Middlesex County convenes thought leaders for 5 th annual Business Summit & Business Series
landscape and made positive impacts in the community that will last beyond the pandemic. The discussion explored the power of generosity and highlighted those businesses that are digging deep to help their fellow business owners. The second installment in the Business Series, Leading Locally in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Future of Automation, was held at Middlesex College on September 9. The in-person event offered members of the County’s business community a chance to network before the program started. County Commissioner Charles Kenny, chair of the County Transportation Committee, served as keynote speaker for the event, which featured a panel discussion regarding how unprecedented technological advances in autonomous vehicle technology, robotics, analytics, and sustainability will positively impact our personal and professional lives. The discussion was moderated by Solomon Caviness, head of the Middlesex County Department of Transportation. Panelists included Balki Iyer, Chief Commercial Officer at EOS Energy Enterprises; Jyoti Sharma, Senior Manager, Network Planning at Verizon; and Brendan Kaplan, Director of Transformation at the MTA. The annual Business Summit was established in 2017 by the late Board of County Commissioners Deputy Director Kenneth Armwood, as part of the County’s future-forward economic development strategy, Destination 2040. The Destination 2040 Comprehensive Master Plan will shape how the County will grow and change in the future through input from those who live, work, and play here. Over the years, the annual Business Summit has grown in scope. Now, in addition to benefitting the diverse business community within the County, it also provides a platform where creative collisions occur between key stakeholders such as educational institutions, government leaders, healthcare, and businesses.
impact on their companies, workers, communities, and the world.
“Middlesex County’s annual Business Summit has become an invaluable resource for not just our business community and its workforce, but for all the residents of Middlesex County as it focuses on the future economy of the County,” said Board of County Commissioners Director Ronald G. Rios. “When put into practice, this year’s theme, Leading with Purpose, creates a better, healthier quality of life for residents, ranging from healthcare, to sustainability, to education and opportunity. Events like the Business Summit bring national conversations to the local level, allowing us to bring together innovative thought leaders and industry experts from around the nation to share how their practices will shape the future and impact the lives of our residents right here in Middlesex County and how we can be part of shaping that future.” BUSINESS SERIES In the months leading up to the Business Summit, the County hosted its Business Series. The first Business Series event, a webinar titled Leading Where We Live, was held on June 29, and featured United States Senator Cory Booker and Middlesex County Commissioner Chanelle Scott McCullum as keynote speakers. Leading Where We Live brought business owners, entrepreneurs, and government officials together to discuss how industries have persevered and adapted to the changing
O n October 21, Middlesex County hosted its Fifth Annual Business Summit, Leading with a Purpose. The Business Summit brought together a panel of future-minded leaders from around the nation and across industry sectors to discuss how businesses are thinking beyond profitability to focus on creating value for all of their stakeholders. Cordell Carter, executive director of the Aspen Institute, served as moderator for the event. Panelists included Lou Cooperhouse, president & CEO of BlueNalu, Inc.; Monique Carswell, director of the Center for Racial Equity, WAL-MART Foundation; Gene Gurevich, director of policy and business development at Mobileye; Natalie Madeira Cofield, assistant administrator of the Office of Women’s Business Ownership at the U.S. Small Business Administration; and Sandy S. Castor, director of the Middlesex County Office of Business Engagement. During the discussion, the panelists shared how their organizations are addressing the challenges of the present and future and how innovative decision-making is making a positive
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