>> Funding for NJ Business Beat provided by local 102, proudly serving New Jersey's business community since 1900.

Local 102, lighting the path, leading the way.

Visit IBA W 102.org and for more than 110 years, NJ BIA has been focused on the advancement and success of our members.

We are the voice representing all industries, working together to help build a more prosperous New Jersey through advocacy, support, networking and benefits.

>> This week on NJ Business Beat.

>> we did not end it.

We have it in our muscle memory, we are ready to go out again.

>> The progress made in contract negotiations at records as unions suspend their strike.

Plus, an update on an industry we recently covered.

How nonprofits, specifically food banks, are trying to fill the gaps left by snap benefits.

>> The last seven years, there has been radical change in what goes on in this community.

>> Join us on Main Street as we highlight the garden states flourishing downtown district and what makes them successful, including one of the best in the country.

That is ahead on NJ Business Beat.

♪ >> This is NJ Business Beat.

♪ >> Hello, I am Raven Santana.

Thanks for joining me on NJ Business Beat.

Uncertainty on the campuses of Rutgers University as workers and the school negotiate a new contract.

The Union suspended the strike earlier this week after agreeing to a framework or the contract.

However, union workers say they are ready to go back on strike because they say the universities are getting team has stopped progress on key, outstanding issues including guaranteed funding for graduate workers, childcare support and issues with tenure.

In a statement, Rutgers defended its negotiations and said the two sides are coming closer to an agreement every day, but workers say they may need to return to the picket lines to close out a deal.

>> basically, we have power in numbers and power when we withhold our labor.

The University did not budge for over 250 plus days when we were still working.

The only time they budged on our demands was when we withheld labor and when we got on the streets.

>> A few weeks ago, NJ Business Beat highlighted the nonprofit industry in the Garden State and the many challenges they are facing right now, the demand is even greater, especially for food banks as federal snap and if it's came to an end.

Combine that with higher prices due to inflation and the need is greater than ever.

I visited the work this week to learn how food banks and other nonprofits are filling the gaps.

>> Everything has gone up.

I mean, the little $70 or $80 I get on the food stamp, do not go within one shopping.

Then, you are out again.

This is important.

Raven: New work resident Michael's sentiments were echoed by people who waited for these boxes filled with food.

>> Got two packs of string beans.

Got potatoes.

Raven: The cities drive up and go food distribution event at work comes as more residents are turning to food drives like this and the states food pantries after the federal emergency snap and if in March.

Murphy administration and legislative leaders helped offset the cut, increasing the minimum staff payment to residents in the state to $95 per household per month.

Even with that increase, most families here are still getting much less than they had been during the last few years.

Over 1000 people gathered here on Chancellor Avenue, hoping to receive one of those boxes.

Some of them, waiting in their cars down to that light.

Some of them even walked on foot, waiting on that line that extends to the next corner.

>> I know one of them ladies over there.

She told me about it.

I told my friends about it.

It is beautiful.

Everything beautiful.

Raven: You definitely told your friends, the line is all the way down the block.

>> [LAUGHTER] You got that right.

Raven: Tell me about, how is this going to help you?

>> It is going to help me real good.

Money out of your pocket, you working and still none.

>> Food pantries cannot make up for the loss of snap benefits and other federal nutrition.

Many food pantries in our state operate on a shoestring budget.

They rely primarily, if not solely, on volunteers.

It is very difficult for the pantries to try and fill in the gaps.

>> How do you raise the food price and then cut the snap benefits?

Raven: Free house scarce pantry founder Tonya Beltz expects more people will become reliant on pantries as they discover they are getting less than before in there snap and if it's grocery store.

-- snap and if it's at the grocery store -- benefits at the grocery store.

>> I am expecting at least 200 people to show up today.

This is one of our lighter days.

Raven: Pantries are already starting to see this demand ramped up.

>> The pandemic release has widened gap.

Yesterday, made a decision to open up one of our pantries, our satellite Pat Light -- our satellite pantry to accommodate working pantries.

We are doing this.

We are doing the work, but we are feeling it.

Raven: Advocates say they expect demand to rise even more this summer with kids out of school, many will no longer have access to school meals.

A stunning reversal for the cannabis regulatory commission days after they denied purely for its annual license to grow and sell recreational marijuana.

The commission this week changed its mind and renewed the license.

The largest states cannabis operator and its initial decision cited the companies clashes with employees looking to unionize and the decision to close one of its locations without notifying the commission.

The CRC renewed the license with certain conditions, including requiring cure leaf to require evidence of good faith negotiations with workers.

In a statement, cure leaf says the CRC's initial denial was political retaliation for consolidating operations.

