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NAI James E. Hanson

Dating to 1955, NAI James E. Hanson is a leading independent full-service commercial real estate brokerage and property management firm. It serves clients’ needs across sectors and capabilities, including office, industrial and retail brokerage; investment sales; land sales; management; government services and financing. NAI Hanson is also an original member of NAI Global, an international commercial real estate network with more than 325 offices.

The third-generation family business came in at No. 5 on this year’s NJBIZ list of Best Places to Work in New Jersey. The accolade highlighted the strong family values and work-life balance NAI Hanson offers. The effects are reflected in that ranking, as well as in its team members’ tenures. According to the Teterboro-based business, more than 11 employees have been there for more than a decade and four for over 25 years. Meanwhile, the company’s treasurer has been part of the crew for 57 years.

To start 2025, NAI Hanson expanded the family with its acquisition of The Garibaldi Group and NAI Summit. Beyond combining a trio of regional powerhouses, the deal also put a feather on a 50-year connection between the Hanson’s and Garibaldi’s. “This is very exciting. Our families have multi-generational relationships. We have similar cultures and values that make this feel like a natural fit,” NAI Hanson President William Hanson – whose grandfather, the company’s namesake, founded the business, said at the time.

NRS Inc.

Established by President and CEO Elie Katz, Newark-based National Retail Solutions sought to help small and mid-size brick-and-mortar retail businesses thrive. To that end, NRS provides state of the art point of service (POS) with hardware and software, and payment acceptance technology. The services aim to give “the little guy” an edge to compete against larger and chain stores.

NRS’ custom-built POS system includes features such as inventory management, sales tracking and marketing tools. Products include NRS Pay credit card processing; NRS Petro, a pump-integrated POS system for gas station convenience stores; NRS Funding, with cash advances up to $500,000; and NRS Marketplace, where users can shop for bulk purchasing for inventory and store supplies.

Over the summer, NRS entered a partnership to give independent merchants – many of them family owned – another leg up. Working with DoorDash, the collaboration allows users of NRS’ POS system to offer seamless online ordering and delivery integration. It was the second high-profile partnership NRS revealed in 2025, following a teaming with Google to help attract customers via that platform’s Search, Maps and Shopping features. NRS is a subsidiary of IDT Corp., a provider of point-of-sale network and credit card processing ecosystems that services more than 30,000 independent retailers and bodegas nationwide.

Opici Family Distributing

Opici Family Distributing of Glen Rock has deep roots in the sector it serves. The fourth-generation family-owned wine and spirits wholesaler dates its business ties to 1913. Following the end of Prohibition, Joseph Opici established the American B.D. Co. in 1934 after convincing a California winery to ship a train car filled with wine across the nation, according to the company.

Over the decades, the business continued to grow under the leadership of Hubert Opici and his wife, Rose Marie Deregibus. And Hubert Opici has earned renown for his work here in the Garden State and for his contributions to the industry. In 2014, Wine Enthusiast Magazine named him an “American Wine Legend. The business and family leadership carry on today under President Dina Opici, with an eye toward the past.

“My grandfather is an inspiration,” she says on the company’s website. “He grew this business through relationships, something that is often lost in today’s world. He knows every customer’s name and family story, and even at 100, that has not changed.” And Opici has “family” in its name for a reason. The company describes it as “everything,” on its website, expanding its definition to also include the more than 600 employees who help carry on the Opici name and mission today.

Paramount Bakeries Inc.

Having celebrated its centennial in 2024, Paramount Bakeries bills itself as Newark’s oldest bakery. The family-owned wholesale establishment services supermarkets – such as ShopRite, Wegmans and Acme Markets – as well as many food service accounts, among them the famed Hobby’s Deli and Town Hall Deli. The bakery’s ties to the city are also underscored by it achieving an ultimate New Jersey honor: serving as a setting on HBO’s “The Sopranos.”

Using simple ingredients and “old school” techniques, Paramount rises early to deliver fresh-made bread to customers. The bakery got its start in the city in 1924, on the corner of Davenport Avenue and North 8th Street. And 100 years later, Paramount prides itself on still baking in brick ovens in that same neighborhood.

Linda Kiesel Zabludovsky and Shraga Zabludovsky purchased Paramount about three decades ago, keeping the business a family affair. For now, it occupies a 50,000-square-foot facility with a team of about 100 employees. According to NJ Advance Media, a 20,000-square-foot expansion will open up space for another production line and storage.

PIC Corp.

