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Middlesex County: A Magnet for Major Businesses

From manufacturing, warehousing and distribution centers, to higher education and healthcare institutions, the county is home to major employers.

Middlesex County has 22 million customers with $800 billion in disposable income. That is one of the reasons why the county attracts a variety of businesses, from mom-and-pop establishments to Fortune 500 companies. In fact, Middlesex County is home to the most eclectic variety of industries and many of the largest employers in the state. 

Ideally situated between New York and Philadelphia, there are now 29,608 registered businesses in the county, with more than 416,000 employees. Many high-end employers are attracted by Middlesex County’s highly skilled employee base, which ranks in the top 4% nationally in terms of undergraduate and graduate degree holders. 

According to statistics provided by the county, Middlesex has: 55,192 healthcare employees; 29,942 in logistics/moving; 51,844, technology; 25,299, transportation; 27,494, business/financial; 25,795, health practices; 14,887, construction/extraction; 9,225, health support; and 11,286, information services. 

Major businesses and institutions throughout the county include: Rutgers University, Johnson & Johnson, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Silverline Building Products, Saint Peter’s University Hospital, JFK Medical Center, Raritan Bay Medical Center, Prudential Insurance Company and Novo Nordisk. 

As one of the state’s largest employers, Johnson & Johnson’s headquarters sits in New Brunswick, the heart of Middlesex County. The company employs more than 100,000 individuals across the state. 

Since healthcare is one of Middlesex County’s key industries, more than 50,000 people are employed in the healthcare sector throughout the county. That includes hospitals, nursing homes, private practices and life sciences firms. 

Another major member of the healthcare sector is Bristol Myers Squibb, a global biopharmaceutical company that brings life-saving innovation and medicine to people around the world. The company has made great advancements in oncology, hematology, immunology and cardiovascular disease. 

Home Depot, United Parcel Service, BASF, Amazon, FedEx, Fujitsu and Canon are among the other largest employers in the county. They are attracted to Middlesex County’s proximity to major roadways and freight lines, which create the ideal hub for manufacturing, warehouse and distribution. 

As the gateway for exporting around the world, Middlesex County has five Foreign Trade Zones (FTZ) offering incentives for companies generating final product exports out of the United States. Managed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and through the New Jersey Business Action Center (NJBAC), Middlesex County’s FTZs in Carteret, Edison, Perth Amboy, South Brunswick, and Woodbridge provide strategic locations to the ports and the state’s network of free export assistance. 

Middlesex County is also home to the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center, the state’s largest private convention center, located at Edison’s Raritan Center. 

Amazon, one of the largest online retailers in the world, has five fulfillment centers and one sortation center in the county. Employing thousands of full-time people, the county boasts Amazon’s largest presence of fulfillment centers in the entire state. 

Cascades Containerboard Packaging in Piscataway offers sustainable and innovative solutions for packaging, hygiene and recovery needs. For those who love Friday night pizza, there’s a good chance the pizza you purchased was placed in a box manufactured by Cascades. 

Middlesex County is brimming with business and opportunity, perfectly situated at the crossroads of New Jersey. 

To access more business news, visit NJB News Now.

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