2-03-2023 9:38am

Morris County Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 102 Years

Morris County Chamber of Commerce Celebrates 102 Years with 400 Attendees, Outstanding Community Leadership Honored

The Morris County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) celebrated its 102nd anniversary by hosting its annual luncheon at the Hanover Marriott Hotel in Whippany on Wednesday, drawing a crowd of over 400 attendees. The event celebrated the achievements of individuals and businesses from across the county.

During the luncheon, Morris County Commissioner Director John Krickus delivered remarks on the 2023 state of Morris County, highlighting some of its achievements such as low crime rates, low property taxes, low unemployment, and having the largest county park system in New Jersey. He also mentioned the governor's previous remarks on Morris County running "like a top."

“In contrast, county taxes are 70 percent higher in neighboring counties to the east. This is a value proposition everyone can stand behind,” said Director Krickus.

Krickus pointed out that Morris County and its towns are recognized as the "safest, healthiest, and quietest," with the latter ranking having been recently bestowed on his hometown of Washington Township. He also proudly mentioned that Morris County has maintained a AAA bond rating for 47 years, which is higher than that of the United States as a whole.

Meghan Hunscher, President and CEO of MCCC and the Economic Development Committee (EDC), delivered her State of the Chamber address and acknowledged local business and community leaders making an impact in Morris County. She congratulated outgoing Chair Tom Serluco of KPMG and introduced incoming Chair Deirdre Wheatley-Liss of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, who spoke on the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan for the Chamber with three pillars at its core: Innovation, Growth, and Community.

The keynote address was delivered by Michael Geraghty, Acting Deputy Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and the Chief Information Security Officer for the state. In his remarks entitled "Navigating the Year Ahead - What Business Leaders Need to Know to Prepare," Geraghty focused on the changing landscape of terrorism in the US and the shift towards "homegrown terrorism" brought about by the pandemic and society's increasing reliance on technology.

“With ransomware, everyone is a target. It’s not necessarily how valuable you are, but how vulnerable you are,” said Geraghty.

He warned that cybersecurity is becoming harder to control due to the growing threat environment and that 85% of security breaches have a human nexus. Geraghty said that school systems are the most vulnerable targets for ransomware attacks and that a collective defense among citizens is needed to combat this growing problem.

The event began with a flag salute led by the Picatinny Arsenal Color Guard and was followed by the Morris County Academy for Performing Arts Choir singing the national anthem. The Saint Clare's Health William P. Huber Award for Outstanding Community Leadership was presented to Marc Adee, Chairman and CEO of Crum & Forster (C&F). Under Adee's leadership, C&F employees have been able to participate in company-wide giving and contributed over 200 volunteer hours to organizations in Morris County in 2022.