The Lakewood Development Corporation, Urban Enterprise Zone program in conjunction with the Lakewood Community Services Corporation held its first in a series of “Business Link” networking events on Wednesday, May 21st at the Historic Strand Theater. More than 55 business owners and representatives were in attendance. The two hour event included guest speaker, Allan Glazer, CEO of AHG Consulting, who briefly talked about the power of networking. Before and after Mr. Glazer’s presentation attendees were encouraged to network with each other in hopes of growing their customer base and in some cases finding local suppliers for their businesses.

The Lakewood UEZ recognized an opportunity that was not being met locally and decided to setup the “Business Link” as networking initiative to bring businesses together. The UEZ program boasts membership of over 535 Lakewood businesses in a cross section of industries ranging from retail to professional services to construction, real estate and finance. Patricia Komsa, executive director of the Lakewood Development Corporation and UEZ Coordinator stated, “We experienced a fantastic turn out of businesses at the event and hope that the excitement and positive feedback generated encourages more businesses to come to our networking events in the future.”

The “Business Link” was co-hosted by the Lakewood Community Services Corporation, a local, non-profit with a long-standing history of providing support and assistance to Lakewood residents and businesses. “This event was a win-win opportunity for all organizations and businesses involved. It provided an opportunity for Lakewood businesses to meet, greet and share with other Lakewood businesses. ”

For more information about the UEZ program or the Business Link initiative, please contact Patricia Komsa at 732-364-2500 extension 5257 or pkomsa@lakewoodnj.gov