Charter One Launch100 Leadership Circle Recognized

CLEVELAND, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In a ceremony at the offices of nonprofit venture development organization JumpStart Inc. (www.jumpstartinc.org), nine Northeast Ohio entrepreneurial companies were recognized as new members of the Charter One Launch100 Leadership Circle. The Circle, which was established in 2012, recognizes diverse entrepreneurs committed to turning their business ideas into some of the region's most impactful companies. Ken Marblestone, President, Charter One and RBS Citizens, announced the following 2013 Charter One Launch100 Leadership Circle honorees:   

• Amplified Wind Solutions (Niki Zmij, CEO)
• Body Phyx (Anthony Palladino, CEO; Jeanne O'Malley, CTO)
• Design Flux Technologies (Courtney Gras, President)
• King J Transportation (Shaquita Graham, CEO)
• On Demand Interpretation Services  (Colleen O'Toole, Founder & President)
• OrthoData (Ric Navarro, President & CEO)
• Renter's BOOM (Lindsay Sims, Founder & CEO)
• SafeCare (Lissette Rivera, Founder)
• Wahconah Group (Isaac Crawford, CEO)

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130425/CL02130 )

"While the technologies these companies are developing are all very different--medical devices, alternative energy solutions and game-changing digital platforms, among other things—the entrepreneurs behind them all have one very important thing in common," says Darrin Redus, JumpStart's Chief Economic Inclusion Officer.  "They've taken the initiative to start businesses with the potential to generate significant jobs and wealth for the region."

The 2013 class joins the members of last year's inaugural Launch100 Leadership Circle in forming a regional peer network of high-growth minority- and women-led companies.  "Inclusively supporting tomorrow's brightest business leaders is truly one of the best ways for the nation to ramp up its economic competitiveness," Redus says.   

"Diverse, growing companies create job opportunities for their communities," says Marblestone. Charter One supports economic and community development strategies that promote economic self-sufficiency and catalyze the development of economically-distressed areas. "We're proud to celebrate these future leaders as they strengthen minority business networks and serve as inspiration to others in the region."

CHARTER ONE Charter One is a division of RBS Citizens, N.A., operating in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. It has 339 branches and 509 ATMs. It has 133 branches and 160 ATMs in Ohio. Charter One's website is charterone.com.  

RBS Citizens, N.A., is a subsidiary of RBS Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $128 billion commercial bank holding company. It is headquartered in Providence, R.I., and through its subsidiaries has approximately 1,400 branches, approximately 3,600 ATMs and more than 19,000 colleagues. Its two bank subsidiaries are RBS Citizens, N.A., and Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania. They operate a 12-state branch network under the Citizens Bank brand in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Charter One brand in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. RBSCFG has non-branch retail and commercial offices in more than 30 states. RBSCFG is owned by RBS (the Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc). RBSCFG's website is citizensbank.com. 

JUMPSTART INC   JumpStart Inc. accelerates the successes of diverse entrepreneurs, their companies and the ecosystems supporting them. JumpStart has provided intensive business assistance to more than 450 entrepreneurial clients and invested in 71 early stage Northeast Ohio tech-based companies. For more information, visit www.jumpstartinc.org and follow @JumpStartInc on Twitter.

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SOURCE JumpStart, Inc.