Ironside Newark at 110 Edison Place in Newark — Courtesy: Edison Properties
By Joshua Burd
Dozens of business and civic leaders will take the stage in early December for the inaugural Newark Summit, where they’ll discuss the wave of investment and placemaking initiatives in the state’s largest city, in an event that is slated to draw more than 750 attendees.
Slated for Dec. 4, the daylong program by roundtable&advisory will take place at Edison Properties’ distinctive Ironside Newark complex at 110 Edison Place, featuring panels that cover everything from finance and affordable housing to retail and office space. It’s also slated to have video remarks from Gov. Phil Murphy and a fireside chat with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, one of several top government officials who will be on hand alongside leading developers, professionals and heads of the city’s anchor institutions in arts and education.
“We’re extremely excited for Newark’s future, which has been anchored and enriched by its role as New Jersey’s corporate, innovation, human capital and cultural sweet spot,” said Sherif M. Abouzied, founding principal of the Newark Summit. “There are so many anchor organizations — public and private leaders collaborating, innovating and accelerating Newark’s inclusiveness and opportunities across sectors and across the city.
“We’re privileged to be able to convene many of the leaders for this idea, investment and storytelling summit.”
The high-profile event will follow the success of the Jersey City Summit, the annual conference hosted by roundtable&advisory. Abouzied noted that the series has drawn more than 9,000 attendees since its launch in 2015, thanks in part to a speaker lineup that includes the city’s top developers, business leaders and public officials.
The Newark Summit, which will be chaired by Newark-based Genova Burns LLC, will follow a similar format against the backdrop of themes such as equitable development, anchor institutions and the arts as drivers for investment and growth.
“There are so many wonderful projects and initiatives being announced across Newark,” Abouzied said. “We want to celebrate the accomplishments, bring awareness and excitement to the opportunities and discuss future challenges as we create this new convening platform for principals making the best site-selection, equitable growth and investment case for Newark.”
