Remembering Two NJ Business Giants

New Jersey is blessed to have many outstanding leaders in its business circles.

By Michele N. Siekerka, NJBIA President and CEO On Jul 28, 2021

But we recently lost two important people whose positive impacts on our state should be measured well beyond their personal business success. 

Steve Kalafer, owner of Flemington Car & Truck Country and the Somerset Patriots, and Candy Straight, a successful financial consultant with numerous New Jersey corporations, both passed away this spring. 

Both had connections to NJBIA – Steve as a longtime board member and Candy as a member of our Competitive Council. As champions of New Jersey business, their insights helped improve our association, but their contributions were more far-reaching. 

Steve embodied the true spirit of entrepreneurship and his many endeavors boosted New Jersey’s economy. But it was his dedication and incomparable enthusiasm for corporate stewardship and philanthropy that made him truly unique. 

Whether it was his fundraising efforts for the Somerset Medical Foundation or RWJBarnabas Health, making sure food banks were filled during the holidays, or giving his time to the nonprofit Actors Fund, Steve was always an enthusiastic cheerleader for his causes.  

And while there was no denying his personal success, and the impact his business endeavors had on New Jersey’s economy, Steve was a down-to-earth guy who knew all his employees by name. I smile as I remember his simple desk with a regular nameplate at the front of his Ford dealership – not a fancy big office in the back or in a higher-end luxury car showroom.  

Steve said it best when he was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame last October: 

“Our roles as entrepreneurs, as capital formation builders, as job-builders, is to make certain every day that we go out to work so the dreams of others can be met.” 

Candy Straight made her mark as a sharp investment banker and, like Steve, as a film producer. She served as vice chair of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and was a member of the Rutgers Board of Governors. 

But her greatest impact was as a leading voice for the election of women to public office. Candy played an instrumental role in the election of Gov. Christine Todd Whitman in 1993 and 1997, and she served multiple administrations with either an informal or official role. She also helped Susan Collins run for governor in Maine and win a U.S. Senate seat in the 1990s. 

Candy was a trailblazing advocate for women in New Jersey politics and in the film industry. She knew the challenges women face in reaching greater professional heights, having gone herself from an entry-level position on Wall Street to seats on multiple corporate boards.  

As advancing women to the C-suite is one of NJBIA’s core missions, Candy’s early advocacy on this issue is fondly remembered. Candy’s keynote at our very first Women Business Leaders Forum was appreciated by many, including me on a personal level. Her contributions to our Competitive Council – our assembled group of New Jersey financial and economic experts – were of great value and I know we will really miss her input at those meetings. 

Candy Straight and Steve Kalafer had a common bond in their love for the film industry and sports, but they followed different paths to leave great imprints on New Jersey business and politics. 

We remember their contributions and how fortunate we are to have had them be a great part of all we do at NJBIA. May their legacies serve as a reminder to strive for achievements beyond personal gain.

To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.

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