By Joshua Burd
A trade group for technology firms and entrepreneurs in New Jersey has tapped a well-known commercial real estate executive to lead a newly formed innovation committee.
The association, TechUnited:NJ, said Onyx Equities’ Jonathan Schultz will chair the panel as part an effort to bring a broader strategic and practical perspective to the organization. He will do so alongside several leading figures in New Jersey business and higher education, the association said, reflecting the changing composition of the tech community.
“The TechUnited Innovation Committee surrounds our organization with leaders who can guide New Jersey’s technology community through the evolution of the economy and the inevitable technology-led market disruption,” said Aaron Price, CEO and president of TechUnited. “We want members to capitalize on New Jersey’s inherent advantages and create growth and advancement at the very edge of technology development. For entrepreneurs and tech leaders big and small, this added value represents a critical component of our renewed mission, to empower entrepreneurs, innovators and instigators to build a better future for all.”
Schultz, a co-founder and managing partner of Woodbridge-based Onyx, is a leading voice on the use of technology in commercial real estate. The new role comes as TechUnited, which recently rebranded from the NJ Tech Council, has adopted a new mission amid a surge in high-tech entrepreneurial and corporate activity in New Jersey.
The innovation committee’s other members include:
- New Jersey Institute of Technology President Joel Bloom
- Stevens Institute of Technology President Nariman Farvardin
- Public Service Enterprise Group Chairman, President and CEO Ralph Izzo
- com CEO Ari Rabban
- Verizon Business Chief Revenue Officer Sampath Sowmyanarayan
- CentralReach CEO Chris Sullens
“Each of our Innovation Committee members can point to a specific recent instance where our technology exposure enabled an opportunity that generated benefits to the broader business community,” Schultz said. “Technology evolutions are the most exciting aspect of all business today, whether it be changes on our services to tenants or emerging enterprises or corporate intrapreneurism — every layer of the business community touches technology.
“What some tech entrepreneurs fail to recognize is how to create advantages utilizing the many tiers of support New Jersey already has in place for them. With this committee we will be there to identify opportunities and guide decisions for many innovators and entrepreneurs in the TechUnited community.”
