Gala on Oct. 27  PAGE 19

NEW JERSEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

www.njchamber.com

a quarterly focus on the people and the issues that drive New Jersey business 3Q 2014

How N.J. Thinkers Have Transformed the World

 PAGE 12 We Name N.J.’s All-Time Top Innovators

 PAGE 14

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table of contents

cover:

12 State of Innovation: How N.J. Thinkers Have Transformed the World

14 We Name N.J.’s 25 All-Time Greatest Innovators 18 Meet the African-American Woman from Morristown who Invented Modern Home Heating in 1919 Cover Photo Graphic: Ric Principato

06

features 04 Message from the President

This is the State of Edison and Einstein, So Why Can’t We Solve the Pension Problem?

20 Members Gather at the State Museum

for N.J. Chamber’s ‘Open House’

22 News Makers

08

focus on legal 06 In the Wake of Hobby Lobby, Employers Should

Keep Tabs on Challenges to Affordable Care Act

focus on news 08 Sen. Cory Booker to N.J. Chamber Cornerstone

Members: A Strong U.S. Economy is Essential to Our Nation’s Security

10 Business Leaders Assemble in front of State House

to Protest Tax Hikes

11 Health Insurance Coverage:

What Small Businesses Need to Know

20

President’s Message

This is the State of Edison and Einstein, So Why Can’t We Solve the Pension Problem?

BY THOMAS A. BRACKEN

New Jersey turned 350 years old in 2014, and the N.J. Chamber of Commerce is celebrating by recognizing the life-altering innovations that our state has brought to the world.

Our list of the state’s Top 25 all-time innovators makes clear that New Jersey has been a hotbed of outside-the-box thinking that has solved many of the world’s complex problems. (For more on our Top 25 list, see our cover article on page 12).

Today, we need innovative thinking to overcome one of the state’s most serious fiscal problems: the pension fund crisis that rears its head every budget season. The problem is simple: The amount of money and health benefits promised to retired public employees by past governors and legislatures is unsustainable.

The state would have to make $5.5 billion per year in catch-up payments for roughly two decades to get our pension fund where it needs to be, according to several studies. That’s equal to 17 percent of this year’s state budget, and that’s money the state just doesn’t have.

In June, leaders in the Legislature proposed a bad idea – increasing both income taxes and business taxes to raise money for the pension fund. The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce swiftly assembled a group of business leaders, advocates and legislators in front of the State House to declare our opposition to this short-sighted and counterproductive proposal (see article on page 10).

We oppose the idea for two major reasons. First, it is reckless. The tax increase would damage the business climate in New Jersey, undermining the state’s efforts to expand the economy and attract jobs. Second, the amount of revenue raised by the tax increases wouldn’t come close to filling the pension fund deficit.

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The proposal would have only kicked the can down the road for future administrations to deal with.

We were gratified that soon after our State House objections, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed the tax hikes proposal. Further, we are pleased that he embraced an idea for which we advocated. He signed an executive order convening a nonpartisan blue ribbon commission assigned to develop recommendations for tackling the state’s rising pension and health benefits costs. The governor’s panel of well-respected experts includes investment executives, actuaries, pension consultants, a philanthropist and a pension fund counsel with labor ties. It also is bipartisan.

We are hopeful this group of thinkers will do what New Jerseyans have been doing throughout the state’s history – get innovative. This commission must develop out-of-the-box ideas to solve the pension problem, and extricate New Jersey from the fiscal distress it faces every budget season.

After all, a New Jerseyan has walked on the moon.

New Jerseyans invented television, antibiotics, computer language, the transistor, home heating and air conditioning. And a certain professor in Princeton gave us the theory of relativity that revolutionized the way we think about the universe.

The pension problem isn’t rocket science. We just need to approach it differently. Let’s get innovative.

As Thomas Edison said, “There’s a way to do it better – find it.”❖

Thomas A. Bracken President and CEO New Jersey Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER STAFF

Thomas A. Bracken President and CEO

Dana Egreczky Senior Vice President, Workforce Development

Michael Egenton Senior Vice President, Government Relations

Lawrence Krompier Vice President, Member Services

Ray Zardetto Vice President, Communications

Scott Goldstein Communications Manager and Enterprise Editor

Ric Principato Creative Director/ Web Tech Manager

New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Staff

216 West State Street Trenton, N.J. 08608 Phone: (609) 989-7888 www.njchamber.com

NJCC Board of Directors Officers Chairman

Ralph Izzo Chairman and CEO Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. First Vice Chair

Amy B. Mansue President & CEO Children’s Specialized Hospital Second Vice Chair

Robert Doherty New Jersey State President Bank of America

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ENTERPRISE 3Q 2014 | 5

In the Wake of Hobby Lobby, Employers Should Keep Tabs on Challenges to Affordable Care Act

AP Photo/The Record of Bergen County, Elizabeth Lara

focus on legal

Protesters outside of a Hobby Lobby on July 7, 2014.

BY DIANA LASSETER DRAKE

Until June 30, Hobby Lobby caught the attention of people in New Jersey only when they needed to stock up on arts and craft supplies. The Oklahoma City-based chain has several stores in the state, including the newest one, which opened this summer in Totowa.

W. Raymond Felton

Peter L. Frattarelli

That all changed at the end of June, when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that exempted closely held, for-profit corporations, including plaintiff Hobby Lobby, from providing specific birth control services required under the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). Hobby Lobby is now a national symbol for weighty legal and political issues, including religious freedom, women’s health care rights and the connection between health coverage and employment.

While there is a minimum impact felt by the New Jersey business community by the high court’s decision – which found that corporations may claim freedom of religious rights similar to those of individuals – it is a reminder that there will be challenges to the new health care law and employers must keep tabs on them.