Ernst & Young named PIC Corp. CEO Eric Rubel one of 28 regional finalists from New Jersey for the 2025 EY Entrepreneur of the Year award, but the business he runs dates back nearly 70 years. Based in Linden, PIC has harnessed advanced technology and innovation to become a leader in pest control solutions.

The manufacturer and distributor’s products help to eliminate mosquitoes, flying insects, roaches, ants, rodents, and more in and outside homes and businesses. An example of that forward thinking at work: In 2023, PIC announced the Solar Insect Killer Torch. Providing form and function, as well as an eco-friendly solution, the product utilizes an LED flickering flame without chemical odors, smoke, loud noises or open flames.

A pharmacist and graduate of Rutgers, Sidney Goldman helped to found PIC Corp. in 1953. At the time, it specialized in importing mosquito coils. Over three generations of family leadership, the company has grown to provide a wide range of solutions to consumers worldwide. In addition to its New Jersey base, PIC also has a West Coast office in California. PIC products are also widely available, found at big box retailers (e.g., Target and Home Depot); hardware, farm and ag stores (such as Tractor Supply Co.); grocery stores and more, as well as from online retailers including Amazon.

PrimoHoagies

Looking for the best sandwich shop in America? Look no further than Westville-based PrimoHaogies. Over the summer, the family-owned franchise business earned a turkey, topping USA Today’s 2025 readers’ choice awards for Best Sandwich or Sub Shop in the No. 1 spot for the third year in a row.

Commenting on the achievement, owner, President and CEO Nicholas Papanier Jr. attributed the reign to the brand’s commitment to quality and consistency, along with the loyalty of its fans. And that audience is wide reaching – and growing. With more than 125 locations across the U.S., PrimoHoagies has over 30 shops in its home state.

Earlier in 2025, PrimoHoagies’ expansion landed it on the Inc. Regionals list for the Northeast. The company came in at No. 138 with 32% growth. Founded in 1992, PrimoHoagies prides itself on using locally sourced ingredients. With roots in Philadelphia, the South Jersey business is also prevalent in the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia International Airport will add a location early next year. The sandwich slinger also partners with Citizens Bank Park, home to the Phillies baseball team.

Saker ShopRites

The Saker Family has led five generations in business, serving customers from its supermarkets since 1947. Now, Saker ShopRites has 40 grocery stores – 39 ShopRites with ShopRite Pharmacies and one Dearborn Market – that serve Monmouth, Middlesex, Mercer, Burlington, Somerset and Ocean counties. Overall, its team totals close to 12,000 associates.

The stores are also committed to the communities they serve. President and CEO Richard Saker notes, “Thousands of New Jersey organizations have benefited from our company’s charitable donations and we are especially proud to have played a key role in fundraising for the Joan Dancy & PALS (People with ALS) Foundation.” The company and its employees have raised more than $1 million for that organization. Saker ShopRites also plays a part in fighting food insecurity, supporting the year-round ShopRite Partners In Caring Initiative, as well as food banks such as Fulfill and Community FoodBank of New Jersey.

The Saker Family is looking to the future, too, with new and updated stores due. After replacing a location in Piscataway with a fresh one in South Plainfield, plans are in also store to build updated supermarkets in Manalapan and Freehold, impacting a 60-year old location in the case of the latter; and to convert a former Kmart in Stafford into a ShopRite.

Salad House

Generations in the making, The Salad House officially launched in 2011 in Millburn. Founder and CEO Joey Cioffi grew up in his family’s Springfield deli, laying the foundation for the fast-casual he’d establish.

After adding a Morristown location in 2013, the business continued to grow with the involvement of entrepreneur Jerry Eicke. That helped produce the third Salad House location, and its first franchise, in Westfield in 2017. Today, Salad House features 18 franchise spots along with the two company-run stores. Looking ahead, that footprint continues to grow, with a strategic expansion to Maryland and Virginia underway. The eatery is known for its fresh, made-to-order, customizable salads, along with sandwiches, wraps, soups, appetizers and smoothies. It boasts a commitment to ingredients delivered daily and handmade-to-order meals.

Salad House also gives back. Through “The Big Give,” the company donates 100% of a day’s sales to worthy causes chosen by team members. Since starting the campaign in 2021, Salad House has supported several organizations, including Spectrum360, NJ Sharing Network, The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and ALS United Greater New York. “Have your work be more than just a business,” Cioffi says of his philosophy. “It goes much deeper — it’s about the families the business supports and communities you serve.”

