Ocean Bank Again Receives The Commissioner's Business Recognition Award For Commitment to Education
MIAMI, FL—May 14, 2007 - Ocean Bank is once again the recipient of the Commissioner’s Business Recognition Award granted each year by the Florida Education Foundation and Florida Department of Education. Ocean Bank is recognized for its commitment to improving education and contributing to local schools in our community through its Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials (OBCEM). Jeanine Blomberg, Commissioner of Education, presented the award to Ocean Bank president and chief executive officer, José A. Concepción, during the 20th Annual Commissioner’s Business Recognition Awards in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ocean Bank is a three-time recipient of the award, having been recognized in 1997, 2003 and 2007.
"We are thrilled to once again receive this prestigious award from the Florida Department of Education," said José A. Concepción. "At Ocean Bank we feel it is our responsibility to help the youth of our community excel and the Ocean Bank Center for Educational Materials is one of the Bank’s most important education-related initiatives. Through the OBCEM we are able to support our public schools and ultimately, provide students with much needed additional classroom materials."
Established in 1993, as a result of Hurricane Andrew, the OBCEM is a large warehouse and distribution program sponsored by Ocean Bank and coordinated by The Education Fund. The OBCEM collects surplus inventory and supplies from the business community and makes them available for free to Miami-Dade County Public School’s teachers for their students. The 11,000-square-foot warehouse provides free supplies for teachers to use in their classrooms.
Ocean Bank has donated more than a million dollars to the Education Fund to create and operate the OBCEM, the first "reuse and recycle center" in Florida. This investment has leveraged in excess of $5.3 million in materials by providing an easy mechanism for companies to contribute their excess/outdated inventory. The Bank’s sponsorship also supports an annual art exhibition and auction, which honor teachers and students for the creative ways they use materials. The annual art auction, The Art of Found Objects, has raised $1.4 million to fund public school art programs.
Celebrating its 25 year anniversary in 2007, Ocean Bank is the largest independent commercial bank chartered and headquartered in Florida, with more than $5.8 billion in assets and $5.0 billion in deposits. Chartered in 1982, Ocean Bank operates a network of 21 branches throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. The community bank has received numerous awards and accolades from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, The Beacon Council and the Florida Department of Education among others for its support of South Florida’s communities. For more information logon to www.oceanbank.com.
