Mastercard & Bank of America Announce the National “Grow Your Biz Contest” Small Bus. Winner Arion Long, CEO & Founder of...
November 09 2018 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Femly takes the prize as the winner of $25,000
and industry-expert consultation
Today Mastercard and Bank of America announced Arion Long, CEO
and Founder of Femly, as the winner of the second annual Grow Your
Biz Contest, which invited small business owners across the country
to pitch how they plan to take their business to the next level for
the chance to win $25,000. Finalists received individual coaching
from industry experts on how to grow faster and smarter.
Small business owners were asked to submit a video online
answering the question, “How do you plan to grow your small
business?” Four finalists from across the U.S. were selected to
take the stage and pitch their business in New York City at
NeueHouse on November 8th. After a thoughtful deliberation, the
panel of expert judges, including Create and Cultivate CEO
Jaclyn Johnson, host of CNBC’s “Cleveland Hustles” Bonin Bough,
Head of North America Small Business for Mastercard Ginger Siegel
and Northeast Small Business Division executive for Bank of America
Kevin Kelly, selected one grand prize winner, Femly.
The Femly Box was started after Founder, Arion Long discovered
the dangers of chemicals found in conventional care. She went on to
suffer from a cervical tumor, and wanted to support women’s
wellness all over the country and the globe. The natural feminine
care subscription company ships monthly menstrual cycle care
packages including 100% natural cotton pads, tampons, snacks and
body care products and more.
“These four finalists have displayed impressive ingenuity and
passion for their businesses and are excellent ambassadors for this
competition and all entrepreneurs,” said Kevin Kelly, Northeast
Small Business Division executive at Bank of America. “We’re
excited to congratulate our winner, Arion Long of Femly, and look
forward to supporting her vision with an award that will give them
the power to grow and pursue the next stage of their business
adventure.”
The Grow Your Biz Contest launched as a Boston focused
initiative in 2017 and this year was expanded nationally,
uncovering diverse businesses across the U.S., including the four
selected finalists. Whether it was Femly’s monthly natural feminine
subscription box, Kin’s flavorful ramen, Draft Texas’ specialized
draft beverage trailer or Cheeky Monkey’s joyful home accessories,
each finalist showcased their unique business and passion to grow
smart. To learn more, you can watch the “Grow Your Biz Contest”
finalist videos here.
“While these businesses may be small, they are also mighty, and
driven by an ambition to grow and expand their customer base,” said
Ginger Siegel, Head of North America small business, Mastercard.
“Most small businesses don’t have chief marketing, finance or risk
officers to help get them there. Together with Bank of America, we
are working to help fill this void by delivering the tools and
solutions small business owners need, as well as partnering on
programs like Grow Your Biz that provide the guidance and resources
necessary to thrive.”
Mastercard and Bank of America want to ensure that small
business owners across the U.S. have access to the insight,
supports and solutions to help them achieve their growth ambitions.
The Grow Your Biz Contest is just one program, equipping driven
small business owners with the right resources and guidance to take
their business to the next level.
About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE:MA), www.mastercard.com, is a
technology company in the global payments industry. Our global
payments processing network connects consumers, financial
institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than
210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and
solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping,
traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more
secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on
Twitter @MastercardNews, join the discussion on
the Beyond the Transaction
Blog and subscribe for the latest news on
the Engagement Bureau.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial
institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market
businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking,
investing, asset management and other financial and risk management
products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience
in the United States, serving approximately 67 million consumer and
small business clients with approximately 4,400 retail financial
centers, approximately 16,100 ATMs, and award-winning digital
banking with more than 36 million active users, including nearly 26
million mobile users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth
management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a
broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments,
institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America
offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small
business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online
products and services. The company serves clients through
operations across the United States, its territories and more than
35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE:BAC) is
listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements
and other important information, visit the Bank of America
newsroom. Click here to register for news email alerts.
www.bankofamerica.com
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181109005303/en/
Mastercard CommunicationsSarah
Ely914.249.6714Sarah.ely@mastercard.comorBank of America
CommunicationsDon
Vecchiarello980.387.4899Don.vecchiarello@bankofamerica.com
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