Its CEO called the CRC's reversal vindication, but the CRC says it's move has made waves in the cannabis community.

>> Last week's CRC meeting appears to be a wake-up call for many cannabis companies doing business in New Jersey.

Apparently, some companies did not understand or appreciate their obligations as it concerns labor relations with their employees and representatives.

If the meeting served to remind companies of that obligation, then the CRC has done its job.

Raven: New Jersey will partner with one of the largest real estate websites to combat housing discrimination in our state.

Attorney General Matt plaque and announced the agreement with Zillow, which will cover Zillow's main website as well as trulia, hot pads and street easy.

The AG's office says this is an expansion of the agreement two sides made in 2020.

As part of the updated partnership, Zillow with -- will work with the division of the sites website content to identify real estate ads that discriminate.

Zillow will work with the state to educate housing providers on the requirements of the fair housing act which was signed into law in 2022 and -- and protects those with criminal records of being unfairly denied affordable housing.

New Jersey is home to some of the most robust and lively downtowns in our country.

From north to south Jersey, our main streets are filled with walkable streets, delicious restaurants and unique shops.

Many of our downtowns are rich with history.

This week, we are taking a trip to MainStreet and highlighting how New Jersey's downtowns are flourishing and expanding.

The states supports its downtowns through its designated MainStreet program, which provides businesses with among other things, design assistant, state and national business specialists, training and marketing and promotions.

Visit New Jersey, one of the states promotional and tourism arms, lists some of the top downtown areas of our state including Cranford and Haddonfield.

The New Jersey downtown that can claim to be the best in the state is a touch in.

We told you a few weeks ago how much touch and won the award for being among the best in the country.

Their turnaround has been remarkable.

Since the downtown alliance was formed in 2016, 140 four new businesses have opened their, reducing the vacancy rate from 22% in 2016 to 4% today.

Downtown businesses earn 5.5 million dollars annually.

This turnout is thanks in part to a private reinvestment of about $160 million.

With this award, McCutcheon has been thrust into the national spotlight with Downtown organizations reaching out to the McCutcheon downtown alliance for advice on growing their commercial districts.

We wanted to learn the amazing story behind the revival, so we visited a staple in the borough, the diner.

Spoke with Don Mackey, Executive Director of the downtown alliance.

Raven: matichon is one of America's favorite main streets.

Tell me what this national spotlight has been like.

>> It has been amazing.

The past few weeks, we have been inundated with attention from the media and other main streets across the country that are reaching out to us and are struggling and like a little support, which we are happy to have those conversations.

We feel like it is a privilege.

We have received so much help from experts over the last many years, particularly the MainStreet community across America.

I think it is the heart of America.

I think it is what makes us special.

It is such a community-based model that there is buy-in from everybody, residents, merchants, landlords.

Everybody has a state, that is why this award is incredibly special and the volunteers on the ground that really take care so very much.

Winning this award has put Metuchen, this little New Jersey town, even New Jersey or so many people that have never heard of Metuchen, they cannot pronounce it, they have never been here, now the question is -- wait a minute, what is going on in Metuchen?

Why haven't I been to Metuchen?

That is a real incredible opportunity for us.

We have already seen investors calling to see if there are buildings for sale.

We have had retailers looking for space and remarkably, what a great problem to have.

After experiencing near 20% vacancy a few years ago, we do not have a lot of empty storefronts to show people who want to be here.

That is just an amazing testament to the work that has been done.

Raven: You bring that up and, New Jersey has so many cute main streets.

What is the secret ingredient here?

What separates Metuchen from the rest?

>> It is a wonderful collaboration between the people who live here and the municipality, just working in concert and everybody rolling in the same direction.

Our volunteers, absolutely secret sauce.

Raven: What is so interesting about Metuchen, there is still that historic charm that these mom and pop businesses, there is a lot of new, modern businesses here.

Talk about how that has played a critical role in winning this award and the MainStreet.

>> I think the public loves a piece of history, but we also need to have an eye to the future.

How do you honor where we have been with respect but also take the community forward?

I think Metuchen has done an amazing job.

We have got a business on Main Street, rude awakening, they have been here most 18 years.

If you talk to them, they will tell you it is their customers that have become family over the years.

Through the pandemic, this community rallied to make sure they kept their businesses alive.

Raven: Is there a number you can share over the past few years that you have invested into this MainStreet?

>> Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been invested in storefronts.

During Covid, so much money came in through the Covid relief funds that went to outdoor dining, to help put up structures so that people could safely continue to serve tables, chairs, heaters, tents.

The pandemic, with all of its challenges, brought incredible opportunity.

