Mayor’s Message: Bernie Platt
As our nation has grappled with the ailing economy in the last few years, one factor that has undoubtedly helped Cherry Hill remain fiscally sustainable has been the fact that Cherry Hill’s business community has remained on track — and, in fact, has seen a great deal of growth and reinvestment.
Perhaps the most welcome addition to our community is the coming transformation of the old Sheraton Poste site on Route 70 near Frontage Road. In its heyday, the Sheraton was a posh hotel and conference center that in recent years had deteriorated into a run-down eyesore in one of our township’s most visible locations.
That began to turn around earlier this year, when the seven-acre property was purchased by Spring Hills, LLC, which operates a number of assisted-living communities in New Jersey and other parts of the country. In the coming months, the site will be transformed into a high-end assisted-living community complete with more than 130 luxury housing units, valet parking, a nail salon, and even a movie theater, while providing standard services like meal preparation, housekeeping, laundry and social activities.
When all is said and done, this nearly $4 million investment will result in roughly 100 new jobs being created. This facility will provide a service that is greatly needed by seniors in our area, while transforming a site that was once nearly uninhabitable into a bustling, vibrant new community.
At the end of this month, I will join officials from Kennedy Hospital to christen its expanded Emergency Department, located at the corner of Chapel Avenue and Cooper Landing Road. The project, which broke ground a little under a year ago, represents a $9.7 million investment in the hospital, which opened more than 50 years ago as the original Cherry Hill Hospital.
These upgrades will help keep Kennedy Hospital at the forefront of the healthcare picture in South Jersey, and will help the busy facility better serve the 71,000 residents who call Cherry Hill home.
And those are just a few of the recent changes to our business landscape — there are dozens of improvements popping up across town, and most notably, along the Route 70 corridor.
A new CVS recently opened next to Ponzio’s Diner, on the site once occupied by Jack Kellmer Jewelers.
A new Wawa store opened last week on Route 70 near Marlkress Road; and plans are advancing for a new office building near Springdale Road.
With all of that said, it is important to keep in mind that our community is a destination for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
From the recent multi-million-dollar expansion of the Cherry Hill Mall to the continued presence of small, family-owned businesses like MRS BPO, which earlier this year celebrated 20 years in our town, each of these companies represents a critical piece of our local economy.
At our inaugural “business spotlight luncheon” held in June, we recognized four businesses that have contributed to Cherry Hill in their own way. They were the Cherry Hill Mall and its parent company, PREIT; the Manhattan Management Company, which was recognized for its various community service efforts; Navien America; and Subaru of America Inc.
Navien was chosen for recognition as one of Cherry Hill’s newest businesses — earlier this year, it moved its customer service and training operations to the former Database Solutions office on Route 70. The company, a subsidiary of the Korea-based KD Navien, produces and sells high-efficiency hot-water heaters, gas broilers, and combination water/space heaters that reduce carbon dioxide and other harmful pollutants. In short — Navien has made itself just the latest producer of high-quality jobs in our community.
This fall, the township will recognize four area companies that have been highlighted by the Philadelphia Business Journal as among the region’s fastest-growing businesses: the Garr Group; Hutchinson Plumbing; Advanced Benefit Advisors; and Innovative Software.
Hutchinson and Innovative Software have also been recognized as being among the area’s top businesses for employee growth.
Long story short, these recent developments, renovations and ground-breakings demonstrate that Cherry Hill has and will continue to buck the national economic trends — helping our township to chart a steady course toward a bright fiscal future. Cherry Hill truly is a place where commerce, community and culture thrive, and I look forward to seeing that trend continue in the months and years to come.
