CONTENTS

President's Message 8

The Business of Golf
in Morris County 12

Tracking and Influencing
the Affairs of Government 16

Lead Morris Program
Continues to Lead 22

Health, Wellness – and More
– In Morris County 26

Morris County Chamber of Commerce

325 Columbia Turnpike – Suite 101, Florham Park, NJ 07932

973.539.3882 | morrischamber.org

Not a member yet? Contact Kevin Murphy, Director of Business Development,

at kmurphy@morrischamber.org.

Please send all of your “Around the Chamber” announcements

to Chris Reardon at chris@reardoncommunications.com for

consideration to be included in the “Around the Chamber” newsletter.

This is a Town Square Publications, formerly MetroMedia (since 1997), publication created and produced for the Morris County Chamber of Commerce

325 Columbia Turnpike - Suite 101, Florham Park, NJ 07932

973.539.3882 | morrischamber.org

Copyright © 2024 Town Square Publications

P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006

(847) 427-4905 | marketing@tspubs.com | www.TownSquarePublications.com

Every effort has been made to ensure the Accuracy of the information in this publication. The Chamber and Town Square assume no Responsibility for misinformation. Please contact the Chamber with any additions or corrections. Reproduction in whole or in part without Permission of the Chamber and Town Square Is prohibited.

Chairman, CEO and Publisher | Douglas K. Ray

President and Chief Operating Officer | Scott Stone

Vice President / Director | Scott Ray

Managing Director | David Small

Director of Production | Ryan Moore

Sales Executive | Wayne Metcalfe

Editor | Chris Reardon

Design Project Manager |
Mike Nickells

FROM GOLF TO GOVERNMENT,
THE CHAMBER COVERS IT ALL

Here at the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, we are fortunate to have members from many different sectors – from accountants to manufacturers to fitness trainers – and an equally diverse array of opportunities to expand your network or hone your skills. In this issue of Business Edge, we look at how golf is thriving in Morris County, the new model of convenient health and fitness opportunities – including at work or in your home – provide a profile of our Government Affairs Forum and introduce what’s new in our already renowned leadership development program, LEAD Morris.

Our cover story looks at the business of golf. Golf is a $100 billion-plus business in the United States and the chamber has members that provide courses, equipment or fitness to keep you at the top of your game. Our members offer upscale club memberships, access to a variety of public courses across the county, golf equipment, lessons and simulated play, and golf physical therapy.

Our second feature profiles our Government Affairs Forum and the programming offered throughout the year, including monthly forums and signature events. The Chamber prides itself on giving our members opportunities to dialogue with public officials. The forum provides members with direct access to elected and appointed state, county and local office holders.

Our third feature article looks at what’s new with LEAD Morris, the chamber’s leadership, education and development program, from which more than 800 members have graduated. While the program has evolved to include personal leadership development, it remains true to its mission of developing awareness of the institutions in Morris County, understanding effective partnerships between the public, private and nonprofit sectors, team building and community service. We are now forming our Class of ’25! Apply today to secure your spot.

Finally, are you looking to get in shape? Our last feature looks at the business of health and fitness and the options you have to improve your fitness with providers in the county. We explore how our members provide different health and fitness services, from in-home to in-business to in-facility that help improve the health of direct clients and the wider community, as well.

To learn more about our member businesses, please visit the directory on our website, where you can also find the Chamber’s Events Calendar to learn more about our upcoming events. You can also add any events your organization is having to the Member Events Calendar. Take advantage of all the benefits of your Chamber membership by signing up for one our monthly “Maximize Your Membership” workshops. I hope to see you “Around the Chamber” this fall. If you have an announcement, please reach out to our editor for placement in an upcoming newsletter.