The Hobby Lobby Case Hobby Lobby and co-plaintiff Conestoga Wood Specialties, a Pennsylvania furniture maker, had to prove sincerely held religious beliefs permeated their business operations, and few companies in New Jersey are run on religious principles. Due to the decision’s limited scope, it is unlikely that companies here would argue religious freedom over compliance with the law.

“I don’t know the religion of most of our clients,” notes W. Raymond Felton, co-managing partner at the law firm Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis in Woodbridge. “[When we discuss] 6 |

legal issues relating to the business, religion just doesn’t come up.” What’s more, the cost of insurance for the four types of contraception specified in the Hobby Lobby decision is likely a negligible part of the overall premium, so companies would not realize a substantial cost savings by pursing the exemption, he said.

New Jersey law firms are not expecting more work as a result of the decision. Most say any ripple effects might be difficult to detect. For the most part, they have been providing clarity for clients around different aspects of the complex decision.

“I have had some calls from not-for-profits that have a religious purpose,” said Stuart A. Hoberman, director and shareholder with the law firm Wilentz Goldman & Spitzer in Woodbridge. “They already have been covered [under the law], so the decision doesn’t apply to them. It’s hard to determine so soon the extent to which it will have an impact on New Jersey, but my guess is that it will be very small.”

Other Challenges to the Law Even so, Peter L. Frattarelli, chair of the labor and employment department at the law firm Archer & Greiner in Haddonfield, said New Jersey employers should keep tabs on the Affordable Care Act. He was particularly struck by an injunction related to the new law that the Supreme Court granted on July 3 involving Wheaton College, a Christian college in Wheaton, Ill. “The Supreme Court granted an injunction because the school said it would be a violation of its religious liberty to even fill out the exemption form telling the government and the insurance companies that they (would not) pay for contraception, and that employees would have to (order) it directly through the insurance companies,” Frattarelli said.

This injunction, exempting Wheaton College from the law while the appeal is pending, is rare, Frattarelli added, but that doesn’t mean the new law’s rules won’t be tested.

“The employer mandates aren’t going to change, but other issues, like non-discrimination rules [that prohibit companies from offering] better benefits to higher-paid managers might be challenged,” Frattarelli said. Similarly, he believes a rule prohibiting employers from putting more money in employees’ paychecks and sending them to a health care exchange to purchase insurance might meet resistance.“In light of the recent decisions, employers should stay tuned,” he concluded. ❖

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An atmosphere of trust Some of the best suggestions for innovations, cost savings and costavoidance have come from the people who perform the work. In an atmosphere of trust, everyone is a partner in success.

Thriving on challenge Local 825 members thrive on challenging work and employment stability that allows them to provide for their families. Contractors take pride in challenging projects, knowing they can deliver on time, on budget and above expectations.

Investing in success Local 825’s state-of-the-art training centers are open to members and contractors in two states. They help keep our members highly skilled, fully licensed, credentialed and ready to work when you are.

Learn how we can help.

Contact ELEC Director Mark Longo at 973-630-1010 or visit WWW.ELEC825.ORG

Building On Common Ground The Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative (ELEC) is comprised of: International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, Associated Construction Contractors of New Jersey, Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley and the Construction Contractors Labor Employers of New Jersey.

Left photo, Revel Casino Hotel; center photo, MetLife Stadium, courtesy of Skanska USA; right photo, Montclair rail station & municipal parking lot, courtesy of Prismatic Development Corporation.

focus on news

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said the biggest surprise in his first eight months in Congress has been "how we as a nation can make so many irresponsible balance-sheet decisions."

Sen. Cory Booker to N.J. Chamber: Strong American Economy is Vital to our Nation’s Security

BY SCOTT GOLDSTEIN

In the midst of his remarks on July 25, though, New Jersey’s junior senator paused to point out where the nation’s economy falls in all of this: A vital factor “for the security of our government is growing our economy,” he said.“It’s not the size of our army, but the size of our economy.”

Still, Booker said, the biggest surprise in his first eight months in Congress has been “how we as a nation can make so many irresponsible balance-sheet decisions.” He expressed frustration that members of Congress could not distinguish between investments that would provide a good return and those that would not.

The political parties in Congress have struggled to agree on bills that would direct funds into infrastructure and into research and development – the kind of sound investments proven to bolster the nation’s economy, he said. Further, he added, “I can’t believe that we are debating things like preserving the Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Terrorist Risk Insurance (Program).”

Booker said the U.S has fallen behind other nations in areas like infrastructure, research and development, and col8 |

Photos by Ric Principato

When U.S. Sen. Cory Booker addressed a group of New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Cornerstone members in Trenton, he touched on issues ranging from fiscal policy in Congress, the Middle East, the Affordable Care Act and America’s standing in an increasingly competitive world.

Sen. Booker and Michael Egenton, senior vice president-government affairs, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Blenda Riddick, director-corporate and government affairs, United Airlines.

lege graduation rates – areas that he feels need to be top priorities.

The senator, who assumed office on Oct. 31, 2013, said he also supports corporate tax reform and common sense drug laws. “There are more non-violent drug offenders in the prison population today than there were prisoners in the whole prison population in 1974,” Booker said.

Cornerstone New Jersey members participate in special programs offering unprecedented access to the state’s political and business leaders and insights into the trends and issues impacting business. For more information on how your company can join the Cornerstone program, call Larry Krompier at (609) 989-7888 ext.131 or email him at larry@ njchamber.com. ❖ Scott Goldstein is communications manager at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Paul Rotella, president and CEO of the New Jersey Broadcaster Association (left); and William Kettleson, regional vice president of government affairs, Comcast; meet Sen. Booker.