Schweid & Sons

Schweid & Sons has been family-owned and operated for four generations. Butcher Harry Schweid sold to local restaurants in New York City’s Lower East Side in the 1800s, according to the business, a tradition carried forth by his son, Sam, who had his own business selling meats in Harlem in the 50s.

Launched in 1978, Schweid & Sons is led by founder & Chairman David Schweid, and his own sons, President & CEO Jamie Schweid and Chief Administrative Officer Brad Schweid. “As Sam always said, if you put only good meat into your burgers, only good things will come out,” the company notes on its website. Schweid & Sons offers an extensive portfolio of fresh and frozen ground beef patties and bulk loaves that regularly earn praise for their taste and quality. The Carlstadt-based business supplies grocers and restaurants as well as fulfils online orders. Among its biggest customers: restaurant chains like Five Guys, Fuddruckers, Cheesecake Factory and Hard Rock Café.

Speaking with Forbes in 2017, Jamie Schweid detailed his unexpected turn toward the family business, “I graduated college with a finance degree in 2001, and I was supposed to go work at Bear Stearns. Then 9/11 happened. … After a few job interviews, I said, ‘Dad, I want to try this.’ For the first year-and a-half, I shadowed my father. I became really passionate about this business.”

SM Staffing

Founded by Shlomo Meisels in 2021, SM Staffing aims to match culture in its recruiting practices — beyond just experience and qualifications. SM Staffing works across industries, including retail, manufacturing, hospitality, technology, health care, finance, logistics, real estate and more, helping local businesses thrive.

Meisels launched the emerging company to help high-level candidates find the right roles. The “reverse recruiting” mindset finds SM Staffing actively searching on behalf of candidates. According to the company, it has made more than 100 successful placements. Additionally, SM Staffing developed a Job Search Bootcamp. The course teaches job seekers how to find opportunities, prepare for interviews and even negotiate salaries. The company also offers other job-finding skills, such as resume assistance.

“Our goal is to improve people’s lives and help them support their families,” Meisels told The Jewish Link in 2022. “Recruiting at the end of the day is about building relationships. We even give referrals to people who send us job seekers, and/or companies looking to hire.”

Stew Leonard’s

After making its New Jersey debut six years ago in Paramus, popular farm fresh, family-run grocery chain Stew Leonard’s added a second in-state food and wine store in Clifton in 2023. Founded in 1969 by the late Stew Leonard Sr. as a single store in Norwalk, the company is now a $600 million business with more than 2,500 workers across eight locations in the tri-state area. Known for its animatronic characters and its selection of dairy, meats, seafood, produce, bakery items, cheese and prepared foods, the New York Times nicknamed the banner “the Disneyland of Dairy Stores.”

The Connecticut-based retailer is preparing to unveil a state-of-the-art, 9,300-square-foot swim school near its Clifton store next month. The new location honors the memory of the founder’s grandson, who drowned as a toddler, and marks the second Stewie the Duck Swim School to launch. The first opened in Norwalk two years ago.

Guided by a mission of “Saving lives, one lesson at a time,” the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation has spent more than three decades championing water safety. Over the years, the nonprofit has raised more than $6 million toward education, advocacy and support for swim safety initiatives. Funded in part through a $300,000 grant from the New Jersey fiscal year 2025 state budget, the Clifton school will contribute 100% of proceeds to provide swim lessons for underserved children along with lifeguard training nationwide.

Supermarket Italy

A family-run specialty foods importer based in Lyndhurst, Supermarket Italy seeks to bring the world to your door. After getting its start in 2009 as an online destination for authentic gourmet products from Italy, Supermarket Italy has since expanded to feature an even wider variety of international foods through its direct-to-consumer platform and wholesale division.

The 16-year-old e-commerce venture grew out of the Quattrone family’s earlier food distribution business, Sanniti LLC, which was established in 1982 primarily for Italian cheeses, and later expanded into other imported foods and specialty goods. It now offers more than 6,000 imported products from 40-plus countries, including European, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, African, South American and Australian regions.

Run by husband-wife team Giovanni and Jacqueline Quattrone, Supermarket Italy has rapidly expanded — especially during the pandemic as more people cooked at home and shopped online — thanks to an internal restructuring that saw new systems for order processing, inventory tracking and packaging. In addition to meats, cheeses, pastas, sauces and olive oils, the company’s best-sellers include non-food items like beauty products and cleaning supplies from abroad that are clean label.

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