10 People to Watch in 2022

10 People to Watch in 2022 is a series created by TAPinto New Brunswick 

Doug Schneider, Chairman of City Center's Board of Directors

Doug Schneider was the right guy in the right place when the COVID-19 pandemic started and its effects were being felt in and around City Center.

He brought dynamic energy to his new role as Chairman of City Center’s Board of Directors and had a vision of how the bars, restaurants, shops, and service establishments could meet the challenge of a pandemic. 

Schneider went about uniting the business owners, fostering relationships with local government and Rutgers officials, and finding ways City Center could say thank you to the front-line workers and partner with Elijah’s Promise and others to help care for the hungry.

And through the roller coaster ride of the pandemic, where outdoor dining emerged and indoor dining returned, he remained laser-focused on keeping Downtown New Brunswick vibrant and vital.

Whether it’s helping showcase the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center, State Theatre New Jersey, the Stress Factor, or the bars and restaurants, his leadership will surely be needed throughout 2022 as COVID-19 cases flare with the spread of the omicron variant.

“There is so much synergy between all the different businesses,” Schneider said. “We’re trying to show people that New Brunswick is a place you can sit very safely and enjoy a whole weekend. Imagine coming to town, dining out in a very eclectic group of restaurants, staying at The Heldrich for the weekend, walking to the theater right across the street and seeing some fantastic theatrical productions, going to the best comedy club in the country.

“There are so many things that we are trying to do to convince people that it’s not just about visiting New Brunswick because you have jury duty or you’re here because you have a doctor’s appointment,” he added. “There’s an actual reason to come here for the whole weekend. That’s truly the message we’re trying to drive home and it’s been working.”

The synergy between the businesses – fostered by Schneider – led to the owners helping each other file for grant money offered by the Middlesex County, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, and the federal government’s Restaurant Revitalization Fund.

Schneider, the owner-operator of Tavern on George, the Olive Branch, and Clydz, has also shown them the value in promotions, whether it was organizing Rutgers game day watch parties on autumn Saturdays or hosting the annual Christmas tree lighting on a crisp winter’s night or stretching Restaurant Week to two weeks during the summer.

“New Brunswick has done the best it could possibly hope to do,” said Schneider, who also found time in 2021 to win a seat on the Edison Board of Education, where he serves as the president. “The reason for that is we have a lot of business owners in town and we all put our heads together and utilized our collective resources to essentially take the hand that we were dealt and do the best we could with it.”

Photo and story by Chuck O’Donnell

10 People to Watch in 2022:

Chef Curtis McNair, Elijah's Promise 
Capt. Michael Bobadilla, New Brunswick Police 
Rebecca Escobar, City Council Vice President 
Dan Swern, CoLAB Arts 
Doug Schneider, Tavern on George 
Jonathan Holloway, Rutgers University President
Sarah Clarke & Merissa Buczny, New Brunswick Development Corporation
Pastor Cyndi Stouffer, United Methodist Church
Mayor Jim Cahill