Wells Fargo Honors Amanda Ma for Being a LA Small Business Community Champion
By Huili Wang
LOS ANGELES (January 18, 2021) – Wells Fargo representatives Justine Gonzalez and Bryan Moeller presented Amanda Ma with a plaque commemorating her dedication as a small business hero. Gonzalez also announced a surprise gift from Wells Fargo for an additional $5,000 grant towards Innovate Marketing Group.
Wells Fargo Open for Business Fund 2021 Los Angeles Community Champion program is created to recognize and honor local small businesses that have gone above and beyond for their community during the pandemic.
“The journey to economic recovery must be an inclusive one, given the significant economic, social and health impact COVID-19 has left on diverse small business owners,” said Gregg Sherkin, Southern California Leader for Wells Fargo Social Impact and Sustainability. “We are so proud to honor these Community Champions who have not only survived, but are true pillars of their community and have given so much to help others.”
The nominee Amanda Ma is the CEO and Founder of Innovate Marketing Group, an award-winning and woman-owned experience agency which provides event management to Fortune 500 companies.
In addition to over 16 years of experience in business, she is also known for her philanthropic work in the community and her role as a small business advocate. At a time of growing anti-Asian rhetoric and violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ma used her voice as an Asian American woman in business to support her community, and championed several events to drive awareness around #StopAsianHate and spoke at industry events to educate other business owners on DEI in the workplace.
Field representative Ann Marie Hickambottom from the office of Assembly member Chris Holden and District Representative Dominick Correy from the office of Senator Anthony Portantino also presented Ma with certificates of recognition for Innovate Marketing Group’s dedication to serving the community of Pasadena and beyond.
LA Area Chamber President Maria Salinas and Senior Vice President, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Andrea Nunn attended the event to highlight Ma’s exemplary resilience and adaptation to the pandemic’s business challenges.
About the Wells Fargo Open for Business Fund
Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund is a roughly $420 million small business recovery effort created to help entrepreneurs nationwide stay open, maintain jobs and grow. The Open for Business Fund provides support for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), and other nonprofit organizations that serve diverse small businesses, with a focus on Black, African American, Latino, Asian American, American Indian, and Alaska Native entrepreneurs.
Through this program, we are engaging CDFIs and nonprofits to help businesses manage the economic effects of COVID-19 by providing needed capital, technical assistance, and long-term recovery and resiliency support.
To learn more about the Wells Fargo Open for Business Fund, visit:
https://www.wellsfargo.com/biz/help/open-for-business-grants/
