NJBIA and New Jersey Business Magazine have announced the 12 recipients of the annual Awards for Excellence, which honor member companies and business leaders whose energy and vision have had a positive impact on their employees, their communities and the state’s economy.
Eight businesses and organizations, as well as four executives, are being recognized with awards in 2025.
“This year’s Awards for Excellence winners, all valued NJBIA members, have stepped up to do right for their employees, their communities and New Jersey’s economy,” said NJBIA President and CEO Michele Siekerka. “We are truly proud to recognize their notable achievements.”
These are the winners listed by category:
2025 AFE Executives of the Year
Patrick Jefferey, executive VP & COO, T&M Associates
Upon being named executive vice president and COO of engineering/technical services firm T&M Associates in 2019, Jefferey has guided the 350-person organization through its most profitable period in company history. Under his leadership, annual revenue has exceeded $89 million, and operational efficiency has been enhanced through measurable strategies.
Mark E. Manigan, president & CEO, RWJBarnabas Health
Upon assuming his role in 2023, Manigan leveraged a strategic vision to drive $9.5 billion in operating income in 2024, representing a $546 million two-year turnaround. Manigan has simultaneously helped decrease patient mortality at RWJBarnanas Health by 15% and reduced patient central line infections by 34%.
Dr. Christopher M. Reber, president, Hudson County Community College
Reber has been president of Hudson County Community College (HCCC) since 2018, overseeing an institution that serves more than 20,000 students. Reber has initiated nationally acclaimed programs including: the President’s Advisory Council on Institutional Engagement and Excellence (PACE) and the HCCC Hudson Helps Resource Center.
Deborah Visconi, president & CEO, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Visconi has led the center in expanding programs and services as well as enhancing its provider relations. This has yielded improvements in quality, safety, and the patient/resident experience, with Bergen New Bridge recognized as a “Top Hospital” and “Top Teaching Hospital” by the Leapfrog Group.
2025 Members of the Year
Citizens
Citizens is devoted both to New Jersey’s business community as well as NJBIA, including funding two workforce development grants in support of NJBIA’s affiliate foundation, Focus NJ. These grants are furthering Focus NJ’s online Workforce Development Map, an interactive map cataloging hundreds of workforce development training programs.
Parker McCay
The Mount Laurel-based law firm of Parker McCay is dedicated to its clients and the business community at large. Its attorneys presented at NJBIA’s 2024 “The Second Act of Cannabis in the Garden State” event as well as the 2025 Women Business Leadership Forum. A Parker McCay attorney will present at NJBIA’s Energy & Environmental Policy Forum this month.
Atlantic City Electric
While Atlantic City Electric (ACE) provides electricity for its customers, it also serves its communities in myriad ways, including having more than 470 team members operating beyond their job descriptions to spend over 11,400 hours volunteering at local nonprofits in 2024. ACE employees also contributed more than $1 million to local nonprofits last year.
Innovation+
Innovation+ was founded by James Barrood during the coronavirus pandemic, when New Jersey’s tech and innovation ecosystem was experiencing a time of great need. Since then, Innovation+ has hosted more than 180 salons and over 150 events that have connected leaders and shared insights on wide-ranging topics primarily focused on business/technology.
Modern Line Furniture
Modern Line Furniture recently donated furniture to Habitat for Humanity. The company routinely makes donations to Paralyzed Veterans of America, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Vietnam Veterans of America and others, recognizing that in-person donations allow the firm to build deeper relationships with those it supports.
2025 AFE Outstanding Employers
Taurus International Corporation
Taurus International Corporation is deeply devoted to its employees: Its annual sales meeting features a week of employee training and recently included a day to develop a corporate culture statement. But Taurus is also known for its “human touch”: Its employees routinely celebrate family milestones, athletic wins and many other life events.
Golden Crown Contractors
If onboarding employees and continuously instructing them is part of Golden Crown Contractors’ corporate culture, it could be because its president, Christine Luizzia-McGuire, was taught about construction by her father (the former president) from an early age. One of her current employees tells New Jersey Business Magazine, “I came in new to this industry and the company has taken the time to explain certain areas that I could not quite understand; it has sent me to classes to better my knowledge.”
Scrum Alliance
Scrum Alliance, a fully remote nonprofit with 50 employees, has built an innovative people-first culture. In 2025, the firm earned a 94% Great Place to Work score, outpacing the typical company average of 57%. Scrum Alliance has invested in employee growth, launching career pathing tools as well as a custom leadership and professional development series based on employee feedback.
