Meet John
John T. Peters – Small Business Marketing Expert.
INNOVATOR. ENTREPRENEUR.
EXECUTIVE. MARKETER.
SPEAKER. AUTHOR.
John T. Peters has spent over three decades as a thought leader and innovator in travel, tech, media, and urban redevelopment. Using digital innovation and the power of strategic partnerships, he has grown and revolutionized these industries. A consummate storyteller, John shares his passion for the perfect customer experience as a way for businesses, large and small, to experience explosive growth.
As a serial entrepreneur and senior executive of large public companies, he has dedicated his professional life to providing unique, strategic solutions to business problems and opportunities. John has been recruited to be a “change agent” for hundreds of projects, including his current one.
In Hackensack, John Peters leads the Main Street Business Alliance, with its 375 businesses and 160 commercial properties.
John currently serves as the Executive Director of the Main Street Business Alliance in Hackensack, NJ. The MBSA is a private/public partnership with the City of Hackensack set up to manage the Special Improvement District (SID) on Main Street, referred to as “Downtown Hackensack”. The SID is comprised of over 160 commercial properties and 350 businesses. John was recruited by the MSBA Board of Trustees in 2023 to lead the District through growth and innovation to match the growth achieved by the City of Hackensack in recent years. John is affectionately referred to as “That Main Street Guy” by locals.
Peters leads the organization in all of its efforts including core Clean and Green services, Events, Marketing and Public Relations as well as business recruitment and retention. Read more about the special improvement district at www.downtownhackensack.org
A recognized Speaker, Moderator and Mentor
John is a frequent speaker and moderator at domestic and international conferences including Caribbean Week (for the government leaders of the Caribbean), World Travel Market, The Los Angeles and New York Times Travel Show, ITB Berlin and many others. He has made numerous radio and television appearances and has been featured in such publications as The New York Times, USA TODAY, Reuters, ABC News, MSNBC, Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, Business Insider, Internet Weekly, and La Nacion, Argentina’s largest newspaper. John also frequently presents at universities on the subject of entrepreneurship, for both graduate and undergraduate students.
Peters was awarded the GOLD Adrian award for Digital Marketing Promotion for the “Best of the Road®” program he created while at Rand McNally, which generated over a billion media impressions. John was also recognized as “Innovator of the Year” by the US Travel Association. John holds a Bachelor’s degree with honors from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a Certified Travel Industry Executive certification from The Travel Institute. He has proudly served on the board of Make-a-Wish Mid-Atlantic, the Dean’s Advisory Board of the Conrad H. Hilton School of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston and the Free Forest School. He currently serves on PNP’s CEO Mentor Board, Nightfood advisory board, ReZme advisory board, and many other organizations.
