By Business & Finance 
Pictured at the announcement in the Merrion Hotel, Dublin was New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (right) and Applegreen CEO Bob Etchingham (left). Photo by Julien Behal Photography.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Applegreen announce $126 million investment in New Jersey, including new headquarters and significant jobs boost for the Garden State
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Applegreen, an on-highway service plaza operator, have announced an investment worth $126 million in the state of New Jersey, delivering hundreds of new jobs to the Garden State over the coming years. Applegreen, an Irish-founded company, also announced that it will relocate its Travel Plaza Headquarters to Glen Rock, New Jersey. The opening of the new Applegreen Headquarters in Glen Rock – where the company already has a presence – will add at least 100 new jobs in finance, administration, development, and logistics to the region.
Applegreen will redevelop all of New Jersey’s 21 on-highway service plazas in a move that will create 800 new jobs over the coming years. The first two redevelopments, at the Woodrow Wilson and Molly Pitcher travel plazas, are expected to be completed before the July 4th holiday.
“As a proud Irish-American, I am thrilled to be in Dublin and joined by Applegreen, Ireland’s foremost service plaza operator, to announce the relocation of its US Travel Plaza Headquarters to New Jersey,” said Governor Murphy.
“Applegreen is a world-class travel infrastructure partner who will generate significant economic growth for the state and bring innovation and expertise to the redevelopment of New Jersey’s 21 on-highway services plazas. We welcome the hundreds of new jobs that Applegreen will bring to New Jersey and look forward to building a strong partnership that drives our state’s innovation economy forward.”
Applegreen is the largest highway service plaza operator in the US, operating more than 250 sites across 18 states including New Jersey, where the redeveloped plazas will offer commuters the latest technologies and highest standards of customer service including a focus on electric vehicle charging. In the US, Applegreen is installing EV infrastructure throughout the northeast, in addition to its existing EV infrastructure portfolio in Europe. Applegreen was taken private in March 2021 by a partnership comprised of its founders, Bob Etchingham and Joe Barrett, and Blackstone Infrastructure Partners, a leading investor in U.S. infrastructure assets.
“We are thrilled to announce our new Travel Plaza Headquarters in Glen Rock, New Jersey,” said Elizabeth Pierce, President of Applegreen USA Operations. “Northern New Jersey proved an ideal location for our headquarters as it is centrally located amidst many states in which we operate, is close to several major airports and offers top talent for our rapidly growing business.
We are thrilled to announce our new Travel Plaza Headquarters in Glen Rock, New Jersey.
“Our northeast footprint is expanding rapidly and the opening of our new Headquarters and redevelopment of 21 service plazas will enhance connectivity and convenience for our many customers,” Ms Pierce added. “The creation of hundreds of new jobs through these exciting projects will deliver a significant boost to the New Jersey economy, and, as such, today’s announcement is a genuine Irish-American win-win.”
Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, is in Ireland on a four-day economic mission to promote investment in New Jersey. At today’s joint announcement in Dublin, Governor Murphy welcomed Applegreen’s commitment to New Jersey and said the company’s investment was an important step in providing best-in-class travel infrastructure to residents of the Garden State.
Applegreen acquired the concession for 21 key service plazas across the state of New Jersey in summer 2021. Applegreen manages a labour force of more than 5,000 employees in the US and the redevelopment of New Jersey’s on-highway service plazas is expected to deliver at least 800 new jobs, in addition to the 100 new positions created by the relocation of Applegreen’s Travel Plaza Headquarters to Glen Rock, NJ.
Also at today’s announcement was Bob Etchingham, CEO of Applegreen Ltd, who said: “Our investment in a new Travel Plaza Headquarters in the town of Glen Rock and rebuilding of 21 service plazas underscores our commitment to the state of New Jersey. We look forward to continuing to be a good partner to New Jersey and to helping the Garden State maintain its national transport connected competitiveness for many years to come.”
“We’re delighted to play a lead role in updating New Jersey’s infrastructure to better serve the needs of modern travelers and state residents,” said Sebastien Sherman, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone Infrastructure. “Governor Murphy’s leadership is a national model for effective public-private partnerships. Blackstone Infrastructure looks forward to deepening our ties to the Garden State, working with government agencies and local stakeholders to deliver high-quality infrastructure benefiting local communities and the environment for decades to come.”
