Mayor Calabrese – The Man of the People

With some 25,000 people living in slightly less than 1 square mile, local officials have to be very well attuned to the needs — and complaints — of the residents and be ready to address every issue in order to ensure a well-functioning municipality and happy society.

Beyond its attractive and storied location atop the Palisades and close proximity to New York City, Cliffside Park, established in 1895, offers an intimate and safe small town-persona thanks to the tireless efforts of Mayor Tom Calabrese and his fellow borough officials.

This type of idyllic atmosphere needs a nurturing and supportive borough council and Mayor that strive to create close-knit relationships with its ethnically diversified population. Indeed, many ethnic groups and religious faithful, exemplified by the many different houses of worship, businesses and restaurants, call Cliffside Park home.

“Satisfying the needs of the residents of Cliffside Park is my top priority as mayor, and I’ve vowed to work tirelessly to achieve our goal of providing the best municipal services in Bergen County,” said the mayor, adding that feedback from the residents has influenced the borough’s multiple physical improvement programs.

Mayor Calabrese has achieved this level of service by maintaining an “open door policy” for the residents. He urges them to contact his office either through Internet or telephone and he invites them to visit him at Borough Hall, where they may either voice concerns or provide ideas about improving a wide range of municipal services from the simplest to the most complex.

The Mayor’s mojo is “Working Around the Clock” for residents, community and businesses.

Himself a full-time sales executive, Mayor Calabrese spends hours in his borough office during the week. He also attends dozens of local events, including business openings and civic events, mingling freely, hugging, and shaking hands with residents who are eager to say hello. He’s also personally keyed into the school district’s concerns since he currently has two children in the system. In the summer, he is a regular fixture at the Cliffside Park Junior Police Academy.

The town’s old-world character is maintained through the hundreds of older traditional and sturdy brick houses across town. In addition to the sprouting high-rises, two of the best known facilities are the senior citizens’ center hear Borough Hall and the nearby PAL hall for youth.

It is indeed an enviable position for Mayor Tom Calabrese as he campaigns for reelection on Tuesday, November 5.

Follow Mayor Calabrese on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thomas.calabrese.750

Cliffside Park Rides a Wave of Prosperity ahead of 2019 Elections

Mayor Tom Calabrese

Cliffside Park, a town of some 25,150 residents, situated atop of the storied Palisades, just across the Hudson from Manhattan, is riding a wave of prosperity ahead of the 2019 elections thanks to the diligence and hard work of Mayor Tom Calabrese and the Borough officials.

Cliffside Park officials’ efforts, which are capped by the motto of “Working Around the Clock,” have resulted in the expansion and improvement of its municipal services to residents perhaps more than any other community in Bergen County. This amazing feat was accomplished without additional costs to taxpayers. The borough’s noteworthy strides as the community to consider for your residence and business also caught the attention of The New York Times in its favorable article this past summer.

According to officials, with a total of some $19 million spent since 2016, they have revitalized the borough with a multi-faceted beautification program for its two major avenues – Palisade and Anderson – and shopping hub. It has overhauled all of its parks, including purchasing new recreational equipment for children and attractive benches and sitting areas for older residents, and has an ongoing multi-year plan to replace the surfaces of sidewalks and roadways and its antiquated sewers.

To further serve the needs of the residents, the Borough purchased new public safety and public works vehicles. Additionally, at a cost of more than $700,000 it is installing a video surveillance system to aid police by providing it “eyes” at all of the municipality’s major intersections. Residents were introduced to the new Cliffside Park “Neighbors” surveillance app at a recent Neighborhood Block Watch meeting with the police.

In addition to $11 million in capital outlays, the borough has been fortunate to obtain $8 million in grants since 2012, including more than $1.3 million in 2018 to partly fund these revitalization programs at no extra cost to taxpayers.

According to the credit rating agency Standard and Poors, this year Cliffside Park maintained an AA+ rating because of its “very strong economy” and “budgetary performance.”

The borough’s favorable economic situation was abetted by its recent unanticipated collection of $3.3 million in additional tax revenue and its PILOT program with the new Towne Center high-rise and retail venues on Anderson Avenue that generate from $700,000 to $1 million annually under a ground lease agreement. The borough has also received some $4 million under its developer’s agreement with the Towne Center.

According to borough officials, in addition to its financial insight in saving its taxpayers money, there is no tax rise for municipal purposes in 2019 – Cliffside Park is unique in other ways.

A rather enviable position for Mayor Tom Calabrese as he campaigns for reelection on Tuesday, November 5.

Follow Mayor Calabrese on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thomas.calabrese.750

Next, the Mayor’s “Open Door Policy.”

