Category: Uncategorized

Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia Teach Reading Skills

A former Wells Fargo Bank district manager and regional president, Vincent Liuzzi currently serves as the executive vice president and chief banking officer of DNB First, a community bank in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. In addition to his professional duties, Vince Liuzzi supports a number of charitable organizations, among them the Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Philadelphia are committed to creating programs to enhance the lives of local youth. In 2013, the organization created a literacy initiative aimed at teaching children reading skills to help them succeed academically. The program utilizes a multisensory approach that encourages students to use all of their senses as they learn to recognize letters and words. In its first summer, the initiative devoted more than 1,200 hours of literacy instruction to 420 students; in the fall, local schools will integrate similar instruction into their after-school programs. Over time, the citywide literacy initiative hopes to reach more than 1,500 students annually.

Marian Anderson Awards Support Young Artists

Vince Liuzzi spent 16 years as a branch manager, district manager, and regional president for Wells Fargo in regions throughout the United States. Now serving as EVP and Chief Bankong Officer for DNB First in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Vince Liuzzi is an active supporter of nearby Philadelphia-area charities. In addition to his work with the Salvation Army and other philanthropic organizations, he has served on the board of directors for the Marian Anderson Awards.

Named for the Philadelphia singer, the Marian Anderson Awards honor critically acclaimed artists who have positively affected society in some way. Since 1998, the award has been granted to such well-known artists and actors as Gregory Peck, Quincy Jones, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Poitier, Maya Angelou, and Oprah Winfrey.

The organization’s annual award gala raises funds to sponsor scholarships like the Young Artist Study Grant. This program is designed to provide assistance to high school-age artists who require financial aid to pursue their artistic visions.

Popular Attractions and Sites in the Bahamas

Vince Liuzzi, EVP and chief banking officer at DNB First, enjoys a wide range of activities in his free time including traveling. Vince Liuzzi has traveled throughout the United States, Mexico, Italy, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.

Made up of around 700 islands, 40 of which are occupied by humans, the Bahamas have several great beaches that draw tourists. Cabbage Beach, two miles long, is one of the archipelago’s best. Boasting clear and calm waters, the beach is great for snorkeling and swimming, and it is lined with hotels, restaurants, and casinos. The Bahamas are also known for Xanadu Beach, Lucaya Beach, and Gold Rock Beach.

Located on Paradise Island, Atlantis, a luxury hotel, aquarium, water park, and entertainment complex, is another popular attraction. Hotel guests receive free admittance to Aquaventure, a huge waterscape consisting of several water slides, over 20 pools, and a long Lazy River Ride. The site also is home to many restaurants and shops, all of which continue the fantasy sea theme.

Grand Bahama, the closest island to the United States, is home to Freeport, the second largest city on the islands, and the Port Lucaya Marketplace, which sells jewelry and other souvenirs. Offering a wide variety of hotels and resorts, the island also has three national parks and one of the largest underwater cave systems in the world.

DNB First celebrates Earth Day – Make a GREEN statement

Business Celebrates EARTH Day!

Tomorrow marks the 44th celebration of Earth Day – First celebrated in the United Sates in1970, Earth Day (April 22nd) marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

There are many ways this celebration is observed in our country and region – Take a look at what DNB First is doing to promote GREEN banking in our branch offices: Wanted to make sure you were aware of our new “Make a GREEN Statement” campaign. The campaign will run April 22 through mid-May, and it’s aimed at showcasing our “earth friendly” products and services like Mobile Deposit, Remote Deposit Capture (RDC), eStatements, On-Line Banking, Bill Pay, and more…

We will be leveraging various community sponsored events throughout the month like the Document Shredding and Electronics recycling event tomorrow in Thorndale, and the West Chester University Earth Fair coming up later this month. Our campaign officially launches on April 22 – EARTH DAY when we will be providing to customers in our branches some quick energy saving tips along with an energy efficient light bulb. Customers who enroll in eStatements during the campaign will be entered into a drawing for an iPad to encourage GREEN banking.

The United States Small Business Administration is going green too! Look at what they are doing to help businesses grow green.
Helping Small Businesses Grow Through Green Efforts

by Stephen Morris, Community Moderator

• Created: April 18, 2014, 12:31 pm
• Updated: April 18, 2014, 2:45 pm
Note: this post is by Donna J. Butler, SBA’s Senior Sustainability Officer & Deputy Chief Operating Officer

SBA helps small businesses find solutions to make their operations run efficiently. That’s why this Earth Day and every day SBA encourages small businesses to incorporate a green office environment. Whether it’s changing to a more energy efficient lighting system, implementing a recycling program, or considering eco-friendly machinery—all of these techniques help to conserve energy and save money. SBA also helps entrepreneurs and organizations build on green ideas and turn them into a successful business.

