Seven rays of sun for the seven counties it serves.
When the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey was designing its new logo — its first rebranding in 20 years — CEO Christina Renna said she wanted to make sure it incorporated the reach of its organization, as well as having it pay homage to its long history in the region.
That’s why the group changed its tagline, too. It now reads: Connecting the Region since 1873.
“We wanted to stay true to our history, which is very important to us,” Renna told ROI-NJ. “But we really wanted the redesign to modernize the organization and remain consistent with the new mission and the new core values — connection, community, inclusivity, diversity — that we announced in January.”
The logo was unveiled Wednesday afternoon at the chamber’s annual meeting.
The event helps set the table for the coming year, as the group announced 14 new board members, a who’s who list of South Jersey leaders (see the complete list below) and its newly elected board — both groups will assume their new roles Jan. 1.
The event also helps bring to a close a year unlike any other.
Renna, who took over as CEO on Jan. 1, said she was thrilled to see how the group’s new mission, vision and core values resonated. Even more, she was grateful for the support the member businesses gave to the chamber during difficult times.
“Our members have been extremely loyal to us throughout this really tumultuous year, and we are extraordinarily thankful for that,” she said. “A huge piece of our ability to really continue to provide strong member value goes to our sponsoring companies, which stuck with us as we did that switch and basically rebuilt the business model as a virtual chamber of commerce.
“Because of the support of our sponsoring companies, we were able to do some unique things with virtual programming that, really, not a lot of other people were doing. It made a difference. We did not have a lot of attrition in a year where you would think you would see a lot.
“I consider our chamber very blessed and in a good position as we look ahead to 2021.”
- Anthony Bawidamann, senior director of legislative affairs, Comcast;
- Lovepreet Buttar, managing director and principal, Mercadien Group;
- Chris Chiacchio, counsel, Flaster Greenberg P.C.;
- Lori Herndon, CEO and president, AtlantiCare Health System;
- Sarah Jones, director of government affairs, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey;
- Kris Kolluri, CEO, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership;
- Kenneth L’esperance, chief financial officer, Subaru of America Inc.;
- Judi London, chief strategy officer, Bancroft;
- Amy Mansue, CEO and president, Inspira Health;
- Melissa Orsen, president and chief operating officer, South Jersey Gas;
- Jason Ravitz, executive vice president of retail operations, Ravitz Family Markets;
- Brian Sweeney, president and chief operating officer, New Jersey Division of Jefferson Health;
- Michael Vostenak, global senior director of human resources, Radwell International Inc.;
- Jennifer Young, external affairs field director for Southern New Jersey, Verizon.
Newly elected officers for CCSNJ:
- Chair: Ronald Masciantonio, senior vice president and general counsel at Five Below Inc.;
- Vice chair: Deborah Hays, chair & partner at Archer & Greiner P.C.;
- Vice chair, finance, and treasurer: Kimberly Brandley, partner with CohnReznick LLP;
- Secretary of the board: Robin Walton, vice president of community & government affairs at Thomas Edison State University;
- Vice chair, government action: Francis Manning, partner in charge – New Jersey office of Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP;
- Vice chair, special events & marketing: Liz Thomas, CEO of Thomas/Boyd Communications;
- Vice chair, membership: Kenneth Barnshaw, senior vice president, community & government relations, at South Jersey Federal Credit Union;
- Immediate past chair: Joseph Devine.
The core values CCSNJ introduced last January:
- We commit to excellence, integrity and professionalism;
- We put members first, providing them with unparalleled value and exceptional service;
- We connect business and community leaders to build sustainable professional relationships;
- We foster inclusive community that embraces the diversity of companies, organizations and individuals we serve.
- We advocate for business interests that support the betterment of our members and the region;
- We collaborate with members and legislative leaders to strategically influence public policy impacting business operations and profitability.