Raven: What is the short-term plan?

>> The short-term plan is to start caring for the outer district with a little bit more intention.

Any time you start a project like this, you have to make the core solid.

Everybody benefits when the core is solid.

I think our core is -- I'm going to knock wood -- really excellent.

Now, starting to pay a little attention to the aesthetic and the business.

Now, we are seeing a lot of cool business, beans and bread that delivers food from Brooklyn bread, cake and pastries every single day.

He is a little bit on the outskirts in Middlesex.

Making sure we are now carrying it outward.

Raven: So, you do not have to be on MainStreet.

>> We don't.

That is the joy, it reverberates out.

The municipality is created -- is -- where we have a wonderful restaurant.

Pulling that all in and putting a bowl on the whole district so we feel cohesive and putting a little more of our investment now into place making on the edges.

Raven: Are you planning to have some type of celebration?

Have you?

>> We are planning a very big one.

We have not quite gone crazy public with it, but I will tell you to save the date for June 10.

Metuchen is turning into a downtown fun house.

Raven: OK.

Thinking Coney Island?

>> Exactly.

100%.

Raven: I love it.

>> You never know who is going to be walking down the streets on June 10.

You should definitely be here for it.

Raven: Cheers to Metuchen.

Dawn, thank you so much.

Raven: After meeting with Don, we took a walk down Main Street to hatch 44, a popular café in the heart of downtown.

We talked to workers and Metuchen's mayor and got a sense of one of the main reasons behind Metuchen's success is a collective love for the community.

>> Andrea, the owner, her grandmother lived in Metuchen for 50 years.

She loved Metuchen, she wanted to start a café and wanted -- and wind it up starting it down the street from her grandmother's house.

>> There were a lot of vacancies.

The town struggled the first two years of living here.

It has been amazing to see people from across the town, mostly volunteers, who come together with a common purpose of supporting the downtown, helping the downtown have a common vision and helping realize its potential.

Raven: New Jersey may be home to one of America's favorite ain't streets, but it is also home to a number on hidden gems, including Keyport.

It has maintained a low profile and prides itself in its historic charm.

Keyport Mayor sat down with me to discuss how far the waterfront town has come and why she is confident that downtown investments that make sense, not just money, could put them on the map.

We are in beautiful Keyport.

What I love most about Keyport is that you can eat out, you can be in the coffee shop like this and you have this view of the water right there.

It is wonderful.

One of my most favorite places to eat here is the fishery.

>> They have been around for many years.

Everybody loves the fishery.

It has lines outside.

Raven: Lines.

>> Brown paper bag, you get your food in their.

Raven: You wait for your name to be called.

>> You go down by the waterfront.

Raven: The picnic table.

Tell me a little bit about Keyport.

For people who may not be aware of the town or what it offers, tell me more about it.

>> Keyport is a historic town.

What we have done over many years is, we have made it more friendly for everybody.

You do not just have antique shops.

You have boutiques now that are in town.

You have restaurants that are amazing.

You have Trudy's restaurant, the chill, the fishery.

Everybody enjoys it.

You have a little bit of art here, also.

Everybody likes the community like they like the art, they like what is going on.

We have the NPP.

We have done murals at different buildings.

Just beautiful things in the town.

We have crab on one building.

You have Fred Astaire on another building.

You have beautiful charter boat on another building.

Beautiful.

That is part of what Keyport is.

Keyport is a walking town.

So, you are walking around, visiting your neighbors, seeing the residence.

You have a beautiful charm in the town, but also visit all of the boutiques and everything.

The little shops.

Raven: I feel like Keyport's superpower is, there is no big change.

You do not see a Duncan donuts.

You do not see Starbucks.

It is a lot of mom and pops.

Tell me a bit about how you balance that historic charm and growth, because Keyport continues to grow.

>> What is really great is, a lot a lot of the buildings in town, they were older buildings.

Now, we have people that come in and are redeveloping them.

They are making them into boutiques, but still keeping the charm of the community that was there.

They are creating luxury apartments on the top of some buildings.

I think that is great.

I think that is the part everybody loves.

He want to keep that small town charm, but also want to know you need to grow the times.

We are keeping the small town charm by keeping some of these buildings.

Raven: One of the buildings we talked about is the church.

>> Oh glory is a great restaurant, it was a church at one time.

Next door to it, we have a fire museum that most people do not even know about.

That is a nice little piece of the town you still want to keep.

>> You talk about growth, Keyport expanding and growing and getting bigger.

What do you want to see?

>> It is not only what I would want to see, what the residents would want.

Many residents still want that old charm feel in the town, they do not want large condos and big developments.

