Newark Regional Business Partnership Events Newswire

Meet the Mayors - Essex County 2026 11/6/2026 10:00 AM - 11/6/2026 1:00 PM

Mon, 02 Nov 2026 23:06:04 GMT

Join Essex County's municipal leaders for a meaningful, interactive and inspiring event. Meet the Mayors brings together New Jersey's municipal leaders with business executives, community stakeholders and regional influencers.

Registration is $75 per person — sign-up and payment required by October 22, 2026. Register here — when registering, please select NRBP as your affiliated organization.

Hosted in partnership with ROI-NJ; NRBP is a supporting sponsor.

Leadership Roundtable with Solomon Steplight, CEO of Newark Alliance 11/10/2026 12:00 Noon - 11/10/2026 2:00 PM

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 17:42:47 GMT

Register today for NRBP's Leadership Roundtable Discussion, an exclusive benefit for members in the Innovator tier and above. We invite you to join us for a private meet & greet and discussion with Solomon Steplight, CEO, Newark Alliance!

This intimate discussion will give you the opportunity to hear about Solomon's priorities as he steps into leadership at Newark Alliance and how he's thinking about economic development across the state in the years ahead.

Please Note: This program is an exclusive benefit for NRBP members in the Innovator tier and above. Parking will be available for all attendees.

Bio:

Solomon Steplight IV is the Chief Executive Officer of Newark Alliance. He has a proven track record of leading, innovating, and building major organizations, as well as investing in untapped growth opportunities and underrepresented communities.

Before joining Newark Alliance, Solomon served as the City Administrator/CFO/COO in East Orange, NJ. Over eight years, he led the city's financial and infrastructural transformation, leveraging his engineering and entrepreneurial background to improve East Orange’s credit rating to ‘A+’, grow the investment pipeline to $2 billion around its commercial corridors, and double the affordable housing inventory. Solomon led the reimagining of the city's master plan and turned neglected spaces into viable, year-round outlets for the first time in decades.

He has served in senior executive leadership roles in tech startups, non-profits, and government, including the City of Newark, Hoboken, and Girls Who Code, where his award-winning work has positively impacted the lives of millions of people and shaped national workforce development programs.

Solomon holds a B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a graduate student at GRASP Lab. He currently serves on the board of Braven and his alma mater, Montclair-Kimberley Academy.

Photo/Video Disclaimer
Your attendance of/participation in any Newark Regional Business Partnership (NRBP) program, event or webinar constitutes consent to be photographed, filmed, or videotaped and you hereby give the NRBP the unqualified right to take pictures and/or recordings of you and grant the perpetual right to use your likeness, image, photo, without compensation, for broadcast or exhibition in any medium and to put the finished pictures/recordings to any legitimate use without limitation or reservation.

Regional Economic Outlook for 2027 - Healthcare, Tech & the Economy 11/12/2026 9:00 AM - 11/12/2026 12:00 Noon

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 15:24:05 GMT

What’s on the horizon for business in 2027?

This year’s Regional Economic Outlook: Healthcare, Tech and the Economy explores two forces reshaping New Jersey’s economy and redefining opportunities for the Greater Newark region: health care and artificial intelligence. As policymakers, providers, employers, and business leaders navigate a rapidly evolving landscape, decisions around health care coverage and emerging technologies are poised to influence economic growth, workforce development, business productivity, and regional competitiveness in the year ahead.

Join us for a morning of expert insight, lively discussion, and high-value networking with leaders from across sectors. This signature event draws the region’s key business, institutional, civic, and community leaders each year, offering a data-driven look at the economic outlook for 2027 and the trends most likely to shape Newark’s future.

This program features an Economic Outlook presentation provided by a leading economist from TD Bank, sponsor of the NRBP Real Estate, Economic and Development Series.

Coverage at a Crossroads: What the Medicaid Changes Mean for Greater Newark’s Economy
Andrea Martinez-Mejia, Executive Director, Greater Newark Health Care Coalition (moderator)
Chrissy Buteas, President & CEO, Healthcare Institute of NJ
Dr. Stephen Cha, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Human Services
George Helmy, Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, RWJBarnabas Health

Carole Johnson, President and CEO, University Hospital

Mildred Menos, Director, Medicaid Product Administration, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ

This conversation will examine how changes to Medicaid could affect health care coverage, employment, and the hospital systems and insurers that serve as major economic anchors in Greater Newark, while exploring how leaders across sectors can navigate the transition.

The Productivity Puzzle: Is the AI Payoff Real, and Who’s Capturing It?
Dee C. Marshall, CEO, Ai Training Plus (moderator)
Simone Lenzu, Economist, Federal Reserve Bank
Gary Mann, Founder & CEO, Jasfel Analytics
Mark Negus, Global Data Center Investments & Portfolio Management, PGIM

This moderated conversation takes a grounded look at whether the promised productivity gains from artificial intelligence are materializing and who is positioned to capture them. From macroeconomic trends to the implications for Newark's businesses, institutions, and workforce, panelists will explore how AI is transforming productivity, competitiveness, and opportunity across industries.

Together, these conversations will provide valuable insight into the policy, economic, and technological trends shaping Greater Newark and the broader New Jersey economy in 2027.

Please note: registration increases by $10 as of November 10th.

2026 Transportation Symposium 11/23/2026 8:30 AM - 11/23/2026 11:00 AM

Mon, 14 Sep 2026 17:20:50 GMT

Regional Connectivity: A Dialogue on Shared Priorities and Collaborative Visions

Monday, November 23, 2026
9:00 to 11:00 AM
Paul Robeson Campus Center, Rutgers University-Newark
350 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Newark, NJ 07102

Three mayors. One region. One conversation about the network that moves us all.

The Newark Regional Business Partnership invites you to a morning of candid, forward-looking dialogue with the leaders shaping how our region connects, commutes, and grows. As the cities of Newark, Hoboken, and Jersey City chart the future of regional transportation, their mayors will share one stage for an honest exchange on the shared priorities and collaborative solutions that move the whole region forward.

Moderated by the Regional Plan Association, the panel will explore the questions that matter most to our business community:

Collaborative infrastructure: building and funding transit that crosses city and county lines
The commuter experience: what it takes to move people reliably, affordably, and sustainably
Resilience and innovation: preparing the network for what comes next
Stakeholder engagement: how business, government, and community align on a shared vision

This is a conversation for the leaders who have a stake in the region's future: C-suite executives, planners, policy advocates, and business leaders who understand that how we move shapes how we grow.

Featuring:
Mayor Ras J. Baraka, City of Newark
Mayor Emily Jabbour, City of Hoboken
Mayor James Solomon, City of Jersey City

Moderated by:
Zoe Baldwin, Regional Plan Association

Please note: registration increases by $10 as of November 20.