Two Grand Prize Winners to Receive A Prize Package Valued at More than $100,000

in Easy-to-Enter Competition in New York/New Jersey

SHORT HILLS, N.J.

–

Investors Bank

is kicking-off 2020 by inviting small businesses in New York and New Jersey to compete for a prize package valued at more than $100,000. The easy-to-enter Investors Bank Movers & Shakers Small Business Competition is open to businesses with between $2 million and $20 million in revenue and less than 100 employees,

headquartered or conducting the majority of business in Metro New York and New Jersey. Ten finalists will be selected from among the two categories: general business and minority- or women-owned business. There will be two grand prize winners named from among the finalists.

Investors Bank, WCBS Newsradio 880, and the New Jersey Devils are providing the grand prizes for the Movers & Shakers Small Business Competition, which include:

$10,000 in cash from Investors Bank;

$15,000 in advertising value on WCBS Newsradio 880;

Exclusive New Jersey Devils corporate sponsorship assets; and,

VIP event experience at Prudential Center for the contest winners and 15 guests.

“Investors Bank is committed to helping small businesses grow by supporting those that share our key ideals of creativity, competitiveness, and community,” said Domenick Cama, President and Chief Operating Officer, Investors Bank. “Small businesses are vital to the local economy. The extent to which small businesses provide valuable services determines the local economy’s prosperity. We want to support this prosperity.”

Interested applicants should submit an “elevator pitch” of no more than 1,000 words describing how their business aligns with the Investors Bank ideals of:

Creativity

– uniqueness, bringing a new approach to the marketplace;

Competitiveness

– managing near-in competition and with the larger conglomerates; and,

Community

– having a positive impact on the immediate neighborhood where customers and employees live and work, as well as the region and the world.

Entries must be submitted to

www.myinvestorsbank.com/SmallBizEntry

by February 28, 2020. A short video about the competition also is available at that website.

“Small businesses are the foundation of our communities and Investors is committed to finding better ways to serve them,” said Mike MacIntyre, Head of Business Banking at Investors. “We recently hired an additional team of small business bankers dedicated to helping our small businesses succeed, as well as have plans to phase in a digital loan origination platform to streamline our small business loan origination process.”

All of the finalists will be invited to an event at the Radio.com Theater, and will receive tickets to the WCBS NewsRadio 880 New Jersey Business Breakfast in June.

“Investors prides itself on its commitment to community, whether through our support of small business, the work we do through our foundation, our sponsorships, or the tens of thousands of hours volunteered each year to support local initiatives,” said Bill Brown, Executive Vice President, Chief Retail Officer, Investors Bank. “Community is who we are, and small businesses are the backbone of communities.”

More information on the Investors Bank Movers & Shakers Small Business Competition is available at your local Investors Bank branch or at

www.myinvestorsbank.com

. For contest rules and eligibility, visit

www.myinvestorsbank.com/SmallBizEntry.com

.

About Investors Bank

Investors Bank, headquartered in Short Hills, New Jersey, is a full-service community bank that has been serving customers since 1926. With over $27 billion in assets and a network of more than 145 retail branches, Investors Bank delivers personalized services and products tailored to the needs of its customers. Investors Bank’s banking services include complete deposit, loan and cash management products for consumers and businesses.

Investors Bank: Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender.

EXTENDS DEADLINE TO PROVIDE MORE FLEXIBILITY TO APPLICANTS

TRENTON – The Department of Environmental Protection has extended by 15 days the deadline for submission of applications for a $2.5 million grant program to fund projects to help reduce the occurrence of harmful algal blooms in the state.

The decision to extend the deadline for the harmful algal bloom management grant program to Jan. 27 follows a meeting last month with potential applicants who were looking for more financial flexibility and improved guidance in order to quickly implement projects to mitigate and/or control harmful algal blooms, also known as HABs.

As a result of this meeting, the DEP has published an updated notice that now allows in-kind services provided by applicants to be credited toward the program\’s matching-fund grant eligibility requirement, thus helping local governments that are working on finalizing operating budgets for this year. The DEP has also provided examples for clarity on what constitutes an eligible match, including short-term operation and maintenance of the demonstration project.

\”Reducing the impacts these blooms have on public health, the environment and our economy is of utmost importance to the state,\” Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe said. \”We fully understand the current budget planning needs of municipalities and counties that are interested in applying for grants and are committed to working closely with them to get these projects launched as soon as possible.\”

In November, Governor Murphy announced a comprehensive harmful algal bloom strategy that includes $13.5 million in funding for local projects that will improve water quality and help prevent, mitigate and manage harmful algal blooms in lakes and ponds.

This effort earmarks $10 million in Clean Water State Revolving Fund money as principal-forgiveness (grant-like) funding for projects that address HABs by improving water quality. The administration is also providing $3.5 million from two grant programs for projects addressing harmful algal blooms.

Specifically, the modifications apply to the $2.5 million harmful algal bloom management grant program, in which the state provides $2 in funding for every $1 invested by the applicant.

In-kind services directly related to the proposed project may now be used to count toward the local match for these projects, but applicants are advised that this may change in possible future grant opportunities and that they should begin budgetary planning accordingly.

Harmful algal blooms, also known as HABs, are not true algal blooms. Rather, they are caused by naturally occurring cyanobacteria that can reproduce to unhealthful levels under certain conditions, including sunlight, nutrients from sources such as fertilizers and improperly operating septic systems, warm weather and stagnant water. They frequently form dense mats, resembling pea soup or spilled paint.

Exposure to blooms can result in a range of health effects, including rashes, allergy-like reactions, flu-like symptoms, gastroenteritis, respiratory irritation and eye irritation. Exposure to a bloom that is actively producing cyanotoxins may result in more serious health effects, including liver toxicity and neurological effects.

People, pets and wildlife are susceptible to adverse health effects if they come into contact with or ingest water that is experiencing a bloom. For more information on harmful algal blooms, visit

www.state.nj.us/dep/hab

In all, more than 70 suspected blooms were reported last year, with 39 confirmed. These blooms resulted in health and water-contact advisories, closures of bathing beaches and, in some cases, had direct impacts on tourism-related businesses.