OnDeck & Minor League Baseball Honor Akron-Area Business Virtuoso Landscaping
July 22, 2015 - Eastern League (EL1)
Akron RubberDucks News Release
NEW YORK, July 22, 2015 - OnDeck, a leading platform for small business lending, along with Minor League Baseball, America's leader for affordable family entertainment, announced today that Akron, Ohio-based Virtuoso Landscaping has received the Small Business of the Month Award. OnDeck launched the award program in partnership with Minor League Baseball to recognize small businesses that are making a positive impact in their local communities. In addition to throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at tomorrow's Akron RubberDucks game, Virtuoso Landscaping owner Rodrigo "Rod" Costa will be presented with the award on-field prior to the start of the game.
After many years of doing landscaping as a side job, Rod established Virtuoso Landscaping in Akron, Ohio, in 2005 to provide commercial and residential maintenance and landscaping to more than 200 customers per year in the greater Akron area. Since then, the company has grown to employ as many as seven full-time employees and as many as 17 full-time and part-time employees during the busy seasons. The company also subcontracts work out to seven different companies in the Akron area.
"We created our Small Business of the Month Award program to recognize small businesses that are serving their local communities and creating jobs - and Virtuoso Landscaping is a natural fit," said Andrea Gellert, chief marketing officer, OnDeck. "Rod's passion for his business and Akron is what differentiated Virtuoso during our review process, and we're thrilled to give his business this additional exposure among his most important audience."
Costa will receive 10 VIP tickets to the July 23 RubberDucks game, an on-field photo opportunity and will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. OnDeck's Chief Legal Officer Cory Kampfer will join Costa on the mound and will also discuss the award during the nationally-televised broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
"I couldn't think of a better place to start a business than in Akron, and I think it's great that OnDeck has this award to recognize business owners like me," said Rod Costa, owner, Virtuoso Landscaping. "I relish the small-town feel of Akron and enjoy seeing my customers at the grocery store, birthday parties and restaurants. We're looking forward to showcasing Virtuoso's success among many of our neighbors and customers at tomorrow's RubberDucks game."
Virtuoso Landscaping joins select small businesses from throughout the U.S. who will be recognized by OnDeck and Minor League Baseball across more than 20 activation clubs this season. OnDeck is hosting Small Business of the Month Award contests on Facebook throughout the season. To apply, visit OnDeck's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OnDeckCapital.
OnDeck is 100 percent focused on small business with $2 billion in critical growth capital deployed nationwide. In Ohio, OnDeck has delivered more than $68 million to 1,870 small businesses.
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