On June 12th, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora and Greater Trenton CEO George Sowa presented to a crowd of business leaders at Select Greater Philadelphia’s Breaking Ground program to make the pitch for Trenton and to attract new business development partnerships.

The event, which was held at the McNeil Science and Technology Center in Philadelphia, showcased development projects that are revitalizing, transforming, and innovating the future of Greater Philadelphia’s neighborhoods, towns, and cities.

Featuring projects and initiatives across 11 Counties in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, the event highlighted how developers are building communities that will flourish well after the ribbons have been cut. A version of Greater Trenton's video , presented to the crowd, received great reviews.

Among other initiatives, Greater Trenton CEO George Sowa and Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora spoke about the Assunpink Creek Daylighting project as a catalyst for future development and also highlighted several private and public sector projects, transit area development, the Broad Street Vision Plan, and exciting recreational opportunities that will enhance Trenton’s trajectory.

The $8 Million park and creek daylighting project, which will be completed by Fall, aims to restore vibrancy and create a significant attraction downtown.

On January 2, 1777, during the Second Battle of Trenton of the American Revolutionary War, soldiers of the Continental Army and supporting militias, under the direct command of General George Washington, held a defensive line along the south shore of Assunpink Creek south of Trenton, stretching from the mouth of the creek up to Philip’s Mill. The American soldiers successfully repelled several charges by British and Hessian soldiers across a stone bridge over the creek, and also repelled an attempt to ford the creek near its mouth.

As Washington rode through this area on his way to be inaugurated in New York, the creek represents an important moment in American history. Now, it will play an increasingly important role in Trenton’s economic development cycle.

During a recent visit to Veolia’s Trenton-based energy plant, Greater Trenton CEO George Sowa and Vice President Bryan Evans had a chance to learn more about a truly powerful asset in Trenton’s energy ecosystem. General Manager Perry Alburg and Plant Manager Hector DeJesus provided a brief overview and tour of the energy company earlier this month.

In Trenton, Veolia’s district energy network provides centrally-produced hot water and chilled water to government and private sector customers in the central business district from one cogeneration facility and multiple chilled water facilities.

Located beneath the streets and bridges of Trenton is a network of district energy hot-water and chilled-water pipes delivering environmentally friendly thermal energy to some of New Jersey’s most critical buildings. Combining an underground network with the latest energy efficient technology enables Veolia to help reduce the region’s greenhouse gas emissions and minimize environmental impact.

As the seat of government for New Jersey, downtown Trenton is home to critical facilities and infrastructure that provide essential services during an emergency. These facilities require reliable electrical and thermal utilities to avoid the loss of critical government functions and to respond adequately to a natural or man-made disaster.

“Having access to a district energy system is a tremendous benefit,” said Alburg. “Avoiding the need to purchase a boiler or chiller not only reduces upfront capital expenditures, but it also frees up square footage to achieve maximum utility while offsetting maintenance costs.”

Veolia group is the global leader in optimized resource management. With nearly 169,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides water, waste and energy management solutions that contribute to the sustainable development of communities and industries.

Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources and to replenish them.

In 2017, the Veolia group supplied 96 million people with drinking water and 62 million people with wastewater service, produced nearly 55 million megawatt hours of energy and converted 47 million metric tons of waste into new materials and energy.

Bryan Evans, Greater Trenton's Vice President of Marketing and Communications, spoke at Princeton University's Building the Future: Smart Cities & New Technological Frontiers event on May 6th.

The event featured select Smart Cities leaders from from Government, Industry, and Academia who explored cutting edge research and ideas to stimulate new collaborative relationships across the private and public sectors in the New Jersey region.

"Trenton's rich resources, access to great skills, and close proximity to great colleges and universities, makes it an attractive destination for tech," said Evans. "Trenton, which is surrounded by well-educated talent, has great potential to blossom into a full-on innovation hub."

The event featured Flash Talks to gather information about the interests of New Jersey cities, and about the capabilities and offerings of various organizations.

A key objective of the day was to identify new opportunities for collaboration between universities, industry, foundations, and government in this important field.

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