Our township has the potential to enhance all the business centers in our town. The town is well served when it has a rich diversity of business options and also has more businesses to serve our resident’s needs.
Keith and I have been discussing ideas for attracting new businesses and to support our existing businesses. We believe the township should take an active role in this area. Here are some ideas we want to explore.
First we need to create a New Business Welcome Package that contains a number of services and incentives for new businesses to come to Teaneck. Some of these ideas include:
- Having a ‘single person contact’ at the township offices to help with permitting and other needs a new business may have
- A 50% rebate in any ‘permitting’ or ‘business license fees’, paid to the township in the first year of operation
- Access to a “Business Back Office Support Program” that can be developed by the town through partnership with stores like Staples, Office Depot etc, for price reductions for Teaneck Businesses
- Explore potential discounts for water, phone and electricity for Teaneck businesses
- Fast track any permitting required
- A list of resources at the state and federal level for small business funding and grants
- Enable local discount programs to help local businesses which contribute back to the local economy
Then in addition to the above, our existing businesses can also avail themselves of the ‘Back Office Support Program’ and fee rebates for any additions or enhancements requiring permits they purchase as well as the discounts arrangement for water, telephone and electricity.
We want to also explore how the township can assist in advertising our businesses online. The town of Randolph NJ, for a $100 donation to Friends of Randoph Pound, will give a business the ability to advertise on the township page. Other possibilities include working with our businesses to explore how the township could facilitate our businesses getting a leg up in e-commerce activities.
We believe our town is a vibrant and good place to do business. Through these programs listed, we believe we can better support our existing businesses and attract new businesses as well. All this is part of a vision we have for Teaneck that we believe results in a strong, diverse, financially stable and affordable residential place to live.