From "The Best of Morris" magazine (not online)</p> By Joel Keller</p> Jeff Vanderbeek, 50, is the president and managing partner of the New Jersey Devils. The Warren Township resident -- he lives four minutes from the "Welcome to Morris County" sign - is also in charge of the company that owns the Prudential Center. "The Rock" is the Devils' new home in downtown Newark and is set to open on Oct. 25 with the first of ten concerts by Jersey rock legend Bon Jovi.</p> Q: What sets the Prudential Center apart?</p> Vanderbeek: We spent a lot of time traveling and I think we ended up going to 22 different arenas throughout the country and Canada. People are going to be shocked. The acoustics are second to none. We were able to gain the benefit of all the new technology, and acoustically, many, many, many of the experts have come in and told us that this will be the best arena in the world. The sight lines are so much better than the Meadowlands. You're on top of the action. In fact, Bon Jovi's agent told me that he's never seen a better configuration for rock and roll in his life than our arena.</p> Q: Why downtown Newark?</p> Vanderbeek: The Meadowlands was at a pount at which we just could not survive with the amenities and the lease that we had there. There really wasn't any place in New Jersey other than Newark that was viable. That coupled with that I thought was the potental in Newark, the vis-a-vis the mass transportation and what I saw as the central location.</p> Q: How many people in Morris County go to Devils games?</p> Vanderbeeek: It's the fourth largest county for Devils fans.</p> Q: What do you tell surburban fans who might be skittish about coming to games in Newark.</p> Vanderbeek: I would be lying to you if I didn't tell you that there are people that say, "Is it safe to come to Newark?" But what I would tell you is simple: Ninety percent of the people [with season tickets] have renewed. They're going to come to Newark. And the first day, they're going to say, "We made it." The second day, they're going to say, "Hey honey, aren't our seats on the other side of the arena..go around the block." The third time, they're going to say, "You know, I think if you go two blocks down, it's going to be a cheaper parking lot." The fourth time, they're going to say, "Hey, I heard there's a restaurant at Ferry Street that's really good...why don't we go a little early.</p> Q: You do a lot of philanthropic whork. What's your motivation.</p> Vanderbeek: My dad, God love him, told me if I could try to divide my life into thirds, I'd be very fufilled. He said the first third, you should learn. The second third, you should earn. And the third third, you should return. And most people don't get to the third third. I've been very blessed and lucky to make some money on WallStreet to the extent that I can spend the time and money. I'm probably at 10, 12 charity events a year [just] in Morris County.</p> </p>