Family Small Business Filled with Success

Water Bagel and Deli at 504 Livingston St, Norwood, NJ, is not your run-of-the-mill eatery, it’s more than a deli and more than a bakery. While others open their doors before sunrise to bring in food products to sell, owner Eqbal Sarwary is already busy in the kitchen baking fresh, aromatic handmade bagels for his hungry patrons.

Mayor James Barsa (center) of Norwood, NJ, with the Water Bagel and Deli crew.

The concept, the owner and business have all the trappings of a successful future.

Eqbal launched the business in August 2018 and today the thriving restaurant is open seven days a week from 5 am to 4 pm. He catches his patrons going and coming home.

For Eqbal, this wasn’t really a new endeavor. It was merely a natural transition for a food expert from one type of foodservice another. Eqbal has been in the food and hospitality business for 30 years and finally he fulfilled his dream of having his own establishment.

Water Bagel and Deli, which is staffed by family members, has on display a wide range of freshly baked bagels including economically priced favorites such as plain, garlic, onion, poppy seed and pumpernickel as well as creative baked treats such as whole wheat, multigrain rainbow and a delicious and moist spinach bagel. The deli also has a range of toppings including popular flavored cream cheese, Nova Scotia lox, jelly or jam, and butter.

Other breakfast and lunch menu selections include mini bagels and flagels, omelets, hot lunch sandwiches, wraps, veggie sandwiches, salads and grab-and-go salads.

An array of regular, flavored and de-caf coffees as well as a selection of teas and soft drinks is also available.

 “Our hot delicious bagels are kettle boiled and oven baked, fresh on premises throughout the day so we never run out of what the customer wants,” observed Eqbal. “Our mission is to provide fresh, healthy, nutritious and great tasting breakfast and lunch at reasonable prices in a clean, friendly and convenient environment.”

Eqbal and his family are emigres from Afghanistan and their success is a tribute to what can be done not only in the United States but also in Northern Jersey.

Yes, this small business caters to the busy consumer who is seeking an appetizing and healthy grab-and-go sandwich but why miss out on all the excitement of downtown Norwood. Water Bagel and Deli features a spacious and friendly eat-in area for those patrons who would rather sit a spell, eat their meals and talk with their friends and neighbors. Who knows, you may even get to see local Mayor James Barsa, one of the deli’s regulars.

Their website is https://www.waterbagelanddeli.com/, where you can sign up for their regular notices, and you can also follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

Ban Plastic in Small Businesses, Foodservice & Retail

It’s probably the loudest and most forceful rallying cry in commerce and modern society.

Ban plastic in businesses, foodservice, retail and your homes.

That includes, straws, utensils, plates, cups, lids, bags, bottles and other objects made from non-renewable sources.

Will that create a better world? Perhaps. But don’t bet against it. Savvy business owners are at least listening because the person walking through the door is insisting on it.

Here are some generally accepted reasons for banning plastic bags and other plastic objects:

1.                   Plastic bags do not only pollute our water but also our land. Plastic bags are usually lightweight and can travel very long distances by either water or wind. Wind blows these plastic bags and trashes a whole area. This litter gets caught up in between trees, fences and floats in water bodies and moves to the oceans.

2.                   The plastic bags are made from non-renewable sources and contribute to climate change. Most of plastic is made of polypropylene which is a material manufactured from petroleum and natural gas. All of the materials are non-renewable fossil fuel-based materials and through their extraction and even production, greenhouse gases are created which further contribute to global climate change.

3.                   A lot of energy is used to produce these bags. The total amount of energy required to drive a car for one kilometer or 0.5 miles is the equivalent energy required to produce nine plastic bags. It is not rational that these non-renewable resources are used to make plastic bags when the typical useful life of each and every plastic bag is around 12 minutes.

4.                   Plastic bags do not degrade. In truth, petroleum based plastic bags never degrade. Instead of the plastic degrading, it is broken down into small tiny pieces which end up in the oceans and are then consumed by wildlife. Currently, there are some 46,000-1 million plastic fragments floating within every square mile of the globes oceans.

5.                   Plastic bags are harmful to wildlife and marine life. Birds, animals and marine life such as sea turtles and fish often mistake the plastic bag and other plastic materials for food and consume them. What happens once they consume these plastic materials is that their digestive system gets congested leading to the development of health infections and death when there is suffocation. The animals may also become easily entangled inside the plastic.

6.                   Plastic bags are harmful to human health. There are some chemicals from the plastic bags which can disrupt the normal functioning of hormones in the body. Most plastic fragments in the oceans like plastic bags have some pollutants such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) together with PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) which are hormone disrupting. Once the marine animals consume these chemicals, they move through the food web then later into the humans who consume fish together with other marine animals. The chemical materials bio-accumulates in the sea animals and fish system as they are exposed to them in the ocean waters. When the humans prepare them they consume all these chemicals affecting their health. They could develop cancers or other serious conditions.