Taking an Idea and Turning it Green
Small business owner Carina Whitham of California took her passion for renewable energy and used SBA’s counseling services to help start an executive search firm Whitham Group Executive Search. Today, Carina’s firm successfully recruits and places executives in the arenas of Solar, Wind, Biofuels, Biomass, Geothermal Energy and all other areas of renewables.

SBA also supports sustainability through initiatives such as the Regional Clusters Initiative—which combines a network of organizations and businesses in a geographic area that grow through increased collaboration, efficiency and innovation. SBA funded its initial clusters in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and several other agencies. Regional clusters such as Illinois Smart Grid, Clean Energy, and GreenMe are expanding thanks to the support from this initiative. Today, they are making their communities more sustainable and eco-conscious.

And for small business owners seeking to upgrade an existing facility with energy efficient upgrades or financing innovative eco-friendly tools–SBA.gov has a reference list ofgreen financing and green certification options.

SBA Green Practices
SBA is also reinforcing green practices throughout its office culture. The Agency’s priority goal for Fiscal Year 2014 was to increase paperless loan processing. SBA succeeded with this goal and saw an increase in the use of paperless processing with both the 7(a) and 504 loan programs. The 7(a) program use increased from 72 percent to 90 percent and the 504 program use increased from 55 percent to 75 percent. Additionally, SBA is collaborating with the General Services Administration to ensure that SBA’s Headquarters and Field Offices are housed in facilities that are energy and water efficient and are maintained with non-toxic and recycled content products. SBA has also reduced its greenhouse gas emissions from employee commuting by nearly 15% since 2010 in part through the increased use of mass transit and telework. This year, SBA initiated an agency-wide toner and ink cartridge recycling program in partnership with the U.S. Postal Services.

Go Green and Thrive
Celebrate Earth Day today and everyday by adopting new environmentally sound practices for your business. SBA is here to help you grow your business and succeed in your green efforts. Visit our website or connect with our local offices and resource partners for your small business needs.
About the Author
Stephen Morris is online media coordinator for the U.S. Small Business Administration where he manages digital outreach to the small business community.

Employee Engagement 2.0 – A Holistic View of Engagement in Today’s Workplace Environment

Statistics show that 78% of business leaders rate employee retention and engagement as critical or important to the success of their business. Organizations are looking for new and different ways to understand and improve employee or team member engagement. Effective and meaningful, active employee engagement is truly a competitive differentiator for the high performing business.

Active employee engagement goes far behind an annual survey facilitated by human resources that companies use as a measurement for employee morale. It speaks to the culture an organization fosters, and its willingness to make the right investments within the environment benefitting much-loved employees.    In a recent study by Deloitte, three key areas of strategic focus on employee engagement were identified: Lead and Develop, Attract and Engage, Transform and Reinvent. These three priorities go far beyond a typical survey “temperature check” followed by an executive summary turned into an action plan – many companies still call that an engagement program. Its en excellent study with rock solid conclusions and some pretty interesting tools and resources.

In past decades, Gallup and other leadership organizations have led the way around the concept of employee engagement program surveys. Employee engagement has in reality, been a topic companies have considered since the industrial revolution. These concepts were essentially rooted in the late 1800’s by an industrial engineer Frederick Taylor who was looking for ways to improve industrial efficiency. In his book “The Principles of Scientific Management” Taylor theorizes that four principles of scientific management center around the engagement of employees and how their attitude impacted productivity in the steel industry. It was ground breaking work for its time – but that was over 100 years ago!

Developing, enhancing and maintaining a high performing work environment is truly a complex issue to tackle. It blends an organization’s mission and values with its people, culture and performance. Once people join an organization, companies must continuously improve, redesigning and developing the work environment to make it more enjoyable and rewarding, making the employees happier and more productive. In today’s environment, companies need to update the way they look to engage employees. With the influx of younger workers and the proliferation of technology, organizations need to change the way they think about engagement making the workplace environment more flexible, modern, humane and enjoyable. Organizations must build an environment that is fun, meaningful, stimulating and rewarding to attract and retain high performing employees in today’s workforce.

Forward thinking companies truly understand the critical need to go beyond traditional engagement survey programs to create more productive and successful work environments. They design jobs, change the work environment, add benefits, invest in people and develop managers.  New employees hired into these organizations are screened for culture and job fit to ensure success. Effective hiring, on-boarding, training and development programs have never been so important.

