BELLEVILLE, NJ – May 5, 2020 – The Mayor’s Office is calling on Township business owners to join a newly formed umbrella group aimed at providing guidance and support during the eventual COVID-19 recovery period.
Mayor Michael Melham and Deputy Mayor Vincent Cozzarelli – both small business owners in Belleville - are urging Township merchants to join the Belleville Economic Stimulus Taskforce, or BEST.
By bringing together for the first time members of the Township’s business community, BEST will be able to hold virtual meetings where business owners will be able to share information and innovate business strategies as social distancing measures are lifted.
BEST meetings will also be a place where the Township can share new information on the economic recovery from state, county and township sources.
“We even envision having guest speakers join us virtually to address the members of BEST,” Cozzarelli said. “We will be inviting state officials and local banking officials to address the concerns of our local business owners and answer some of their questions. This is an effective way to give business owners the information they are going to need going forward.”
Concurrently, Melham and Cozzarelli will work with an executive committee consisting of a handful of business owners. The committee will focus its efforts on the marketing and promotion of the town’s busineeses.
The idea to bring together Belleville business leaders was the natural next step following the Belleville Delicious initiative. Belleville Delicious was created in March after Gov. Phil Murphy banned dine-in options at restaurants as a way to promote social distancing. The Township compiled a list of all the restaurants, bakeries and other establishments, including their hours of operations and carry out/delivery options, and released it through social media.
The spirit of cooperation between restaurant owners participating in Belleville Delicious showed that an initiative such as BEST could be an effective way for owners of hair salons, dry cleaners, pharmacies, laundromats and other businesses to share information among themselves.
Township officials have recently conducted a few informal meetings with small groups of business owners, but it is hoping to expand the ranks.
“The unprecedented health crisis has taken precedence over the past several weeks,” Melham said. “We would be remiss if we didn’t begin to address the other growing crisis – the economic one. When businesses eventually come back online, BEST will be our best bet to form an effective chain of communications and support system. I urge all business owners in Belleville to join our ranks.”
Belleville business owners and managers interested in joining BEST should email Nicole Galioto in the Township Manager’s Office at NGalioto@Bellevillenj.org.