During a time of the year when the calendar is tight – when there are panels and parties up and down the state – there a few events that can’t be missed. The Meadowlands Chamber Legacy Awards is one of them.
After all, where else can you go and hear one of the greatest legal minds in the state, Angelo Genova, co-founder and chairman of Genova Burns, do what he really wants to do: Be a rock star. That happened Thursday night, when Genova brought the house down by singing a few lines from an old Grand Funk Railroad song before receiving his recognition.
The moment summed up the essence of the Legacy Awards. It is so much more than a social gathering of business and political leaders; it is a get-together of old friends. Literally.
Meadowlands Chamber CEO Jim Kirkos presented a Legacy Award to someone most people know as Dan Gumble, the highly regarded business manager for IBEW Local 164. Kirkos knows him as ‘Danny’ from their days together in the Lyndhurst Little League. How cool is that?
That same spirit of friendship was found in the two other honorees: Uli Diaz of Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield, a friend and board member of the chamber for more than three decades, and Dennis Wilson, the retiring CEO of Delta Dental of N.J., which has become a leading sponsor of the chamber and events in the area under his leadership.
Kirkos said the feel of the event is all by design.
Yes, the Legacy Awards are the signature event of a chamber that does dozens and dozens of top-notch events all year. But Kirkos doesn’t want it to be stuffy and boring – filled with speeches that are too long and plated dinners that deserve to be pushed aside. He wants lots of networking. He wants lots of fun.
“Everyone is busy this time of year,” he said. “So, we want to create an event that people want to come to not just feel obligated to come to.”
It’s the reason Kirkos often finds unique venues to host. Thursday night it was MetLife Stadium; a few years back, it was at the upscale wing of American Dream.
“We move it around not only to create unique experiences but to showcase all the Meadowlands area has to offer,” he said.
It’s all part of the reason you’ll not only see a few hundred key leaders in the state (not just Bergen County) come to the event but stay until the end.
Kirkos was thrilled with the way the crowd responded. They didn’t clear the room when the speeches started. And the only reason they stared at their phones was to get scoring updates from the Yankees and Mets playoff games (which one guest shouted out to the crowd when prompted).
The honorees appreciated the moment – and weren’t afraid to poke fun at themselves in the process.
“Legacy means old,” Diaz joked. “Legacy means reading glasses.”
He was serious in his regard for the organization.
“This chamber is an organization that’s based in the community,” he said. “It serves thousands of members every day by advocating and navigating the changing business community. I’m proud to be a partner. I’m proud to be a supporter. From my perspective, there are few like it.”
Genova turned the award around. As is his nature, he thanked others – and said legacies are created by groups not individuals. And by actions not accomplishments.
“Over the years, I’ve come to understand that legacy isn’t really about what we achieve, it’s about how we help others to achieve their dreams,” he said. “It’s about how we make others feel and the little ways we shape their lives. It’s found in the kindness we extend, the lessons we share, our mentorship of others, our contributions to helping others resolve life’s challenges for themselves, a legacy shaped by principles of honesty, integrity, and finally, the trust we build by giving to others unconditionally, even if we are later to be disappointed.
“If I’ve left a legacy of any sort, I hope it’s one that reflects those values.”
Gumble talked about the legacy of the Meadowlands and the Meadowlands Chamber, which for 50 years has advocated for those who helped turn the area – and area in which Gumble and Kirkos used to go dirt-biking and crabbing – into the economic centerpiece of the state that it is today. Wilson talked about all the friendships that he has forged in the area over the years.
Each of the honorees left with the most unique statue on networking scene: One that features a bald eagle grasping a flag.
Kirkos said the award itself has become a big part of the night.
“You won’t find too many awards given out on honorees like that: It’s very special,” he said.
“We said to the company (that produces it), ‘I don’t care what you got to do to make that that award will never be discontinued, because as long as this organization is existing, that will be the award that we give out.
“It means so much for our country, for the leadership of the people we honor and we want it to be special.”
A perfect cap to a can’t-miss event.
