Leader Interview

 

Leader Interview: Elizabeth Terenik,

President, Chelsea Economic Development Corporation

 

Jane Bokunewicz (JB): Welcome everyone to the LIGHTs On Leader Interview. My name is Jane Bokunewicz, and I'm the faculty director of the Lloyd D. Levenson Institute of Gaming, Hospitality and Tourism (LIGHT).

I'm joined today by Elizabeth Terenik, who is the president of the , and she's also a member of our LIGHT Advisory Board.

Thank you, Elizabeth, for joining us today.

Elizabeth Terenik (ET): You're welcome. It's a pleasure to be with you.

JB: My first question is very broad, and I'll let you answer it any way you'd like. Who is Elizabeth Terenik?

ET: That's a good question, and so hard to answer. I'd say I'm a multifaceted person.

Most importantly, and of course, what I'm most dedicated to and proud of, are my four children –  Alex, Peter, Dimitri and Sophia.

My career is in public service. I'm extremely passionate about public service, and I feel that I've been very fortunate to have a lot of opportunities in that area.

I'm a licensed professional (land use) planner in the State of New Jersey, which allows me to testify at public hearings on development applications, and I'm also a business owner.

I really enjoy wellness, so I started about a year ago to connect the community with the wellness services that are available in this area.

It’s been a whole lot of fun. It's been great to be a business owner and understand the challenges that business owners have.

JB: Wow! What a background! Awesome.

Kind of overlapping in this question! What were the highlights of your career which led you to your current role as president of the Chelsea Economic Development Corporation, and as a business owner.

ET: I've had really great opportunities in public service agencies.

For example, my first job after I completed my master's in public administration was at the , under the leadership of . I learned a lot about government agencies and how they function in a very responsible way to serve the public.

Then, when my children were younger, I worked in code enforcement and as a zoning officer. That gave me incredible knowledge and background for a lot of the work that I do now with Chelsea EDC.

Later, I moved on to being planning director in Ocean City and in Atlantic City.

In all these positions I've had the opportunity to effectuate change, and that has been extremely rewarding, but the most opportunity has been in Atlantic City. I’ve felt the most supported here to make those kinds of changes, and it's been extremely rewarding. Challenging, of course, but very rewarding here in Atlantic City.

JB: I've only known you for a fairly short time, and I've seen all that you've accomplished. You certainly have made an impact on the community from my perspective. For sure.

What would you consider your greatest challenge or your greatest success? Currently.

ET: I would say the greatest challenge is getting things done in public service, and the greatest success for me has been getting things done in public service.

It's so hard because there are processes in place, right? Whether in government or even within a nonprofit.

At Chelsea EDC and ,  we use government funding. So of course, we're extremely conscientious with how we spend that money. That's good. It should be that way. But it can make it extremely complicated to get things done. And I think that is actually an area that I'm good at. Knowing how to get things done in government.

But it is - it is such a challenge. It’s always about trying to figure out the path that's going to get us to the end goal of getting things done.

I think for any of us that are working to make Atlantic City better, showing results and getting things done is extremely important. People have planning fatigue. There are studies upon studies in the city, on how to make it better. There's a lot of good suggestions, and all those plans – we just now have to do it.

That's been the fun of Chelsea EDC. We've been able to activate projects and do things on the ground. It’s been fun, but it is also challenging, it is really challenging.

[We ask] ‘what are the things that we can do that will really make people's lives better?’ And anyone working for change in Atlantic City knows that there's a lot to be done. So, we [Chelsea EDC] narrowed our focus. We decided to do a pilot project on a 4-block area. We've been at it for almost 3 months now in this small area of the Chelsea neighborhood, and there's a lot to be done.

So, what do we prioritize? What's really going to make the biggest impact and make people's lives better? That's the challenge. It's been a good challenge, and I think we're making some good progress.

JB: Absolutely! Looking at a bigger focus of Atlantic City in general, outside even of the Chelsea neighborhood. What is your vision for the future of Atlantic City, and what will be some key issues or trends over the next few years?

ET: I feel that I'm blessed because I can see Atlantic City's best version of itself, and I work every day for us to get there.

It's about livability. I think the most important issue for Atlantic City is the livability factor. We have so many assets here. I mean, there is more than enough to make us happy to live here - and I do live in the city – but we really have to work on the same livability factors that most cities face. This includes things like public safety and increasing the city’s vibrancy – we do that through things like public art, which has been incredible, beautiful, was just finished, sponsored by the . It includes things like the city’s infrastructure – making sure things like traffic lights are working well or crosswalks, streets are paved, parking isn't too hard – those are the things that make people want to live here.

On a state and national level, we have the issue of housing. I'm on the . One of the biggest challenges is creating housing that's in demand and pricing it so that people can buy homes.

We have that opportunity. In cities we already have the infrastructure, we already have the transit systems – Atlantic City has incredible bus, jitney, train. We have the infrastructure in cities to make it [housing] work. But we need to take the vacant lots, for example, and get them [converted] into housing, and we also have to make the city more livable overall.

That's our biggest issue, and it's called clean and safe. We call it clean and safe, a lot, and that ties to the vacant buildings and lots and all that.

We really need to create a hierarchy; I call it a hierarchy of a strong community. The foundation is clean and safe, and then, it moves up from there and goes up to well-paying jobs.

However, no economic development can happen if we don't have a foundation of livability and clean and safe.

JB: What role do you see Chelsea EDC playing in the future of Atlantic City?

ET: It's been extremely rewarding to be in just one neighborhood rather than an entire city – or working on the state level and looking at the whole state.  

