Berkshire Bank Celebrates National Small Business Week

Bank to host events and award $14,000 in grant money to local small businesses

BOSTON, MA, May 6, 2019 – In honor of National Small Business Week, held from May 5-11, Berkshire Bank Foundation announced that it is awarding $14,000 total in grants to support Small Business Development Centers and the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). In addition, Berkshire Bank will be hosting National Small Business Week events across the Bank’s footprint.

As part of its annual celebration, Berkshire Bank’s business banking teams will host events that honor local SCORE Chapters and Small Business Development Centers with $1,000 grants in recognition of their commitment to supporting and assisting local small businesses for their integral role in the economic development of communities.

“Small businesses create jobs, transform communities, and stimulate economic growth,” said Jamison Flora, Vice President, Business Banking Leader. “We couldn’t be prouder to celebrate and honor small businesses for their hard work and success."

The Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) being recognized include:

Berkshire Regional SBDC (Pittsfield, MA)
Western MA SBDC (Springfield, MA)
Central MA SBDC – Clark University (Worcester, MA)
Onondaga SBDC (Syracuse, NY)
University at Albany SBDC (Albany, NY)
Mohawk Valley- SUNY Polytechnic Institute SBDC (Utica, NY)
The College of New Jersey SBDC (Ewing Township, NJ)

The SCORE Chapters being recognized include:

Western Massachusetts SCORE (Springfield, MA)
Worcester SCORE (Worcester, MA)
Northeast NY SCORE (Albany, NY)
Syracuse SCORE (Syracuse, NY)
Utica SCORE (Utica (NY)
Greater Hartford SCORE (Hartford, CT)
Princeton SCORE (Princeton, NJ)

National Small Business Week is an annual celebration recognizing the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.
About Berkshire Bank

Berkshire Bank, is recognized for its entrepreneurial approach, relationship customer experience and distinctive culture. With $12.2 billion in assets, Berkshire provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, wealth management, investment and insurance services through 109 full service branch offices throughout New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, including Commerce Bank, a division of Berkshire Bank. The Company has a pending agreement to acquire SI Financial Group, Inc. and its subsidiary, Savings Institute Bank and Trust Company, a $1.6 billion dollar bank with 18 branches in Eastern CT and 5 branches in Rhode Island. To learn more, visit www.berkshirebank.com, call 800-773-5601 or follow us on: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Berkshire Bank is the official bank of NESN's Boston Bruins coverage. Life is Exciting. Let us help.®

About Berkshire Bank Foundation
Through foundation grants to nonprofits, scholarships to students, environmental programs, and employee volunteerism, Berkshire Bank is making a difference. Each year the Foundation donates $3 million to nonprofits throughout the Bank's footprint and 100% of bank employees provide over 40,000 hours of service through their XTEAM® corporate volunteer program. Berkshire Bank was named one of Massachusetts' Most Charitable Companies by the Boston Business Journal in 2018. To learn more about Berkshire Bank Foundation, visit www.berkshirebank.com/community.

Media Contact:

Heidi Higgins
Berkshire Bank
Email: hhiggins@berkshirebank.com
Phone: 413-236-3756