Power 100
By Anonymous | |
Proquest LLC |
The 100 most powerful people in
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So we're working the room at a business seminar, just a few days after the most damning of emails concerning the
As governor of the state,
Speculating on Christie's future has been a sport in the state since the day he took over as governor. Now, however, the factors have changed. It's no longer a future that he and his advisers will determine. Depending on what comes out in the coming weeks and months, Christie could return to his overwhelming front-runner status, on track to become the
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Some would suggest that those in
His touch in business and politics stretches well into the north - and has for some time (just ask
"Is he more powerful than Christie?" the insider asked. "In a measure, he is because he's going to be with us for the long haul."
In so many ways: "Everything and anything comes under Norcross' influence - whether it's the
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Forget all about his connections and his relationship with Christie. That's not what makes Hanson - the head of Hampshire Companies - so strong. "So much of real estate goes through him," one insider said. "Show me big deals that he isn't involved in and I'll show you big deals he didn't want to be involved in."
No. 1 on our
"Why wasn't that killed? Why did they get the biggest incentive package in state history (nearly
And in so many ways. "He's the one who can go into rooms that the governor can't go and have heart-toheart discussions with people - it's hard to be more influential than that," an insider said.
Of course, this takes us full circle, bringing up his relationship with the governor. One insider just laughed at the connection: "
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"Bill is immensely important to the next phase of the governor's career" one insider said of Palatucci, the Gibbons attorney who is also Christie's longtime friend, confidant and adviser. And he said it when the bridge scandal was just a traffic study. The sentiment, however, hasn't changed. We asked a lot of people about who will steer Christie in the coming months, and they all came back with the same short list, often headed by Palatucci. "Look, he would have turned to Bill in the first place, but now he almost has to. (Palatucci's) one of the few people in his inner circle who is not connected to the bridge issue in anyway," the insider said. Said another: "He's helping Christie handle this. Then he'll be key in deciding how to handle
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Politics makes for strange bedfellows - or is it just surprising alliances? The
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The most powerful woman in the state. That's not our opinion but the rapid-fire response when any of our power brokers were asked the question. As the head of the
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The full impact of the Affordable Care Act hasn't been felt, but as head of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of
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The ACA's impact on all things health care is enormous. As the state's health commissioner, O'Dowd has to oversee all of this - along with a staff of more than a thousand and a budget of nearly
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He's a Republican strategist and public affairs executive, but in real terms, he's a key inner-circle guy for the governor. "He's right up there with Palatucci," one insider said. "Palatucci raises the money; DuHaime spends it." He helped Christie first get elected in 2009 and has been a key player ever since - one who has no ties to the
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The director of the
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As chair of the
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Heading one of the biggest companies (Merck) in what is still one of the state's biggest industries (pharma) is enough to get Frazier on the list every year. But his impact lately has been much greater: The decision to leave the enormous
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Still a big developer, still cutting big deals. That's what our insiders said about Pozycki, the founder, chairman and CEO of
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Chief of staff, attorney general - just where does he fit in Christie's second term? "In the inner circle," said one insider. O'Dowd has all the skills and influence to be in the top 10, with only the bridge event keeping him out. No one we talked to thinks he'll be implicated. "It's not that he's too smart; he's just not like that," one insider said. His appointment to attorney general is on hold for now, but his power has never waned. His wife, Mary, is No. 8 on the list.
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Some have questioned his desire to be involved in athletics, but no one has questioned whether the
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This much is clear: Guadagno has been a big friend to business ("She returns calls - quickly. You don't realize how important and unusual that is," said one insider) and defined the role of lieutenant governor. Here's the unknown: How will the
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Garrett, as CEO of
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Ghermezian family (7)
An intensively private Canadian family with Iranian roots (just try to find any photos, interviews or estimates of their net worth), their Triple Five development company is firmly in control of the American Dream project - the project with nearly 3 million square feet of retail and entertainment space. It faces continued legal opposition from both the
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Ali Floushmand (76)
As
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"And there's that guy from
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Who? That's what most people in the state may have said six months ago about the Democrat from
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The U.S. attorney is a powerful figure (see
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His redevelopment of
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He's head of
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The governor's wife is always here - she gets as much say in his future as anyone. His brother, Todd, is a newcomer. "Todd always has been a member of the inner circle," one insider said. It's more noted now with so many staffers linked to the bridge scandal.
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The groundbreaking for Goya's new headquarters in
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He runs the largest hospital system in the state at
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"He knows everybody, and everybody knows him," said one insider. And it's not hard to see why; In addition to serving as partner with Windeis, Marx,
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He's another regular on the list. And how can he not be? As president of the state's Building and
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When does a former U.S. senator have more power than the current two? When he's so closely connected to the governor that he was hand-picked to be the state's fill-in in
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Too high, too soon for Prieto? Maybe. But the new Assembly speaker holds plenty of sway from the start. He's a consensus builder, which is good, and he brings a
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Lizura, the
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It makes sense to pair them together, one insider said, as they are the team fighting to keep
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You have to know who to know in
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The heads of the two most important hospital systems in the state (Garipalli at
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A few weeks ago, he was "the gray-haired eminence who everyone respects and everyone comes together for." Following the
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Gibbons isn't the biggest law firm in
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Farrell was a surprise selection to be the corporation counsel, but an easy choice for
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He's still fighting the good fight - that's what others say about the tough-as-nails senator. "He's beaten back the political challenges in
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He's avoided the limelight since taking over as Sandy's recovery czar - something no longer possible now that the distribution of funds has come into question. But don't expect Ferzan to go away or for Christie to second-guess his choice. "He's a really trusted, competent adviser," one insider said. "He had left the administration and they brought him back. And he could have been the attorney general or chief of staff - that's how talented he is."
