Audible today opened the doors to the newest facility on its growing
campus, the Innovation Cathedral, and celebrated the new home for 400 of
its employees and the next chapter in Newark’s renaissance. Audible
founder and CEO Don Katz was joined by elected officials, business
leaders, Audible employees and Newark community members for a
ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the renovation of the Cathedral into a
state-of-the-art historic landmark.
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The Library at Audible’s Innovation Cathedral (Photo: Business Wire)
Audible’s Innovation Cathedral is a cornerstone of Newark’s burgeoning
innovation ecosystem – drawing talent, Newark residents and visitors to
a revitalized district. It brings to bear Audible’s vision of supporting
students, interns, and entrepreneurs and growing a tech ecosystem that
will transform the entire Newark community.
“The Innovation Cathedral is a proud landmark for Newark and a powerful
symbol of Audible’s commitment to the city for more than a decade,” said Audible
founder and CEO Don Katz. “We have defined ourselves by the
strategic pursuit of what a successful company can mean in ways that
transcend what it does—and today is proof that our efforts are yielding
positive outcomes for business and invention culture, for the many
talented people who want to work with us, and for the comeback of this
great American city. Doing the right thing is a responsibility all
corporations must take seriously – and that companies anchored in cities
like Newark have an obligation to lead.”
“Since taking office, I have been adamant that attracting and supporting
high-growth innovation companies is the key to New Jersey’s future
economic growth and job creation,” said New Jersey Governor Phil
Murphy. “Don Katz, Audible, and Newark Venture Partners have been a
model and a partner in advancing new tech-focused economic policies with
me, here in Newark, in Trenton, and even on my trade mission to Berlin.
Audible’s story of job creation, of economic, community, and social
impact in Newark, and its investment in restoring Newark’s rich history
of innovation is a testament to our strategy and a symbol of New
Jersey’s promising future.”
“Audible’s restoration of this historic landmark into a center of
innovation and tech job creation – including jobs for Newarkers – is one
powerful example of the over $4 billion in economic development
occurring across the City today, but it is so much more,” said Newark
Mayor Ras J. Baraka. “It is a symbol of preserving Newark’s history
as we embrace our future, and emblematic of a company with a moral
compass driving inclusive growth, elevating our students with
educational tools and internships, and supporting the local economy by
living local and buying local.”
For decades, the Cathedral was home to the Second Presbyterian Church, a
congregation founded in 1811 that would grow to more than 10,000 members
by the middle of the 20th century. Audible rehabilitated the
80,000 square-foot church, built in 1933, while preserving many of its
historic elements – including its distinctive stained-glass windows,
organ pipes and bowling alley. In addition to offices, the reimagined
space includes game areas, an auditorium, a refurbished bowling alley,
an exhibit space, work cafes and lounges.
Since moving its headquarters to Newark in 2007, Audible has grown from
a company with 100 full-time employees to more than 1,650, becoming the
city’s fastest-growing private employer.
The company has made it its mission to catalyze Newark’s turnaround,
offering jobs and training programs to Newark residents – including some
who were formerly homeless – as well as incentives like housing
subsidies for employees who choose to move to the city from elsewhere.
In 2015, Katz founded Newark Venture Partners, a $45 million venture
capital fund and accelerator that has invested in 60 early-stage
companies to plant roots in Newark. Hundreds of Audible employees are on
call to mentor these startups, also located in Audible’s One Washington
Park headquarters.
Audible also provides paid internships and college scholarships to
Newark students.
“Moving Audible to Newark was one of the best decisions this company
made,” said Katz. “In addition to our growth, the economic impact
and job creation catalyzed by Audible and Newark Venture Partners is a
call to arms for other companies who are joining us and who should join
us here to thrive as we have. Continuing to invest in Newark is as
important as anything else we do.”
Photos and a video of the Cathedral are included here
and here.
For more information about Audible’s programs in Newark, please visit audible.com/community.
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