Tacoria Mexican Street Kitchen

After starting out as a single shop in New Brunswick that was opened nearly a decade ago by four Rutgers alumni, Tacoria Mexican Street Kitchen has expanded to a 12-location chain across New Jersey.

Over the past year, Tacoria has unveiled two new restaurants – Cherry Hill and Ridgewood -and relocated its Paramus spot to Bergen Town Center.

Seeing a gap in the local market for high-quality, fast-casual Mexican street food, the founders set out to craft their own concept offering a hip atmosphere with high-quality food. Along with customizable tacos, mission-style burritos, nachos, quesadillas and salads, the made-fresh-daily menu includes inventive small bites, like crispy flour tortillas drizzled in Nutella and lightly breaded fried avocados.

Despite the larger footprint and growing fandom, co-founder Chuck Patel recently told NJBIZ he believes the brand has remained true to its mission of inspiring and improving communities via fresh food, warm hospitality and ongoing outreach efforts. “We’re still just four guys that kind of love tacos, and we just have a much bigger team that helps us on a daily basis to execute,” he said.

TD Bank

One of the 10 largest banks in North America, TD Bank operates more than 1,100 branches and serves more than 10 million customers. After Raymond Chun took over as CEO of TD Bank in February, the banking giant deployed a new strategic roadmap aimed at streamlining operations, boosting efficiency and accelerating growth. That has included a focus on digital transformation, AI and automation to improve customer experience and cut costs in the long-term.

TD has shut dozen dozens of locations across the U.S. in recent years, with the bank saying that the move will enable it to reinvest in stores, expand ATM networks and make further improvements to digital and mobile platforms. As part of an effort to consolidate its physical footprint in South Jersey, TD recently relocated its headquarters from Cherry Hill to Mount Laurel.

During TD’s 2025 Investor Day in September, Chun said, “We are building a simpler, faster and more efficient TD to outpace the market and accelerate growth. We’re investing in talent, harnessing AI and deploying new digital capabilities to help our clients achieve their financial goals.”

T&M Associates

T&M Associates is a national consulting, engineering and environmental services firm headquartered in Middletown that  was founded in 1966.

Led by Chairman and CEO Gary Dahms, who will mark 40 years with the company in 2026, T&M employs more than 450 professionals across offices in New Jersey, the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. The firm provides engineering and infrastructure solutions across five key markets: water, environmental, transportation, community and land development, and buildings and facilities.

The company remains on track with its strategic Vision 2030 growth plan and has earned multiple recognitions: in 2025, ranking No. 59 on NJBIZ’s Top 250 Privately Held Companies list, Dahms was named to NJBIZ’s Commercial Real Estate Power list, and for the fifth consecutive year, T&M was named one of the Best Places to Work in New Jersey.

“It’s going to be a great celebration – 60 years. And I get to celebrate my 40th anniversary at the same time, which is also nice. It should be a good year,” Dahms said about a milestone 2026 ahead.

TerraCycle

An award-winning company based in Trenton, TerraCycle creates and operates first-of-their-kind platforms in recycling, recycled materials and reuse across 21 countries. As part of its mission to eliminate waste and develop practical solutions, TerraCycle hosts more than 550 free recycling programs in partnership with more than 300 organizations globally – including giants like Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Nestlé, PepsiCo, 3M, Bausch + Lomb, Unilever, Kering Dr. Pepper and Walmart.

To date, the company says it has recycled over 8.5 billion items ranging from chip bags to flip-flops to cigarette butts. Ahead of Global Recycling Day in March, TerraCycle founder and CEO Tom Szaky reflected on his company’s work, saying, “Our in-house team of scientists and material application specialists work every day to push the boundaries of what can be recycled, helping us move the world from a linear economy to a circular one.”

Some recent milestones include the October opening of a major operations hub in Illinois designed to handle “hard-to-recycle” items, such as coffee pods, batteries and lightbulbs. It also launched new recycling solutions, including one tailored for health care facilities that accepts complex waste stream items like PPE, cleaning supplies and plastic packaging; and fresh partnerships with retailers such as Pet Supplies Plus and consumer brands like Huggies.

