Here are four things we learned from Mayor Dana Redd.
DEPTFORD TWP. -- As Camden goes, so goes South Jersey.
That was the message -- and essentially the promise -- Camden Mayor Dana Redd delivered Thursday morning as keynote speaker at the Southern New Jersey Development Council's public policy breakfast at Adelphia restaurant in Deptford.
"There's still challenges, don't get me wrong, but things are certainly moving in the right direction," Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. told the hundreds of assembled business figures.
"We are not going to know Camden City in five years," Cappelli later said, adding that more than $2 billion in private business investments had been made in recent years and an additional 10,000 jobs would be coming to the city within the next five years.
Below are four main points addressed by Redd, who was elected mayor in 2009, re-elected in 2013 and received a standing ovation Thursday.
1) Economic development: Subaru of America, the Philadelphia 76ers and Holtec International are among the newcomers who now call Camden home -- although its a designation that cost millions thanks to tax breaks awarded by New Jersey.
Holtec, which is in the midst of building a 600,000-square-foot manufacturing campus, is on schedule to complete work by next year, Redd said. She added that businesses have invested, or plan to invest, more than $2.5 billion and that it's activity "long awaited" by South Jersey.
Campbell Soup Company is also building partnerships to launch community gardens and previously held a "Connect the Lots" campaign that brought events like yoga and movie nights to city parks.
2) Education: In 2012, the Camden City School District placed within the lowest performing 5 percent of all school districts in New Jersey. According to figures released earlier this year, both Camden and Woodrow Wilson high schools have since seen their graduation rates steadily climb from 2012 through 2015.
It's all part of the "cradle to career" or "cradle to college to career" plan, Redd said.
Redd said a "major project" on the horizon is the complete redevelopment of Camden High School, which is being financed by $133 million in New Jersey's School Development Authority (SDA) funds.
Last month, activists complained that they'd be forced to send their children to charter schools while the nearly 100-year-old high school is rebuilt. The school district said it would release its plan early next year; the SDA declined to comment.
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3) Policing: Touting "organic" and "positive" interactions between city residents and the Camden County Police Department, Redd said the unit launched in 2013 has made great strides in garnering public trust.
"Our residents are not afraid to engage with our police officers to report suspicious activity," Redd said.
Noting President Barack Obama's visit to Camden in May 2015, Redd said Camden metro is "ahead of the game" in addressing the president's recommendations as part of the 21st Century Policing Task Force.
In response to community questions raised at an April 20 forum, the police department said last month it was working with top vendors to create a computer-aided dispatch system, but had no plans to create a civilian oversight board -- both task force recommendations.
4) Housing: Camden City is currently in the hunt for a $30 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation grant following a visit by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Redd said she's hoping to hear back on the award by the end of 2016.
"Development is happening all around and within the city," Redd said.
It was this time last year that Camden was informed it would not receive HUD funding to improve the city's Mount Ephraim South neighborhood.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find NJ.com on Facebook.