They’re the tops

It was reported last week that Jersey City is using tax breaks and land to try to draw the on-line grocery delivery service Fresh Direct from Queens to this city, along with as many as 1,800 jobs (see Briefs). If the firm crosses the river, it will be in good company.
Mayor Jerramiah Healy recognized last week the accomplishments of three Jersey City-based firms that have already made the move across the Hudson and are now considered to be among New Jersey’s 50 fastest growing companies. The firms – Atlantic Coast Media Group Inc., SANPulse Technologies, and Datapipe Inc. – were singled out by NJBiz, a business news publication for their “perseverance and creativity in meeting challenges,” according to publisher Thomas F. Curtin.

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‘Jersey City gives us easy access to Manhattan without having to pay Manhattan freight.’ – Andrew J. Surwilo
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To congratulate the companies, Healy invited representatives from the three firms to City Hall on Jan. 12. Senior staff from SANPulse and Datapipe were unable to attend. But Andrew J. Surwilo, CEO and co-founder of Atlantic Coast Media Group, was on hand for the City Hall meeting and discussed the reasons his company decided to set up shop in Jersey City.
“Our location today is a public transportation hub. We can attract people from New York, Hudson County, and beyond,” Suwilo explained. “We’re right across the street from the PATH station and the [Hudson-Bergen] Light Rail as well. Jersey City gives us easy access to Manhattan without having to pay Manhattan freight, if you will. So, from our perspective, attracting talent became a lot easier. We actually have people we’ve recruited from out of state and even from other countries.”
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‘Now, you’re seeing families come here and stay.’ – Jerramiah Healy
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Atlantic Coast Media, a top multi-channel marketing and natraceutical and cosmaceutical product development company, was listed No. 1 on the NJBiz list, which the paper puts out annually. Six years ago the company moved its headquarters from neighboring Hoboken to Washington Blvd. in Jersey City, and the company also has a distribution center on Newark Avenue.
Today, the company has 266 employees, Surwilo said, many of whom have chosen to move their families to Jersey City after spending time in the city and seeing what it has to offer. He gave the example of one employee who was commuting between Jersey City, where he worked for Atlantic Coast Media Group, and Florida, where his wife and children were based. They moved up to Jersey City.
“That’s the opposite of what you used to hear,” Healy admitted. “Traditionally, people would move to Jersey City. They’d stay for a while, but then move to the exburbs once they started having kids. Now, you’re seeing families come here and stay.”
The mayor said improvements in the local public school system, in addition to the availability of charter, parochial, and private schools, has made Jersey City a viable home for young and growing families.
After meeting with Surwilo, Healy presented him with a citation from the city.
Citations will also be sent to SANPulse Technologies, which ranked No. 36 on the NJBiz Top 50 list, and Datapipe Inc., which ranked No. 46.
SANPulse, according to a release from the city, provides technology-based infrastructure for data centers which enable them to manage complex IT environments. Datapipe also provides support and infrastructure to data centers in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and distribution, financial services, media, publishing, and retail industries, among others.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.