Recent grants totaling $25,000 from the Investors and Roma Bank Community Foundations will assist the nonprofit, Greater Trenton, in supporting priority revitalization projects in New Jersey’s capital city, Trenton.
Greater Trenton applied for the grants from the Investors and Roma Bank Community Foundations, which support non-profit organizations that enrich the diverse communities served by Investors Bank. Roma Bank became part of Investors Bank in December 2013.
“Investors Bank was one of the founding members of Greater Trenton,” explained Greater Trenton CEO George Sowa. “Our mission is to facilitate the development and revitalization of downtown Trenton by serving as an expert resource to businesses, developers, and community partners.” According to Sowa, the organization’s goals include marketing the downtown and greater Trenton areas; building and supporting partnerships that will address community needs and take advantage of growth opportunities; supporting efforts to address safety and security concerns; assisting prospective developers, investors, brokers and businesses in navigating the process of doing business in Trenton; supporting revitalization and development; and ensuring Trenton’s ongoing sustainability for years to come.
Investors Bank Chairman and CEO Kevin Cummings serves as the Treasurer for Greater Trenton and was one of the founding board members.
One of Greater Trenton’s key efforts in 2018 was its proposal to attract a second Amazon headquarters to the region. Sowa said the proposal has been a significant marketing tool to companies, developers and investors. He said the proposal has reached “thousands of people” and has been used for high profile presentations, panel discussions and tours by the Mayor’s office, the Governor’s Conference on Housing and Economic Development, the New Jersey League of Municipalities, New Jersey Planning Conference, and Princeton University’s ArcPrep program, which introduces Trenton high school students to the discipline of architecture through an immersive, semester-long course on architecture, urbanism, and integrated design studio practices.
Investors Bank District Manager Linda Martin recently presented Sowa and Greater Trenton Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Bryan Evans with a $20,000 grant check from the Investors Foundation and a $5,000 grant check from the Roma Bank Community Foundation. “As one of the founding members, Investors Bank is committed to supporting Greater Trenton in its efforts to revitalize New Jersey’s Capital City,” said Martin. “One of our four core values is community. We believe we have a responsibility to support the communities where our employees live and work. Supporting Greater Trenton is an opportunity to strengthen the community of Trenton and to ensure its sustainability moving forward.”