Being on that more granular level, it's given us the opportunity to understand more clearly what the problems are. Chelsea EDC is serving as a direct connection between the residents that are here and their struggles, and those that are trying to make things better. Whether that's the (New Jersey) (the EDA has grants available for small businesses and we connect businesses with the EDA – help them do the paperwork and get those grants), or other opportunities that are out there for the community. There are so many resources.

Over the past three months we've been setting up on a street corner. We call it a pop-up office. And we just talk to people going by.

People need resources, and they don't realize that there are a lot of resources out there for them.  Not just what we (Chelsea EDC) offer, but also other programs that are available to make their lives better and offer them new opportunities to grow their wealth or their income. One of our biggest roles is getting the information and the resources that are there to the people that live in the community.

We also hold people accountable for their responsibilities. For example, we count street lights that are out, and report that. We report code violations. We reach out to the utility companies to make sure that their wires are kept up. We do a lot of work that involves getting people to do their jobs. Sometimes in Atlantic City, where it looks like no one's really paying attention, the different agencies may take advantage of that and not spend as much time as perhaps they should. We have a role in holding them accountable.

We advocate for public policy, whether it's for the at-risk individuals to help them to get to a better place, or for infrastructure projects.

The numbers really speak for themselves. We've reported, say, over 600 code violations just in this small pilot area – over a 1,000 overall. We've installed ring doorbell cameras for residents, about 150 of those. We've installed surveillance cameras. We've given about 20 storefront grants. We're starting to do residential improvement grants. We've given out grants for home buyers, 19 home buyers. These are renters from the neighborhood that now own their own home. We're really excited about that. That's been about $300,000.

Projects like that, there's no end to what we can do, and we've been very proud of the results and the numbers that we've generated.

JB: With ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÉç being located in the Chelsea neighborhood, we are thrilled with all of the work that you have done. You really have made the neighborhood so much better. Thank you for that.

Also, as I mentioned in the beginning, you are a member of the LIGHT Advisory Board. What role do you see? LIGHT or ÀÏ˾»ú¸£ÀûÉç playing in the future of Atlantic City?

ET: LIGHT has been such a great partner for all of us that are working to make Atlantic City better. You share the same goals that we do, which is to improve economic opportunity in the city and in the region.

The work that you've been doing on research advanced our goals – the Restaurant Week Survey – I thought that was great –  and the perception study –  really, really important work. And now (LIGHT is) taking that information and working with us and other organizations, to have actions be taken, or to put things into place. Just by the very nature of your research, it is teaching us so much about what's important and how we can grow this area's economy.

I like your public policy forums, like the Shorecast, where we can share information and learn. That helps us to plan what we're doing and to know where we should focus.

I think the training that you're doing, the Integrated Casino Resort Operations Certificate, checks so many boxes because it helps the casinos to have more qualified leaders, and it also helps our area residents to grow their career opportunities. I think that is a fabulous program, and I would say, if there's any opportunity to do more of that, it'd be wonderful.

I remember having a conversation with and he talked about how the casinos were more engaged in the neighborhoods. They would attend the neighborhood meetings, community meetings, and I think that the casinos are such an important part of our everyday life here. There are so many residents that live in the city, that work in the casinos and get their paycheck there. And we've started, Chelsea EDC has started, to work with casinos to help (their employees) to buy homes, for example, and take advantage of other programs we have.

Continuing to build that relationship between the casinos and the community and the neighborhoods, I think, is a great role for all of us, and LIGHT may be well positioned for that.

JB: I think that's a great suggestion.

ET: I'm thrilled that someone like me – I consider myself a neighborhood person, and I'm a resident – was given the opportunity to be on the (LIGHT Advisory) Board. It’s made me feel great, so thank you for inviting me to be on.

JB: You've been a great person to have on the board. I think our last meeting where you and the other (Community Development Corporations) presented was very eye opening for the industry. I think that was a great forum, like a public policy discussion forum. Thank you.

We will continue to try to do more of that. And my last question is just anything else you'd like to comment on about your vision or your background, or anything to share with our listeners.

ET: I would just say that I try and have a positive outlook. I try and work really hard. I was so blessed - the work ethic was very, very strong in my family growing up, and the opportunity to go to college and all that was available. And I'm so grateful for that, and that helps me to stay positive.

One of the things that happens so often – I've been calling it the trap. The trap is we all want to see Atlantic City do better. It's so easy to say, well, this person should do this or that person should do that, and we really don't have control over what other people do.

When I start to fall in that trap, I say, ‘What can I do?’ and ‘What can Chelsea EDC do?’ I'd rather spend my energy and time thinking about what I can do or what the organization can do to make people's lives better, because, even though it's easy to complain, and sometimes it feels good, it doesn't really get anything done.

That would be my final thought. And of course, everyone working together, and the CDCs have been such a bright light. The four of us (Community Development Corporations) worked together. We applied for a grant that we got from the EDA. A $1 million grant for improvements in the neighborhood.

I just want to say also that I'm just so proud to be part of that group, and I'm excited about what we'll continue to do with the support of organizations like LIGHT. With the , providing funding, which has been starting to happen for us, which is wonderful.

I'm really seeing more than I've ever seen in my 10 years working in Atlantic City. More collaboration and cooperation among organizations. It's just really exciting. And I think that's what's going to make us successful. It’s that working together. I'm excited about that.

JB: Thank you. That's a good message to end with, because we can all look and reflect back on ourselves and say, ‘what can we do better.’ I love it. Great advice. Thank you so much for sharing your insight and your time today. I think that this is a very valuable message for anyone who cares about Atlantic City to watch and listen to. And I'm looking forward to working with you in the future on more projects.

ET: Thank you.