Over one hundred years ago, New Jersey’s leading businessmen – including Thomas Edison – petitioned for the establishment of a state chamber of commerce. They recognized the value and the importance of an organization dedicated to making widely known the “commercial, manufacturing, and residential advantages open to those who would locate their business in New Jersey.”

In the hundred years that have passed, the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce has grown into a Garden State institution with more than 1,200 member companies and associations representing 500,000 employees and billions of dollars in annual revenue.

Since the Chamber’s founding, New Jersey’s economy has evolved and transitioned many times over, to the point where the founders would have a difficult time recognizing their state today.

1943 Newark DinnerHow many of them could have conceived of the ubiquity of television or personal computers, the impact of the Internet or cellular technology – or perhaps most revolutionary of all – women in business.

What has not changed is the purpose of the charter and the chamber. In fact, our centennial charter mirrors closely the purpose of the original charter in scope and importance – and that is to advocate for programs and initiatives that help grow the economy and create jobs in New Jersey.