NEWS
RELEASE
LaSalle Bank Contact: Jane M. Broski,
(312) 904-1540
Lazos Latinos Contact: Cristina Benitez,
(312)
280-1224
LaSalle Bank
Corporation Retains Lazos Latinos To Create a
Business Development Plan Focusing on the Hispanic
Business Community
CHICAGO (May
31, 2004)---LaSalle Bank Corporation, the
holding company for LaSalle Bank in Chicago and
Standard Federal Bank in Michigan, has appointed
Lazos Latinos to formulate business development and
marketing initiatives targeted at the local,
regional and national Hispanic-owned business
sector.
According to the United States
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, there are more than
1.2 million Hispanic-owned businesses in the U.S.
generating more than $200 billion in annual sales
and employing more than 1.3 million people. In
Illinois, there are 30,000 business licenses
registered to Hispanics, with sales of $15 billion,
employing more than 250,000 people. Chicago’s
Hispanic-owned business sector is comprised of
11,000 businesses generating sales of between $9 and
$11 billion.
LaSalle has worked to grow its
market share among this significant business sector;
in addition to targeting Hispanic-owned companies in
the United States, the Bank also focuses on
U.S.-based subsidiaries, affiliates and joint
ventures of Latin American-based customers and
prospects.
“LaSalle Bank has
identified the Hispanic business sector as a key
component of our business,” said Mark A. Nystuen,
executive vice president and chief marketing
officer. “We look forward to working with Lazos
Latinos as they help us increase awareness of our
capabilities and services to this growing
marketplace.”
Lazos Latinos will
organize strategic marketing and new businesses
initiatives centered on the Hispanic-owned business
sector. They will identify and execute prospective
sponsorship relationships and help identify events,
public relations and trade show opportunities.
“Lazos Latinos will create a
strategic marketing plan that will help position
LaSalle as a company that seeks to empower Hispanic
businesses,” said Cristina Benitez, president of
Lazos Latinos. “LaSalle is one of the first
financial services companies to reach out to the
Hispanic business community and
together, we will make their products and
capabilities known widely throughout this
marketplace.”
LaSalle Bank Corporation
appointed BBDO Chicago as its agency of record for
its branding, marketing and advertising initiatives.
Founded in 1998, Lazos Latinos is a Hispanic-owned strategic
branding and advertising company based in Chicago.
Lazos Latinos’ mission is to build leadership brands
by embracing, empowering and respecting the Latino
consumer. Its clients include: Rush University
Medical Center, St. Anthony Hospital,
Girl Scouts of Chicago, Fonotiendas Facilitel, Del
Monte Foods, The International Latino Cultural
Center and the Chicago Latino Cinema and Fórmula
Latina Professional Hair Products.
LaSalle Bank is headquartered in Chicago and has $65.1 billion in
assets and $35 billion in deposits. One of the
largest banks in the Midwest and second largest in
Chicago, LaSalle Bank serves individuals, small
businesses, middle-market companies and institutions
with streamlined solutions to meet the scope of
customers’ financial needs. LaSalle has more than
140 retail locations and 500 ATMs throughout Chicago
and the neighboring suburbs. Online banking is
offered through lasallebank.com to meet
customers’ personal banking needs.
LaSalle maintains
commercial banking offices in Cleveland, Cincinnati,
Denver, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis,
Pittsburgh, Des Moines, Rockford and Peoria,
Illinois, St. Louis, Tampa and Miami. Subsidiaries
include LaSalle National Leasing Corporation,
LaSalle Business Credit, LLC and ABN AMRO Financial
Services, Inc. Parent company LaSalle Bank Corporation is
headquartered in Chicago with $110.8 billion in
assets. LaSalle Bank Corporation is a subsidiary of
Netherlands-based ABN AMRO Bank N.V., one of the
world’s largest banks with total assets of EUR 639.9
billion with more than 3,000 locations in over 60
countries.
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