7.                   Plastic bags are expensive and hard to clean or remove from the environment. The amount of plastic bag cleanup is around 17 cents per bag thus in average the taxpayers end up paying around $88 each year just on plastic bag waste. These plastic bags also cost 3-5 cents each. Thus, the plastic considered free is not free after all. Individuals pay a lot to purchase them and even for reusing them. For this reason, plastics should simply be banned.

8.                   Plastic bags have external costs. Several costs are attributed to the production of plastic bags. A prime example is the production and environmental costs.

9.                   Plastic bags are not easy to recycle. Plastic bags are said to present significant challenge in terms of recycling. Recycling facilities do not have the capacity to recycle plastic bags and thus do not accept them. Therefore, the actual recycling rate for plastic bags is around 5%.

10.               Plastic bags tend to last more; perhaps forever and we even use so many of them. Plastic bags never degrade completely so the more the amount of plastic bags the more there is plastic pollution and its effects. Banning the use of plastic bags will help reduce this great effect.

11.               Even if we did decide to recycle plastic bags, these materials still end up in oceans and landfills. Recycling the plastic bags does not affect the fact that they will still be dumped into the environment and end up into either landfills or oceans. These recycled plastic bags are not degradable and cause the same effects as non-recycled plastic bags.

12.               These plastic bags are impacting the environment negatively by making the Great Pacific garbage patch bigger every minute. Most of the plastic materials once released into the environment find their way into waterways and once they are there they dumped into oceans. Great Pacific Ocean is one such area negatively affected with all the plastic material. The more they are thrown into the oceans the more they increase causing the garbage patch to increase in size.

13.               Bans should be adopted because they are greatly effective at reducing plastic big waste. China banned plastic bags and four years later, the amount of plastic bags thrown into the environment had reduced by 40 billion. If the US bans plastic bags, there would be fewer landfills.

14.               Plastic bags don’t keep our streets clean. Most of our cities are not clean because people don’t care to know where they throw their garbage. They do it in water bodies, streets and in the landfills. These wastes litter our streets making them look ugly affecting their aesthetic value.

15.               It helps spread awareness. When we ban plastic bags, we keep our environment clean and at the same time send some message globally about the importance of environment protection. People learn that banning plastic is for a reason and they can take up such important information. They can subsequently begin to understand that the plastic causes some negative effects and the environment and humans need protection against them.

16.               With a ban on plastic bags, there would be improved technology which would boost other businesses. With such a ban, the society would be required to produce some more sophisticated bags. A great manpower will be required by the manufacturing factories so they can make eco-friendly and greener materials.

17.               Banning plastic bags helps save money. These plastics cost a lot of money because the final costs account for the total production costs from their manufacture using petroleum to when they will be thrown away.

18.               People are ready for the ban and thus, it should be adopted. People have seen how much the plastic bags have adverse effects on their health’s and environment and thus, they have desired and opted for change. This change is the use of eco-friendly materials.

19.               Through banning plastic bags, the people will learn to support local workers together with green industries.

20.               People can opt for manufacturing reusable bags so that they create products which are sustainable. Manufacturing reusable bags will create new job opportunities in terms of green manufacturing, research and processing of packaging products.

21.               Other nations are banning the use of plastic because they have noticed that it is causing harm to the environment and human health. Currently, over 40 nations together with municipalities around the globe have instituted plastic bag bans. Other nations should follow suit to reduce the overall environmental implications.

22.               UN Environment Program secretariat has recommended a ban on all plastic bags worldwide. This means there are a thousand and one reasons for the ban of plastic bags. If some governments cannot ban them completely, then they can make the people pay heftily for using plastic bags to discourage its usage.

23.               Through the banning of plastic, cities in various nations can begin to focus on other bigger waste diversion challenges. Cities have had set targets that they are supposed to achieve like in Toronto, Canada where the city council is required to achieve 70% waste diversion by 2010. People cannot achieve the set target because most households do not have green bins. If there is plastic bag bans then city council can place their focus and attention on getting green bins to various apartment buildings and then meeting waste diversion targets.

Recently, USA Today reported that Marriott Hotels will be eliminating plastic straws from its 6,500 hotels within the next year. This is a big deal not only because of the sheer scale of the ban – it will reportedly eliminate 1 billion plastic straws and a quarter-billion stirrers annually – or the fact that hotels are kind of a ground zero for beverage consumption, but also because an awful lot of these properties will be in beachfront locations and/or other areas of natural beauty.

