Convenes Panel of Forward-Thinking Business Leaders from Across the Nation to Discuss the Need For a Sense of Purpose in Business
Press Release 10/21/21
MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ – Middlesex County hosted its Fifth Annual Business Summit, Leading with a Purpose, on October 21 where a panel of future-minded leaders from across the nation and across industry sectors shared thoughts on how businesses are thinking beyond profitability to focus on creating value for all of their stakeholders. Speakers shared how their organizations are addressing the challenges of the present and future and how innovative decision-making is making a positive impact on their companies, workers, communities, and the world. A recording of the event can be found here.
Cordell Carter, Executive Director, Aspen Institute, served as moderator and panelists included: Lou Cooperhouse, President & CEO, BlueNalu, Inc.; Monique Carswell, Director, Center for Racial Equity, WAL-MART Foundation; Gene Gurevich, Director of Policy and Business Development, Mobileye; Natalie Madeira Cofield, Assistant Administrator, Office of Women’s Business Ownership, U.S. Small Business Administration; and Sandy S. Castor, Director, Office of Business Engagement, Middlesex County.
“Middlesex County’s annual Business Summit has become an invaluable resource for not just our business community and its workforce, but for all the residents of Middlesex County as it focuses on the future economy of the County,” said Board of County Commissioners Director Ronald G. Rios. “When put into practice, this year’s theme, Leading with Purpose, creates a better, healthier quality of life for residents, ranging from healthcare, to sustainability, to education and opportunity. Events like the Business Summit bring national conversations to the local level, allowing us to bring together innovative thought leaders and industry experts from around the nation to share how their practices will shape the future and impact the lives of our residents right here in Middlesex County and how we can be part of shaping that future.”
“Middlesex County, through its future-thinking strategies which will ensure all residents have the capacity to benefit from the economy; private-public partnerships; creation of its master economic development roadmap, Destination 2040, and emphasis on emerging and future technologies like electric, connected and autonomous vehicles, is thinking beyond 2021 by contributing to a greater conversation around how a County government, along with industry-leaders located within and beyond its borders, can shape and change the future for generations,” said Sandy Castor, Director of Middlesex County’s Office of Business Engagement.
Hosted since 2017, this Business Summit was established by the late Board of County Commissioners Deputy Director, Kenneth Armwood, as part of the County’s future-forward economic development strategy, Destination 2040. The Destination 2040 Comprehensive Master Plan will shape how the County will grow and change in the future through input from those who live, work, and play here. Over the years, the annual Business Summit has grown to not just benefit the diverse business community within the County but creates a platform where creative collisions occur between key stakeholders such as educational institutions, government leaders, healthcare, and businesses. To learn more, visit: https://discovermiddlesex.com/business-summit/
