Meadowlands Chamber Debuts New HQ

By Anthony Birritteri, Editor-in-Chief On Nov 15, 2019

The Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce cuts the ribbon on its new 7,000-square-foot headquarters at 1099 Wall Street West in Lyndhurst. According to Jim Kirkos, chamber president and CEO, the complex was designed to meet the needs of new startup companies, new entrepreneurs, millennials, and of course, its existing 1,200 members.

The project was 16 months in the making in terms of design and renovations, but the idea for a modern facility came about two years ago when the The Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives published a study concerning the relevance of business organizations such as local and regional chambers and what the next 10 to 15 years would be like in terms of providing services to members. “The question was: What would entities such as new startups and the millennial population look for in a chamber of commerce … how would we be relevant?” Kirkos said.

After the report’s findings, Kirkos said he sat down with his board for some strategic planning. “We were almost at end of our lease, so we decided to find a space where we could provide more services. … Maybe we could be in a position to provide resources to members on a day-to-day basis and provide more levels of networking, collaboration, and business learning along with all of the other things we do,” he said.

With the help of full-service real estate firm NAI James E. Hanson and Guzzo & Guzzo Architects, the Meadowlands Chamber developed a headquarters complex that offers a 75-seat Innovation Learning Center, a Meadowlands Live! Visitors Center to promote destination related assets of the region; a Podcast Studio, 2 Video conference suites, multiple Ideation and Collaboration zones, and Huddle Rooms that members can reserve as part of their membership.

Of the different rooms and features, Kirkos said, “It is our job to help members connect with one another. If you want to meet somebody, come meet a fellow member in a Huddle Room. These resources will also serve all of our committees, board activities and the Meadowlands 2040 Foundation.

“All of this is available to our members on a daily basis,” Kirkos continued. “We are going to open slowly and gradually. From December 1-20, the facility will be open to our members from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. After the first of the year, we will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and eventually go into later evening hours.”

The cost to renovate the new headquarters was approximately $500,000. “I promised my board that before we did anything, we would go out and raise money. When I showed everyone the initial rendering and plans, the board raised $350,000 in one week. Before the month was over, we broke the $500,000 mark in our capital campaign,” Kirkos explained.

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