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2020 will be known as the Year of the Pandemic with no region in the country having been harder hit by job losses than Atlantic County. Yet despite the odds, the Atlantic County Economic Alliance was able to successfully pivot to attract new businesses, create new jobs and grow its membership.
At the beginning of 2020, the ACEA was operating on all cylinders, proceeding with our plans for construction of a second building in the National Aviation and Research Technology Park and a new aviation maintenance academy as well as bringing a new charter airline to Atlantic City International Airport, ACEA President Lauren H. Moore Jr. said. And then COVID-19 hit and things came to a standstill.
But according to Moore, the ACEA immediately turned its attention toward helping businesses affected by the COVID crisis.
ACEA Board Chairwoman Brett Matik said the staff performed an initial damage assessment of local businesses to help Atlantic County obtain federal assistance. They became experts in the Payroll Protection Plan and emergency grants and loans being offered.
The ACEA is very vocal in asking for COVID-19 relief that is proportional to the economic damage we have suffered, she said.
Staff committed time to sharing its research and expertise with local, state and federal leaders. One of its white papers, Health-Smart Airports and Aviation, became the foundation for a new $75 million federal spending bill to help prevent the spread of illness and disease related to air travel.
The ACEA is also partnering with the Atlantic County Institute of Technology and Atlantic Cape Community College to apply for an FAA grant of up to $500,000 annually for five years to prepare individuals for careers in aviation as pilots, mechanics and engineers.
During 2020, the ACEA worked to help small companies establish roots in our region. Through the efforts of its Smart Airport and Aviation Partnership, the ACEA created FlightPlan, the first business acceleration program to open in South Jersey in years. The initial class of graduates included seven young aviation companies looking to growing in our area.
In cooperation with the Atlantic County Workforce Development Board, the ACEA is also building the skills of our local workforce for positions in high-paying industries like manufacturing, offshore wind and aviation.
The ACEA is functioning just as we had hoped, implementing the countywide economic development strategy and leading efforts to diversify and strengthen our regional economy, Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said. The pandemic has further underscored our need to develop other industries and reduce our over-reliance on hospitality and tourism. Had the ACEA not already been working towards this goal, we would be facing a far longer and more difficult road to recovery,."
Moore acknowledged that one of the hallmarks of the ACEA is its ability and success in forging productive relationships that have enabled the organization to attract millions of dollars in private and public sector investment.
Among the ACEA's proudest 2020 accomplishments was receiving a $250,000 line item appropriation in the state budget for the National Aviation Research and Technology Park, which according to Moore was the culmination of more than two years of persistent work.
Moore is also proud of the relationship the ACEA has developed with Israel Aerospace International North America.
Look for some truly exciting announcements from ACEA and IAI in 2021, Moore said.
And closer to home, the ACEA is working with the Ducktown Revitalization Committee of Atlantic City to obtain a grant of nearly $1 million from the New Jersey Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit Program.
As tough a year as 2020 has been, the ACEA has been able to continue our momentum, Matik said. We look forward to additional opportunities for further advancement in the coming year.
For more information about the Atlantic County Economic Alliance, call 609-245-0019 or visit aceanj.com.
