Business friendly
By ERIK SOKOLOWSKI
Cherry Hill Sun
7/10/2007

Local organizations help businesses through the sometimes sluggish summer months

Some retailers and service professionals face days of tedious repetition during the summer months. With vacations taking potential customers elsewhere, bummed-out businessmen and women need to boost the bottom line somehow.

Of course, the smart businessperson already has a plan of attack for those slower months, especially if he or she is a member of the local business association.

The Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce provides “a voice for area business and the professional community,” according to its Web site, www.cherryhillregional.com. In its 30 years in existence, it has grown to be a powerful force for business in South Jersey, officials said.

The group currently has more than 900 members and continues to enrich the business environment in the region. The Cherry Hill Chamber also provides businesses tools to “increase their client base, as well as their bottom line.”

Some of the tools offered include a weekly networking luncheon, advertising and online services such as online listing and free hyper-linking.

All the information a business needs to succeed can be found at the Cherry Hill Chamber Web site, officials pointed out. The organizations said they help make Cherry Hill very friendly to businesses, with the help of private organizations such as the Cherry Hill Chamber to the township.

The Cherry Hill Business Partnership was created in 2005 “to identify and eliminate barriers for commercial progress,” as stated on www.cherryhill-nj.com. The township also boasts a business advocate to answer any business questions a prospective or current owner may have.

One theme local business leaders expressed was keeping business in the family. With many talking about the importance of local businesses supporting one another.

“I stress that members should use fellow members,” Moorestown Business Association President Mark Morgan said. “That alone will pay for the membership.”

These organizations provide a web of support, locally, that helps keep businesses moving throughout the year.

The MBA has a history of supporting business in the Moorestown area. A few events are staples of the year, such as Moorestown Day, and some are newer like Moorestown Night at The Phillies game.

Moorestown Day kicks off the summer season, but “it’s still technically spring,” Morgan said about the 31-year-old festival adding, “It’s the first big event to get people out on Main Street for the summer.”

The festival shuts down Main Street for the day, flooding the streets with revelers, entertainment and more importantly local business people.

“Membership in the MBA gets members a free booth,” Morgan said. “If the store is on Main Street they can set up in front of their business, but member businesses come from all over town. MBA members definitely get more back than what they put in.”

Morgan was equally excited about the Autumn in Moorestown Festival. The festival features a juried craft show and almost 200 classic and antique cars.

“It’s neat to see all the cars,” Morgan said.

The mid-October event also has some traditional autumn activities like scarecrow making and pumpkin painting.

In Haddonfield, the Partnership for Haddonfield is made up of all commercial property owners, service and retail, in town.

The primary goal of the group is to, “promote Haddonfield as a place to do business and as a primary destination in the region,” PfH Retail Coordinator Lisa Hurd said. “We also sponsor several major events to bring people and traffic to the downtown area.”

The single biggest event of the year is the Haddonfield Crafts and Fine Arts Festival. The July 14 and 15 event shuts down Kings Highway for over 200 crafters and artists from all over the country. The two-day event attracts over 100,000 people.

“The festival is great for restaurants, but it is also great exposure for our fabulous retail district,” Hurd said. “It’s a really great way to promote the downtown region.”

Hurd added that retailers are encouraged to take advantage of these events by offering refreshments, in-store events and promotions. Brand new in Haddonfield this summer is the Haddonfield Farmer’s Market, Saturdays in the PATCO parking lot.

To learn more about theses business associations in South Jersey visit www.cherryhillregional.com for the Cherry Hill Regional Chamber of Commerce or www.cherryhill-nj.com to find out more about how Cherry Hill Township can help.