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Mayor John E. McCormac, the Woodbridge Redevelopment Agency, and Greenable Woodbridge announced that the Green Business and Technology Center located at the Green Technology Park at Woodbridge is sponsoring an innovative green business stimulus program – the Green Business Plan Competition –­ designed to encourage new business development at the Green Business and Technology Center.

“The Green Business Plan competition is designed to encourage green businesses to locate to the Green Technology Park at the Pennval Road redevelopment site, create jobs and manufacturing that will spur the Woodbridge economy,all the while promoting Woodbridge as a sustainable, environmental and business-friendly community,” said Mayor McCormac.  “The Green Business and Technology Center is a first-of-its-kind concept and is geared to assist companies with business development, training and green manufacturing support.  We are encouraged that the overall green business marketing initiative will attract new business development to Woodbridge.”

The Green Business Plan competition targets international, national, regional and local companies developing and marketing innovative green products and services – including air, water, waste, energy efficiency, green building, renewable energy and materials, smart power, transportation and recycling. The competition is open to companies in all stages of green development to include planning, start-up, early stage business development, and growth stage businesses.  Green companies participating in the competition will be eligible for cash prizes courtesy of corporate sponsors, plus business development services offered via the Green Technology Park at Woodbridge and the Green Business and Technology Center.  The Green Business Plan Competition is sponsored and supported by Bayshore Recycling; PNC Bank; Birdsall Engineering; Vanguard; Conoco Phillips; Greener by Design; Berkeley College; Hampton Inn (DELCO Companies); Decotis; Fitzpatrick & Gluck, LLP; CISCO Systems and NJ-Green Association.

Business plans are due Dec. 31, 2011 and the finalists will present their plans to a panel of judges in mid-January 2012.  The judging panel comprises volunteer judges with experience in angel investing, venture capital investment, green business sector technologies and regional economic analysis of greenbusiness impacts. The judging panel may award up to three prizes:

• First Prize: $7,500 cash with $7,500 package of GBTC business consulting services

• Second Prize: $3,000 cash with $3,000 package of GBTC business consulting services

• Young Entrepreneur Award:  $500 cash sponsored by the Mayor’s Office

• People’s Choice Award:  Sponsored in-kind services and recognition

The volunteer judges include: Pat Wilson, Managing Member, Wilson Renewable Energy Consulting Services; Jim Groelinger, Executive Director, Clean Energy Alliance, Inc.; James W. Hughes, Ph.D., Dean, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University; and Mario M. Casabona, JumpStart New Jersey Angel Network.

The Green Business and Technology Center is part of the Green Technology Park at Woodbridge and is the center hub of an emerging green industry cluster to be located at the 107-acre Pennval Road industrial site and redevelopment zone in Sewaren.  The Green Technology Park envisions construction of facilities using energy efficient design and encourages the location of green businesses, companies and organizations involved in the research, development and marketing of innovative “green” products and services, including renewable energy, energy efficient transportation and industrial process firms, academic and public/private energy research and consulting activities.