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He's keeping the seat warm in
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You could argue the CEO of
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He's close with the governor and
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A small, community bank no longer describes
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As CEO of QualCare, she continues to grow the company and help shape health care in the state. She's one of those no-brainers for the list. "She's very highly regarded by everyone - in health care and out," said one insider. "She just keeps doing great things." Said another: "Women who roll up their sleeves and create a company... those kinds of people are in a very different league."
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He's the managing partner of
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Another example where the stats speak for themselves.
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He was a member of our
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The toughest placement on the list. His role with the
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Tepper can be as high as he wants to be - at least that's according to insiders impressed by the wealth the billionaire hedge-fund manager has accumulated through his company, Appaloosa Management. "I know he has a lot of money, but I haven't seen him use it. What issue is he going to get behind?" said one. "Everybody wants a piece of
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We'll call this the Mendoza line as being more powerful than these two (the owners of the
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He's the new president at Princeton, so there's new hope the school will increase its visibility. "It's the 800-pound gorilla that nobody hears about, yet it is a major economic engine," one insider said. That could change. A court battle is under way that challenges the school's tax-exempt status. "Are they paying their fair share for municipal services?" our insider asked. "It is a big tax appeal case that will be looked at by a lot of jurisdictions nationally."
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He's a newcomer to the Jersey scene with the purchase of the Devils and the
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As national vice president and eastern regional manager of the Laborers International Union of
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She is the head of
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The head of another iconic Jersey company,
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These two longtime giants in the suburban office market - Stern with
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Kenneth Kobylowski (60)
He's the commissioner of the
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The numbers speak for themselves here: With nearly
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Velez is an annual fixture on the list. Of course, that's what happens when you're an annual fixture in one of the top jobs in
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He's the senior vice president of
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Cote soared to a top 10 spot on last year's list as a result of
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With 335 branches in
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The leaders of two of the nation's premier STEM institutions (Bloom at
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"I'm not really sure what specifically he's doing, but you know it's important and you know he's being successful," said one insider in describing the head of
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"He's all over the place," one insider said in appreciation of Zangari. Indeed, the Sills Cummis & Gross attorney was a leader in the Economic Opportunity Act of 2013 (which pushed him to No. 3 on our
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As executive managing director at
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"I don't think people appreciate the good work they are doing down there," one insider said of Choose New Jersey. The organization's job is to promote the state and all that it has to offer while being instrumental to job creation and business initiatives. McDaniel, the president and CEO, does just that.
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She's the new chancellor of
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How big an influence can U.S. senators have in their home state? In the case of Menendez and Booker, a lot. Both are maintaining their ties to
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He has his hands full at Wayne-based retailer Toys 'R' Us, which is struggling to maintain market share among increasing online competition. But you can bet Urcelay, who was officially made CEO in October, will get any and all the help he needs from the state. With more than
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The face of
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She remains the president and CEO of
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This veteran of business and politics is perfect in his role as senior adviser to
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"Everybody wants to get to
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No, Wayne can't get you tickets to the Super Bowl. But as president and CEO of the
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He was the only one who bet he could turn around
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Flynn, the president and CEO of
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As president and CEO of the
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Stephen Vatjay (NR)
Vatjay heads
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Perhaps the second hardest person to place on the list. As the governor's chief of staff - the place he wants her to be in his second term - she's a top 20 pick. Until then (and we're guessing confirmation is a long way off), she lands farther down the list. But mark her as one to watch.
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She replaced
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The quickly growing
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The executive director of the
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"Good man, bad job," said one insider. Bringing
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The founder and CEO of Audible is well-respected in
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Rodriguez is the head of
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Her
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Thomas Bracken (NR)The influential head of the
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"He's great at what he does. Isn't that the way anyone would want to be described?" one insider remarked. What he does so very well is head the state's most influential business association: the
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"If we lose the Ledger, we lose the last bastion of media credibility," one insider said. "We need someone who has standards, even if we don't always agree with them."
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Another tough placement. As the deputy chief of staff for communications and planning, she has the ear of Christie, who considers her a top and trusted aide. She would be a big part of his packaging as a presidential candidate; she has also been subpoenaed in the bridge scandal.
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Don't know him? Trust us, you either love him or hate him - depending on how your flight in or out of
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"She has stayed - shouldn't she get credit just for that?" one insider asked. Indeed, the superintendent of
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A. Michael and
"They are a power arts couple" one insider said. "They have been great supporters of the symphony. If that goes, so goes NJPAC, so goes that side of town." And that's something
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Some said the venerable political leader no longer has much influence in the state. Then the bridge scandal hit. His lack of total support for Christie showed he still packs plenty of punch - and showed Christie it was a mistake for picking on his family. His son,
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He's the lone New Yorker on the list. And by the end of 2014, we may be able to say he was more influential than any Jerseyan. As the executive director of the
Previous Top 10s
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2012
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2011
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How we did it
The list was compiled, ranked and written by the editors ofNJBIZ, who considered candidates' involvement in top news events, standing in their industries, impact beyond the walls of their office buildings, and the amount of access they have to the top
Copyright: | (c) 2014 Journal Publications Inc. |
Wordcount: | 8012 |
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