Rutgers Business School to host community roundtable as a way of inspiring private-public- partnerships around economic development, social change

"You have all of these big anchor institutions in Newark. Why aren't they buying from the local area," said Rutgers Business School professor Kevin Lyons, one of the event organizers. "The money could be very significant." 

The discussion will be fueled by the presence of local company executives, small business owners, city officials and academic leaders with an interest in helping to bring about social change in the city.

The panel will include Ralph LaRossa, president and chief operating officer of PSE&G; Greg Ergenbright, president of Schindler Elevator Corp,; Tom Bracken, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce; and Roland Anglin, director of Rutgers University's Cornwall Center. The panel discussion will be moderated by NJTV's Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron.

Other distinguished speakers will include Baye Adofo-Wilson, deputy mayor of Newark and Otis Rolley, president and chief executive officer of Newark Community Economic Development Corp.

Interested in attending "Restart, sustain and grow Newark's Economic Development." Register here. The Aug. 28 event is being held at Rutgers Business School's Bove Auditorium, One Washington Place, Newark, from 8 a.m. until 11:45 a.m.

The roundtable grew out of work Professor Lyons began doing with grant money from the Garfield Foundation, which funds projects in social urban economic development. The event is also an example of the type of collaborative work Chancellor Nancy Cantor set out for Rutgers University-Newark in a 2014 strategic plan for the campus, including Rutgers Business School.

The compelling strategic plan emphasizes the importance of Rutgers University's role as an anchor institution in Newark and the influence it can have in forging public-private collaborations with Newark to impact educational programs, neighborhoods, the arts and the city's ongoing economic development.

Supply chain management professor Alok Baveja, who is also an event organizer, said the roundtable is intended to be much more than a thoughtful exchange of ideas. "This is meant to be an event where we see results year after year," he said.

In 2014, the roundtable discussion resulted in the creation of the Supply Chain Education Partnership Program, which was designed specifically to introduce Newark high school students to the study of supply chain management and jobs in logistics and procurement. An eight-day inaugural program, sponsored by Schindler Corporation, was held in June.

Professor John Impellizzeri, who was instrumental in carrying out the Supply Chain Education Partnership Program, said its impact is not limited to the students, but could also potentially change the dynamics of their families and the community. "It was a success beyond our expectations," he said.  

The 17 students who participated in the program will be presented with certificates by Chancellor Cantor and Rutgers Business School Dean Lei Lei during the Aug. 28 event.

This year, the organizers expect to help create new partnerships that lead to job creation and enhanced practices in sustainability. "Newark and Rutgers Business School are strongly interconnected in their destiny," Baveja said, "and the leadership of Rutgers-Newark is strongly committed to having a sustainable, long-term impact on the city."

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SOURCE Rutgers Business School

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