01/19/2011
Citizens Bank in Connecticut names HEDCo its newest Champion in Action
New London, Conn. (January 21, 2011) - Citizens Bank has announced that HEDCo, the Hartford Economic Development Corporation, has been recognized as a Champion in Action® for the first quarter of 2011 in the economic development category.
The award was announced by Citizens Bank, during an on-air segment during a newscast on News 8 WTNH today. The award includes a $25,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation.
“HEDCo has been a leader in Hartford and beyond for more than 35 years, working to help small businesses develop business plans, acquire financing and position themselves for sustained growth,” said Ned Handy, president of Citizens Bank in Connecticut and Rhode Island. “We congratulate HEDCo on this well deserved award and look forward to supporting its work of increasing access to capital for small businesses in the region.”
Since 1976, HEDCo and its partners have provided more than $100 million in loans to a number of small businesses. The organization was recently certified as a Community Development Financial Institution, which will allow HEDCo to expand its community investments and small business technical assistance services.
“HEDCo is a recognized leader in assisting small businesses in the Hartford region as they develop and succeed. We are well positioned to ensure that Connecticut’s cities and towns are built on sustainable businesses and nonprofits that understand local needs while offering quality employment opportunities for our residents,” said Samuel Hamilton, Executive Director of HEDCo.
Champions in Action is a partnership between Citizens Bank and News 8 to provide financial support and public awareness to the nonprofit organizations that work every day to champion change in our communities. It was launched in 2002.
Each quarter, a nonprofit organization among a range of social service topics in Connecticut is recognized as a Champion in Action. Each Champion in action receives the following support in addition to the $25,000 grant from the Citizens Bank Foundation:
• Media coverage from News 8/MyTV9, including public service announcements.
• Volunteer support from Citizens Bank and News 8 WTNH /MyTV9.
• Public relations support and promotional support through visibility at Citizen Bank branches and
citizensbank.com.
About Citizens Bank
Citizens Bank is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating its seven-state branch network in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. It has 51 branches and 131 ATMs in Connecticut.
RBS Citizens, N.A. is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $136 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. CFG’s two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A. and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. CFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in about 40 states. CFG is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).