In order to get ratable's and grow, sometimes, you need a development.

But, you want a development that will fit within your community.

You take a look at the waterfront, everybody takes a walk down the waterfront.

Hey, I want to develop on the waterfront.

That is everybody's dream, it has to fit within our community.

Fit within what I am thinking, it does not matter what I'm thinking -- it is what everybody is thinking.

It has to go before the planning board.

The planning Board has to make sure it fits with our look and feel of our town and what the residents want.

Our residents will tell you what they want.

Raven: What is your short-term and long-term vision for Keyport?

>> Short-term, I would say we need a lot of our parks and waterfront, that all needs to be spruced up.

It has gone where we did not spruce it up as we should have.

We are a waterfront community, it has to be inviting for everybody.

It is not just our waterfront that we see out here, it is also the parks.

We are working on some parks and developing those to bring everybody can use -- cleaning up our beaches, making sure our beaches look beautiful.

Long-term, I know we are going to have some development.

I want development, I do not want it to overcrowd what we have because the charm of everybody coming and flocking to Keyport has to do with the charm of the town.

Raven: A lot of exciting things happening in Keyport.

I guess people will just have to come here and find out for themselves.

Keyport is open for business.

>> Keyport is open for business.

It would be great to have everybody come out and visit, enjoy our waterfront, enjoy our restaurants, enjoy shopping.

Just enjoy walking around the town.

Raven: Thank you for coming.

>> Thank you for having us.

Raven: You cannot talk about New Jersey's thriving commercial district without bringing up the southern shore and all it has to offer.

Summer season is approaching for South Jersey, there are a number of main streets, boardwalks and business districts in the southern part of the state that enhance their committees.

I sat down with a president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of South Jersey to talk about some of the best downtown areas in her region.

Christina, welcome to Biz Beat.

>> Thank you for having me, Raven.

Raven: We are focusing on great downtowns, these wonderful main streets.

Talk to me a little bit about South Jersey.

What has been, do you feel, the greatest barrier, challenge in some towns and cities in South Jersey?

>> For South Jersey specifically, it does very a little bit.

I think on a more global aspect, the towns that are really successful in creating a great main Street, downtown experience are ones that have really creative leadership in the local government and are willing to think outside the box as it relates to not just what a Main Street needs as relates to businesses, but, who do you want to attract and how do you get those types of people on to that specific downtown, whether it be art galleries, restaurants, entertainment facilities, parks?

Identify who you want to attract.

If you are thinking creatively about that and starting to put those pieces together in your downtown, you are going to be successful.

Raven: Off-camera, we were talking about crime and redevelopment.

Tell me about why that is so important when we think about these great main streets.

>> With the uptick in crime we have seen nationally, not just here locally, but this is a national unfortunate trend we are seeing, it is having somewhat of a negative impact on downtowns and especially those that are hopeful to redevelop.

If you are having a problem with crime, bringing the people to rather in your downtown area is going to be far more difficult.

Raven: We know funding plays a large part.

Tell me a little bit about what it takes to either redevelop or begin to build a wonderful downtown area.

>> New Jersey has done a great job with their Main Street program, which is right out of the NJ EDA.

Of allocating dollars since Covid, specifically for Main Street businesses and extra points to your female owned businesses, your diverse owned businesses, those who were really impacted during Covid.

Raven: Can you give us examples of some towns and cities that are growing and expanding?

>> You are looking at places like Medford in Burlington County, that has a very successful Main Street that has been successful but have done some very strategic things, creative things, to even capitalize on their Main Street more.

For example, passing food truck ordinances and having food truck nights.

In every county, we are seeing growth and development.

We are seeing lots of redevelop and the city of Camden.

And in surrounding counties, Collingswood, Gloucester County, Glassboro, Atlantic County, the list goes on and on.

Raven: Thank you so much, such great information.

A lot of expansion on the horizon in South Jersey.

Got to look for that.

Thank you for joining me on Biz Beat.

>> Thank you so much, Raven.

Raven: That doesn't for this week.

Remember to subscribe to our NJ spot lead -- spot light Newsweek channel to learn when we post new episodes and clips.

Next week, we take a look at an important but often overlooked part of New Jersey's business community.

I am Raven Santana.

Thanks for watching, we will see you here next weekend.

>> Funding for NJ Business Beat provided by IBEW local 10 two, proudly serving New Jersey's business community since 1900.

Local 102, lighting the path, leading the way.

Visit IBEW 102.org.

For more than 110 years, NJ BIA has been focused on the advancement and success of our members.

We are the voice representing -- working together to help build a more prosperous New Jersey, through advocacy, support and working and benefits.

♪