More than a hundred area business leaders turned out to hear the results of the Monmouth-Ocean Development Council's 2015 Business Outlook Survey.

MODC Survey Presentation 2015
Stephen Reed, CPA, presents the results of the MODC's 2015 Business Outlook Survey (Photo by Megan Madison, Townsquare Media)
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MODC Executive Director Ben Waldron called the findings cautiously optimistic, but he says there's one major challenge facing our area.

"The big holdback at this point seems to be employment," Waldron said.  "We're hearing that from virtually every job sector."

Trinity Worldwide CEO John Kalli said he feels his fellow business owners may be moving slowly on hiring and expansion because they're "waiting for a shoe to drop."  And Denise Gaffney, VP of Development for The Foundation at Monmouth Medical Center's Southern Campus, told us that fear cuts both ways: her organization's recent survey of employees showed their number one concern was job security.

Overall, the survey results showed plenty of reasons for optimism, cautious or otherwise - most businesses reported improving profits and expectations for even better in 2015; and purse-strings are are beginning to loosen up for this year in terms of hiring, training, and marketing.  Waldron also had some encouragement for businesses that are still struggling.

"I think if you've survived the last five or six years, you're going to make it," Waldron said.  "Those that failed, failed rather quickly within the first year or two of the recession period."

The 2015 Business Outlook Survey was conducted by the accounting and consulting firm of Cowan, Gunteski & Co., P.A.  150 businesses took part.

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