LOCAL

Bridgeton awarded $100K to develop food manufacturing project

Anthony V. Coppola
The Daily Journal
City of Bridgeton sign 2018

TRENTON - The City of Bridgeton's vision to establish a technology hub to advance the food industry here has won the support of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. 

Bridgeton on Friday learned it was one of nine communities across the state awarded $100,000 in planning funds through the NJEDA's Innovation Challenge.

The pilot program's goal, according to the NJEDA, is to "catalyze the growth of local ecosystems throughout New Jersey." 

More:CCIA to construct Food Commercialization Center in Bridgeton

The city plans to accomplish that by developing a national model for innovation and emerging technology for the food sector by establishing a technology hub for its food industry cluster, Kevin Rabago, Bridgeton's Development and Planning director, said. 

The city's proposal to the NJEDA was titled "Bridgeton: A Center for Smart Food Manufacturing."

Bridgeton is looking to build a 15,000-to-20,000-square-foot facility dedicated to development, testing, and training on the latest cutting-edge technology to make food production, processing and packaging safer and more efficient, according to city officials. 

The proposed facility would be located on East Broad Street next to the Rutgers Food Innovation Center and the now-under-construction Food Specialization Center. 

A requirement for applicants was to partner with a college or university, according to city officials. 

For this project, Bridgeton will continue its partnership with Rutgers in addition to the Cumberland/Salem/Cape May Workforce Development Board. The city also has a series of other partners lined up to contribute to the facility. 

“One of the unique things about Cumberland County is the way we work together and leverage our strengths to accomplish our goals in pursuing growth and revitalization," Bridgeton Mayor Albert Kelly said. "All of the partners involved have a long history working together as evidenced by the Food Innovation Center and the Food Specialization Center. With this project, I am confident that we can create a food industry hub that is unique in the country which will lead directly to more jobs and employment opportunities for our residents."

The NJEDA scored proposals for the Innovation Challenge on a number of pre-established criteria, including:

  • strength of the established partnership.
  • commitment of additional funding from partners.
  • presence and strength of a defined collaborative stakeholder engagement process.
  • evidence of the plan’s ability to grow the number of small businesses/attract employers. 
  • planning for solutions based on the use of new and emerging technologies.
  • ability to execute the project or viability of the planning project.

Bridgeton earned the highest score of the 11 applicants, according to the NJEDA. 

The NJEDA announced this initiative in July and earned the backing of Gov. Phil Murphy. 

“Now is the time for the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of New Jersey to shine as we ignite our potential to grow an innovation economy,” Murphy said of the Innovation Challenge earlier this summer. “We want specific plans that will support inclusive economic development and enhance the local business ecosystem.”

Bridgeton officials believe their plan will grow and sustain new and emerging businesses and existing companies, while also attracting national and international food companies.

The other NJEDA Innovation Challenge award recipients were New Brunswick; Passaic County; Trenton; Atlantic County; Atlantic City; Camden County; Union Township; and Monmouth County.

Anthony V. Coppola: @AVCoppola; 856-563-5258; acoppola@gannettnj.com

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