Sen. Booker touched on issues ranging from fiscal policy in Congress, the Middle East, the Affordable Care Act and America's standing in an increasingly competitive world

Ruthi Byrne, president of Zinn, Graves & Field, welcomes Sen. Booker.

Sen. Booker introduced by New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Bracken.

Frank R. Boutillette (left), partner at WithumSmith+Brown, and Ralph Thomas, executive director, New Jersey Society of CPAs, with Sen. Booker.

Gil Medina, executive vice president CBRE Brokerage Services, Global Corporate Services; and Joe Dempsey, president-middle market banking JPMorgan Chase Bank.

Jim Fakult, president, Jersey Central Power & Light, and Sen. Booker.

ENTERPRISE 3Q 2014 | 9

focus on news

Business Leaders in Front of State House: ‘Tax Hikes Would Damage Economy’

Business leaders assembled behind N.J. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Bracken at a press conference June 24 to warn that proposed tax hikes would “damage” the state’s business climate.

10 |

As lawmakers were discussing a proposed state budget, business leaders and legislators appeared on the State House steps June 24 to warn that a proposal to increase income taxes would hurt New Jersey’s economy and job growth – essentially chasing highincome earners, and the taxes they pay, to more tax-friendly states like Florida and Pennsylvania.

The state business leaders assembled with New Jersey Chamber of Commerce President Tom Bracken to oppose the proposal to raise the state income tax on those who make more than $1 million, and increase the corporation business tax by 15 percent as a way to help the state balance its budget for fiscal year 2015, which began on July 1.

Both proposed tax increases were vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie before the 2015 budget was signed on June 30.

“It’s an easy answer to say tax the rich. But in the long term, this income tax hike hits much more than highincome earners,” Bracken said. “It also affects everyone in New Jersey in a very direct way. When we increase taxes, we damage our ability to attract and retain businesses. That erodes the tax base and makes our fiscal problems worse.”

“We need a long-term solution to the state’s fiscal problems, not a one-year fix that will have long-term negative repercussions,” Bracken added. “And the business community needs to be involved in crafting that solution.” ❖

focus on news

Health Insurance Coverage: What Small Businesses Need to Know

BY RAY HURD

In New Jersey, an agent, broker or insurer can help you find and compare SHOP health plans, give you exact prices and help your employees enroll.

Small business owners looking to make sense of the Affordable Care Act and provide health insurance to their employees have new resources available – The Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP). It gives small business owners the ability to easily compare private health insurance plans, and choose coverage that work best for their companies and employees.

Small businesses that buy coverage through the SHOP Marketplace also may qualify for a tax credit worth up to 50 percent of their contributions to employee premium costs (up to 35 percent for tax-exempt employers). Small businesses have already received more than $1 billion in tax credits since this tax credit was created in 2010.

Ray Hurd Here are a few critical points about the Affordable Care Act small business owners need to know: XX Companies are not required to offer health insurance under the health care law if they have fewer than 50 employees, nor is there any penalty if they don’t.

XX Companies can buy insurance through the SHOP Marketplace if they have 50 or fewer full-time employees, and they offer insurance to all full-time employees (generally those working 30 or more hours a week).

XX Every plan in the SHOP Marketplace covers a comprehensive set of benefits, including doctor visits, hospital stays, preventive care and prescriptions.

XX New rules require these plans to treat your employees fairly. Insurance companies can’t raise premiums for the group just because of an employee’s pre-existing health condition or because an employee gets sick or injured, and there are new limits on charging small groups higher premiums for older employees.

In New Jersey, an agent, broker or insurer can help you find and compare SHOP health plans, give you exact prices and help your employees enroll. They also can help small business owners apply for eligibility to the SHOP Marketplace. Additionally, companies can find plan information, a premium estimation tool and an application for SHOP eligibility on www.healthcare.gov.

Employers don’t need to wait to hear back from the SHOP Marketplace about their eligibility before enrolling. But if companies want to apply for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, they will need to get a notice of eligibility before filing their returns for tax year 2014.

If you have questions about the SHOP Marketplace or how to apply, visit www.healthcare.gov or call the SHOP Employer Call Center toll-free at 1-800-706-7893 (1-800-706-7915 – TTY). ❖ Ray Hurd is Medicare’s regional administrator for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Vermont and the Virgin Islands.

ENTERPRISE 3Q 2014 | 11

N.J. All-Time Greatest Innovators

NEW JERSEY INNOVATES, THE LEGACY RESONATES

Thomas Edison brought us the light bulb, the phonograph and the motion picture camera, among his more than a thousand patents. “I start where the last man left off,” he explained.

FROM EINSTEIN TO EDISON AND EVERYONE IN BETWEEN, N.J. CHAMBER NAMES TOP 25 INNOVATORS IN STATE HISTORY (The Full List Will Be Revealed at Our Oct. 27 Gala)

In his Cedar Grove lab, Allen DuMont built the first commercially sold TV in the country.

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Thomas Edison, the most prolific inventor in history, and Albert Einstein, the greatest thinker of the 20th century, were no-brainers – pardon the expression – for our list of the top Innovators in the history of New Jersey. Edison brought us the light bulb, the phonograph and the motion picture camera. Einstein brought us the Theories of Relativity (and the world’s most famous equation, E=mc2) that revolutionized the way we think about the

universe.

Still, they are just two of the outstanding thinkers whose work in New Jersey brought the world breakthroughs ranging from air conditioning and antibiotics to the transistor and Viagra.

New Jersey turns 350 years old this year, and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is celebrating by releasing its exclusive list of the state’s all-time Top 25 innovators. We are remembering all

the ways New Jerseyans have changed the world. And we are certain the list will surprise even the most patriotic New Jerseyans.

