Recent comments in /f/newjersey

BoomTownRat71 t1_jbeet9p wrote

Why would they relocate? Relocation of a company HQ is extremely complicated. Everything from finding a location, to attrition from displacing employees, to negotiating with local tax authorities, costs and expense of relocation, company morale, vendor contracts, etc., etc. It’s not like moving a bagel shop.

2

Unusual-Okra9251 t1_jbeclo5 wrote

The company has been at that site since 1886. It's centrally located between NYC and Philly and has access to the Raritan River and the Delaware-Raritan Canal. Since they actually own the property and don't rent office space like a lot of large companies, moving represents a significant cost.

That aside, the company did consider moving back in the 70's when the area was far worse than it is today. Leadership decided that the company has a responsibility to the community it's located in, so they partnered with the city to invest and make significant infrastructure improvements.

3

LilSebastainIsMyPony t1_jbdpop4 wrote

Yup! Plus they have the leeway to keep their campus exactly how they want it. If you look carefully at the curbs and sidewalks all around J&J’s headquarters, you’ll notice the curbs are Belgian block, which is difficult to maintain. They made a deal with the city that they could have it there if they maintained it. The headquarters was designed by I.M. Pei (or more accurately his colleague Henry M Cobb, chairman of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design), and Pei contributed significantly to a fresh master plan for the city in 1974. To my knowledge, J&J has been a pretty solid partner to the city for decades now and encourages its employees to spend time volunteering in the local community. I’m guessing they probably like being a big deal in New Brunswick. (I don’t have any particular knowledge on the J&J side, just family in urban planning in New Brunswick.)

5

Chrisproulx98 t1_jbdawxc wrote

Besides what the others have said, they made a deal with the city 40 years ago to stay if the city improved transportation (Rt18) and the city in general. Since then New Brunswick Tomorrow has very effectively rebuilt much of the city, added many high rise apartments etc. There are eateries of all types, theaters, hotels, hospitals etc that are walking distance to JnJ and infrastructure. Meanwhile, Rutgers has expanded in many directions which includes a school of pharmacy.

8

JZstrng t1_jbd6ocj wrote

These are just guesses, so feel free to correct me if I’m wrong:

  1. New Jersey has the highest number of engineers and scientists per square mile in the US.

  2. Central NJ is … well … pretty central. It’s relatively close to Boston, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, and DC.

  3. Pharma is huge in our state, and there are many suppliers of raw materials close by.

  4. I’m not sure on this one, but I vaguely recall reading somewhere that the State gives Pharma a lot of incentives to stay.

15

underscorebot t1_jbczp5b wrote

Due to a bug in new reddit, URLs with underscores or tildes are being escaped in an inconsistent manner, breaking old reddit and third-party mobile apps. Please try the following URL(s) instead:


^This ^is ^a ^bot. ^Invoke ^with: ^/u/underscorebot. ^Questions? ^Comments? ^/r/underscorebot ^Thank ^you. ^Moderators: ^this ^is ^an ^opt-in ^bot. ^Please ^add ^it ^to ^the ^approved ^submitters ^on ^subreddits ^you ^wish ^to ^have ^it ^scan. ^Note: ^user-supplied ^links ^that ^may ^appear ^in ^this ^comment ^do ^not ^imply ^endorsement.

2

smbutler20 t1_jbcub9l wrote

The beauty is that they are walkable to each other. Great restaurants in Lambertville and usually cheaper and less crowded. Cheaper parking and far more accessible. New Hope just has a lot more and a bit more hip. I like to park in Lambertville, walk across the bridge, grab drinks and shop in New Hope, walk back across, and dine in Lambertville. It's a great way to enjoy the best of what the two towns offer.

1