On Wednesday, May 17, 2017 the British American Business Council of Greater Philadelphia teamed up with the Chilean, French and German American Chambers of Commerce for International Soccer Night at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA. More than 50 attendees gathered on the deck overlooking the beautiful stadium and river for networking, food and drinks. The evening was perfect – the sun was shining and it was warm and breezy. And, Union earned their third win, ending in 2-0 against Houston.
Before guests were escorted to their reserved stadium seats, BABC sponsor companies, TD Bank, N.A., Pepper Hamilton LLP and Johnson, Kendall & Johnson as well our hosts from the Philadelphia Union spoke briefly about their businesses. Jane Rosenberg, Executive Director of the BABC of Greater Philadelphia welcomed guests, thanked the partnering organizations, and introduced the sponsors.
Todd Sturza, Managing Director for TD Securities spoke on behalf of TD Bank. Todd has been an active BABC Club Level and Board Member for the past ten years. He has 25 years of experience in corporate and investment banking, and has spent the past nine years at TD. TD Bank is one of the 10 largest banks in the US, with approximately 26,000 employees and deep roots in the community dating back more than 150 years. The Bank offers a broad array of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services to more than 8.5 million customers through its extensive network of approximately 1,300 locations. In addition to banking products, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services. TD Bank is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America.
Jay Jumper, Partner at Pepper Hamilton, in the Berwyn office spoke on behalf of the Firm. Jay is a member of Pepper’s Corporate and Securities and Life Sciences practice groups and a member of the steering committee of the Firm’s Emerging Growth Group. His practice is focused on mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities-related transactions, and general corporate matters. Pepper is one of the founding members of the BABC. Pepper Hamilton is a multi-practice law firm with more than 450 lawyers nationally. The firm provides corporate, litigation and regulatory legal services to leading businesses, governmental entities, nonprofit organizations and individuals throughout the nation and the world.
Michael McGuire, Account Executive from Johnson, Kendall & Johnson (JKJ) participated on behalf of the company. Michael has been with JKJ for two years, and has been tasked with developing new client relationships both abroad and domestically. JKJ has been a corporate member of the BABC for several years. JKJ is an insurance brokerage and risk management firm located in Newtown, PA, that has been managing corporate and personal needs for more than 60 years. JKJ’s personalized services in property and casualty insurance; risk and safety management services and claims consulting; group benefits; individual life, home and asset protection program development; financial services; and retirement planning allow JKJ clients to focus on their respective business while JKJ provides direction in managing the risk. The Company is licensed in various lines of business in all 50 states, with access to all of the major insurance markets. In addition, JKJ is the founding board members of RiskProNet International and UNiBA Partners international insurance brokers. These organizations support JKJ and one another’s ability to work with and provide dedicated services to international clients, and conduct various business lines in all 50 states, with access to all of the major insurance markets.
Carl Cherkin, Vice President of Business Relations & Communications with Philadelphia Union was our last speaker. Since the stadium opened, Philadelphia Union has been a steadfast friend to the BABC – we have hosted numerous events with them, and they have always offered coveted branded gear and tickets to games throughout the year. Carl has been on staff with Philadelphia Union from the very beginning. He originally joined the club in 2009, as VP, Public Relations and helped guide the successful launch of the 16th team in MLS, in one of this country’s most competitive sports environments. Carl spoke about Philadelphia Union’s history and development. Philadelphia was awarded Major League Soccer’s 16th team on February 28, 2008. The combination of extensive grassroots support spearheaded by the Sons of Ben and a public/private partnership between Philadelphia Union, the State of Pennsylvania, Delaware County and the City of Chester enabled the construction of a state-of-the-art soccer stadium and convinced MLS that the Philadelphia region deserved a soccer team. On March 25, 2010, Philadelphia played its first ever match, a 2-0 loss to Seattle Sounders FC. On April 10, 2010, the club’s Inaugural Home Opener, Philadelphia notched the first victory in team history beating D.C. United 3-2 in front of 34,870 fans.
The stadium is a magnificent place, and the international business community enjoyed a perfect evening. The weather was ideal, networking food and drink flowed freely and the Union won! Special thanks to sponsor companies TD Bank, N.A., Pepper Hamilton, LLP and Johnson, Kendall & Johnson for sponsoring the evening.
View event photos here.
