New Jersey
New Jersey FoodTech Conference 2024
Will be held at Rutgers University on June 26
Rutgers University’s Food Innovation Center, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, along with Middlesex County, announce the New Jersey FoodTech 2024 Conference, which will be held on June 26 at the Rutgers College Avenue Student Center, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference costs $50 with registration by June 24. Registration is free for Rutgers faculty, staff, students and conference partners by emailing ayg6@njaes.rutgers.edu. (photos by Rutgers University)
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Rutgers University’s Food Innovation Center, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, along with Middlesex County, announce the New Jersey FoodTech 2024 Conference, which will be held on June 26 at the Rutgers College Avenue Student Center, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference costs $50 with registration by June 24. Registration is free for Rutgers faculty, staff, students and conference partners by emailing ayg6@njaes.rutgers.edu.
The conference, which was inaugurated last year to great success, is designed to help promote the growth of New Jersey’s food technology sector by building awareness of its strength in food innovation.
Keynote speaker, Lou Cooperhouse, is the founder, president & CEO of BlueNalu, and expressed his excitement at returning in this role.
“I’m excited to serve as keynote speaker again for this outstanding conference. The food industry is going through such an extraordinary transformation now and over the coming years, in which technologies are enabling precision agriculture, resulting in new forms of protein, personalizing nutrition, creating new methods for distribution and utilizing AI to better understand consumer motivations and product satisfaction.”
Cooperhouse, a leading global authority in food innovation, business and product differentiation, and technology commercialization, will speak on the topic, “Food for Thought: Food Industry Trends and the Power of Partnerships.”
He emphasizes this basic formula. “Success in the food industry begins with the identification of your company’s problem statement, and how your business differentiation creates a unique and valued selling proposition.”
To help businesses, from concept to commercialization, many established early-stage entrepreneurs and existing food companies often turn to the Rutgers Food Innovation Center (FIC) for support.
Rutgers Food Innovation Center.
Nolan Lewin is the executive director of FIC, a unique food business incubator in Bridgeton, NJ. Since 2001, FIC has been a strategic partner to New Jersey companies, providing enormous value to businesses and accelerating their pathway to market.
“FIC is a trusted source of information, expertise and capabilities, unmatched by other universities. It is FDA and USDA registered, capable of manufacturing goods that can be sold directly into market. Our Marketing and Food Safety programs also cover many facets of food and beverage manufacturing, including Competitive Sensory analysis, FSMA certificate training, Servesafe and GAP audit facility reviews.”
In addition to helping to grow NJ’s food technology sector, the FoodTech conference also aims to highlight business retention capacity and opportunities in the state.
Sho Islam, Division Head of Life Sciences & Food Innovation at Middlesex County’s Office of Business Engagement, is a speaker at NJ FoodTech 2024. He started his career with FIC, focusing on business development, entrepreneurship, innovation commercialization and strategic business consulting. Currently, Islam is responsible for providing business expansion and advisory support to companies located or interested in locating to Middlesex County.
He notes that New Jersey’s world class facilities – 22 million square feet of lab space that is expected to grow 27% by 2026, and highly skilled workforce – firmly establish the state as a hub for the life sciences.
According to Islam, “the same labs and talent pool that support life sciences are also spurring growth in food innovation across the state.”
Angel Planet Foods – a plant-based food company specializing in Asian cuisine – is one such New Jersey-based success story. A former incubated company with FIC, the company was founded in 2020 by Zheng Song, who served as a panelist at the inaugural NJ FoodTech conference in 2023.
“My experience was extraordinary. I was honored to be in the company of other entrepreneurs and investors, and found the conference to be a rewarding experience. The debut of the FoodTech conference was very successful.”
Song adds that “the plant-based presentations were very informative and I also enjoyed the networking and learning about the trends in the industry.”
FoodTech 2024 keynote speaker Lou Cooperhouse brings 40 years of experience in the food industry. He has close ties to FIC and New Jersey food innovation, having previously served as a founder and executive director of this award-winning program. He’s also the current chair of the Rutgers University Food Innovation Center Advisory Board.
His portfolio includes extensive entrepreneurial expertise leading cross-functional teams in a wide array of settings, including new business startups, multinational corporations, foodservice and retail operations, non-profits and trade associations, and university food incubation programs
Cooperhouse sums up why entrepreneurial startups, established businesses, industry suppliers, venture capital sources, non-profits, and others should attend the conference.
“Strategic partnerships can provide enormous value to an entrepreneurial company, as well as an established multinational corporation, and accelerate and support food innovation and market differentiation, and I look forward to sharing these insights at New Jersey FoodTech 2024.”
–Rutgers University
New Jersey
Yellowcard Brings Ocean Avenue to New Jersey’s Own Ocean Avenue
Yellowcard played the Stone Pony Summer Stage on Friday June 12th. It was an astounding set. The band performed nineteen tracks from every era and iteration of the band. It was a special night for anyone who is a fan.
Openers Plain White T’s and New Found Glory also deserve special credit for fitting the bill flawlessly. It was the perfect way to set the stage for the show to come. Both bands have a strong stage presence and were able to captures the crowd’s full attention.
