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Governor Corzine: We are using our Economic Development Authority pretty aggressively
to try to help small business. If we're gonna grow our economy and get it
restarted it's gonna be through small business.
That's where most of the jobs are created.
Stan Raiczyk: My name is Stan Raiczyk, I'm from Bellmawr NJ.
Interviewer: And how long have you been working here?
Stan: I've only been working here 14 months. I was in the same field, electronics field, assembly, manufacturing....
um... the company was sold to a company in Ohio and I was out of work for like 6 months.
Right now I work on units that go into commercial aircraft that provide wireless communication.
The passenger is able to use their cell phone, their laptop computers always staying in connection
and it's all about wireless communication.
Nim Evatt: We were in the process of buying a new surface mount line for making circuit boards.
I'll tell you the NJ EDA worked very efficiently, very quicktly
we very quickly lined up our bank, and they both
shared the financing.
Since that time we have increased our staffing from
the mid 90's to the mid 130's, so we've added 40 people.
Mae Cordo: I started in March of 08.
Interviewer: and what were you doing before that?
Mae: Looking for a job.
I was recently working with a bigger company and they downsized
and had a reduction of workforce and eventually we were laid off.
So I was laid and then unemployed.
I attempted to go back to school but then benefits ran out
so I had to find a job soon to keep my benefits...
health and stuff like that so...
and I found out that they were hiring here so I came in and applied
and shortly afterwards I was employed.
I'm grateful to be employed, to be gainfully employed
and to have a steady income.
Things are pretty prosperous here,
so that's a good sign... you know.
We can see a future instead of just like...
yeah... we see the end of the tunnel going on.
But um... it's... the economy has changed my family tremendously.
It's just um nothing.. I guess nothing we can do about it,
but, you know, being employed helps us bring the ends a little closer together.
I mean they're not meeting or touching but the wolves aren't at the door.
Louis Severino: Well our company started in 1971,
working and manufacturing and making pasta.
This is a specialty pasta called Mafalda.
That's actually a picture of my parents in 1971.
We received assistance from the EDA to do what you see here. Basically this freezer.
Louis to interviewer: You want a coat?
Interviewer: What'd you say? Louis: You want a coat? It ranges about 13 degrees below at some points.
Louis: This will allow us to bring in some more contracts for contract pastas.
Without this, we would have never ever been able to reach those goals.
Norm Neill: Ok, we are in the specialty and scientific glassware manufacturing business.
We serve educational, chemistry laboratories,
bio-medical institutions and the big pharmaceutical companies all over the world.
My name is Norm Neill. The business is NDS Technologies.
We had some financial backing from EDA through Susquehanna bank.
We needed to expand our facility because
we saw two or three significant pieces of growth opportunities
we were able to enjoy and based on that
we needed to move out of this facility, which is only 6,000 square feet
into a 12,000 square foot building
just because of the increased demand for our manufacturing capabilities or requirement.
And they were very helpful in helping us do that.
We started here in 1990 when we started the business we moved into this facility.
Interviewer: And how many staff were there at that point?
Norm: eight. Interviewer: And what are you at today?
Norm: We're about 18 and we project to go to around 25.
That will be because of the expansion right now we're locked.
We just don't have any of the space to put in the additional people or equipment.
Jason Burns: I was across the street and ran into the downfalls of the economy coming through,
work was getting scarce a little less here, less there and they had to downsize.
Had to get rid of some of the people that came in who had been there
and were laid off.
So I been sitting on unemployment for the past three months.
I'm glad to have the opportunity to actually come back to work cause...
sitting home really ain't that fun.
But it's good to be back cause my wife works in the school system too
and her paychecks not coming in during the summer...
and you're only living off unemployment...
it's pretty hard and you get behind on certain bills
but now at least you know you're gonna have something coming in.