Small biz lenders | Banks use SBA event to find new clients
Two of the state’s largest banks are reaching out to small businesses this month to encourage borrowing.
TD Bank and KeyBank are celebrating the SBA’s Small Business Week by employing unusual methods to find new commercial clients. In TD’s case, bankers are going door-to-door, asking small business owners if their lending needs are being met and offering their services. Adam DeSanctis, TD Bank spokesman, says he expects 876 small businesses in Maine will be approached through the month of May as part of the nationwide program. “We see this as a unique opportunity to reach out to small businesses and help them with their needs,” he says. “And, hopefully, we’ll see an uptick in demand for loans.”
KeyBank, meanwhile, has partnered with the state’s Small Business Development Centers, bringing staff from the business-assistance agency to branches in Lewiston, Bangor and Portland for free informational sessions. The sessions are expected to explore positioning for growth, cash flow management and forecasting.
“We know it’s tough for small business owners to get out to these agencies where there are valuable resources, so we thought we’d make it a little easier and bring those resources to them,” says Steve Byrnes, a senior vice president in KeyBank’s business banking sales department.
The SBA has celebrated Small Business Week for the past 48 years. This year it falls May 16-20, coinciding with a three-day conference in Washington, D.C., to recognize each state’s small business person of the year. Maine Commercial Tire owners Jim McCurdy and Jim Lynch of Hermon nabbed the honors for Maine this year.
Carol Coultas
Mainebiz web partners
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