Sincerely,

Meghan Hunscher

President

THE BUSINESS OF GOLF IN MORRIS COUNTY

By Christopher Reardon

Approximately one in seven Americans, or 46 million people, play golf, either on a traditional course or via newer off-course options such as virtual play, according to the American Golf Industry Coalition. Golf drives more than $101 billion in direct economic activity in the United States, with an indirect impact (e.g. an HVAC contractor repairing air conditioning at a golf club) and induced impact (e.g. spending by employees of golf-related businesses) of $125 billion.

While Mark Twain said golf is a good walk ruined, in reality, golf is big business.

Here in Morris County there are a variety of businesses and county offerings in the golf sector, providing services from upscale private country club memberships to golf physical therapy.

The Morris County Park Commission offers golfers the opportunity to play and practice golf at four very different types of courses. Berkshire Valley Golf Course was once the Berkshire Sand & Stone Quarry and the Ringling (as in Ringling Brothers) Estate. Flanders Valley Golf Course offers two 18-hole courses, one tree-lined and the other more hilly. Sunset Valley Golf Course has some of the most breathtaking views in Morris County while Pinch Brook Golf Course is a shorter executive course. All four courses offer practice facilities, and banquet and/or outing services are available at all but Pinch Brook.

An average of 220,000 rounds of golf are played each year at the county’s four courses, with greens fees ranging from $26 for junior registered county residents to $62 for registered out-of-county players.

“When you obtain a golf registration card, you have access to four golf courses dramatically different from each other aesthetically,” said Dave Helmer, Morris County Park Commission executive director. “At Berkshire Valley there is hilly terrain. Flanders Valley features a farmland atmosphere. Sunset Valley offers tremendous hills and valleys. And there is the shorter but challenging Pinch Brook.”

Spring Brook Country Club in Morristown is a family-oriented private club offering 505 families an 18-hole championship golf course, driving range, indoor performance center with golf simulator, tennis, paddleball and pickleball courts, pool, clubhouse and indoor/outdoor dining. The club provides members with golf programs for men, women and children, including clinics, tournaments and twilight golf.

The club opened in 1921 and has hosted a number of tournaments, including for the New Jersey State Golf Association, the Metropolitan Golf Association and the New Jersey Professional Golf Association. Spring Brook is known for “The Gauntlet,” three consecutive par 3 holes around Armstrong Pond that have led to both triumph and elimination during tournaments.

“Spring Brook provides excellent programs, activities and service for members and their guests,” said Carol Terzo, communications manager. “Members share a camaraderie and a sense of community at Spring Brook through the many opportunities for group participation in a vast number of club-sponsored sports and social events, tournaments and team activities.”

Yet the business of golf extends well beyond the confines of the course. The PGA Tour Superstore in East Hanover is a popular outlet for everything golf, from equipment to lessons and virtual golf. Golfers can purchase anything from a bag of tees to state-of-the-art clubs, either online or in store. A PGA Tour professional provides 35 lessons each week to adults and juniors. Certified golf club fitters ensure golfers have the correct clubs and grips, using TRACKMAN technology employed at the PGA Tour level.

“This service is for the customer who wants to get one-on-one attention to be fitted for everything from just a putter to an entire bag,” said Chris Roguso, general manager.

A five-bay practice center features a monitor that shows golfers their swing and provides information about launch angle, spin rate, where they are striking the ball and more.

“This can also be set up for games, such as break the glass, popular with juniors,” Roguso said.

The PGA Tour Superstore hosts events, such as company outings, networking meetings and camp visits. Membership is $300 annually, which includes unlimited daily practice time, one lesson and studio fitting and more, and is valid at any PGA Tour Superstore location.

Any golfer will say the game is difficult under the best of circumstances. When a golfer is in pain, it can be impossible. That is where Paul Kochoa, owner of Par 5 Physical Therapy, comes in. Kochoa is a doctor of physical therapy, certified orthopedic clinical specialist, and a golf fitness instructor and golf medical professional certified by the Titleist Performance Institute. PAR 5 Physical Therapy is an outpatient physical therapy clinic that specializes in orthopedics and golf fitness. 