There is Alice Parker, the AfricanAmerican woman from Morristown who patented the home heating system in 1919, which gave rise to the thermostat and the forced air furnaces in most homes today (see her mysterious story on page 17). There is Selman Waksman, the Rutgers professor whose work to create new antibiotics made him a disease conqueror. There is Bell Labs’ Claude Shannon, “Father of the Information Age,” who proposed using the numerals “0” and “1” to formulate and transmit data – a binary breakthrough. There is Allen DuMont, who invented the first commercial television in his Cedar Grove lab, who invented the first commercial television, and even established the DuMont Television Network, the nation’s first-ever TV network.

There is Whitesbog Village’s Elizabeth Coleman White, the Blueberry Queen, who turned blueberries from a wild fruit into a $40 million cash crop by devising new varieties of blueberries that could be cultivated; organizing the New Jersey Blueberry Cooperative Association to promote the fruit; and becoming the first to use cellophane to wrap and ship the product.

They all worked and lived in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Chamber has begun counting down the Top 25 New Jersey world-changers one week at a time, and will reveal the Top 5 Innovators at a 350th Anniversary Gala on Oct. 27. The list revealed so far can be found here at njchamber.com/top25 Of the Top 25, three are still alive – Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who walked on the moon; Lloyd Conover, who advanced antibiotics; and John J. Mooney, whose work to develop the first three-way catalytic converter eliminated the toxic tailpipe.

Five of the Top 25 are women, including Coleman White, the brilliant blueberry researcher, and Ida Rosenthal, cofounder of the intimate apparel company Maidenform, whose innovation involved designing brassieres that conformed to a wom-

an’s body shape. Five of the Top 25 are Nobel Prize winners, including John Van Neumann, who built a computer in the 1940s that remains the blueprint for modern computers; William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain, the team that invented the transistor, the brain of modern electronics; Waksman, the disease conqueror; and, of course, Einstein.

How We Developed the List The Top 25 list was developed by a team at the N.J. Chamber of Commerce and NJBIZ newspaper using a method we called “R&D” – Research and Discussion.

While it is not intended to be a definitive list, it is meant to salute New Jersey for its broad history of innovation, and we hope it will generate debates over who are truly the greatest thinkers in New Jersey history. The list includes innovators born in New Jersey or those who made significant progress while working in the state.

New Jerseyans may be surprised by some of the products and concepts that

Dr. Selman Waksman, of Rutgers, helped conquer once-rampant diseases like tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever and bubonic plague.

You can Vote The N.J. Chamber also is asking New Jerseyans to vote for the most groundbreaking innovations that came out of our state, ranging from air conditioning and antibiotics to the light bulb and television. The survey can be taken at njchamber.com/350ballot. come from the Garden State, including Band-Aids, bubble wrap, the chlorination process to purify drinking water, condensed soup, the drive-in theater, fiber optics, the ice cream cone, lead-free gasoline, motion pictures, motor oil, pork roll, radar, radio, salt-water taffy and solar panels.

The worldwide fame of Edison and Einstein “attracted the best minds of their generation to come to New Jersey to live and work,” said Ray Zardetto, vice president of communications at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, who headed the team that developed the Top 25.“Their protégés went off to New Jersey universities and R&D institutions helping turn New Jersey into an innovation powerhouse.”

The personal stories of many of the names on the list are fascinating, added Zardetto, “And they are well worth remembering and honoring.”

Bell Labs’ Claude Shannon, “Father of the Information Age,” proposed using the numerals "0" and "1" to formulate and transmit data, which became the nouns and verbs of computer language.

ENTERPRISE 3Q 2014 | 13

N.J. All-Time Greatest Innovators

NEW JERSEY

ALL-TIME GREATEST INNOVATORS THE HEAVYWEIGHTS

THOMAS EDISON VS. ALBERT EINSTEIN Here are profiles of two New Jersey innovators whose impacts were so huge and so immediate, they became celebrities of their day. Which one do you think had a greater impact? Our decision will be revealed Oct. 27.

THOMAS EDISON, CELEBRITY INVENTOR

ALBERT EINSTEIN, THE GENIUS

“I start where the last man left off.”

“There are no rules here. We are trying to accomplish something.” That was Edison’s famous reply when a reporter asked him how he and his associates had achieved over 1,000 patents. He is most known for inventing the practical electric light bulb, the Edison was the Steve Jobs or Bill Gates of his day. phonograph and the motion picture camera – three innovations which created new industries, companies and literally millions of new jobs.

Edison also is credited with inventing the fluoroscope (X-rays); kinescope (television recorder); the electronic stock ticker; and a series of enhancements to the first generation of telephones. Because of these successes, Edison became the first “celebrity” businessman much the way Steve Jobs or Bill Gates is recognized today. Edison also is credited with building the first-ever industrial labs in Menlo Park, a slice of Middlesex County now named in his honor. Shortly thereafter, he built labs in West Orange.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that Edison was a founding member of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce in 1911 (see story on page 19). In perhaps the greatest homage, hundreds of towns, companies and products today bear Edison’s name.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

His name is synonymous with genius; his insights into and theories on the workings of the universe took the human mind where it had never been before; and his conclusions so revolutionary, physicists today still marvel at his accomplishments.

Einstein’s name is synonymous with genius.

A contemporary called Einstein’s work “a staggering leap forward in human intelligence.” In Time magazine’s review of the 20th century, he was named “Person of the Century” and the greatest mind of the century.

