On May 1, 1916, thousands of people gathered in Newark’s Military Park and lined Broad Street as the city celebrated its 250th anniversary with a grand parade. The day before, our long-time corporate headquarters – the Public Service Terminal Building – opened across the street, also to great fanfare.
Today, 100 years later, PSEG’s commitment to Newark remains as strong as ever. We have 1,679 employees who work in Newark and 159 employees who live in the city. Last year PSEG bought more than $89 million of goods and services from Newark-based businesses and gave over $2 million to local charities. Our impact is felt everyday through our employees’ dedication to safe, reliable electric and gas service. And we’re modernizing our infrastructure in ways that benefit our customers, support the city’s growth and create local jobs.
PSEG is proud to call Newark home. And we’re just as proud to join in Newark Celebration 350, a year-long jubilee of events and festivities commemorating the 350th anniversary of Newark’s founding.
From our vantage point at PSEG, this milestone celebration is not only about our past but even more about our present and future. Newark offers great access to what really matters for a business like ours – access to education, to transportation and financial markets; and what’s most important, access to people – both to our customers and employees – and I should add, access to the diverse labor pool that we need for our future workforce.
Increasingly, cities are being rediscovered as the places to be. Newark is well situated to take advantage of this trend. Millennials love urban environments. The amazing creativity and diversity concentrated in our cities are huge selling points.
As part of this year’s festivities, the City of Newark is hosting the Founder
s Weekend Festival in Military Park from Friday, May 13 to Sunday, May 15. This free public festival will feature daytime and nightly concerts with international recording stars and local musical artists. There will be additional events throughout the year highlighting the best of Newark’s arts and entertainment, culture and community.
As we celebrate 350 years of rich history, we do so with the same pride and with deep gratitude to those who came before us, but also with renewed optimism and hope. Newark is a great city with extraordinary diversity and talent in its midst – and its future can be even brighter. Happy 350th Birthday, Newark!
Ralph Izzo, Chairman, President & CEO PSEG
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