“I help active adults move better, feel better and play better so they can get back to doing the things they love to do without pain meds, injections, or surgery, even if they’ve tried PT before,” Kochoa said.   

Kochoa employs golf movement screens and golf fitness assessment while treatment includes manual physical therapy and golf fitness training.

“Par 5 Physical Therapy is not your typical PT clinic,” Kochoa said. “Every session is one-on-one with a specialist, with no assistants or aides, so you can get better in fewer sessions. I specialize in a variety of manual therapy techniques, including dry needling, joint manipulations, instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization, cupping and fitness training.  All services are delivered with a satisfaction guarantee.”

Were only that true for every round of golf.

Meghan Hunscher (right), chamber president, poses with Morris County Administrator Deena Leary (left) and County Commissioner Director Christine Myers at the Women in Government Luncheon.

TRACKING AND INFLUENCING THE AFFAIRS OF GOVERNMENT

According to Thomas Jefferson, “That government is strongest of which every man feels himself a part.”

Count businesses in there, as well. That is why the Morris County Chamber of Commerce has long sponsored a Government Affairs Forum – so its members can feel a part of their government.

The goal of the Government Affairs Forum is to increase engagement by members in the government arena, educate members and achieve stronger public policy for the business community, according to current co-chairs, Sal Anderton, principal at Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C., and Rosalie Serapiglia, vice president of government affairs at Tilcon NY.

“Our approach has been to come to the Government Affairs Forum with new ears and eyes and open hearts to hear what our members are looking for,” Serapiglia said.

Members of the forum include small and medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, representatives of the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, utility, higher education, VoTech and day care sectors, veterans and retirees. Meetings draw an average of between 30 and 60 attendees but several events have drawn up to 100.

“Our membership is as broad as the business community itself,” Anderton said. “(Yet) the business community isn’t just businesses. It’s also public safety, workforce development, workforce wellness and more.”

The forum achieves its goals of engagement and education in a number of ways. They host a diverse slate of guest speakers, including:

• Elected office holders from both parties at the local, county, state and federal levels.

• Appointed office holders such as the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey or a representative from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

• Experts such as the executive director of polling at FDU Poll (see sidebar).

“We’re bringing in as many office holders as possible, both Democrats and Republicans on the same panel,” Serapiglia said. “Were facilitating dialogue between members and office holders, both elected and appointed, to provide a more holistic view of government.”

Added Anderton, “Members really appreciate that politicians of opposite parties have more in common than less in common.”

The forum also holds a Public Policy Series with the New Jersey Business & Industry Association on hot topics for the business community.

In addition, Government Affairs hosts a number of signature events during the year, including:

• Washington Update, a briefing by representatives of New Jersey’s Congressional delegation, this year Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-NJ.

• Legislative Luncheon featuring keynote speakers or panelists from the Morris County government and other prominent state elected officials.

• Women in Government Luncheon featuring women office holders talking about their unique challenges, this year Morris County Commissioner Director Christine Myers and County Administrator Deena Leary.

Chamber members interested in learning more or attending a future meeting should visit the Public Policy Series page under Programs on the chamber’s website Home page.

Should Polling Be Believed?

In the modern world with caller ID and a consolidating media, American pollsters are facing an array of challenges that are leading the public to question whether they can believe polling. That is according to Dan Cassino, professor of government and politics at Fairleigh Dickinson University and executive director of FDU Poll.

The leading challenge is low response rates.

“People don’t pick up their phone anymore,” Cassino said.

Most polls today have response rates below 2 percent, according to Cassino. To compensate, pollsters add greater weight to responses from certain groups less likely to answer calls, such as Black males and people with less than a college education. Pollsters also have gotten more creative, such as polling through texts.

Media consolidation is another challenge to polling, Cassino explained. Pollsters have private clients, such as businesses, interest groups, government agencies and lobbyists to help offset costs. To gain credibility with these clients, pollsters conduct general interest polls that they share with the media. (Recent FDU Poll polls include New Jersey voters seeing no segregation in the state and Tom Kean, Sr. being the state’s best-remembered governor.)

