Page 4 • Wednesday , June 9 , 2021 • The Hammonton Gazette
Commuters enjoy working in town of Hammonton
COMMUTERS , from Page 1 Frantzeskos .
“ I ’ ve known her my whole life . I needed a job during COVID , and it seemed like a good opportunity . I like the location , and the people that come here ; it ’ s mostly nice people ,” Sacco said .
Sacco ’ s coworker , Grace Thompson — who commutes from Tabernacle — agreed .
“ I like the job here . I like the
people ; it ’ s nice ,” Thompson said .
Dr . Jason Morelada commutes to AtlantiCare Urgent Care Hammonton , at 120 S . White Horse Pike , from Berlin . Morelada said that this is the closest urgent care facility to him , and working there has allowed him to discover an area of the region with which he was previously unfamiliar .
“ I ’ m kind of new to the Hammonton area , although I ’ ve been living in Berlin for 15 years or so . I never really got to go to that part of the Pike , but , over the past twoand-a-half years I ’ ve really grown to love the people in Hammonton ,” Morelada said .
Morelada said that the people he encounters at AtlantiCare Urgent
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Left to right : Lorraine Vicente-Khalil , of New Era of Mystical Trends / La Nueva Botanica Espiritual , comes from Franklinville to service her customers . Dr . David Weiss , of Weiss Foot & Ankle Center , enjoys traveling to Hammonton from Voorhees . Sal Cacia travels to Cacia ’ s Bakery from Sicklerville each day . Stockton University ’ s Kramer Hall director Christina Birchler makes the drive to work from Mays Landing . Care Hammonton “ are great ; they ’ re hard-working .”
“ There ’ s a variety of folks that I encounter there , but they ’ re all family-oriented . I get to see a whole variety of the people that make up Hammonton . It ’ s great ,” Morelada said .
Dr . Samir Patel is a laparoscopic surgeon with AtlantiCare Health Park at Hammonton at 219 N . White Horse Pike . Patel , who commutes from Absecon , concurred with his colleague .
“ I love the community there ; I ’ ve been doing it for several years — I think almost eight years I ’ ve been going to Hammonton .
It ’ s a pleasure coming out to Hammonton ... It ’ s a different type of population in Hammonton ; the people who work hard ,” Patel said .
Patel , who grew up in New York City , said there was another reason that he enjoys working in Hammonton .
“ I grew up with a lot of Italians — and I love Italian food . I love the food . I love the cannolis .
I love going to Brother ’ s Pizza . The taco truck , Tacos al Carbon . Fiesta Mexicana . I ’ ve been going to Hammonton for years for the food ,” Patel said .
Close to the center of town , Stockton University ’ s Kramer Hall director Christina Birchler makes the daily commute to 30 Front St . from Mays Landing . Birchler , who has been with the university since 2010 , said that she was approached to work at Kramer Hall at its outset .
“ I was working in a different department . I met Eileen Conran- Folks , who was previously the director of the site . She said , ‘ We ’ re going to be opening a site in Hammonton ; would you be interested in applying for the position to help me get it open and get it running ?’ I said yes ; absolutely . I applied , and I got the job ... I ’ ve loved it ever since ,” Birchler said .
Birchler said that what she loves most about working in Hammonton is that it feels “ like it ’ s my hometown , even though I don ’ t live here and I wasn ’ t born here .”
“ I love how it ’ s community . It ’ s knowing that you can just walk down the street and run into people you know , and the relationships I ’ ve been able to build here . When people need something , they know who to reach out to . I love that they keep Stockton engaged . When things are coming about in the community , like Heart & Soul — which I ’ m a part of now — they reach out to me and ask me to help . It just feels like family here ,” Birchler said .
Just up the road from Kramer Hall , at 840 12th St ., is NJM Insurance Group . Nicole Beaver , the director of general claims and the officer in charge of the Hammonton office , drives in to work from Mt . Laurel .
Beaver said that , for many years , she worked at NJM ’ s main campus in West Trenton .
“ In 2015 , I was given an opportunity to relocate to the Hammonton office to fill a leadership role . I love working in Hammonton and am drawn to the charm — and , of course , the blueberries ,” Beaver said .
Beaver said that Hammonton is a community that “ highlights and embraces the small businesses , and is proud of its history and agricultural foundation .”
“ Many of our employees live in Hammonton ; they were born and raised here and never left . You feel at home in Hammonton because it ’ s a small town with a big heart ,” Beaver said .
Many business owners have also seen the benefits of working and operating an enterprise in Hammonton . Mark Kramer , the president of Kramer Beverage , said that the company made the decision to open in Hammonton “ to centralize our facility in our market .”
“ At the time , we had a sixcounty market — the bottom six counties of the state — and we ’ ve since added Burlington and Mercer . Being in Hammonton gave us access to the Expressway and the White Horse Pike and the Black Horse Pike ; it was a great location ,” Kramer said .
Kramer makes the drive to the facility , located at 161 S . Second Rd ., from Voorhees , and has been doing so for close to two decades .
“ We knew we were moving to a great location , but what we didn ’ t know until we got here was just how great the people of the town are . They ’ ve been so supportive of us since the beginning . When we expanded the warehouse two years ago , the support for that was outstanding . Hammonton is a
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