‘Live Voorhees, Shop Voorhees’ to promote business prosperity

“Live Voorhees. Shop Voorhees,” is the tagline for Voorhees Township designed from the working efforts of the Voorhees Business Association (VBA), Economic Development Committee and the Voorhees Retention and Expansion Task Force. The slogan was created to help promote business growth and prosperity in the township.

Voorhees Township takes up approximately 11.64 square miles of Camden County. The township boarders may not expand, but businesses and jobs are increasing in the town.

According to Voorhees Director Economic Development Mike Marchitto, in 2012, approximately 88 new businesses opened in Voorhees. Out of the 88 businesses approximately 890 new jobs were created.

Currently, Voorhees has some where between 1,400 and 1,500 businesses and the VBA membership is growing, he said.

“We have a lot of small business in town, and they are the backbone of the business world,” Marchitto said to The Sun during the holiday season.

Larger corporate businesses are moving into Voorhees and restaurants are forming on “restaurant row” at the Voorhees Town Center. Iron Hill Brewery is planning to open its doors sometime this year, as well as Burger 21 and Elena Wu Restaurant and Sushi Bar. The new restaurants will join Catelli Duo and Rodizio Grill.

Proposed hotels will set up shop on Route 73. The hotels will have 100 rooms, a restaurant and banquet hall. Marchitto said the hotels will attract people visiting the hospital and out-of-town business professionals.

One hotel will also have a banquet hall. Marchitto said Voorhees currently does not have something large enough to house as many people as a banquet hall.

Since both buildings are 100-room hotels, “both will come with liquor licenses,” Marchitto said.

Virtua Hospital has brought consumer traffic to Voorhees as well as jobs, he said.

“The hospital has really generated a lot of traffic, a lot of employees and infrastructure changes,” he said, adding the hospital made it easier for other businesses to open, not only because of traffic, but also because groundwork changes to sewage and other township utilities.

Although there are between 1,400 and 1,500 businesses in Voorhees, Marchitto said people ask him why there are empty commercial properties in the town.

“The companies that hold the leases on them have long-term leases,” he said, adding the companies hang on to the lease while they operate in another location.

He said these companies are trying to limit competition, but they are still paying rent for the building.

“There are going to be empty shops,” said Marchitto referring to trying to fill the empty spaces. “The bottom line is it’s something we work on feverishly.”

Voorhees Township’s businesses are slowly growing. Marchitto said there are more businesses to come in the future.

The former AFL Web Printing location in Voorhees has a few bites on the property, he said. The company shut its doors in the beginning of December.

Marchitto said the company owns the 112,000 square foot building on Route 561, but there is “a lot of interest” in the property.

Voorhees Township’s economic development is moving forward, Marchitto said.

“We are moving ahead. I hope 2013 is another great year,” he said.