Whole Foods Market is displaying a sign in its supermarkets that says no straws at all – plastic or paper – unless you request one.

Wegmans plans to reduce in-store plastic made from fossil fuels by 2 million pounds this year and seeks to eliminate 10 million pounds by 2024. The supermarket chain is targeting packaging and other single-use plastics. So far in 2019, Wegmans reports replacing plastic straws and drink stirrers with renewable fiber alternatives at all of their corporate work sites and 98 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts.

To help reach its goal for this year, the company is collaborating with the Center for Sustainable Packaging at Rochester Institute of Technology to identify alternatives. Wegmans anticipates replacing some current packaging with materials made from plant-based renewable fiber, the company says.

Carlsberg beer cans are to be stuck together with glue as it becomes one of the first brewers to abandon plastic rings. The Danish brewer said the move, which has been heralded as a world-first, to attach its multi-packs with adhesive will reduce the use of plastic to package products by 75%.

After a three-year development process, Carlsberg insists the dots of glue bonding its new “Snap Packs” are strong enough to withstand journeys from shelves to homes, yet sufficiently brittle to break when twisted. The eco-friendly packaging innovation will debut in Great Britain, where 30% of Carlsberg’s beer output is drunk every year.

In the mecca of shopping in northeast New Jersey, Paramus, you won’t get plastic bogs for your merchandise if a proposal to ban plastic bags is approved by the borough. The Borough Council introduced the ordinance last week that will ban plastic bags and Styrofoam from every store and restaurant, including the borough’s four major malls. The final draft of the ordinance will be tweaked with input from the Paramus Environmental Commission in the coming days.

Paramus is a significant trophy in the effort to broadly ban plastic bags, says Jennifer Coffey, executive director of the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions.

“This is something that is not only possible, but achievable now,” Coffey was quoted as saying. “It’s not something you have to wait to do in the future. It makes a huge difference in for our quality of life and ecosystem.”

Approximately 4.5 billion plastic bags and other products are given to New Jersey shoppers each year. Since the Garden State Plaza was ranked the ninth most lucrative mall in the nation last year by CNBC, with $950 worth of sales per square feet, the impact of removing plastic bags from these retailers could be considerable. Paramus is home to hundreds of large retailers, including Target and Kohl’s, REI and Bed Bath & Beyond as well as pricey brands. 

The Bergen County town won’t be the first municipality with a large retail presence to ban plastic bags: Seattle, Chicago, and all of California have bans in place. Locally, Jersey City and Hoboken have enacted plastic bag bans. New York’s ban is also on the list for next year. 

Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed legislation recently that made the state the first to ban businesses from selling or distributing products made of Styrofoam, also known as polystyrene foam.

“Polystyrene cannot be recycled like a lot of other products, so while that cup of coffee may be finished, the Styrofoam cup it was in is not,” Mills was quoted as saying in a statement, according to The Boston Herald. “In fact, it will be around for decades to come and eventually it will break down into particles, polluting our environment, hurting our wildlife, and even detrimentally impacting our economy,” she said.

More than 256 million pieces of disposable foam cups, plates, bowls, platters and trays are used every year in Maine, the Natural Resources Council of Maine said in a news release after Mills, a Democrat, signed the bill. Businesses, including restaurants and grocery stores, will have to switch to eco-friendly alternatives.

ALDI US, a chain with more than 1,800 US stores in 35 states – including five in the Garden State – that serves more than 40 million customers each month, has announced new commitments to plastic packaging reduction.

According to its press statement, the company is uniquely positioned to influence how its products are sourced, produced and brought to shelves because more than 90% of the store’s range is ALDI-exclusive. The company plans to reach the following set of goals by working with its suppliers:

• By 2025, 100% of ALDI packaging, including plastic packaging, will have reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging;

• By 2025, packaging material of all ALDI-exclusive products to be reduced by at least 15%;

• By 2020, 100% of ALDI-exclusive consumable packaging to include How2Recycle label;

• By 2020, implement an initiative to make private-label product packaging easier for customers to reuse;

• Guide continuous improvement of product packaging by internal expertise and external evaluations.

Greenpeace Senior Oceans Campaigner David Pinsky observed, “ALDI US is taking steps in the right direction by acknowledging its role in the plastic pollution crisis, and beginning to embrace reduction and reuse. The company has already taken positive steps by never offering single-use plastic grocery bags, ensuring they are kept out of landfills and our oceans.”

To further reduce the amount of foodservice packaging that ends up as waste, restaurants have been urged to make sure they’re purchasing recyclable materials and disposing of them properly. A high percentage of restaurant operators report that they recycle, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2017 Restaurant Sustainability Survey, which found that 29% of restaurants recycle rigid plastics such as cups, some 22% recycle cling wrap and other flexible plastics, and 65% recycle paper and cardboard.