Tevogen Bio

Warren-based Tevogen is a clinical-stage specialty immunotherapy biotech company pioneering off-the-shelf T cell therapeutics for infectious diseases, oncology, and neurology. Founded by Dr. Ryan Saadi, the company leverages its patented ExacTcell platform to target virus-infected and cancerous cells.

Tevogen’s pipeline includes therapies for SARS-CoV-2 in high-risk patients, Long COVID and multiple oncology indications supported by its AI-driven PredicTcell platform. The company projects nearly $1 billion in revenue in its launch year for specialty care, with cumulative 5-year forecasts reaching $18 billion–$22 billion.

Tevogen is also expanding its footprint here in New Jersey with a newly leased 17,428-square-foot manufacturing facility and a new corporate headquarters that more than doubles its previous space, centralizing R&D, regulatory and Tevogen.AI operations.

Saadi personally contributed $500,000 toward the build-out and first-year operating costs. He said, “This contribution is about belief in Tevogen’s mission, in the remarkable people who bring that mission to life, and in the future we are building together.”

Thea Energy

A spinout of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Princeton University, Thea Energy aims to make fusion a commercially viable clean energy solution. Considered a rising player in the U.S. fusion space, the company has raised $30 million in total investor funding since its 2022 founding. It has also secured non-dilutive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Earlier this year, Thea Energy celebrated the opening of a 15,000-square-foot headquarters in Kearny designed and built specifically for the company’s rapid prototyping and testing of core technologies.

By 2030, Thea Energy expects to complete the design of a proprietary integrated system that it hopes will produce fusion neutrons at scale and in a steady state

The venture recently wrapped up a months-long fellowship offered by Amazon Web Services and the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence designed to help researchers, startups, nonprofits and public sector organizations build proofs-of-concept that can use advanced computing to address environmental challenges.

Tommy’s Tavern & Tap

The Jersey Shore-born regional restaurant chain has continued to expand its presence across the state over the past year, with a new location in Wayne and announced eateries coming to Ledgewood and Toms River. Founded in 2015 by the late Thomas “Tommy” Bonfiglio and his wife Yvette in Sea Bright, Tommy’s Tavern and Tap quickly became known for its specialty wings, burgers, coal-fired pizza, sushi, salads and sandwiches, as well as an extensive craft beer menu, whiskey offerings and specialty cocktails.

A 2025 NJBIZ In the Lead Family-Owned Businesses honoree, the chain now has 14 other locations across three states. Tommy’s Tavern and Tap parent company Triple T Hospitality Group also has a spinoff concept, Tio Taco + Tequila Bar, with three New Jersey spots and one in Delaware.

After Bonfiglio’s death in 2022 at the age of 62, his family — including Yvette and daughters Andrea and Christina — continues to lead Triple T with the same commitment to quality, hospitality and values that he had.

Unilever

With a portfolio that includes big brands like Dove, Vaseline, Hellmann’s, Axe and Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever’s products reach 95% of U.S. households. In June, the longtime New Jersey-based consumer goods giant marked a major milestone with the relocation of its North American headquarters from Englewood Cliffs to Hoboken. Now located in a 110,000-square-foot space at Waterfront Corporate Center, Unilever said it brought together 1,100-plus employees from key business units and corporate functions as part of a “strategic shift toward a more collaborative hybrid work environment.”

Unilever USA President and CEO Herrish Patel said, “We wanted proximity to where trends and culture come alive; we wanted a place that would inspire innovation. We have all the business units and all our leaders here – and this is a place where we unite and write the stories of this company for the next 10 years.”

The SJP Properties-owned site is already home to several high-caliber corporations, such as Hain Celestial, Walmart, Thomson Reuters, Ernst & Young, Lipton, Pearson Education, Nestlé Health Science and Marsh & McLennan. Unilever also maintains a footprint in Englewood Cliffs, where roughly 260 research and development employees are based at its existing 325,000-square-foot campus.

United Way of Greater Union County

Rahway-based United Way of Greater Union County is transforming lives, serving more than 150,000 individuals annually, demonstrating remarkable scale and impact. Partnering with more than 50 nonprofits and government agencies throughout the county to help deliver human services, UWGUC has helped establish a network of Family Success Centers, delivering comprehensive support spanning education, income stability and health services.