Before Einstein, scientists saw the universe as relatively staid. After Einstein, scientists recognized the universe for the colorful, chaotic and unpredictable place it is. Much of science’s understanding of the universe is built on the pillars of Einstein’s Theories of Relativity and his Nobel Prizewinning work on the photoelectric effect.

Einstein began his work in Switzerland and came to the United States to escape the growing Nazi threat in the 1930s.

He settled in Princeton and worked at the Advanced Studies Institute for over 20 years. His reputation attracted the greatest minds of the century to New Jersey and cemented Princeton’s place as one of the most vital educational institutions on the planet and an incubator for innovation.

(1847-1931)

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(1879-1955)

The Contenders

New Jersey is more than Edison and Einstein. Here are more profiles of the state’s Top 25 innovators, in no particular order, whose visions created new businesses and industries for New Jersey and the world, and whose accomplishments changed our perceptions of what is possible.

Selman Waksman

Claude Shannon

SELMAN WAKSMAN, THE RUTGERS LIFE-SAVER (1888-1973) It’s impossible to estimate how many lives Waksman and his Rutgers students saved. For two decades, they turned their laboratory at Rutgers into an antibiotic-creating machine and their work helped conquer once-rampant diseases including tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever and bubonic plague. Most notable among these new drugs was streptomycin, the discovery of which earned Waksman a Nobel Prize in 1952. The patent for streptomycin was awarded to Merck, and when the drug was still in demand, Merck reassigned the patent back to Rutgers so it could share in the financial rewards. Using proceeds from his Nobel Prize and the profits from streptomycin, Waksman created the Waksman Foundation for Microbiology on Rutgers’ Piscataway campus.

CLAUDE SHANNON, FATHER OF THE INFORMATION AGE (1916-2001) Shannon worked at Bell Labs and proposed using the numerals “0” and “1” to formulate and transmit data. These two numerals became the nouns and verbs of computer language, and the “Rosetta Stone” that opened the doors to the Information Age. This binary breakthrough earned Shannon the title “Father of the Information Age.”

ALLEN DUMONT, DEVELOPED FIRST COMMERCIAL TV (1901-1965) DuMont realized the “guts” of a television – the cathode ray tube – needed dramatic improvement in order to improve the picture. He opened his own lab in the basement of his Cedar Grove home and built a cheaper, longerlasting tube. Later, as his business interests flourished, he opened a research lab in Upper Montclair, which Fairchild Cameras bought in 1960. Dumont then turned his

Allen DuMont

Buzz Aldrin

attention to building television sets. The model he created led to the first commercially sold sets in the country.

Eventually his manufacturing division would be sold to Emerson. Finally, he set his sights on programming for those who bought his television sets, so he established the DuMont Television network, the first-ever TV network in the country. After a decade, his network was sold to what eventually became Metromedia. Dumont also developed long-range precision radar for the armed forces during World War II, an innovation that earned him a knighthood in France.

BUZZ ALDRIN, THE ASTRONAUT (BORN 1930, 84 YEARS OLD) Montclair native Buzz Aldrin graduated third in his 1951 West Point class, flew 66 combat missions in the Korean War and retired as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force. Yet he will be forever remembered for the two and a half hours he spent as the second man to walk on the moon in July 1969. Aldrin’s career success with NASA went beyond the historic Apollo 11 flight. The docking techniques two spacecraft use to link up in orbit were devised by Aldrin and are still in use today. Aldrin solved another vexing problem during the space program’s early days. Astronauts found that working outside a spacecraft in the zero gravity was exhausting. Using his knowledge of scuba diving, Aldrin developed underwater training techniques that simulated weightlessness and became the first to successfully use these techniques in space. Since retiring from NASA, Aldrin has appeared in movies and TV shows, written books and advocated for a more robust space program. continued on page 16 ENTERPRISE 3Q 2014 | 15

N.J. ALL-TIME GREATEST INNOVATORS continued from page 15

Lloyd Conover

John Roebling

LLOYD CONOVER, MEDICINE MAN (BORN 1923, 91 YEARS OLD) Penicillin and other naturally-generated antibiotic “wonder drugs” have saved an uncountable number of lives. While working with his team at Pfizer in the 1950s, chemist Lloyd Conover, a native of Orange, discovered that chemically altering a naturally-produced drug created an entirely new antibiotic capable of fighting different illnesses. This process remains in use today and has created whole new generations of disease-fighting medicine. The first drug Conover produced this way was tetracycline. Conover was awarded a patent for it in 1955. By the end of the decade, it was the most prescribed antibiotic in the country. Conover retired from Pfizer in 1984, but his antibiotics are still fighting severe infections and diseases today.

JOHN ROEBLING: THE MASTER ENGINEER (1806-1869) Roebling was a businessman and civil engineering master who, among other things, invented ways to make longer bridges. He developed a wire and cable manufacturing empire in Trenton, and helped design the Brooklyn Bridge – then the longest suspension bridge in the world. Unfortunately, Roebling did not live to see the Brooklyn Bridge completed.

A freak accident in the early stages of construction severely injured his foot and despite the best medical treatment of the time, Roebling succumbed to tetanus two weeks later.

JOHN DORRANCE, THE SOUP MAKER (1873 TO 1930) In the 1890s, Dorrance was working at Campbell’s in Camden for $7.50 a week when he invented a method to create condensed soup, which turned the company into a global powerhouse. His reward was a raise to $9 a week. Later, he would own the company, and he died the third richest man in America.

IDA ROSENTHAL, THE QUEEN OF INTIMATE APPAREL (1886-1973) Rosenthal and her husband William immigrated to New Jersey from Russia in 1905 and soon established a dress shop in Hoboken. The Rosenthals realized an unfilled need and began designing bras that conformed to body shapes. In response to 16 |

John Dorrance

Ida Rosenthal

demand, the Rosenthals founded the Maiden Form Brassiere Company (later shortened to Maiden Form) in Bayonne, where it thrived for most of the 20th century. It moved to Iselin in 2007. Maiden Form became a global leader in sales of women’s intimate apparel.

