Washington Township, New Jersey

them, or at least present them with the resources so that theywill be able to investigate them themselves.” “I had a business in town before, and I can certainly appreciate what Nancy does,” Gattinelli continues. “She knows the grants,the programs that are available for women-owned businesses, veterans’ businesses, the small business loans.This is something that folks really need. That’s where we as a municipality step up to help. If I had the knowledge, moving in, about all the resources that were out there, that could have been my jumpstart to success.” The good news is that the township’s business development operation has been a success for many other businesses that have moved in over the past few years.“We have seen an incredibly robust stable of businesses come and commit to this town -- even through the pandemic,” Mozzachio reports. “We’ve had a significant number of businesses open their doors – over 150 businesses since 2020.” “And there are very fewbusinesses that don’t succeed,” Gattinelli adds. “During COVID, we established different plans to help the local businesses that may not have been able to survive. We were able to get them to communicate with each other via Zoom, and we lost very few businesses in town. And I believe that is because of the relationship between the residents, the other businesses, and all of us within the municipality just wanting everyone to succeed during that time.” On the commercial front, Phoenix, Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Market recently opened a 25,000-sq.- ft. organic grocery; and Embellish Events, a wedding and party venue that opened this past spring, has already committed to doubling its space. “Throughout, we have had many businesses coming in that have, in a relatively short period of time, grown and become successful and are seeking new space or are committed to additional space,” Mozzachio notes. “When I’m dealing with a business that is looking for additional space, I’ll usually run through a whole list of potential resources for them. For example, the state offers programs related to the installation 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 5, ISSUE 01