“But consolidation has made it harder to get the media coverage that provides that credibility,” Cassino said.

Other challenges include the cost of conducting polls and online polling being ineffective, he added.

“To counter skepticism, we tell people to look at the average of polls,” Cassino said. “But there are more and more low-quality polls being conducted because they are less expensive. The result is less quality data for policy-makers and the media…Part of our job is to bring the views of constituents to elected officials. So a challenge to polling is a challenge to democracy.”

LEAD MORRIS PROGRAM CONTINUES TO LEAD

For more than 30 years, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce has been fostering leaders for the benefit of the community through its LEAD Morris program (originally called Leadership Morris). Yet the program introduced in 1991 has evolved to include new opportunities for personal leadership development and this year welcomed a record-breaking class of 40 current and future leaders.

“We’re extremely proud of LEAD Morris, a premiere immersive experiential learning program,” said Meghan Hunscher, chamber president. “We continue to evolve the program in response to our members in order to deliver outstanding leaders to the county and cultivate volunteerism.”

LEAD Morris teaches business, nonprofit, education and government professionals about the opportunities, challenges, institutions and people of Morris County. The program is designed for recognized leaders and professionals identified for future leadership responsibilities within their organizations, whose business acumen and community consciousness will make a difference in Morris County.

LEAD Morris focuses on community education, professional development, community trusteeship and business networking. Participants gather monthly for a series of field trips to learn about municipal and state government, criminal justice, health care and life sciences, corporate leadership, arts and culture, the environment and Picatinny Arsenal.

Danielle Grayson, program director, took over administration of LEAD Morris halfway through the 2023 class and looked at this year as an opportunity to make additional enhancements.

“The three pillars of LEAD Morris are leadership, service and community,” she said. “I wanted everything we do to support one of those pillars.”

Grayson changed the orientation session to place greater emphasis on participants focusing more on their values as leaders and community service and added Arts & Culture Day to the schedule. She also enhanced the partnerships the program has with outside trainers.

Laura Crothers, founder and CEO of Crothers Consulting, began working with LEAD Morris participants last year on leadership development. This year her one-day session was expanded to two days.

“In the first session we started with raising self-awareness,” Crothers said. “We used the DISC assessment (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness) and focused on getting to know each other’s communication styles, how to work more effectively with different styles and have fun…In part two we went deeper into leadership, (for instance) how our skills have gotten us to a certain place but then get in the way.”

Among the lessons Crothers aimed to teach in her program was that there is a difference between management and leadership.

Jay Weisman, founder of Legacy Philanthropy Group, worked with participants to bring more structure to the community service aspect of the program. He introduced his company’s Hands On! Philanthropy training program “designed to help a person be a little more intentional about giving,” he said.

Weisman broke the group of 40 into five teams of eight and had each team define their philanthropy mission statement and adopt a local nonprofit to support. One team selected the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, which hosts school and camp visits that the LEAD Morris team helped facilitate one day. Another team chose Market Street Mission Thrift Store, where team members helped sort donated items and prepare them for sale.

“At graduation, they all will do a presentation of what they learned, (including) what they experienced as a collaborative team,” he said.

Weisman ran the same training with the chamber’s Health and Wellness Committee and it was so successful, it was added to the LEAD Morris program.

Cal Thomas of Sandler Training and Casey Carpenter of Speak & Own It Communications also worked with this year’s LEAD Morris class.

Reactions to the enhancements of LEAD Morris have been very positive, according to Grayson. The Class of 2024 has a third more participants than usual classes.

“Increasing by 10 participants to 40 speaks to the popularity of the program,” she said. “But we’re always looking for ways to improve.”

The LEAD Morris class of '25 is forming now, visit the chamber's website under programs to learn more or apply.