WALLY SCHIRRA, ASTRONAUT (1923-2007) Schirra, of Oradell, was one of seven pilots chosen to be an astronaut when the U.S. launched its space program in 1961.

His Mercury flight made him the fifth American in space. He commanded the Gemini flight that was the first to ever successfully dock with another spacecraft. He retired after his 1968 Apollo mission and joined CBS News, where he co-anchored CBS News’ coverage of the subsequent moon landings with Walter Cronkite. Prior to becoming an astronaut, he flew 90 combat missions in the Korean War.

SETH BOYDEN, THE GREAT INVENTOR (1788-1870) Boyden, of Newark, was the Thomas Edison of the early 1800s – America’s first truly prolific inventor. In 1926, Edison himself called Boyden “one of America’s greatest inventors, whose many great and practical inventions have been the basis for great industries which give employment to millions.” Boyden rarely filed for patents. He believed in putting the welfare of society ahead of his own financial interest so he made his innovations available to any and all. Among these innovations, Boyden devised a way for heated iron to maintain its original strength and integrity, a boon to blacksmiths, locksmiths and gunsmiths. He performed a similar service for leather, developing a process to improve the durability of leather and make it what today we call patent leather. It helped make Newark one of the country’s largest leather producers in the 19th century.

ELIZABETH COLEMAN WHITE, THE BLUEBERRY RESEARCHER (1871-1954) Coleman White, who lived and worked on a family farm in Whitesbog Village, turned blueberries from a wild fruit into a $40 million cash crop. White converted the blueberry

Wally Schirra

Seth Boyden

into gold by gathering many years’ worth of information from local growers about the patterns of wild blueberry plant growth, and from that, devised new varieties of blueberries that could be cultivated. Within a few years, the White farm yielded around 20,000 barrels of the now commercially viable blueberry each year. Today, New Jersey

Elizabeth Coleman White

accounts for 21 percent of the world’s blueberry production. White’s innovations didn’t stop with cultivation. She showed a deft business hand by helping to organize the New Jersey Blueberry Cooperative Association to promote the blueberry and was the first to use cellophane to wrap and ship the product. ❖

LEARN FROM YESTERDAY, LIVE FOR TODAY, HOPE FOR TOMORROW. THE IMPORTANT THING IS NOT TO STOP QUESTIONING.

Albert Einstein

SMALL BUSINESSES IN NEED OF FINANCING HAVE A CLUB BARKS Dog Daycare, Boarding and Grooming Jersey City, NJ

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) supports small- and medium-sized businesses by providing access to financing and incentives they need to reach their goals. The NJEDA can also help you grow a stronger, more sustainable New Jersey business, just like Club Barks.

To learn more about financial assistance available through NJEDA, call 609-858-6700 today, or visit us online at businesslending.NJEDA.com.

© 2014 New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

ENTERPRISE 3Q 2014 | 17

N.J. ALL-TIME GREATEST INNOVATORS continued from page 17

THE FASCINATING STORY OF ALICE H. PARKER The African-American Woman Who Invented Modern Home Heating

BY ALICIA BROOKS WALTMAN

Imagine, for a moment, that you invent something that helps transform life as we know it all over the world. And then you disappear from history books. This is the story of Alice H. Parker, an African-American woman from Morristown, who, in 1919, developed an early concept of the modern home heating system. Her system gave birth to the thermostat and the familiar forced air furnaces in most homes today, replacing what was then the most common method for heating – cutting and burning wood in fireplaces or stoves.

When the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce came across Parker’s contribution and the impact it had on the world, we did the natural thing: We named her to our list of Top 25 innovators in New Jersey history.

Here’s the problem. When it was time for us to write Parker’s profile, we learned that few people know anything about this pioneer. There are few records of her life, family and friends. In fact, nobody knows if she has descendants.

So let’s start with what is known: Parker lived in Morristown, according to the patent she filed. She took classes at Howard University, the school confirmed. And a copy of the patent granted to her on Dec. 23, 1919, contains her design for a natural gas-fueled "new and improved heating furnace.” It was the first time anyone had thought of using natural gas for home heating.

The North Jersey History and Genealogy Center at the Morristown & Morris Township Library has a small file on Parker that includes a copy of her patent. “We have never been able to find any information about Alice regarding her life here in Morristown; where she lived, what she did, whether she was married, or had children, or anything else about her life,” states a summary in the file.

Parker’s patent is mentioned in the book African American Firsts in Science and Technology (Gale, 1999)

by Raymond B. Webster, and on the website About.com.

Pictures of her can be found online.

Howard, a historically black university in Washington D.C., confirmed that Parker received a certificate from the university’s academy in 1910. In fact, Parker took Howard University classes with honors in an era when few African-Americans – let alone African-American women – were college-educated. The Academy generally prepared students to study at the university, but it appears that Parker did not go on to further her studies there, according to Teddy Abebe, a senior archivist at the Howard 18 |

University Archives.

So while her heating furnace idea was revolutionary, just as revolutionary is the idea of a black, female inventor of that era receiving a patent, said Neal Brunson, director of the Afro-American Historical Society, located at the Greenville Public Library in Jersey City. He, like most historical societies Parker’s life is a mystery. contacted for this article, had not heard of Parker until Enterprise inquired about her.

“This represents a break from the industrial and domestic labor that most African-Americans were doing at that time,” Brunson said. “This (also) is a break from the culture of a woman who is supposed to be in the home. Instead, (Parker) is out inventing a product. And not just any product, a complicated, technical product.”

