Sherrill Lauds Business Community at NJBIA’s Public Policy Forum

By Jim Pytell, Managing Editor On Jan 30, 2026

Gov. Mikie Sherrill delivered the keynote address at NJBIA’s 2026 Public Policy Forum today, praising the state’s job creators, and vowing to support the state’s business community via transparency and collaboration.  

“You are the future of the state,” Sherrill said to the event’s 450 attendees representing many of the state’s job creators. “You are the people who are going to make sure our kids succeed, and the ones who are going to drive innovation.
You in this room are the people that are going to make or break us. And I don’t feel at all uncomfortable. I’m not at all concerned because I know so many of you in this room, and I know you’re going to do a great job, and I know we’re going to work incredibly hard to make sure that happens.”

Sherrill, who has been in office for 10 days, acknowledged that there are still a variety of issues that continue to impede the state’s business climate from fully flourishing.  

“Now, we do have challenges. We rank 49th in the country as far as business friendliness, and that is not acceptable,” she said. 

In addition to the state’s oft-reported affordability challenges, she also said that expensive, duplicative and burdensome regulations continue to drive up the cost of doing business in the state. 

“What I hear, again and again, particularly from the business community, is that, in many cases, it is just too hard to do business here,” Sherrill said, pointing to over-regulation, red tape, and bureaucracy as examples of specific concerns she has heard from businesses. 

“[We need] to make our cabinet and the different departments work together better, to come together and serve all of you better,” she added. 

Sherrill pointed to Executive Order No. 4, which she signed on Jan. 20 (one of nine EOs she has signed since taking office) that establishes the Office of the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and her subsequent appointment of Kellie Doucette as COO, as a first step toward addressing many of these efficiency and transparency issues.   

“I want our government to work better for you,” Sherrill said. “I think there is a sense that Trenton doesn’t like business. And I think, in some cases, that’s not quite true. But what is true is perhaps Trenton doesn’t always have the engagement with business; that we need to make sure we’re understanding the benefits that you bring to so many people, such as jobs and opportunities.”  

Sherrill took an optimistic tone when talking about overcoming the state’s challenges.  

“We have an incredibly educated workforce. We have connections across the world. We have great corporations here that are driving our economic output, and we have the ability to be nimble and to chart a path forward,” Sherrill said. “We need all of you here to continually engage with the members of this government so that we can help chart that path forward. We do our best work – not when we sit in Trenton behind closed doors – but when we’re out across New Jersey, speaking to each and every one of you and hearing, ‘Hey, is this policy working?’ or, ‘Is this getting us what we thought it would?’”

Sherrill said she wants to open the door for opportunity in New Jersey. 

“Please, remain engaged,” she said. “My commitment to all of you is that myself and my team will be the kind of government that you know is serving you; that you know you can get a meeting with us, know our doors are open, and know who to go to when you have a problem. I can’t promise you we’re always going to agree, but I can promise you that we’re always going to hear you out, and always going to act in the way that we think is going to get the best results for everyone.”

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