Yellowcard opened with a video of the Paramount stars. They continued their set by playing interlude snippets of other major movies such as “Back To The Future,” “Top Gun,” “The Goonies,” and the “Ghostbusters.” It really felt like we were watching a cinematic experience as well as a concert. The production was second to none. There was even pyro during certain moments of the show.
The band played six tracks off their new album Better Days. This was a huge highlight of the show. Better Days is not only the best Yellowcard album since Ocean Avenue, it’s one of the best pop-punk releases of the decade. The band worked tightly with Travis Barker, Avril Lavigne, and Alkaline Trio to enhance all aspects of the genre. The new tracks warranted even more of a reception than older tracks. We were truly watching a band in their prime.
Overall, Yellowcard are showing us the new heights bands can reach within the pop-punk genre. Their breakup and triumphant return displays to us that anything is possible. Please enjoy our gallery below from photographer Anthony Vito Cosentino.
Plain White T’s
New Found Glory
Yellowcard
All Photos by Anthony Vito Cosentino
New Jersey
Historical marker recognizing Lawnside, New Jersey, to be unveiled Friday
From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
The borough of Lawnside in Camden County will be honored with a historical marker from the New Jersey Historical Commission as part of the state’s Black Heritage Trail.
A ceremony unveiling the marker will take place at 10 a.m. Friday at Lawnside Borough Hall on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Road.
Marsharee Wright, aide to Lawnside Mayor Mary Ann Wardlow and long-time resident, said everyone is thrilled about the marker unveiling.
“We’ve invited the entire community and neighboring towns to come share the celebration with us,” Wright said.
Linda Shockley, president of the Lawnside Historical Society, said it’s “an extreme honor” for the borough to be included in the state’s program, especially as Lawnside is amid a year-long celebration of its centennial.
“It really lifts our profile and hopefully more people will understand and know what Lawnside is about and what it means in the nation,” Shockley said.
Lawnside was one of six sites selected in Camden County in 2024, including “The Point,” a historic Black neighborhood in Haddonfield. Its marker was unveiled last June.
During the ceremony, the borough’s history will be showcased, along with the original documents signed by Gov. A. Harry Moore in 1926, which made way for the borough’s creation.
Though there are many Black enclaves in South Jersey, the borough is the state’s only incorporated antebellum Black community. First known as Free Haven, and later Snow Hill, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Peter Mott built a three-floor dwelling in 1844 that was once part of sprawling farmland where he helped slaves escape.
Mott’s house, now owned by the Lawnside Historical Society, serves as an Underground Railroad museum.
New Jersey
Is ICE giving up on Roxbury detention center? NJ leaders laud report
See the Roxbury warehouse scouted by ICE as possible deportation site
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were in Roxbury recently apparently scouting a Rt. 46 warehouse as a possible migrant deportation facility.
Federal officials are considering abandoning plans for a controversial immigration detention facility in Roxbury, New Jersey, according to a June 18 report by The New York Times, prompting local leaders and state officials to declare a victory after months of legal and political opposition.
The proposed facility, a warehouse property purchased to serve as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center, faced intense criticism from local residents, environmental advocates and elected officials who argued the site was unsuitable for housing detainees.
In a joint statement issued Thursday, Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the Department of Homeland Security appeared to be backing away from the project following legal challenges that halted development.
“Today the New York Times is reporting that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is backing down on its mass detention center in Roxbury,” the statement said. “That is a big win for public safety, for the township of Roxbury, and for New Jersey.”
According to the Times report, the Roxbury facility is one of seven ICE is planning to dispense with by transferring ownership to other federal agencies or selling them.
Opponents argued the warehouse was designed as a logistics facility and lacked the infrastructure necessary to support a large detention center. They also raised concerns about the potential strain on local water and sewage systems and the impact on environmentally sensitive land surrounding the site.
State officials said they joined Roxbury Township in court to challenge the project, contending that federal plans violated local regulations and posed risks to the community.
“DHS’s plans were always illegal,” the statement said. “The Roxbury warehouse is a logistics center fit for packages, not thousands of people.”
Rep. Rob Menendez said in a statement on Thursday: “We are working to confirm reporting that ICE is abandoning its Roxbury warehouse plans, but if true, this would be big news. From day one, we have fought to stop this facility, bringing together thousands of New Jerseyans in opposition. Now we are on the cusp of an important win for our state.”
The detention center was expected to become part of the federal government’s broader immigration enforcement and detention network. However, the project became a flashpoint in New Jersey, drawing opposition from both local officials and residents concerned about public safety, environmental impacts and the facility’s compatibility with surrounding land uses.
Federal officials have not publicly confirmed whether the property will be sold or formally removed from consideration. The Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the reported change in plans.
Opponents vowed to continue monitoring the situation until the project is officially terminated.
“This isn’t a partisan issue,” the statement said. “We’re grateful for our partnership with the Roxbury community as we keep DHS’s feet to the fire to ensure this facility is never opened.”
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