The first installment of the chamber’s “Make It and Move It Middlesex” economic development series, which helps to connect local business and legislative leaders, went off without a hitch on Dec. 3. as a group of almost 50 attendees gathered at Cascades Containerboard Packaging.
The event at Cascades, located at 1 Turner Place in Piscataway, featured an engaging panel discussion with Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald Rios, Freeholder Charles Kenny, Piscataway Mayor Brian Wahler and Middlesex County Workforce Development Director Kevin Kurdziel.
The event was also moderated by Bill Neary, the executive director of Keep Middlesex Moving and MCRCC Board of Directors chairman, and featured a tour of the 400,000 square-foot facility.
Alex Fowlie, a Human Resources Manager for Cascade, told the crowd that before the Canadian-based company settled on its Piscataway location in 2017, it looked at 78 other locations along the East Coast.
Fowlie said the company selected Piscataway because of its proximity to major roadways and freight lines, as well as Middlesex County’s dedication to transportation improvements.
“Around 75 to 80 percent of our business is located within a 55-mile radius of this facility,” he told the crowd.
This event was just the first of the four-part economic development series that was launched by MCRCC in 2017. Other sessions will take place February 2020 (State Assembly), March 2020 (State Senators), and April 2020 (Women in Government).