Placing clearly labeled bins and instructions on signage or even the packaging itself can help encourage diners to put their used containers and utensils in the right place when they’re finished. However, differences in recycling capabilities from place to place can make this a more difficult proposition for restaurants with multiple locations.

Recycling and composting is still very much a local issue, so while you may be able to recycle your paper cups in one town you may not do it in the neighboring community. There may not be a national message about recycling but certainly from a local standpoint that’s a little easier.

This growing movement of packaging and utensils being taken out of the restaurant has driven more operators to consider the full life cycle of foodservice packaging. Recycling and composting packages at the end of their life can help reduce waste, but buying packages made from more sustainable materials also has a positive impact on the environment that isn’t dependent on what customers do with the package once they leave the restaurant.

Nearly three in four restaurateurs said they buy at least some packaging and supplies that contain recycled materials, the National Restaurant Association survey found. There’s a wide variety of sustainable packaging and utensils on the market, and operators should “talk to their suppliers about what’s available to them,” advised Laura Abshire, the NRA’s director of sustainability policy and government affairs.

Operators should also talk with distributors and other suppliers about products that they’d like to see offered, and give feedback on how products could be improved. Making sure product performance doesn’t suffer as sustainability improves is key for restaurants, where customer experience is paramount.

The way this campaign has evolved has made the merchant’s opinion almost irrelevant. What is important is that the notion of banning plastic exists and it has attracted a significant number of consumers as passionate adherents – and those consumers, their customers, are adamant about banning plastic and sustainability.

Most people are choosing companies that take a stand on important social, cultural, environmental and political issues, according to an online survey of nearly 30,000 consumers by Accenture Strategy, conducted across 35 countries between August and October 2018.

From compostable doggy poo bags and bamboo toothbrushes to plastic bag bans and electric cars, businesses are standing up to the challenge as consumers flex their wallets. The study found that nearly two-thirds of consumers prefer to buy goods and services from companies whose values align with theirs.

Specifically, more than 60% of respondents said they gravitate towards businesses committed to reducing plastics and improving the environment. Half of those surveyed said they prefer companies that stand up for societal and cultural issues and related causes – not just paying lip service to those causes; authenticity is also highly valued.

Three quarters said they like companies that use high quality ingredients, while more than 60% said they favor businesses that are transparent and treat employees well.

And consumers are ditching businesses that don’t make the grade. Nearly half said they have boycotted companies as a result of those organizations’ actions, and two-thirds believe that refusing to buy a company’s product or complaining on social media can impact how firms behave.

Consumers’ push on businesses is sparking attention in the boardrooms. After all, why should a business – small or otherwise – not heed what the customers’ wants? If the consumers want sustainability, they’ll get it. It consumers don’t want to see plastic, they won’t see it.

Consequently, it’s not smart to reject customer preferences.

“The truth is that sustainable business is good business. Report after report provides irrefutable evidence that companies delivering total value for people, planet and profit significantly outperform their competitors and deliver higher margins. The economic value of sustainable business has now come to the attention of investors and asset managers. Investors are increasingly demanding information on the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) impacts of their investments. BlackRock, for example, established a range of sustainable exchange-traded funds (ETFs) last year in response to this demand,” noted Lise Kingo, CEO and executive director of UN Global Compact.

And finally for those business owners who are still too stubborn to recognize what’s good for their cash registers, Richard Kestenbaum, co-founder and partner at Triangle Capital LLC, summarized: “I’m not saying that’s a bad thing or a good thing — the important point here is: smart retail brands who want to do good business will listen to their environmentally-sensitive consumers and market their products accordingly.”

In New Jersey, visit the Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) or the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry (or your state’s ASBDC center) about becoming sustainable, helping the planet and growing your business.

17 SDG Principles are Good for Business; Let’s Look at Diversity & Inclusion

I’ve been writing about the business benefits of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) since they were adopted by the United Nations in September 2015.

I’m not touting my uniqueness just my alignment with the goals. Unquestionably, sustainability is good for the planet, good for the community, good for you, and good for large and small businesses, as it offers everyone a wide range of benefits and attract consumers.

Linda McMahon, former administrator of the Small Business Administration, had testified before the US Senate Small Business Committee that women flourish more in an environment that has mentoring and counseling, which is why women’s business development centers – like the New Jersey Small Business Development Centers – are so important.

