The Hudson Reporter newspapers, Cucharamama, HOPES Community Action Partnership, and a handful of other Hoboken businesses and agencies won honors Thursday night at the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce’s third annual Business Awards at the Hoboken Elks Lodge.
The annual awards are given in 13 categories and recognize the effort it takes to run a local business and thrive in a small city.
The Reporter won the top honor, Best Business of the Year for 2014. It was the first time the chain won an award since the annual event started in 2012. The newspaper chain, with offices in Hoboken and Bayonne, publishes eight weekly newspapers.
Also nominated in that category were Wiley Publishing and ShopRite of Hoboken.
“We take great pride in informing the public and keeping our newspapers very community oriented,” said Hudson Reporter advertising manager Tish Kraszyk. “We’ll continue to strive to provide you with exceptional service and important local information.”
“It’s not just Williamsburg, Brooklyn, baby, that’s gonna do it!”—Karen Nason
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“I don’t know who said print is dead,” said hMag founder Joe Mindak, “but with The Hudson Reporter and hMag, print is still alive.”
Other winners
South American restaurant Cucharamama did double duty as the caterer of the awards dinner and the winner of the trophy for Best Restaurant of the Year. The dinner featured braised short ribs in red wine sauce, wild salmon in a fire-roasted pepper sauce, and other dishes that have led Cucharamama head chef Maricel Presilla to recognition as the 2012 James Beard Outstanding Chef in the Mid-Atlantic Region and a guest chef at the White House.
The award for best developer/builder went to SJP Properties, the firm behind the three corporate office buildings on Hoboken’s South Waterfront. Pearson Education is poised to move into the soon-to-be completed Waterfront Corporate Center III, and Wiley Publishing recently renewed its lease in Waterfront Corporate Center I until at least 2033.
HOPES Community Action Partnership topped off a year of celebrations for its 50th anniversary with the award for best community service. The organization provides a wide range of services in Hoboken, including early childhood education, professional development workshops, senior assisted transportation, and utility assistance programs.
Marisa Musachio, HOPES’ director of program operations, invited all those present to familarize themselves with the nonprofit’s many activities and become involved. She said HOPES CAP has successfully assisted about 2,000 individuals this past year with a variety of services.
“We couldn’t do it with having the community support of everyone here,” said Musachio, “and we couldn’t do it without having people who believe in what we do.”
The inaugural category of Education Provider of the Year went to Hoboken’s only university, Stevens Institute of Technology, which beat out All Saints Episcopal Day School and BJ Simon Singing Studio. Stevens Director of Community and State Relations Beth McGrath thanked the Chamber, noting that Stevens has been trying to do more to increase its profile in the Hoboken community.
“Our students are doing literally hundreds of activities and thousands of hours of volunteer work,” said McGrath, “from tutoring, from tech support, to nonprofits throughout the city…as a nonprofit institution, our students really do a lot to keep this town running.”
Hudson Place Realty took home the prize for best real estate office of the year, besting finalists Singleton-Galman Realty and ReMax Gold Coast Realty.
“We are so fortunate to have created an environment of support and encouragement that allows us to be successful,” said Jon Sisti, Hudson Place’s broker and President. Sisti said that it has been an honor to be a part of the remarkable growth in Hoboken’s real estate market over the past 35 years.
Alive and well and living in Hoboken
If there had been an award for most enthusiastic winner of the night, it would easily gone to Karen Nason, the owner of Hoboken Hot House, which took home the trophy for Best New Business of the Year. The home décor store and cafe opened a new location at Second and Monroe streets last October.
Nason turned her acceptance speech in a cri de coeur for lighting the fire in southwest Hoboken, where she opened her shop and now lives.
“It’s not just Williamsburg, Brooklyn, baby, that’s gonna do it,” said Nason. “We’re gonna do it and I started it and I want you to continue it because Hoboken is so cool.”
“I came from New York City and a great jazz bar,” added Nason, “and I wanted to become the Jacques Brel of the Village Gate days back in New York. Unfortunately for me, my rent went to $28,000 a month and here I am in Hoboken, and thank friggin’ God.”
Now Nason holds live jams every Monday night with guitarist Julio Fernandez from Spyro Gyra and Dave Post, the former owner of Maxwell’s.
She concluded her acceptance speech by leading the crowd in a sing-along to Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz.”
The other winners were as follows: Atlantic Environmental Solutions for best green business of the year; The Provident Bank for best financial institution; digital marketing company Inflexion Interactive for technology company of the year;
Rita Gurevich of data security firm SPHERE Technology Solutions for this year’s Women in Business award; The Taco Truck for mobile vendor of the year.
Chambers united
The Business Awards also served as the coming out party for an expanded Hoboken Chamber of Commerce, which announced last month that it is in the process of merging with the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce.
Hoboken Chamber President Greg Dell’Aquila said Thursday that the merger “will ensure consistency and sustainability of our programming and events with a full-time paid staff.”
“We’re also going to be able to better serve as the organized business voice advocating on your behalf,” he continued. “Combined, the Hudson County Chamber and the Hoboken Chamber of Commerce have nearly 500 members and we’re growing.”
Merging with the Hudson County Chamber may end up being the defining decision of Dell’Aquila’s tenure as Hoboken Chamber President. At the end of the year, he will be replaced by local lawyer Richard Mackiewicz, who will lead an all-new executive board for the Hoboken Chamber for 2015-16, with Joyce Flinn as Vice President, Norma De Ruggiero as Secretary, and Ken O’Neil as Treasurer.
Mayor applauds Chamber
Mayor Dawn Zimmer was in attendance at the ceremony and took the opportunity to applaud the positive relationship she has had with Dell’Aquila and the Hoboken Chamber. “We’ve gotten things done by working together,” she said. In particular, Zimmer highlighted the aid Hoboken businesses gave when the city was trying to win the Rebuild by Design flood resiliency competition earlier this year.
Zimmer said, “Greg told me it was a little challenging to get consensus on a letter of support, but we got over 60 letters of support and one was very important coming from the business community.”
Hoboken, Weehawken, and Jersey City’s proposal was one of the winners announced in June, earning a $230 million grant from the federal government.
Zimmer also touted the city’s new plans for redesigning Washington Street and developing the New Jersey Transit railyards, and expressed hopes that businesses would come out in support of them.
The 2014 Business Awards were sponsored by United Water, Litzky Public Realtions, CarePoint Health, BCB Community Bank, Mission 50 Workspaces, The Rockefeller Group, The Hudson Reporter, hMag, Atlantic Environmental Solutions, Stevens Institute of Technology, and Inflexion Interactive.
The stage was provided by Hoboken-based This Is It! Stage Works and printed handouts were produced by Discount Digital Print in Jersey City. A celebratory cake was donated by Carlo’s Bakery.
SIDEBAR
The 2014 Business Awards Winners are as follows:
Community Service: HOPES CAP, INC
Women in Business: Rita Gurevich, SPHERE Technology Solutions
Education Provider: Stevens Institute of Technology
Technology Company: Inflexion Interactive
Mobile Vendor: The Taco Truck
Restaurant of the Year: Cucharamama
Financial Institution: The Provident Bank
Green Business: Atlantic Environmental Solutions, Inc
Real Estate Office: Hudson Place Realty
Developer/Builder: SJP Properties
New Business: Hoboken Hot House
People’s Choice: hMAG
Business of the year: The Hudson Reporter