Initiatives that showcase the organization’s commitment to economic empowerment include a 2024 partnership with Union County to establish the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, providing free tax preparation for households earning under $60,000. UWGUC partners with companies, governments, nonprofits and other organizations to address complex challenges facing residents in Union County, creating a robust safety net for vulnerable populations.

“I look forward to working with our current partners and identifying new partnerships that will support our mission and take us to the next level,” said President and CEO Julienne Cherry.

Verizon

Verizon is a leading U.S. communications provider, delivering mobility, broadband and digital infrastructure services to millions of customers nationwide.

The telecom giant generated $134.8 billion in revenue in 2024 and operates a robust network that powers both consumer and enterprise connectivity. Verizon is investing heavily in AI, 5G, and fiber networks, aiming to transform customer experience and enable digital ecosystems.

The company recently announced a CEO transition, with former PayPal Chief Executice Officer Dan Schulman taking the helm, while Hans Vestberg remains as special advisor through October 2026.

New Jersey serves as a major operational hub for Verizon, with its Basking Ridge campus hosting approximately 5,000 employees. It has consolidated most of its state operations there – and made a long-term commitment.

“Jersey is an important market for us. And we have large teams here. We are committed to this. We have a 25-year lease on this building. So, we are in it for a while,” Executive Vice President and CEO of Verizon Consumer Group Sowmyanarayan Sampath told NJBIZ.

Wakefern Food Corp.

The largest retailer-owned grocery cooperative in the U.S. by both sales and scale, Keasbey-based Wakefern Food Corp. is continuing a multiyear trend of revenue growth at its supermarkets across the Northeast. Founded in 1946, Wakefern’s member companies independently own and operate more than 380 supermarkets under banners such as ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market.

Along with $20.7 billion in sales for the fiscal year ending Sept. 27 – a 3.1% increase from the prior year – Wakefern added new wholesale customers, and continued implementing technology upgrades and artificial intelligence as a way to enhance overall shopping experience. In addition to opening three new stores in New Jersey, Wakefern member companies are also investing in remodeling existing supermarkets.

Wakefern recently acquired upscale New York City grocery chain Morton Williams. That followed the 2024 purchase of Di Bruno Bros., a Philadelphia-headquartered grocer known for gourmet foods, cheeses and cured meats. The past year also saw continued efforts in the cooperative’s fight against food insecurity through its signature hunger-fighting initiative, ShopRite Partners In Caring. And, Wakefern expanded its longtime partnership with the LPGA.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

With more than 60,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally, Parsippany-based Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is considered the world’s largest hotel franchising company. Its portfolio of brands includes AmericInn, Super 8, Days Inn, La Quinta, Hawthorn Suites, Trademark Collection and Wyndham.

Over the past year, Wyndham has added several new perks for the more than 120 million members of its award-winning hotel rewards program.  That has included the industry’s first co-branded debit card, exclusive access to one-of-a-kind events, dining deals at Applebee’s restaurants nationwide and Grubhub delivery to its entire U.S. portfolio of nearly 6,000 properties.  Wyndham also added a new loyalty program specifically for truckers in North America.

It was also once again named as one of NJBIZ’s Best Places to Work in New Jersey this year in the large companies category (250+ employees).

Zoetis

Zoetis, headquartered in Parsippany, is the world’s leading animal health company, dedicated to advancing care for animals and, by extension, human and public health. With a 70-year legacy, the company discovers, develops, manufactures, and commercializes vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, and technologies for companion animals and livestock.

Key developments this year include the acquisition of the U.K.-based Veterinary Pathology Group, strengthening Zoetis’ veterinary diagnostics footprint; and the launch of AI Masses for Vetscan Imagyst, an AI-powered cytology tool that enables rapid, accurate in-clinic detection of lymph node and skin/subcutaneous lesions. Zoetis also expanded its osteoarthritis pain treatments with Lenivia for dogs and Portela for cats, alongside global growth in its Simparica and dermatology franchises.

“With our manufacturing excellence, strong customer relationships and a robust pipeline, we are well positioned to advance animal care, bring new products to market and deliver sustainable growth and value for our shareholders,” said CEO Kristin Peck.

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