McMahon said the advice and direction provided by the SBA’s district staffs across the country, along with their resource and lending partners, are part of a “very critical ecosystem” that benefit women in business. Her use of the word “ecosystem” is suitable because it conjures up an image of all inhabitants contributing to one another’s welfare. “Every day, this collective effort helps entrepreneurs navigate the complexities of business ownership,” she pointed out.

Small business ownership and growth are complicated undertakings and require entrepreneurs to be skilled jugglers that can simultaneously manage every facet of their companies’ activities. It stands to reason that an astute business owner should assemble the most comprehensive, skilled team of managers and employees possible. This group should include both skilled men and women dispersed horizontally and vertically throughout the company.

Hiring and promoting women offers your business comprehensive benefits that will illuminate its presence and successes locally and globally. Such a business plan supports UN Sustainable Development Goal #5 – Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls. Consequently, by hiring and promoting women, your small business declares itself to be sustainable and you should invest time and money in pursuing this endeavor.

The case for companies to act is compelling. It contributes to your growth, drives your business and adds to your bottom line.

For example, in a recent survey of 366 companies, consultancy McKinsey & Co. found that companies whose leadership roles were most balanced between men and women were more likely to report financial returns above their national industry median. This means that companies with more balanced leadership do a better job recruiting and retaining talented workers, reducing the costs associated with replacing top executives. They also have stronger customer relations because management better reflects the diversity of society, and they tend to make better decisions because a wider array of viewpoints is considered.

Another report, titled “The CS Gender 3000: Women in Senior Management,” shows that companies with more female directors and senior executives tend to have higher returns and dividend payout ratios. The report found the shares of companies with at least one female director outperformed those of firms led by all-male boards by about 3.7% in 2005 and 2013.

While, Sodexo, a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services, which has 419,000 employees in 80 countries, after a company-wide study found that units with equal numbers of men and women in management roles delivered more profits more consistently than those dominated by men.

Successful women are more likely than successful men to own a business so they can pursue a personal passion and to make a positive impact on the world – like fostering the 17 SDGs, according to 2013 U.S. Trust Insights on Wealth and Worth. Seventy percent of the women and only 62% of the men are committed to increasing the level of their sustainable activities, according to Cox Conserves, a national sustainability program run by Cox Communications and Media. Ultimately, this benefits women-owned businesses because consumers are drawn to sustainable businesses.

Pharmaceutical giant Merck is another company that has embarked on the road to diversity and inclusion.

Celeste Warren, head of Merck’s diversity and inclusion initiative, was a believer before she was tapped for the position at the 68,000-employee, 126-year-old company. In a recent article in mmm-online.com, she explained that looking at numbers is a myopic approach to diversity and inclusion.

“It was all about percentages: How many women? How many people of color? We needed to go beyond the numbers and understand how to leverage diversity to create a more inclusive environment, but also to drive our business,” Warren explained.

She realized that diversity and inclusion isn’t human resources accounting – two men in this department matched by two women in that department; three white people here coupled with three people of color, and so on. It’s corporate culture. She wanted to create an environment of respect, where employees felt comfortable to work and succeed and contribute to the growth of the company.

Warren’s bottom-line-focused concept, in effect, is what differentiates her concept from the ones taken by her other companies. “As much as we want to believe people embrace D&I because they’re passionate about it and it’s the right thing to do, businesses are in business. They have to drive profits,” she explained. “I try to make an impact with D&I not just from a moral, corporate-responsibility aspect, but also from the standpoint of how it adds value to our business.”

As crass as it sounds, it has been said around large and small corporate tables, if it doesn’t add to the bottom line, why do it? Diversity and inclusion does add to the bottom line.

“I unapologetically believe that, at the intersection of business and diversity and inclusion, you do create a competitive advantage,” she pointed out.

Finding that intersection is key for large and small businesses as well as SDG#5.

Turning inwardly, Warren appreciates that the internal case for more diversity and inclusion is just as easily stated though far from easy to effect. “People of Muslim faith, the person who’s gay in the Asia-Pacific region, the African-American person in the U.S., Latino/Hispanic people who live near the border — people are stressed about their communities,” she observed. “We can’t shut that stress down, so what are we doing to help and allow our employees to be themselves so that they can feel safe and be productive at work? That’s a question we need to ask every day.”

Employees that feel confident about themselves especially inside their companies, are productive and contribute to their businesses’ bottom lines. Human resources departments must strive to create such an environment.

As for SDG #5, it does not merely pertain to hyping equal rights for women and then disregarding what to do once you’ve assumed that status.

Since you, as the executive or owner, support SDG #5, your task is to ensure that women fully participate and are equally represented in all levels of national and local leadership and decision-making in economic, political and social aspects of life. A major reason why women are still lagging behind socially and economically is because they lack political, economic, social and civil support for their plans and goals. Largely due to educational qualification barriers, women representative positions are either given to under-qualified women or even men who have little or no knowledge of what exactly the challenges faced by women are.

