Writer: Joshua Andino
2 min read October 2022 — Camden County Technical School’s (CCTS) new $14 million expansion of its culinary program in Pennsauken this past week is another plank in the solidifying resurgence of the city of Camden and of the broader Camden region.
The expansion is one of two new projects, totaling $24 million between the schools’ Pennsauken and Gloucester Township campuses to train the 21st century workforce, according to a CCTS press release after the groundbreaking on Oct. 6, attended by county commissioners and local legislators. Importantly, these projects represent another vote of confidence in Camden County, which has continued to wrack up new capital investments and redevelopment as part of its ongoing renaissance.
CCTS’ expansion of its Pennsauken culinary program and the new and renovated classrooms that add a total of 20,99-square feet for new students and programs is the latest in an ongoing effort to make Camden County a more attractive hub for business and its residents. “The mission of our technical schools is vital to workforce development in Camden County, so we can have a strong foundation of employees in a variety of fields,” said Ed McDonnell, Camden County commissioner deputy director, in the release.
The money comes from both the state and the county governments. In July 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation to provide $220 million in grants for career and votech schools, such as CCTS, across 15 districts. The funds come from the Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act. Camden County was required to provide a 25% match for the requested funds, which the Camden County Board of Commissioners supported.
CCTS joins a long list of companies and organizations helping to fuel what is becoming known as the “Camden Comeback,” which, while already underway before 2020, took off when Camden County Police made national headlines for their community policing model amid national unrest in 2020, and were asked a year later by then-NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to help train officers across the Garden State in de-escalation tactics.
Other companies that have made recent announcements include NJ American Water and Cooper University Health. A day after officials broke ground on the Pennsauken Campus, Mark McDonough, president of NJ American Water presented city of Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen and other community stakeholders, such as Camden Neighborhood Partnership and Camden Lutheran Housing, with a ceremonial $950,000 check for housing and redevelopment.
The money, administered by the New Jersey Division of Neighborhood Affairs’ Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit score (NRTC) program, will help to fund the “My North Camden!” initiative, coordinated by Camden Lutheran Housing and pave the way for redevelopment and housing opportunities, further reinvigorating the neighborhood as the county has doubled down on clearing blighted areas and improving quality of life.
Perhaps the largest investment into Camden County, however, was Cooper University Health System’s September announcement of a $2 billion, decade-long commitment to expand its city of Camden campus. The plan entails three new clinical towers with over 100 new, fully private rooms and the latest healthcare technology. The investment demonstrates the strength of Camden’s role as a healthcare hub, where five out of its 10 largest employers operate in the healthcare space. “Cooper’s commitment to its home community is a model of how corporate leadership can spark imagination and new opportunities that benefit local residents. Camden’s transformation from being America’s poorest and most dangerous city to one on the rise is a national model of what cities can achieve with commitment, faith, and hard work,” Board Chairman George Norcross III said at the time.
With a series of both public and private sector investments and commitments to the area, the county is in the midst of a sea change that will continue to drive further investment and business opportunities among Camden proper and communities like Pennsauken across the county. While CCTS, Cooper University Health, NJ American Water have helped drive investment, local businesses have already known Camden County as the place to be in business. Local CEO Thomas Martin, who runs beverage packaging business TopPop Packaging, when asked what made the area suitable for business, explained to Invest:, “They make it easy for us to grow our business.”
