Go south, young man, go south. That could be this decade’s
clarion cry, as some real estate brokers try to persuade
New York-based firms to move south to Princeton while
others urge Princeton-based firms to relocate to Ewing or
Bucks County.
One move, of course, does not constitute a trend, but in
this biannual Commercial Real Estate issue, we at U.S. 1
always try to look at the forest as well as the trees. One
instance of the southward move is at Forrestal Village,
where a former mid-town Manhattan publishing company,
Comag Marketing Group, has relocated. The story of that
move – and the changes it made in employees’ lives – can
provide insights on how to lure more New York-based
companies from expensive digs to “rural” and less
expensive Princeton. See
Comag may have moved to more tranquil surroundings, but it
still has lots of big city energy. For our photo shoot,
workers piled into a corner office, overlooking the
Village, belonging to Michael Gillen, vice president of
client services.
Pictured on the cover, standing left to right: Gillen, who
kept his home in Easton, Pennsylvania; Peter Ferrone, who
moved from Lower Westchester; Walter Verfenstein, who
moved from Flushing; Jerry Sullivan, who moved from Upper
Montclair; Jennifer Levenfus, who kept her home in Monroe;
and Maria Young, who moved from the Bronx. Seated are
Allison Flemming, left, a marketing manager who moved from
West Orange, and Alisa Seaton, the administrative services
manager, who moved from the Bronx. The company’s CEO, Mike
Sullivan, lives in Newtown,
Pennsylvania.
While the northern part of the Route 1 market may be
perfect for emigrating New Yorkers, who want easy access
to Exit 8A of the turnpike, a large part of Central New
Jersey’s workforce lives south of Princeton. Some say that
I-95 between Route 1 and the Scudder Falls bridge will be
the next hot area for Class A space. Listings of available
space, organized by type (lab, office, retail, and
warehouse/industrial flex). For an introduction to the listings, go
www.princetoninfo.com/200603/61004c02.html but the actual listings are
not reproduced on the web.
Trade Fair
The trade fair for the Princeton Regional Chamber of
Commerce is all set to go for Friday, October 6, from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Westin hotel in Princeton Forrestal
Village. (The U.S. 1 Breakdown Party will overlap the
Trade Fair, running from 3 to 5 p.m., or longer.) Along
with more than 110 exhibitors in booths, there will be
plenty of food and drink tastings, plus fashion shows.
The trade fair admission: one business card. The noon
lunch costs $40. For lunch reservations call 609-924-1776
or register online (www.princetonchamber.org).
The winner of our Battle of the Bands – Thursday Night
Jazz – will provide the live entertainment at the second
annual U.S. 1 Breakdown Party, starting at 4 p.m. The
breakdown party is a fun, let’s-relax-after-the-trade-fair
event with great music, gourmet food tastings, and a cash
bar. It is free, and you are invited.
One law firm, Reed Smith, is closing its Newark office and
sending most of those attorneys, not to New York, but to
its Forrestal Village office (page tk).