HEALTH, WELLNESS – AND MORE – IN MORRIS COUNTY

By Christopher Reardon

Fewer than one in four Americans meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. In addition, while the U.S. health, fitness and gym club industry generates more than $30 billion each year, only 18 percent of gym members attend more than twice a week, research shows.

Here in Morris County, there are businesses that aim to change that landscape and deliver health and fitness services that improve the lives of those they touch.

Fitness Knocking in Randolph provides in-home personal training and onsite corporate wellness programs. In-home services include senior fitness, after-physical therapy/post-rehabilitation fitness, beginner exercise programs, weight loss coaching, toning, pre-natal yoga and pre-natal exercise, post-partum exercise, strength and resistance training, yoga-specific training and Pilates.

“In-home training is for clients who don’t have time or are disinclined to go to the gym,” said Fitness Knocking owner Lois Manzella-Marchitto.

Corporate wellness services include in-person and online group classes, from stretching and strengthening to yoga and boot camp, seminars to help employees live more healthy lifestyles, Stress Relief and Abs in Action classes, and special offerings such as Zumba and Qi Gong. 

Fitness Knocking’s training model is geared to enhance the health of the client and entails an evaluation that leads to a metrics and customized strategy.

“Everybody is different,” Manzella-Marchitto said. “When we evaluate, we look for what they might be able to change.”

This customization results in very high participation rates. In-home clients are consistent while 95 percent of employees complete the corporate wellness programs. Fitness Knocking supports in-home clients, as well as multiple corporate and municipal contracts

“Very few gym memberships are used regularly,” Manzella-Marchitto said. “People use our services.”

StretchSource in Boonton provides 1-2-1 assisted stretching, contrast therapy (infrared sauna and cold plunge), and Private Pilates Reformer to alleviate pain, increase flexibility, improve posture, enhance performance, and reduce anxiety. The Source Wellness Program is customized to the individual and is based on their Flex IQ, a proprietary movement and flexibility assessment.

“StretchSource is a wellness oasis that provides a triad of services to help people attain healthy mobility and stay active throughout their life without pain or limitations,” said owner Mara Kimowitz.

Kimowitz is creator of the Pliability Stretch Method, “a nationally recognized method of stretching,” she said, on which she trains each of her stretch therapists.

More than half of StretchSource members are middle-aged men seeking to increase their mobility for activities such as golf or skiing, according to Kimowitz. Others range from youth 13 and older, seniors into their 90s, people with diseases such as Parkinson’s or Multiple Sclerosis, and those recovering from spinal cord injuries. About 50 members visit the studio weekly, with newcomers also scheduling appointments.

StretchSource is different from other stretch places, according to Kimowitz.

“We offer private rooms while other facilities have open spaces,” she said. “We are not a franchise, so our ability to provide service is more personal and customized. And our members enjoy unlimited access to our recovery suite.”

Lakeland Hills Family YMCA in Mountain Lakes provides an array of health and fitness services to 8,000 members who make more than 250,000 visits to the facility each year. Services include exercise facilities, adult, youth and teen sports, health and wellness programs and swimming.

Yet Lakeland Hills Y is more than simply a health and fitness service provider, according to Alex Martinez, CEO. They also offer youth and teen programs, including a STEM lab, childcare, pre- and after-school care, and certification courses.

“We consider ourselves a community center,” Martinez said. “We welcome anyone who wants a sense of community or who wants to create relationships…(In addition) we are really here to address some of the most pressing issues the community faces, such as childcare and afterschool programs.”

Lakeland Hills Y also reaches out to the community through its Y Beyond Walls program. They support 225 children through pre-school and after-school services in schools. They run summer camps and hold blood drives, coat drives and dental clinics. They also partner with other health and wellness service providers such as the American Red Cross and the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris.

“We can’t expect everyone to come to us. We have to go to them,” Martinez said.

Martinez also focuses on public policy, visiting both Trenton and Washington, D.C., “to advocate for dollars to allow us to do this work,” he said.