He added,“A woman was not supposed to be doing this – an African-American woman especially.”

The idea of centralized heating was not new in the early 20th century. The ancient Romans had it, using slaves to feed a central furnace whose heat was then circulated beneath the floors and through the walls of wealthy Roman homeowners. And various designers throughout the 18th and 19th century designed systems that used steam to create warmth. (The U.S. patent office had issued more than 4,000 patents for heating stoves and furnaces by 1888.) But Parker’s intricate design (see accompanying diagrams) is akin to the “zoned” heating systems in use today. Using gas as fuel, it sought to draw air from a single cold air box into individual heating units, which then delivered the air through ducts into various parts of the house.

It’s not known if anyone purchased or manufactured Parker’s design, but it laid the groundwork for central heating. “The difficulty African-Americans experienced with the design and sale of their products was enormous,” Brunson said.

So the life of the woman who designed and patented a heating system that revolutionized the way we live remains a mystery. ❖ If any of our readers know anything about Alice H. Parker or her descendants, please contact us on Twitter (@njchamber).

INNOVATION CELEBRATION GALA OCT. 27, 2014

HELP US CELEBRATE N.J.'S 350TH ANNIVERSARY

In 1664, “New Jersey” was officially named after the Isle of Jersey. To commemorate our state’s 350th anniversary, the N.J. Chamber is teaming with the state of New Jersey and NJBIZ to recognize the Garden State’s outstanding legacy of innovation.

Our Innovation Celebration Gala on Oct. 27 at The Palace in Somerset will celebrate inventors like Edison and Einstein; and inventions ranging from television, radio and the light bulb to antibiotics, air conditioning, Viagra and the heart stent.

We will reveal the results of our top New Jersey innovations survey, and we will announce the all-time Top 5 New Jersey innovators.

New Jersey’s 350th Anniversary is the perfect reason to celebrate what New Jersey has done for the world. Join business, political and academic leaders – as well as some very special guests – and make this a night to remember.

For more information and to register, go to njchamber.com/350. ❖

EDISON LIKED THIS IDEA: THE NEW JERSEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE When it comes to developing good ideas, Thomas Edison was second to none. And one idea that Edison got behind is the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. He was a founding member of the N.J. Chamber in 1911 and even served as vice president of the organization. Edison and his fellow founders of the N.J. Chamber recognized, as the original Chamber charter noted, the value and the importance of an organization dedicated to making widely known the “commercial, manufacturing, and residential advantages open to those who would locate their business in New Jersey.” It’s 103 years later, and the N.J. Chamber continues to advocate for programs and initiatives that help grow the economy and create jobs in New Jersey. We do this, thanks to the support of all our members, past and present, including Thomas Edison.

PRESENTED BY TROPICANA CASINO & RESORT | ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY | DEC. 3, 2014

DISCOVER WHAT’S ON THE HORIZON IN BANKING DECEMBER 3, 2014 TROPICANA CASINO & RESORT ATLANTIC CITY, NJ EXHIBITORS

Visit www.bankhorizons.com

SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE Contact The Warren Group at bankhorizons@thewarrengroup.com or call 617-896-5307

Network with high level banking executives at BankHorizons!

BankHorizons is the premier exposition focused on emerging opportunities and innovative solutions for the New Jersey banking industry. Attendees of this one-day show enjoy an exciting and thought-provoking program and prime opportunities to reach out to leaders in the community banking industry.

ENTERPRISE 3Q 2014 | 19

focus on N.J. Chamber Cornerstone Event

Chamber Members Gather at the State Museum for ‘Open House’ Hundreds of business leaders, legislators and state department heads packed the galleries and the outdoor pavilions of the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton on June 12 for the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce’s 17th Annual Open House. It was the second consecutive year the event was held away from our Trenton offices – a result of the growing popularity of the event. As always, there was great food, drink and ample networking opportunities for everyone. ❖

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno says hello to the musicians, including her guitarist brother-in-law Pat Guadagno.

Professor Albert Einstein is flanked by Maureen Shea, director of governmental affairs, New Jersey Association of Community Providers; and Sharon Levine, director of governmental affairs, the Arc of New Jersey

Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula, Vito Nardelli, Sen. Samuel D. Thompson

Sen. Nellie Pou and Michael Egenton, senior vice president of government relations, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Amy Mansue, president and CEO, Children's Specialized Hospital.

20 |

Heather Weber, partner, ParenteBeard.

John E. Harmon Sr., president and CEO, African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey; and Ray Zardetto, vice president-communications, New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.

Peter J. Hovnanian, principal, J.S. Hovnanian & Sons, LLC.

Photos by Russ DeSantis Photography and Video, LLC

Senate Republican Leader Thomas H. Kean Jr.

New Jersey Chamber of Commerce Members Auto Insurance Discount The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce has partnered with Plymouth Rock Assurance because of our shared commitment to service and value for our customers. As a member or employee, you are entitled to a special 5% discount on auto insurance through Plymouth Rock.

Visit us online at NJChamberQuote.com or call 800-801-0977 today for your free quote.

Plymouth Rock Assurance is a marketing name used by a group of separate companies that write and manage property and casualty insurance in multiple states. Insurance in New Jersey is offered by Plymouth Rock Management Company of New Jersey on behalf of High Point Property and Casualty Insurance Company and its affiliates. Each company is financially responsible only for its own insurance products. Certain restrictions and limitations apply. For a full description of the programs, features, and coverages, please visit PlymouthRockNJ.com.

