Dan Kennedy was both colorful and matter-of-fact — and his point was well made — as the NAIOP New Jersey CEO discussed the commercial real estate association’s focus around the upcoming gubernatorial election and the ensuing lame duck session in Trenton. As he explained recently, the chapter was tracking more than 30 bills “that range from annoying to terrifying in terms of impacting the growth of warehouse development in the state,” highlighting just how high the stakes are and will continue to be for the industry in the months ahead.
“There’s a lot of risk and opportunity during lame duck, so we’re getting ready for that,” Kennedy said during an interview in late August.
It should come as no surprise that advocacy, one of the chapter’s core missions during its 55-year history, is a pillar of the four-year strategic plan that it unveiled at the start of 2025. That’s critical as voters decide whether Jack Ciattarelli or Mike Sherrill will succeed Gov. Phil Murphy, as you’ll read in this month’s cover story, as are other key goals that the association has outlined after an organizational assessment in early 2024. The blueprint also calls for creating new value for NAIOP members and improving the perception that public officials, residents and other outside stakeholders have of the commercial real estate sector, along with elevating the chapter’s position in the industry, enhancing partnerships with academia and expanding its community service programs.
“We are aspiring to not just be good at playing defense with bad ideas in Trenton,” Kennedy added, speaking alongside Greek Real Estate Partners’ Matt Schlindwein, NAIOP New Jersey’s chapter president. “We want to do more with promoting good ideas that come from the industry to make what we do easier and more viable.”
Our October issue also details how officials in Englewood Cliffs moved quickly to fill the void that would be left by Unilever, a longtime tenant on Sylvan Avenue, by convincing Samsung Electronics America to take over the office building that the consumer goods company was leaving behind. They said as much in late September during a ribbon-cutting for the global electronics giant, which relocated from Ridgefield Park, recounting the combination of advocacy and business-friendly policies by Mayor Mark Park and his team that helped seal the deal for the 325,000-square-foot property.
You can find those stories and more in the latest edition of Real Estate NJ, including a collection of Q&As from our third annual Owners Council. Our thanks to the developers that have returned to participate in this must-read section — part of a special content partnership program for those that advertise with us — for giving us their outlooks on the market and explaining how they plan to adapt, leverage technology and potentially explore new asset classes in 2026. We’re excited to share those answers and others — including our council’s go-to meals, dream vacations and trends that they hope never come back — and hope you enjoy the Q&As as much as we did.
Until next time, thanks for reading and enjoy the issue!
Joshua Burd
Editor
