In Business 65 Years: Howell Chamber Of Commerce Looks Ahead

HOWELL, NJ — Steven Friedeman, the president of the Howell Chamber of Commerce, knows how to keep things simple and direct - and businesslike.

The owner of ProCare Rehabilitation in Howell has worked his way up through various positions with the chamber and in January was named president.

And it's an auspicious year, he says.

The Howell Chamber of Commerce was formed 65 years ago, a milestone anniversary.

It is regrouping after the COVID pause that diminished its membership from 215 to 115 members.

Now, Friedeman said it's back up to 142 members and looking forward to celebrating the anniversary at a dinner Oct. 27.

And it's looking beyond that to the future.

"I see three pillars of the chamber," Friedeman said. "Advocacy, benefits and community."

The chamber provides a framework in which to advocate for businesses in the township.

Friedeman, 49, said he himself learned a lot when he joined the chamber in 2016. The regular breakfast meetings and lunch meetings are a way to share information, business owner to business owner.

And meetings often have guest speakers, such as a recent meeting where a township land use expert spoke to members. And this practical knowledge helps the chamber advocate for business needs in the township.

The networking aspect is one of the biggest benefits to members, Friedeman said.

When he first joined, he found it "a great experience. Whatever I put into it came back to me a whole lot more." The connections he made led to contacts, which led to patients for his physical therapy practice.

The third pillar, community, is where the chamber will focus even more in the future, he said. It wants to be an integral part of the township and give back to the community, he said.

Friedeman said the chamber is already building community connections with the chamber's anniversary dinner.

The Township of Howell and PBA Local 228 are both sponsors of the event, in addition to businesses such as CentraState Healthcare System, Manasquan Bank and The Salon Professional Academy in Howell.

If all this sounds like a lot of work for Friedeman, he said, none of it would be possible without Susan Dominguez, the executive director who has been the organization's rock for years.

"Susan is crucial for creating the connections with the community. She is a do-er," he said.

And one of the things she and the chamber are pretty busy doing right now is preparing for the dinner. In fact, Friedeman said, it was Dominguez who looked in the chamber archives to discover it was a milestone year.

In the post-COVID, pared-down world, the chamber decided to forego a gala as it had in previous years and have a celebration at the historic Our House Restaurant, 420 Adelphia Road.

The event is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Oct. 27. Tickets are still available and Friedeman is encouraging more businesses to join in. You can get tickets at the chamber website and also see ways to promote your business but you must finalize that well prior to the event.

The restaurant's long history in the town is a tribute to life here 65 years ago - and much, much earlier.

Where the restaurant is now, Marriner's Tavern opened in 1747, the website says, and it has a rich history in town. It's a regular meeting place for town groups and, appropriately enough, it serves American cuisine.

And Friedeman said it is the perfect place to hold the big anniversary dinner.

"We want to celebrate the old and go forward with the new," he said.