ROI-NJ Wrapped 2025: The stories that shaped New Jersey business

From banking and real estate to public policy, technology and innovation, ROI-NJ’s most-read stories of 2025 reveal what mattered most to New Jersey’s business community.

Throughout 2025, ROI-NJ readers turned to coverage that explained how business decisions, development activity and public policy were shaping New Jersey’s economy. Based on ROI-NJ data, the most-read stories published this year point to clear areas of focus: banking and finance, real estate and development, public policy with economic impact, and technology and innovation.

A look back at the year’s top-performing stories highlights not just what drew attention — but why those stories mattered.


The most-read ROI-NJ stories of 2025

The most-read stories published by ROI-NJ in 2025 centered on decisions with direct consequences for businesses, workers and residents across New Jersey.

Top-performing stories included:

  1. TD Bank shuttering eight New Jersey branches early in 2026

  2. 1 million New Jerseyans to get property-tax relief confirmation letters

  3. Ice-T brings the chill to Jersey City with new cannabis dispensary

  4. KPMG moving to HQ Plaza in Morristown

  5. Rowan College board votes to suspend college president, appoints acting president

  6. Grocery-anchored retail center in Bergen County trades for $17M


Real estate and development drove sustained engagement

Real estate and development coverage emerged as one of ROI-NJ’s most consistent engagement drivers in 2025.

Strong-performing stories included:


Public policy, banking and infrastructure with everyday impact

Readers consistently engaged with coverage translating government action into real economic consequences.

Top examples:


Multimedia journalism expanded ROI-NJ’s storytelling

Beyond subject-matter coverage, ROI-NJ continued to expand how it delivers journalism in 2025, pairing written reporting with video, interviews and on-site coverage to provide additional context around major business, policy and cultural moments across the state.

Multimedia stories published throughout the year generated strong engagement, particularly around event coverage, on-location reporting and interview-driven video content.

Among the most-viewed multimedia stories of the year were:

In addition to event-driven coverage, ROI-NJ also served as the publishing and distribution platform for a series of interview-based conversations hosted by James Barrood, featuring New Jersey business and policy leaders. These included episodes of The Global Strategy, The Growth Agenda, and post-election discussions examining leadership, innovation and economic priorities across the state.

Together, these efforts underscore ROI-NJ’s role as a platform for multimedia storytelling — supporting original reporting, on-location coverage and third-party conversations that deepen engagement with New Jersey’s business community.


Tech & Innovation: From AI infrastructure to real-world deployment

Technology and innovation stories resonated most when focused on implementation and infrastructure.

Notable stories included:

Together, these stories reflect how AI and advanced technology are being embedded into New Jersey’s economy — from enterprise-scale computing to applied retail innovation.


ROI Influencers became a flagship franchise

In 2025, ROI Influencers continued to grow into one of ROI-NJ’s most recognizable and consistently engaged editorial franchises, spotlighting leaders shaping New Jersey’s business, civic and nonprofit communities.

Based on ROI-NJ data, ROI Influencers-related content accounted for a significant share of ROI-NJ’s highest-performing feature articles in 2025, with multiple lists ranking among the most-read non-breaking-news stories published during the year.

Across all Influencers lists published in 2025, ROI-NJ recorded tens of thousands of views, with readers consistently returning to the franchise across categories — including business, health care, real estate and leadership.

Top-performing ROI Influencers content published in 2025 included:

Unlike time-sensitive news, ROI Influencers content demonstrated long-tail engagement, continuing to attract readers weeks and months after publication.

Beyond article performance, the franchise expanded its footprint across newsletters, social media and multimedia, reinforcing ROI Influencers as a cornerstone of ROI-NJ’s editorial identity and a durable platform for recognition.


Looking ahead to 2026

As ROI-NJ enters 2026, the focus remains on delivering N.J.-centric business journalism grounded in relevance, accountability and real economic impact. See you in the new year.