You’ve also committed to formulate and execute social reforms to grant women equal ability to access economic resources, financial services, and ownership and control of properties such as lands and homes, in accordance with respective national laws.

As I have written before, according to official predictions, businesses that participate in the Sustainable Development Goals – the goals that pertain to the ecology as well as human being – stand to experience an unbelievable windfall. The SDGs have the potential to unleash innovation, economic growth and development at an unprecedented scale and could be worth at least $12 trillion a year in market opportunities and generate up to 380 million new jobs by 2030.

The SDGs hold great possibilities for all businesses. There are 17 of them. Pick just one.

Assemblyman Johnson of New Jersey Says

Great Time for Entrepreneurs to Start Businesses

Assemblyman Gordon Johnson with Ihor Dlaboha of Boosting Your Outreach

With a strong business climate enveloping New Jersey and the country, as well as an advantageous location, savvy entrepreneurs should now seriously consider fulfilling their dreams of launching their own small business, believes Assemblyman Gordon Johnson (D-37 Legislative District).

Johnson explained in a recent conversation that in addition to a strong economy other factors that are contributing to his upbeat view are low unemployment and general consumer optimism.
“People are out looking to buy products and services to help them in their daily lives,” elaborated the Bergen County legislator, who also serves as speaker pro tem of the New Jersey General Assembly. “I think that those individuals who are willing to take the risk, do their research and open a shop or provide a service or sell a product will find the climate good for them.”

Local entrepreneurs and business owners are furthermore fortunate because the regional geography is conducive to commercial endeavors. The Northeast is crisscrossed by highways and railroads, airports and seaports.

“One-third of the USA lives within a day’s drive of Port Newark. That’s a lot of people and a big marketplace,” Johnson stated.

Entrepreneurs must keep in mind the economic significance of what New Jersey offers them, he said.

“We have an educated population and workforce. Our network and infrastructure are strong. We are located across the Hudson River from the economic engine called New York City. Businesses can ship their products from here to anywhere. This is a great location to start a small business,” he described. “Furthermore, whether you like mountains in the northwest or the shore in the southeast, New Jersey is a place where you can live comfortably. There is also history, culture, theater.”

However, the encouraging condition is not without challenges, he cautioned. Business owners must be well prepared before they hang up an “Open for Business” sign on their doors. They should tap into all of the state’s assistance programs.

“If you want to open a small business you have to make sure you know how to run a small business. You have to make sure you are educated and trained in the basic business tenet of being in the black rather than red,” he cautioned. “Also, you must be confident that your product or service is viable in the area that you’re in. Is there a demand for it?”

Johnson offered as an example a new shoe repair shop that he came across in Englewood, NJ, pointing out that in searching for a practical location the businessman did his homework because there are no other shops of that kind in the community.

“So there will be demand for his service as well as spinoffs into leather goods repairs,” he said.

One of the best places for an aspiring business owner to learn how to launch a business is the New Jersey Small Business Development Center (NJSBDC), a network of 12 centers across of Garden State as well as an additional 28 affiliate offices. For more than 40 years this valuable network has provided cost-free comprehensive services and programs for small businesses in New Jersey as its experts assist men and women in launching or growing their companies and getting financing.

“Businessmen and women should take advantage of the NJSBDC and its Bergen County location in Ramapo College. It is a great incubating resource,” Johnson said. “When you leave that nest and start your own business, you have a foundation that will help you grow.”

While indicating that Trenton does a lot to help small businesses, the assemblyman said he is currently on a campaign to increase funding for the NJSBDC.

“The business of America is business and in New Jersey, small business is the backbone of our economy. We have to support small businesses along Main Street, New Jersey,” he said, emphasizing that the legislature is ready to help business owners overcome obstacles to their activity.

How long the good times will last is anyone’s guess, Johnson observed, but he suspects that there will be sustained growth for the next three years. However, entrepreneurs should not fret.

“Small businesses are fortunate to be able to withstand economic downturns because people still need to have their personal and domestic needs met and small businesses meet those needs,” he said.

Sustainability is a contemporary buzzword that should attract the attention of entrepreneurs because it offers benefits to the community as well as the small business. Johnson said millennials in particular support companies that are sustainable, environmentally friendly and promote green energy.

Johnson continued by saying that the ecology offers vast business opportunities for New Jersey firms in terms of sub-contracting for green energy projects. He specifically noted off-shore wind systems will be built near New Jersey, other technology initiatives and water infrastructure projects.

