PRESS

TD Bank Awards Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce $750,000 Grant to Provide Educational Seminars to Small Businesses

February 7, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 7, 2018

‘Realizing the American Dream’: TD Bank Awards Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce $750,000 Grant to Provide Educational Seminars to Small Businesses

Chamber to Partner with Citywide 5 Chamber Alliance, Nonprofits, TD to Assist Small Businesses and Home Owners

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce has been awarded a $750,000 grant from the TD Foundation to foster small business education and pathways to home ownership by partnering with nonprofits throughout the borough. The grant, which will be paid out over the course of three years, will allow the 5 Chamber Alliance to produce a bevy of small business education workshops, as well as seminars for potential home buyers, educating them on what mortgage lenders look for when they approve loans.

“This grant follows a long history of helping businesses in Brooklyn, and beyond, including the expansion of the city-wide Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Project, which helped enumerable waterfront communities recover in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. We’re extremely grateful to be able to continue our productive partnership with TD Bank, which will create opportunities for small businesses and more educated home ownership in Brooklyn, and throughout the five boroughs. I look forward to continuing this relationship in the future,” said Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Andrew Hoan.

The 5 Chamber Alliance last partnered, with TD Bank’s support, in 2012 in order to assist businesses that were affected by Superstorm Sandy. TD Bank Group and the TD Charitable Foundation provided a grant of $200,000, at the time, to create the Citywide Entrepreneurship Project. It provided direct commercial revitalization services to small businesses throughout the city, as a whole, with each borough program run out of the borough’s corresponding Chamber of Commerce.

“We thank TD Bank for this incredible chance to, once again, make a difference by enriching the lives of our underserved communities, which the Brooklyn Chamber will host for the first time,” said Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Denise Arbesu. “This partnership will further our commitment to small business education with an entire-city perspective, and let us share the work we’ve been doing in Brooklyn throughout New York.”

“The potential to empower thousands of New York residents with financial education and stability is not only an honor for TD, it’s our obligation,” said Peter Meyer, Market President, TD Bank. “This partnership will provide economic growth to individuals interested in improving their financial status, as well as provide small business owners with the tools needed to create a sustainable, thriving business and we’re excited to be a part of this effort.”

The program will include a variety of seminars to provide small business owners with the tools they need to run successful operations. Another primary topic will be smart property ownership, with seminars on both commercial ownership and home ownership. The Brooklyn Chamber will provide a framework for running seminars, which will be offered through each borough Chamber of Commerce.

Seminar types include:
• Small Business Seminars
• Home Buyer Seminars
• Business Resource Discussions
• M/WBE Certification
• Brooklyn Chamber Centennial Education

Seminar topics include, but are not limited to:
• Realizing the American Dream
• Creating a Strategic Plan
• Running a Profitable Company
• Determining your Company’s Legal Structure

The program will also include partnerships with community-based organizations and nonprofits throughout the city.

“The Queens Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to be part of this effort,” said Thomas J. Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. “We have advocated on the premise of all 5 Chambers working together with an overall mantra of a rising tide lifting all boats and this is a great result of this mindset.”

Bronx Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Nunzio Del Greco said, “As President and CEO of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, I am excited to work with the other members of the 5 Chamber Alliance in partnership with the TD Bank Charitable Foundation and Google.org, to coordinate enhanced services in support of businesses and individuals in low to moderate income and immigrant communities. This partnership ideally aligns with the Mission of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce.”

“Education is key to making better and informed decisions. We thank TD Bank for the opportunity to provide this valuable service to new and existing businesses, and those wishing to embark on home ownership in all 5 boroughs. The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce is pleased to partner with our fellow borough Chambers and TD Bank to provide these resources in our community,” said Linda Baran, President and CEO of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

“We are excited to partner with the other borough-wide Chambers to deliver meaningful help to small businesses throughout the city,” said Jessica Walker, President and CEO of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. “Thank you to TD Bank and Google for making this happen.”

About the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is the largest and fastest-growing Chamber of Commerce in New York. It was named 2017 Chamber of the Year by The Business Council of New York State. The Chamber promotes economic development across the borough and serves as an advocate for its member businesses. Its mission is to promote a healthy and robust business environment throughout Brooklyn. The Chamber celebrates its centennial in 2018.

About the 5 Chamber Alliance

The 5 Chamber Alliance is the coordinated efforts of the Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens Chambers of Commerce. Together, the 5 Chamber Alliance pools its resources on initiatives to better support small businesses and low to moderate income communities throughout the City of New York. The modern incarnation of the 5 Chamber Alliance began in 2012.

About the TD Charitable Foundation

The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. The Foundation’s mission is to support, respect and improve the quality of life in the diverse communities where we live and do business. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed more than $187.7 million and more than 17,000 grants in charitable donations from Maine to Florida. The TD Charitable Foundation focuses on supporting the following community needs: affordable housing, economic development, neighborhood revitalization, financial literacy, and human services. Recently, more than 90 percent of the grants awarded by the Foundation benefited low-and moderate- income communities and individuals. More information on the TD Charitable Foundation, including an online grant application, is available at www.TDBank.com.

About TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 9 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,200 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDBank and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.

TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol “TD”. To learn more, visit www.td.com.