NEWS RELEASE

Trenton, January 12, 2011 -- The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the state's business advocacy organization, today announced its annual Congressional Dinner on January 27 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. will showcase support for Governor Chris Christie's pro-business agenda.

"Governor Christie will be a featured speaker at our Congressional Dinner and I think business people across New Jersey should be there to show support for what the Governor is doing to improve the business climate in New Jersey," said Dennis Bone, President, Verizon New Jersey and Chairman, Board of Directors of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. "All of New Jersey will benefit from Governor Christie's efforts to address the state's budget issues, implement the Business Action Center to cut government bureaucracy and launch 'Choose New Jersey' which will attract more business and jobs to our state."

Key members of the Christie administration also will attend the dinner, as will members of New Jersey's Congressional Delegation and State Legislature.

State Chamber to Celebrate Centennial 

The Chamber also will celebrate its centennial anniversary at this year's Congressional Dinner. In recognition of this milestone, the dinner will feature products made in the Garden State and will honor the Chamber's founding members, which include Thomas Edison. The dinner program will be streamlined to allow attendees more time to discuss issues with business colleagues and the state's political leadership.

"Walk to Washington"

The Congressional Dinner will be preceded earlier on January 27 by the Chamber's 'Walk to Washington,' a chartered Amtrak train ride to the nation's capital during which participants walk through the train cars to make connections and meet people, thus giving the ride its name. Participants on this year's trip will have access to the state's unique "Biz-Bond" computer service which directly links them with businesses looking for the products and services they offer.

  
"Attending the Walk to Washington and the Congressional Dinner is an effective way to meet prospective customers and to gauge the business pulse of our state," said Jeff Scheininger, first vice-chairman of the Chamber's Board of Directors and president of Flexline/U.S. Brass & Copper Corporation. "The Chamber offers these unique opportunities to business people as a way to exchange ideas and share our concerns about the state's economy with our state leadership."

For the Walk to Washington, the Amtrak train picks up participants at various stations, beginning with Penn Station in New York City and Penn Station in Newark, and continues through Metropark, New Brunswick and Trenton. The final stops are Philadelphia and Wilmington before arriving in the nation's capital.

On January 28, dinner participants will return via Amtrak to their points of origin.

For more information about the Walk to Washington and about joining the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, contact the Chamber's website at www.njchamber.com or call the Chamber's Trenton office at 609-989-7888.

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy organization that represents its members on a wide range of business and education issues. Based in Trenton, the organization also links the state's local and regional chambers on issues of importance through its grassroots legislative network. For more information, visit www.njchamber.com.