Have A Business Need? NJBAC Can Help!
The NJBAC is offering no-cost technical assistance, training, and problem-solving – we are here to support all of your Business Enhancement needs. Whether you have a one-off resource question, are looking for a strategic assessment of a district, or could use some quick visualized tactical inspiration to foster visible and tangible change, NJBAC can help.
Contact NJBAC Assistant Director Jef Buehler to start the conversation and move towards action.
Today’s email has information on assistance we can provide, as well as about technical and financial resources that may be a fit for your community or district. Please feel free to share this information with other officials, district management stakeholders, and businesses. To see all prior Business Enhancement Connection emails, click here!
Best Practices
Public Innovation Playbook for Local Governments: The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University has released the Path to Public Innovation Playbook and Toolkit, comprehensive resources that share best practices from more than 10 years of Innovation Team (i-team) experiences and resident-engagement initiatives. The Playbook and Toolkit compile insights from cities worldwide, where public-sector i-teams and innovation-focused city leaders have successfully addressed issues such as paid family leave, property vacancy, public safety, social service delivery, and more. Download the Toolkit here and download the Playbook here.
Free Small Business Manual – English and Spanish: Want to connect your small businesses with a how-to guide to start up and grow in New Jersey? Check out and share the NJ Small Business Manual! Municipal and District Management staff and elected leadership can promote the NJBAC NJ Small Business Manual/Manual para Pequeñas Empresas de New Jersey in newsletters, emails and on social media for downloading or ordering, and may also order multiple copies (up to 25 in each language per order) for free distribution to local businesses and entrepreneurs as well. Bulk printed orders in both languages can be made by emailing a request to NJBAC, and they will be sent to the to the municipality or organization directly. To the extent we can work together to ensure our small businesses grow and thrive by offering this kind of support, our local and State economy and quality of life will be enhanced for all of us.
Parking Progress & Resources: in 2024, over 20 cities abolished parking mandates, including major wins in Spokane (WA, 228k), Birmingham (AL, 210k), and Regina (Canada, 228k), as well as many smaller communities. In NJ, there are a documented 10 municipalities that have geographically targeted areas with no parking minimums (typically downtowns) and/or that have reduced their parking minimum requirements in mixed-use or commercial districts or zones. This diverse group of pro-active municipalities ranging from 1,300 to 262,000 residents includes Elizabeth, Flemington, Frenchtown, Jersey City, Keyport, Lakewood, Metuchen, Newark, Paterson, and Princeton. Take a look at the Parking Reform Network Mandates Map to check out their codes and ordinances. Want guidance or training on why removing/lessening parking minimums is a key economic development tool for downtowns and districts? Send NJBAC an email and we can start that conversation.
Featured Grants & Support
EDA Grants And Funding To Share With Your District/Community Businesses:
1) Main Street Acquisition Support Grant
· Grant up to $50,000 to reimburse an eligible NJ small business for closing costs related to a NJ commercial property that the business purchased to operate from and available for both for-profit and non-profit entities that occupy at least 1,000 square feet of total usable commercial square footage of the building.
· Closing must have taken place after 10/01/2024 and grant application date must be no later than one year from date of closing.
· Program details and grant application are available here: Main Street Acquisition Support Grant – NJEDA
2) New Jersey Capital Access Fund
· Provides working capital loans up to $250,000 with fixed interest rates and flexible spending guidelines for 36-60 month terms and no prepayment penalties.
· Must operate in NJ with fewer than 50 employees, not exceed $10 million on annual revenue and must have been in business for at least 1 year
· Programs details and pre-apply can be found here- Pre-Apply – New Jersey Capital Access Fund. Applicants can also select to receive technical assistance along with the loan.
Want Healthy Zoning? A Free Assistance Program: The Center for Zoning Solutions (CZS) is excited to announce the launch of the Zoning for Equitable Solutions and Thriving Communities (ZEST) technical assistance program. This free program directly supports community-based organizations working to change health inequities by supporting them through capacity building to reform local land use rules, improve health in their communities, and advance their mission-driven work. You can apply here for the ZEST program! For more information, go check out the program website or look at the recent webinar about it.
Job Opportunities
Marketing Strategist/Events Manager: New Brunswick City Market, Inc. is looking to hire a Full-Time Marketing Strategist/Events Manager to lead the development and execution of marketing strategy, campaigns, event planning, and community engagement initiatives to promote New Brunswick City Center as a vibrant destination. Click here for the full job description.
NJBAC Can Work With All the Businesses in Your Community
We are here to support your communities’ and districts’ businesses. NJBAC offers free online chat and telephone (800-537-7397) assistance in English and Spanish to any business in NJ – any size, any location, and any type. Businesses can always download the NJBAC Small Business Manual – a one-stop tool for many business concerns – online here. A Spanish version of the manual is also available here. Individual businesses or organizations can order a printed English copy as well by clicking this link or the Spanish version by clicking this link. For bulk orders of up to 25 printed copies in any language, please contact NJBAC’s Tracy Thomas directly.
Our NJBAC team can advocate for businesses, concierge them to funding and technical solutions, help them find locations for growth or developing export markets, guide them to navigating the commercial cannabis sector, and much more. Want to set something up online or on-site for your businesses? Reach out to NJBAC Assistant Director Jef Buehler to get plugged in to all of our business success services.
NJBAC’s Business Enhancement Services is online: Now you can refer to Business Enhancement Services directly online with just a click! Please favorite the website – it will be expanding over time as we add new resources and tools that support municipal and district revitalization and place-based business enhancement.
Jef R. Buehler, MPA, LNJ ’09 (he/him) Assistant Director
Business Enhancement Services
NJ Business Action Center
NJ Department of State
225 W. State Street, 3rd
P.O. Box 820Trenton, NJ 08625-0820
P: 609-633-6942
F: 609-292-5509
C: 609-954-3209
jeffrey.buehler@sos.nj.govhttps://www.nj.gov/state/bac