Josh Bersin Principal and Founder of Bersin by Deloitte was recently quoted in a recent study published by Forbes magazine stating, “Let’s change our thinking and move beyond the concept of engagement. If we really achieve the goal of making organizations “irresistible”, we can make work fun, meaningful and enriching for everyone.”

Vince Liuzzi

EVP, Chief Banking Officer

 

DNB First, Banking since 1860

The Valley Community Clinic and the Valley Teen Clinic

A longtime executive in the banking industry, Vince Liuzzi is an executive vice president and the chief banking officer for DNB First, a Pennsylvania financial institution. Previously, Vince Liuzzi held executive positions at Wells Fargo & Company and Brokers Investment Corporation, both in Los Angeles. During this period, Vincent Liuzzi supported the Valley Community Clinic.

Located in North Hollywood, California, the Valley Community Clinic provides high-quality medical care to underserved communities. People in need can visit the clinic for a plethora of medical services. Its culturally sensitive professionals have cared for tens of thousands of people from a number of ethnic groups. Among the Valley Community Clinic’s many programs, the Valley Teen Clinic is one of the most popular.

The Valley Teen Clinic provides reproductive services and other types of health care to individuals between the ages of 12 and 19. Moreover, the clinic staff is comprised of teenagers, who can better connect with patients because they are contemporaries and more understanding of the situations other teenagers face. Along with general preventive and wellness services, the clinic offers free testing for sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy testing, and mental health counseling. To find out more about the Teen Clinic’s services and office hours, visit the clinic website at http://www.teen411.com or http://www.jovenes411.com. In addition, the Valley Teen Clinic runs a toll-free help line five days a week. Dial 888-763-4070 to reach a representative during operating hours.

The impact of technology on payment systems – what’s next?

Interesting information about the future of our payment systems. Check out this recent article in the New York Times about what is to come…

Coming soon: New ways to pay

Andrew Ross Sorkin
The New York Times

The money revolution is coming, said Andrew Ross Sorkin. With the rapid development of new forms of commerce—such as Bitcoin, the Square payment system, and peer-to-peer lending platforms like Lending Club—“we’ve already begun to see hints of an impending overhaul.” Virtual currencies themselves are nothing new, and they endured a long history of failures before the emergence of Bitcoin. But times may be changing. Even if Bitcoin is “just a fad,” it has at the very least raised the prospect of “cheaper and more efficient” ways to pay for goods and services and move money around the world without relying on third-party intermediaries like banks and credit card companies. In Silicon Valley, “some of the sharpest futurists around” are working on revolutionizing banking and payment systems. They see a world full of digital wallets, mobile payment systems, virtual credit cards, even loans that are untethered from traditional banks. Of course, “the future of currency may be the biggest question mark around finance” in the digital world—the dollar, after all, has a pretty strong track record. But when it comes to how we pay for products, “shifts in the plumbing of transactions and the future of banks may be the most transformative.”

Vince Liuzzi
EVP, Chief Banking Officer
DNB First – Banking since 1860

Alliance for Lupus Research’s Walk With Us to Cure Lupus Program

Vincent Liuzzi, a former Wells Fargo Bank district manager and regional president, currently serves as EVP and Chief Banking Officer for DNB First. A committed member of the community, Vince Liuzzi supports several charities and has served as chair and co-chair for several foundations. In 2013, he was Philadelphia’s chair for the Alliance for Lupus Research’s Walk With Us to Cure Lupus.

As a part of the Alliance for Lupus Research’s commitment to treating, preventing, and curing lupus, the Walk with Us to Cure Lupus program began with its first walk in Washington, DC, in 2002. Since that time, the program has raised over $25 million through the help of volunteers around the United States. Donating 100 percent of the raised funds to lupus research programs, Walk with Us to Cure Lupus brings together friends, coworkers, and families looking to share their stories and spirit.

Individuals wishing to participate in the walk have a variety of options available to them. The program requests that each individual raise at least $25 for the walk, but not every individual needs to walk in order to donate. The online registration system allows for registration as a volunteer, walker, or virtual walker. Virtual walkers raise funds despite being unable to attend the event. Through personal webpages and fundraising tools, they support the cause and act as Team Captains without being physically present.

The Alliance for Lupus Research also maintains a virtual fundraising event for individuals living in an area without an established walk. These events provide communities with the necessary tools for hosting their own local walk with personalized locations, lengths, and times.

Earth Day 2014

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Earth Day is coming!

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network,[1] and celebrated in more than 192 countries each year.[2]

 Earth Day video

Celebrate ecology, sustainability and conservation.

 Vince Liuzzi