Rutgers-Camden Student Inspires Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Blackwood student at Rutgers University-Camden is making a difference for people in Gloucester Township.

Brian Hammell, a Ph.D. student in public affairs, helped organize the township’s inaugural food and craft beer festival, set for Sept. 9 at 15 South Black Horse Pike in downtown Blackwood. The festival will include over 20 food trucks that line up along the Black Horse Pike, and a beer garden at the library. There will be live music and entertainment in the streets.

Moreover, Hammell’s been a major part of the revival of the township’s arts district after a recent decline in business. The idea for an arts district arose out of a Ph.D. practicum — an applied research course treated like a student consultancy — that Hammell completed with the Gloucester Township Economic Development Corporation under the tutelage of Lori Minnite, an associate professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Rutgers–Camden, according to the university.

“Brian is making a major impact,” Minnite said. “His meticulous work and dedication is a testament to our students’ abilities to work successfully with local government officials and community members to contribute to efforts addressing community needs.”

As Hammell recalls, it all started with a sign — literally. He was walking in downtown Blackwood when he noticed a sign saying to contact the local economic development agency for redevelopment opportunities. While he didn’t plan to open a business, he knew that he could help.

“Living in Blackwood, I could see the abandoned properties and the buildings in disrepair,” said Hammell, who earned an MPA at Rutgers–Camden in 2014. “The streetscape had recently been redone, but there were no feet on the ground, no retail destinations for visitors. I saw the potential in the downtown area, if only we could get people out of their cars and walking around.”

Shortly thereafter, Hammell met with members of the Gloucester Township Economic Development Corporation and listened to their issues and interest in dealing with declining business in the area. He then conducted research and looked at the socioeconomic profile of Gloucester Township, resulting in his proposal to develop an arts district as part of a downtown redevelopment initiative.

“There had already been discussions on creating a new black box theater, so I thought there was a great opportunity to expand on this art presence,” said Hammell, who grew up in nearby Lindenwold and attended Lindenwold High School. “I knew it could work. Other towns have done this successfully, such as Millville with the Glasstown Arts District.

“Brian provided the township with a tremendous amount of information and knowledge that will lead to future economic development,” Gloucester Township Mayor David Mayer said.

The Rutgers–Camden Ph.D. student ended up writing the resolution for the town council to establish the arts district and it passed unanimously at a July meeting.

And now he has a job. Hammell was offered and accepted a position serving as a consultant with Triad Associates, a community development firm based in Vineland, which has been working with Gloucester Township on its redevelopment efforts.

Hammell vision is to adorn the downtown area with murals and graffiti art as a way to get people to stop and take a look. He also proposes opening another restaurant or craft brewery, noting the great potential to repurpose the site of the former bank at the intersection of Black Horse Pike and Church Street, an impressive-looking building with large stone walls.

Hammell credits his education in Rutgers–Camden’s MPA program for teaching him how to develop metrics and create a strategic plan, and, subsequently, the Ph.D. program in public affairs for showing him how to put the plan into action.

“The doctoral program has taught me how you develop a community,” said Hammell, a master sergeant in the U.S. National Guard who formerly served as an intelligence analyst at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. “It’s more than just throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks.”

On the day of the festival, the Black Horse Pike will be closed from Church Street to West Lake Avenue from noon to 9 p.m. Parking will be limited to one side of the street on the following roads from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.:

• Ohio Avenue (East Side);
• West Central Avenue (North Side);
• South Pennsylvania Avenue (East Side);
• New Jersey Avenue (East Side); and
• Park Avenue (East Side).

For more information on the festival, contact the Mayor's Office at 856-374-3514.

The attached images were provided by Rutgers University-Camden:

Brian Hammell leads a presentation for his Triad colleagues on economic development strategies for the Gloucester Township Arts District.

BrianHammell and his wife Candace walk along the Delaware River with their daughters Maya (left) and Areese.

Flyer for the Gloucester Township Food Truck and Craft Beer Festival, previously provided by township officials.