Desiree Burgos, President, The North Essex Chamber of Commerce

In an interview with Invest: Desiree Burgos, president of the North Essex Chamber of Commerce, discussed how the organization is adapting to post-pandemic business realities while serving nine diverse communities. “We’ve seen an uptick in everything from membership to event interest,” she noted, highlighting how the chamber helps businesses navigate changing economic landscapes.

Reflecting on the past year, what recent initiatives has the chamber undertaken to promote economic growth and foster a dynamic community in North Essex?

We’ve had many changes since COVID. The world has evolved around us, impacting our local businesses and how they operate. This includes our members who are entrepreneurs and how their careers have shifted. Recently, we’ve seen an uptick in everything from membership to event interest, which has helped reframe our thinking about our programming. We’re adjusting based on changing interests.

Over the past year, more businesses want exposure. Since the pandemic, there are more solo entrepreneurs alongside larger companies. This requires us to focus differently on what we offer, as their needs differ from larger companies with more resources.

The North Essex Chamber of Commerce is a center for business resources. We’ve changed how we expose businesses using social media, which has become more important. We’re helping businesses navigate this while working with local organizations to support our community. Some initiatives are still developing with our local townships to better serve our chamber-connected businesses.

As the chamber represents nine towns, including Montclair, Verona, and Cedar Grove, how does it tailor initiatives to address the unique needs of these diverse communities?

The communities are diverse, with different needs based on their setup. Some have robust business districts and strong Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) supporting them, while others do not. We’ve had to be creative in how we engage with these spaces.

For example, one town frequently reaches out to us for solutions because it has multiple business districts but only one strong BID. Businesses in that BID’s service area receive far more support than others in the same town. We’ve been called to discuss everything from beautification—which is critical, as attractive streets draw more visitors—to larger challenges like vacant commercial spaces.

Since COVID, businesses have shifted dramatically. Fewer people work in offices, and online shopping has reduced foot traffic. Restaurants face challenges with fewer diners, leading some to downsize or close. These changes have transformed commercial real estate, leaving many business districts with empty storefronts.

As a chamber president with a real estate background, I’m often asked to provide solutions — both for how the chamber can support and for repurposing vacant spaces. Other grassroots organizations also reach out to us for guidance, even if they’re not formal BIDs or chambers. They want to help their communities and look to us for leadership in these conversations.

We’re delighted that individuals and businesses still see the chamber as an asset for their communities. We have information they can use, and we’re often integral as connectors — linking one business to another, suggesting partnerships, or sharing insights others might not know. Many businesses see the problem but not the solution, so they come to the chamber as mediators. When Company A, Company B, and community liaisons approach us, we bring them together for deeper conversations to explore solutions.

How has New Jersey’s transportation network impacted business development, especially as more companies shift toward e-commerce and require logistical support?

Each one of these areas is a lot different. One of the towns we service has robust transportation access because there’s a train line, bus lines, and, separate from New Jersey Transit, there’s Uber and Lyft. Accessible bike routes are also helpful.

All of our towns are right next to each other. There is one major road that goes through all the towns we service. A bus route goes through all the towns, at least up that main road. However, there isn’t a train route in all the towns. There isn’t a direct train route to New York City in all the towns. At least one town has everything — walking, biking, train, bus — plus Uber and Lyft. Hands down, it’s easy to get around.

Some other towns are still fairly easy because they’re not massive or rural. There is a way to make transportation work for most towns. I can’t say there’s a lot of difficulty getting around. The topic is usually parking.

Since COVID, there are more cars on the road. In New York City, the fee structure and time of day have been altered to mitigate the issue, encouraging public transportation to reduce cars on the road. The issue is parking and having so many cars on the road at once, creating traffic pockets at different times of the day.

What upcoming initiatives or events is the chamber planning to further support local businesses and strengthen the community in North Essex?

All of our events focus on helping others network — helping individuals within the business network, whether they’re the entrepreneur for a larger company or an entrepreneur for their own business. The point is to network at the different events so you can develop your career. I was in that seat at one time when I utilized the chamber as an entrepreneur to expand upon my career when I was working for different companies. There is definitely networking and being a connector to connect with different individuals.

We have a monthly breakfast for that networking piece, but it also gives businesses creative ways to expose their business. They could utilize our opportunities to advertise on our website; however, we offer our members speaking opportunities so they can showcase their expertise in their area by teaching something valuable to our member base. One really good topic is AI, and we recently offered a great workshop. It went well, and people were engaged in getting this information and how they can leverage AI to make their daily tasks easier on the job and expose their business in a different way.

We have businesses that are boots on the ground and experts in certain areas who can teach on topics. They showcase themselves as experts who then potentially have some of our members reach out to them, gaining them more business. They’re also networking and building connections. 

We offer education that helps people take their businesses to the next level, mixed with networking. I meet with anybody looking to meet within our chamber, member or non-member. When I see fit that they need to meet with someone else, I can bridge that connection through breakfasts, lunches, or quarterly evening events. Our signature event is Taste of Essex — networking on steroids — with up to 400 people attending. Our smaller events (20-60 people) allow intimacy where attendees can meet everybody in the room and walk away with something fruitful.

We’re selective in the individuals who speak. We will allow any of our members to share, but we coach them so they know how to position their talk to be valuable. We want them to walk away looking like the expert they are. We want people in the room to receive that and reach out to them to get more business. It’s the prep work we do with our businesses as well.