The chamber argues Uber offers innovative thinking that will help N.J.'s economy thrive. Newark should give the ride-sharing company a fair shake.
By Michael Egenton
It is a basic tenet of economic success that a business thrives when it understands and responds to the needs of the marketplace.
However, responding to those needs has become a tougher challenge as we move further into the age of technology. A business either finds new and innovative ways to meet customer demands or it goes the way of the dinosaur.
No longer can a company rest on its laurels or rely on outdated business models and past successes to keep afloat. Adaptability and innovative thinking are now imperatives for success and a company that can't adjust -- or won't -- is destined to be pushed aside.
Government also must adapt to the realities of the marketplace and find ways to help businesses in these new and changing industries flourish rather than seek to protect the outdated status quo through onerous regulation.
That's why it's distressing when a company like Uber, with its innovative approach to an age-old customer demand is faced with the real possibility of leaving Newark at a time when our all of our cities are in desperate need of economic revitalization.
Uber is exactly the type of business a city such as Newark needs. Uber's drivers use the company's ride-sharing platforms to work when they want, for as long as they want, allowing them to carve out time for child care or other employment.
This is the type of innovative thinking that will help our economy thrive.
Cities that have embraced Uber, such as Evesham Township in Burlington County and Summit in Union County, have solved longstanding public problems -- lack of adequate parking and drunk driving among them -- while realizing the economic benefit of increased customer traffic to its shops and stores.
We believe every city in New Jersey should follow suit.
At a time when our cities face crippling unemployment and shrinking tax bases, Uber provides much needed jobs for almost any qualified driver with a car.
We don't think Uber or any other business should receive preferential treatment and we don't believe Uber is asking for it. What we do believe is that all businesses should be given a level playing field on which to operate.
We believe the state of New Jersey should welcome innovative new companies such as Uber and allow them every opportunity to survive on their merits under the same set of rules as companies and industries that already exist in our state. To do otherwise is to shut off the spigot of innovation and opportunity.
We urge our state and municipal governments to embrace innovation and allow our community to grow and prosper. Our state's economic future depends on it.
Michael Egenton is executive vice president of government relations at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.