NJBIA Next-Gen Awards

On Apr 7, 2025

On the following pages, we profile six individuals who are the recipients of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association’s inaugural Next-Gen Award. Each of these men and women has taken the helm of their family businesses and – based on their skills and the valuable lessons they have learned from family mentors – are steering their respective companies to greater success. These profiles are inspiring and heartfelt as the theme of love and pride for family runs through each story. 

Each of the six winners will be presented with their Next-Gen Award on April 4 as NJBIA holds its “Next-Gen: The New Era of Leadership” conference at the Molly Pitcher Inn, Red Bank.

Alexis Capik

President 

Spectra Colors Corp

Alexis Capik started her career at Spectra Colors Corp – a family-owned dye and colorant company founded 30 years ago by her father Luis Marrero – as a summer intern in high school. 

After graduating college, she worked at other companies before returning to Spectra as a sales representative. She would transition to roles that saw her improving internal operations. She eventually became president after her father shifted to an advisory position. 

Capik credits her growth to the hard work and teamwork instilled in her from an early age. She learned the importance of collaboration and continuous self-improvement, stating, “If you are not growing, you aren’t trying hard enough.” Capik cites finding her own voice as a huge part of growing in business, which she says ultimately helped distinguish herself as someone who has merit and is not just “the boss’s daughter.” 

Audra Giese

President

MSI Plumbing & Remodeling

Audra Giese began working for her parents’ business, Lebanon-based MSI Plumbing & Remodeling, at an early age. She recalls putting address labels on envelopes for direct mailings while watching Saturday morning cartoons. “From a young age, my parents – Anne Thornton and Lester Giese – taught me the importance of dedication and perseverance,” she says. Giese would take on multiple responsibilities at the company, venturing into marketing, website design, social media and more. 

However, upon graduating from college, she moved to Seattle to seek new challenges. She worked in sales for a business and then entered the banking field, becoming assistant branch manager at a community bank. She would return home to explore leadership opportunities within MSI and to “establish deeper family roots.” Her success there led her to become president and partner in 2021. Today, she oversees business operations, sets strategic goals, and fosters a culture of creativity and collaboration. 

Jackie Daly Johnson

President

Beacon Converters

Jackie Daly Johnson is president of Beacon Converters. The Saddle Brook-based company was founded in 1947 by her grandfather, William F. Daly, and several other partners, as a manufacturer of printed paper bags for pies, bread, popsicles, and other specialty foods. The Daly family soon became the sole owners of Beacon under the leadership of Daly Johnson’s father, William P. Daly, who joined the company in 1958. By 1970, the company began manufacturing medical device packaging materials.

Daly Johnson joined Beacon in 1982, gaining hands-on experience across every facet of the company. She became vice president and director of operations in the early 1990s and was appointed president in 1992. Under Daly Johnson’s leadership, the Daly family has also established a strong company culture based on three foundational pillars: Trust, Respect, and Gratitude. These principles guide Beacon’s business practices and are integral to how the company interacts with its employees, customers, and suppliers. 

Paul G. Pennacchi

President

Anthony Pennacchi & Sons

Paul Pennacchi has spent 40 years in his family’s business, Anthony Pennacchi & Sons. He became president of the company in 1995 and is currently a third-generation owner, alongside his son, Paul Jr., who represents the fourth generation. Under Pennacchi’s’s leadership, the company expanded throughout the tri-state area and Florida. Today, the company is the oldest and largest masonry contracting company in New Jersey, specializing in the restoration of religious institutions, as well as government and commercial properties.

Pennacchi credits his parents for giving him a wonderful upbringing, adding, “They were both incredible role models, teaching me the importance of being Catholic and giving back to the community.” Pennacchi enjoys helping people strive for a better life. He is involved in various local boards, organizations and societies, including the Mount Carmel Guild Family, Hamilton YMCA, and St. Paul’s Parish Building and Grounds Committee

Jessica Quintana

Owner and Operator

McDonald’s

Jessica Quintana’s career at McDonald’s began in 1992, the year her mother, Celest Quintana, became a McDonald’s operator. Quintana started as a cashier and worked myriad roles at the restaurant (even donning a Grimace costume for birthday parties) before progressing to a swing manager. While attending Saint Peter’s University, her career simultaneously continued to progress, first as a shift manager and then as a store manager.

She earned respect for her work ethic, and blossomed without any special treatment due to her family ties at the company. Quintana became a McDonald’s owner-operator in 2008, running 14 restaurants across Essex, Hudson, Somerset and Morris counties alongside her mother. Today, she remains a proud second-generation McDonald’s owner-operator. Her mother’s mentorship shaped Jessica into a resilient, community-oriented leader. She says she is determined to elevate the business to even greater heights.

Zack Zehner

Chairman

Mannington Mills

Zack Zehner, chairman of Salem-based Mannington Mills, is a fifth-generation member of the Campbell family, which founded the flooring manufacturing company in 1915. Zehner has held various positions at the company and lists many family members as mentors. This includes his grandfather John B. “Johnny” Campbell II. Zehner recalls, “He was my hero; a tough ex-Marine who loved people. If it weren’t for him, Mannington probably would not be here today. If he could see me now, he would be very proud of the way things have turned out.”

Meanwhile, Zehner says his grandmother, Buffy Campbell, was also a mentor: “She was the epitome of kindness and grace, but was also as tough as nails and incredibly smart.”

His biggest influence is his uncle, Keith Campbell, who was chairman at Mannington for 29 years before retiring in 2023. “He taught me many things as we worked closely together over the years,” he says. 

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