“Small businesses and the legislature must have a vision of what they want New Jersey to look like 20 years from now. In that vision should be green energy, sustainability, and reducing the carbon footprint,” he listed.

Small businesses in New Jersey come in all sizes and shapes – traditional, young and old, women’s, professional, food and hospitality, veterans and non-veterans, manufacturers, and immigrant – and Trenton is committed to helping them not only survive but also thrive.

“Small business is the backbone of New Jersey. Clever and dedicated entrepreneurs that find money and take the risk open businesses support their communities and the state. That’s great. That’s what this country is built on,” Johnson said.

Calling All Entrepreneurs and Novice Small Business Owners

The economic climate outside is great for launching a small business and current owners are pleased with the results so far.

The top line is that small businesses expect increased sales as well as an increase in staffing.

According to Paychex Inc., coming out of the recent recession, small business entrepreneurship has played an important role in growing the economy. Based on a historical analysis of a subset of its small business clients (1-49 employees), Paychex evaluated the rate of small business entrepreneurship before, during, and after the recession and found that the rate of entrepreneurship grew immediately following the recession, peaking in 2012 and 2013, and then moderated, declining slightly until 2017 when it began to accelerate again.

Most significantly for entrepreneurial newcomers is that the majority of current small business owners would recommend starting a business today, according to Paychex. More than three quarters of small business owners (79%) would recommend starting a business today, while 21% would not. More than 70% of business owners describe today’s business environment as either better or the same compared to when they started their business.

Of those respondents, 46% said the business environment is better and 25% said it is the same. Only 26% of business owners describe today’s business environment as worse.

Business owners who started their company during or closely following the recession (4-9 years ago) were more likely (57%) to say the business environment is better today than when they started. Among those who started their companies 10-19 years ago or 20 or more years ago, only 44% and 32%, respectively, said the business environment is better compared with when they started their company.

This dovetails with another poll. US small-business owners are largely positive about their financial situations, according to a Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Survey conducted April 1-5. Seven in 10 owners describe themselves as “more optimistic than pessimistic” about the financial outlook for their business over the next 12 months with 84% saying their company’s financial situation will be either very good or somewhat good one year from now. And, almost eight in 10 owners describe their current financial situation as very or somewhat good.

Based on this positive outlook for 2019, it is only normal for business owners to increase their staff. More than half (55.5%) said they will be adding new staff, with only 2.6% lowering the number of employees in their organization. For the remaining 42.5%, 2019 is not a year they will be hiring.

The gross domestic product for the first quarter of 2019 was impressive, delivering an annualized rate growth of 3.2%. Along with that positive number, in April, the US economy added 275,000 jobs. This has driven the unemployment rate down to 3.6%, the lowest in 50 years (December, 1969).

For its part, the small businesses with 1-49 employees added 77,000 jobs. This is up by a considerable margin from the 6,000 jobs created in March.

Small businesses with 50-499 employees added 145,000 jobs while those with more than 500 employees added 53,000.

While owners are optimistic about the economy in the coming year they are concerned by challenges attributed to the talent shortage. The low unemployment rate is making it much harder for small businesses to find the talent they need. In the press release for April’s ADP report, Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, observed, “The job market is holding firm, as businesses work hard to fill open positions.”

A survey carried out by QuickBridge has revealed small business owners are optimistic about the coming year. In response to the question “How do you expect the U.S. economy to perform in 2019?” 59.9% of small business owners said they will see an increase. This was followed by 27.7% who said the year will remain flat, and the remaining 12.9% believed it will take a downturn.

In addition to low employment numbers (3.9%), wages are increasing, businesses across the board are hiring, and banks are approving record number of loans, a face that bodes well for small businesses. All told, these economic indicators create a positive environment for new businesses and those looking to expand.

The second QuickBridge question looked into what small businesses expect in term of sales for the year. A clear majority (83%) said it is going to increase, with 15% saying it will remain flat and only 2.29% indicating it will be a down year.

Small businesses face a host of challenges, but for this year securing capital took the top spot at 40.8% of the respondents. Increasing profits was next at 28.8%, growth at 22.7%, hiring employees at 20.6%, and new products/services was last with 11.5%.

Regarding financing or securing capital, QuickBridge asked: “How do you find the current financing process offered by online lenders vs. the process at traditional lenders?” Almost an equal amount found the process difficult and very easy at 24.5% and 22.8% respectively. The remaining 53.5% said it was fairly easy.

Consequently, the bottom line for entrepreneurs and novice businessmen and women, is don’t be put off by temporary pitfalls and complications. Stay in the ring for all 12 rounds. Look for skilled marketers, salespeople and social media managers to grow sales.

Look for cost-free consultation from a host of sources like NJSBDC and SCORE and then listen to the cash register.