Photo credit: Alex Stamoutsos

Jackson Chamber of Commerce 40th Anniversary 2007

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce began serving Jackson and the surrounding areas when it was officially incorporated on September 12^th 1967. It was created on the heels of Jackson’s first major growth spurt when the Brookwood homes sprouted and many businesses began to develop to service the thousands of new residents.

In November 7^th, 1966, Mayor Frank Holman Jr. proclaimed the creation of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce and an article in the Jackson news stated “Our community has excellent potential for growth and expansion and we will depend on our businessman to counsel the governing body on important matters that will benefit the town”.

On April 8^th 1967, just prior to official incorporation, the Jackson Chamber held their first annual dinner/installation dance. The initial Board of directors were: Lawrence Goehrig, Carl Gerfen, Glenn DeBow, Kenneth Wickham, Peter Boyarin, James Bealin, Otis Cottrell, Dr. Vincent DeMuro, Louis Mahieu, Frank Rillo, Samuel Sanders and Herbert Wishnick.

Over the past 45 years, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce has grown from 30 members to its current membership list of 220. One of the most important roles of the Chamber of Commerce is to promote Jackson Township and to be an advocate for all businesses.

Since 1973 the Chamber has sponsored a map of Jackson Township, currently listing over 1100 streets and offering vital Township information including Recycling schedules, telephone numbers, websites and Township directories. The Chamber offers limited space for advertising on the maps and they are available to over 58,000 residents, neighbors and tourists for free.

In August of 1974, Chamber President John Cheesman reported that a large percentage of our Chamber mail was received from out of State residents. In 1986 the Chamber participated in an Ocean County Tourism promotional film and in 1997 a tourism guide was developed and has been published by the Jackson Chamber every year since. The guide responds to the inquiries of visitors to our community as well as our own residents and can be found at local businesses, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce office and rest stops along the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike.

Our Citizen of the Year (COTY) fundraiser is held annually to honor notable citizens, a non-profit organization and Business of the year. All proceeds are used to fund 4-5 scholarships awarded to students from Jackson Memorial High School and Jackson Liberty High school.

One of our favorite activities has been our annual Halloween meeting hosted by Six Flags Great Adventure. Everything from murder mysteries to Comedians have provided our members with a fun evening for all in attendance.

The Jackson Chamber of Commerce holds General Membership meetings and features speakers from the community including business owners, professionals and Local and State leaders. We have distinguished ourselves as an organization that encourages networking to assist our membership in promoting and developing their businesses. As we are always braced for new and innovative changes, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce is prepared to continue to serve Jackson and our region. Our Chamber is also represented on the Jackson Economic Development Council by several of our Board members.

Over the course of the past 45 years, the Jackson Chamber has been led by scores of Business people who have served and dedicated their time and talents as Members of the Board of Directors. Beginning with our first President Lawrence Goehrig to our current President John McGeehan, The Jackson Chamber has and will continue to;

“Think Jackson First”

JACKSON – Hurricane Sandy, the largest hurricane ever to form in the Atlantic Basin, left quite an impact on Jackson Township’s 102 square miles. The business community has many concerns and the Jackson Chamber of Commerce is working to help address these issues.

Hundreds of trees and wooded areas have been damaged, storm drains are over capacity, and wind damage to homes and businesses was severe. There were power outages that lasted up to two weeks and over two million households in the state lost power in the storm. Businesses suffered due to closing during the state of emergency and also suffered loss of supplies, in particular food, due to the power loss.

The effects of Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey were harsh, with losses to businesses of up to $30 billion. In the aftermath of Sandy, many gas stations were closed, and people lined up for hours to get gasoline. According to AAA, on November 2, about 60% of the gas stations in New Jersey were closed.

Immediately after Sandy made landfall, a nor’easter came our way and complicated matters by dropping 10 inches of snow in Jackson. Much of the township experienced wet snow which weighed down power lines and caused tree limbs to snap, significantly adding on to the existing power outages throughout Jackson.

Although we stress all year round that you support local businesses, as you prepare to do your holiday shopping this year, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce encourages you to do all of your shopping locally, especially in the Ocean and Monmouth and County area. Help support those businesses that were affected by the force of Sandy.

Please browse our website, especially our member area pages, for a full listing of businesses and their locations. Thank you for your support.