NEWARK DOWNTOWN DISTRICT
"They’re efficient, affordable and consistent"
The Newark Downtown District, the special improvement district of the central business area in New Jersey’s largest city, is a privately funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, dedicated to enhancing cleanliness, safety, and beautification in Downtown Newark, while preserving and enriching culture, commerce, and community. The NDD has been working since 1998 to enrich the quality of life for those who live, labor and leisure in Newark by providing supplemental cleaning and quality-of-life services, as well as physical improvements, marketing and event programs. These efforts make downtown Newark attractive to residents, businesses, students, tourists, and visitors. The NDD is funded through a special assessment on District commercial and residential properties, and is overseen by a Board of Trustees consisting of business and property owners within the District, representatives of nonprofit organizations, as well as municipal officials and staff.
“It’s not an understatement to say that I do love YPTC,” says Anthony McMillan, Chief Executive Officer. During his 19 years at the helm of the NDD, the organization has had two in-house controllers who each came with a high price tag to help manage what is now an $8.3 million budget.
When an auditing firm recommended YPTC, McMillan was quickly impressed. “It was really difficult for me at first because I was used to having the skill set of a controller around me on a daily basis, but now in year two of working with YPTC, it’s hard to imagine not being in business with them.”
“What I’ve found with YPTC is that they don’t just come in and do what we ask, they come in and quietly and consistently suggest ways to improve our reporting,” he adds. “They’re efficient, affordable and consistent.”
McMillan is finding that both he and his staff bookkeeper are constantly learning new things, and that YPTC’s work has made the audit process seamless.
“I’m tough on anyone that we’re paying – there has to be clear value,” he adds. “They improved our efficiencies tremendously in just one year. My experience has been nothing but a joy.”