Group discounts apply to policies written in High Point Property and Casualty Insurance Company. May not be combined with any other group discounts. Š2014 Plymouth Rock Management Company of New Jersey. All rights reserved. 7352/22014

ENTERPRISE 3Q 2014 | 21

news makers

Greg Foran, 53, has been promoted to president and CEO of WALMART U.S. Foran reports directly to Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon.

Greg Foran

Kevin Runyon

PSE&G will provide up to 150 “smart” charging stations on a first-come, first-serve basis to companies that secure a commitment from a minimum of five employees to use electric cars for their commute. PSE&G will provide the charging systems for free. Participating workplaces will need to install the units and pay for the electricity.

The BANK OF AMERICA Charitable Foundation will provide $5 million to support the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles, building on a partnership between Bank of America and Special Olympics that has spanned more than 30 years.

The law firm WILENTZ, GOLDMAN & SPITZER celebrates its 95th anniversary this year. The firm has more than 120 attorneys, and offices in Woodbridge, Eatontown, Philadelphia and New York City. To commemorate the anniversary, employees, clients and alumni celebrated at the firm’s Woodbridge headquarters on the evening of May 20.

Annmarie Simeone, a member of the law firm NORRIS MCLAUGHLIN & MARCUS, was elected to serve as chief financial officer of the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association.

Simeone, a resident of Woodbridge, concentrates her practice on labor and employment counseling and litigation.

Michael Weinberg

Michael A. Weinberg, partner in the Family Law Department of ARCHER & GREINER P.C. in Haddonfield, was selected to serve as secretary of the Family Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

For its Global Day of Service efforts, K&L GATES LLP was presented the “Global Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year” award by American Lawyer magazine. In its Global Day of Service last fall, 1,500 K&L Gates lawyers and staff from five continents served hunger organizations in their communities.

Karen A. Rockoff

22 |

was appointed executive vice president – information technology.

PEAPACK-GLADSTONE FINANCIAL CORPORATION and PEAPACK-GLADSTONE BANK announced that Karen A. Rockoff was promoted to executive vice president, chief risk officer, head of bank enterprise risk management; and Kevin Runyon

Kellie LeDet

The U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION announced the appointment of Kellie LeDet to administrator in Region II, overseeing the SBA’s programs and services in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mike Mascolo, a Madison, N.J.based executive with WELLS FARGO INSURANCE SERVICES, has been promoted to employee benefits national practice leader.

He will be responsible for the employee benefits business in Mike Mascolo Wells Fargo’s Northern and Midwestern states.

SUN NATIONAL BANK has grown its commercial lending team to expand its focus in Central New Jersey. The bank has appointed Patrick Farrell to senior vice president and regional manager to lead the new territory.

Steven Forleiter has been named senior vice president and senior relationship manager, and Brian Schoener has been named vice president and relationship manager of the Central New Jersey commercial lending team.

Celebrating a decade of philanthropy in 2014, THE HORIZON FOUNDATION on July 23 announced the awarding of $1.07 million in grants to 20 New Jersey nonprofit organizations, including a special award in recognition of the foundation’s 1,000th grant.

Catherine Milone, president of JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF NEW JERSEY, received the 2014 Charles R. Hook Award at the annual Junior Achievement USA National Leadership Conference in Pittsburgh.

Catherine Milone The award is presented to the Junior Achievement area president whose professionalism and performance has promoted the growth and development of JA through one of its local operations in the U.S. COMCAST BUSINESS and Inc. Magazine announced that 32 small business owners from across the U.S. have been named regional winners in the “Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs” program, a national competition that will award more than $600,000 in cash and services to aspiring entrepreneurs who are leveraging technology to enhance their businesses. ❖

JANUARY 16, 2015 8:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. THE PALACE AT SOMERSET PARK SOMERSET, NJ

NEW JERSEY’S ECONOMIC CONFERENCE

JANUARY 16, 2015

NEW JERSEY’S MOST IMPORTANT ECONOMIC CONFERENCE With a dynamic and impressive roster of presenters covering New Jersey’s most important business sectors, the New Jersey Economic Leadership Forum is the most far-reaching conference on the issues that shape our state.

Here’s your chance to be part of this critical initiative. Join us Friday, January 16, 2015, as the state’s most influential organizations and leaders come together for an in-depth look at the region’s financial future. With keynote presentations from some of the most prominent minds to panels and discussion forums that drill down to industry-specific detail, the New Jersey Economic Leadership Forum is the bellwether of the Garden State’s prosperity.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE Contact The Warren Group at 617-896-5344 or email events@thewarrengroup.com today!

VISIT WWW.NJECONOMICFORUM.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION! Produced by:

In conjunction with:

Presented by:

Numbers don’t lie: Over 69,000 New Jersey residents have been with us for more than five years.1

UnitedHealthcare is stepping up with health care coverage solutions trusted by thousands of New Jersey businesses.

You want to focus on the health of your company. Let us focus on the health of your employees. For more than 25 years, UnitedHealthcare has been helping businesses like yours meet new health challenges.

And for more than five years, nearly 4,0002 New Jersey businesses have renewed with us, trusting us to serve their 69,113 members.1 Find out why.

Stepping up for better health care

Learn more about how an Oxford plan can help your business.

Visit uhctogether.com/njprint.

1 2

Membership data represents number of members enrolled with groups that have renewed with Oxford for more than five years.

Internal data pulled from Oxford ADW (Analytical Data Warehouse), Feb. 28, 2014.

Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates.. Oxford HMO products are underwritten by Oxford Health Plans (NJ), Inc. Oxford insurance products are underwritten by Oxford Health Insurance, Inc. Š2014 Oxford Health Plans LLC. All rights reserved. UHCNJ690166-000 NJ-14-229