From left: Christopher Paladino, president of AC Devco; Mike Renna, CEO and president and of South Jersey Industries; Joseph R. Jingoli Jr., CEO of Joseph Jingoli & Son Inc.; and Steve Poniatowicz, senior vice president of CNG & Building Management of South Jersey Gas, gathered on the terrace during the hard hat tour of the new South Jersey Gas headquarters, which is currently under construction in Atlantic City. — Courtesy: South Jersey Gas
By Joshua Burd
With completion slated for later this year, the future headquarters of South Jersey Gas in Atlantic City was on display Thursday as the utility hosted a tour of the 75,000-square-foot project.
Community leaders, elected officials, project partners and employees of South Jersey Gas met for a walkthrough of the construction site at Atlantic Avenue between Roosevelt and Lincoln Place. The tour included the areas that will house a customer care center, dispatch operations and the sales and marketing group, among others.
“As the construction of our new headquarters nears its targeted fall completion, we wanted to celebrate our progress to date with the many stakeholders who have supported this project,” said Dave Robbins, president of South Jersey Gas. “We are proud to provide today’s guests with an inside view of the foundation of our new building, which will accommodate our growing workforce and ensure we can continue to meet the needs of our growing customer base throughout southern New Jersey — reinforcing the foundation of our business.”
The utility, a subsidiary of South Jersey Industries, will relocate from Folsom in order to accommodate its growth and become an economic development partner in Atlantic City. The new headquarters will part of the $210 million Atlantic City Gateway project, which is being developed by the Atlantic Development Corp. and will also include a new satellite campus for Stockton University.
Construction of the new six-floor office building, which sits atop a multistory parking garage, began in 2017. The utility said the project has created about 194 construction jobs to date through partnerships between South Jersey Gas and partners AC Devco, the South Jersey Building Trades and Joseph Jingoli & Son Inc.
Tour participants on Thursday saw the areas that will house the new work spaces, along with amenities such as a fitness center and café, according to a news release. The tour also included first looks at the interior of the facility as well as the surrounding grounds and exterior environment, which features waterfront views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Once completed, the facility will house some 200 company professionals from across the region, while introducing new job opportunities to the city.
Robbins, meantime, touted the fact that the company has engaged employees in the interior design of the space, including furniture and creative pieces that will be showcased around the building.
“We consider this return to Atlantic City as a kind of homecoming,” said Robbins, whose company was founded in the resort town. “We’re energized by the prospect of returning to our roots and helping Atlantic City return to the vibrant, bustling, beach venue that we know it to be.”
