Featured speakers included George W. Bush, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Paul, Ryan Reynolds, and a variety of newsmakers and business leaders, such as self-proclaimed 'total Jersey girl' Jackie Reses, CEO of Post House Capital and chair of the Economic Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

The report comes ahead of the firm's 10,000 Small Businesses Voices summit, which will convene 2,500 owners - including 82 from New Jersey - in the nation's capital from July 18-20.

According to co-sponsor Assemblyman Roy Freiman, D-16th District, the legislation would assist more than 70% of the state's businesses. “With tax credits, we can offset the impact of any increases in unemployment insurance tax small businesses will see in the next few years," he said.

The part-time boot camp aims to provide diverse entrepreneurs with skills to become a high-growth technology startup founder or a Main Street business owner. 

Launched in 2018, the initiative provides training and surety bonding education through a series of workshops and strategic counseling sessions to help better prepared companies to bid on government contracts.

The five-day experience will offer events, workshops and networking opportunities to help build and support local businesses. It kicks off May 2 with a Small Business Expo.

The first virtual session of the Black Bunker program, designed to help minority-owned businesses thrive, takes place on Feb. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

According to a new report from Alignable, companies in the Garden State say they've made less gains amid the variant than business owners in any other state.