New York City entrepreneurs came together to learn more about how to leverage their businesses to help drive the city’s economy.
On Feb. 27, JPMorganChase and Madison Square Garden celebrated their first-ever “Chase Rookie Program” event. The event hosted over a dozen small business owners from around New York City to participate in a day of networking, financial health workshops, and meetings with MSG.
The Chase Rookie Program event builds upon an existing “Spotlight Series” partnership, which highlights eight New York City entrepreneurs who bank with Chase at Knicks and Rangers games each season. To date, 23 New York City small businesses have been featured through the Spotlight Series partnership since the 2022-2023 NBA and NHL seasons.
“JPMorgan Chase has been serving New York City for over 225 years. We’re proud to support our home teams at MSG and local entrepreneurs through this partnership,” said Frank Nakano, JPMorganChase’s Head of Sports and Entertainment for Firmwide Marketing. “Seeing our work come to life in our home city in partnership with The World’s Most Famous Arena is a reflection of what makes this city so special. This partnership offers small businesses a citywide platform, financial health education, and connections with top business leaders. In a city of over 8.3 million, we are dedicated to making dreams possible and uplifting communities, reflecting our commitment to an equitable future for all.”
The MSG Rookies event included a workshop covering the importance of good credit hosted by Tayumika Zurita, who serves as Community Manager at JPMorganChase’s new Brooklyn Community Center Branch in Bed-Stuy, and a workshop on access to capital hosted by Franco Riofrio, a Senior Business Consultant in the Chase For Business Coaching for Impact program. Those in attendance also got a behind-the-scenes tour of MSG and joined fireside chats with former Rangers goalie Steve Valiquette and New York or Nowhere co-founder Quincy Moore.
“Being on the panel for the Entrepreneur’s Q&A for Chase Bank was a fantastic experience,” said Valiquette. “Entrepreneurship is all about adaptability and asking the right questions, and I loved sharing insights with such a driven group of individuals.”
“Local entrepreneurs are the foundation of our economy, and we are proud that nearly half-a-million small businesses in our hometown choose to partner with Chase for their banking needs,” said Robert Rodriguez, Northeast Division Director for Business Banking at JPMorganChase. “This partnership with Madison Square Garden gives the entrepreneurs that my team and I work with every day a unique platform to shine. We’re excited to continue creating opportunities for these incredible businesses, watching them thrive, and building a stronger economy for everyone in the city we’ve called ‘home’ for 225 years.”
For those in attendance, entrepreneurs were able to receive immediate feedback regarding their practices.
“I’m not really savvy with the financials of everything, but just being here and actively participating, asking questions, me getting feedback like right then and there was super important and actually it was very super helpful,” said Jatee Kearsley, owner of Je T’aime Patisserie. “A lot of these conversations could be tedious and could be daunting, but it was light and refreshing honestly, like especially learning about business credit and how that works — that was awesome to me, that’s amazing.”
“I always think that when it comes to entrepreneurship, you never stop learning and listening from others that have been in the same journey that you were and they made it. It gives you the hope that actually, I’m here for a reason and I think I believe that I can make it so,” said Jenniffer Firpo, owner of JVsion Advertising. “That’s the best takeaway when it comes to it, seeing these entrepreneurs, people like me gathering together, learning everything that they can, and putting it into practice.”
“Every day, our team provides their neighbors with critical financial health education that helps create more vibrant communities and a stronger economy — and this partnership is yet another example of that work,” said Nichol King, Market Director for Community Banking at JPMorganChase. “Whether exploring how your personal credit score impacts your ability to get a business loan, learning from a local entrepreneur that’s grown their brand exponentially, or meeting executives from The Garden, we can’t wait to see how this partnership helps our small businesses thrive.”
