Rokas was selected as a SmartCEO 2016 for the Washington Executive Management Awards.

State Bank of India (California) was ranked 13^th in Small Business Administration loans in the Washington, DC, metro area in 2015 fiscal year by Washington DC Business Journal’s Book of Lists.

SBI (California), the only subsidiary in the United States of an Indian bank, was established in 1982. The bank has branches in California and Washington, DC.

The Washington branch, which offers both personal and commercial banking, was opened in 2009.

Business Finance Group Inc. is the top lender in the region, followed by Wells Fargo Bank and Eagle Bankcorp Inc. The other two in the top five are SunTrust Bank Inc. and M&T Bank.

“We are thrilled to be ranked with such established banks in the community as Sonabank, BB&T and others, especially since we have been in this market for only a couple of years,” Rokas Beresniovas, a vice president, who is in charge of implementing strategic business plan for SBI California, told the American Bazaar.

Sonabank was ranked 14^th, a notch below SBI California, and BB&T was placed 16^th by Book of Lists, which provides listings of hottest area companies in different fields by ranking.

“We are proud to be a leading SBA lender in the community for small businesses and for being amongst such great companies,” Beresniovas said. “Our most recent small business loans created dozens of jobs in the community and helped small businesses to expand and grow. We look forward to continued success in 2016.”

In an interview last February, Beresniovas had said that SBI California had done loans from $50,000 to $300,000 generally.

In the Los Angeles area, SBI (California) was ranked 40^th in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015. Read more.

Rokas received an award from the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry recognizing him as the best mentor in the U.S.

Rokas received The Washington Center’s Spring 2015 Internship Site Supervisor Award for providing transformational experiences to young leaders.

The Money Manager Awards program honors bankers, wealth managers and investors who have demonstrated unrivaled commitment to their clients. They have selflessly dedicated their time, effort and financial savvy to helping their clients navigate and manage the complex financial landscape of their lives and businesses. These individuals serve as trusted financial partners and represent the best and brightest in the region. Finalists will be chosen by an independent committee of local business leaders, profiled in the September/October issue of SmartCEO magazine, and celebrated at an awards event in October where the winners will be announced live.

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
August 21, 2015
Contact: Krystal Brumfield
202-347-7201

The DC Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the honorees of this year’s Chamber’s Choice Awards, spotlighting the best and brightest of the city’s business community. These six awardees – Comcast, Joe Rigby (Pepco), Washington Nationals Dream Foundation, the George Washington University, the Washington Area Community Investment Fund and Marcella A. Jones – were chosen for exceptional leadership, extraordinary standards of professional excellence, and commitment to the community.

“Our 2015 Chamber’s Choice honorees represent the very best of the District’s business community. Their outstanding contributions to our city’s economic growth have made us all proud,” said President and CEO Harry Wingo. “That’s why I’m so very pleased to celebrate them on October 30th.”

Below are the categories that make up the Chamber’s Choice Awards and short profiles of each honoree.

Business of the Year – Comcast

Comcast is one of the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. Comcast empowers the communities it serves by investing in local organizations, developing programs and partnerships, and mobilizing resources to connect people and inspire positive and substantive change. Together with local and national nonprofit partners, Comcast focuses on improving lives and communities, and creating opportunities in three core areas: Digital Literacy, Community Service and Youth Leadership. Since 2001, Comcast has made more than $344 million in cash and in-kind community investments to support local partners that include the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, City Year Washington DC, DC Public Education Fund, Byte Back, Greater Washington Urban League, Latin American Youth Center, the United Way of the National Capital Area and numerous other deserving organizations serving the needs of Washington residents.

Business Leader of the Year – Joseph M. Rigby,

Chairman of the Board, President & CEO, Pepco Holdings, Inc.

Joe Rigby is chairman, president and CEO of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI), a regional energy holding company that provides utility service to about 2 million customers. Rigby joined Atlantic City Electric in 1979 and advanced through a number of management positions. In March 2008, Rigby was elected president and chief operating officer, adding responsibility for the competitive energy businesses (Conectiv Energy and Pepco Energy Services). Rigby was elected president and chief executive officer effective March 1, 2009. He was elected Chairman of the Board on May 15, 2009. He has announced his retirement as a Pepco Holdings officer effective with the completion of a pending merger with Exelon Corporation.

Community Impact Award – Washington Nationals Dream Foundation

The Washington Nationals Dream Foundation is the charitable arm of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club and is committed to improving the lives of children and teens in the Washington, D.C. region by supporting initiatives focused on academics, the arts, nutrition and sports. In the last two years, construction was completed on two of the Dream Foundation’s cornerstone projects: the Washington Nationals Diabetes Care Complex at Children’s National Medical Center, a state-of-the-art facility unveiled in 2013 offering comprehensive care for children with diabetes; and the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy which opened last year and provides year round academic, athletic and nutritional programming for children in Wards 7 and 8. The Dream Foundation continues to support these initiatives, in addition to providing grants to more than 70 local nonprofits that serve children and families. The Dream Foundation’s newest initiative will help expand access to the benefits of youth baseball by restoring one local youth baseball field every year, beginning with a field in Southwest D.C. slated to open in November, 2015.

Economic Impact Award – George Washington University

The George Washington University was created in 1821 through an Act of Congress, fulfilling George Washington’s vision of an institution in the nation’s capital dedicated to educating and preparing future leaders. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia with more than 20,000 students—from all 50 states, the District and more than 130 countries—studying a rich range of disciplines: from forensic science and creative writing to international affairs and computer engineering, as well as medicine, public health, the law and public policy.

Chairman’ Distinction Award – Washington Area Community Investment Fund

The Washington Area Community Investment Fund, Inc. (WACIF) is a nonprofit community development loan fund whose mission is to empower underserved communities and individuals in the Washington, DC metropolitan area by providing access to capital and technical assistance to small businesses, childcare centers, affordable housing developers, and community organizations. For over 25 years, WACIF has closed over 315 loans totaling $24.6 million, helping leverage over $150 million in financing for local low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations. WACIF has assisted over 1,750 small business through one-on-one assistance, provided $55 million in access to capital in lending and created more than 1,400 full-and part-time jobs.

Lifetime Legacy Award – Marcella A. Jones,

CEO, Jones Foundation

With over 30 years of experience in fund development, philanthropy, education and leadership training, Marcella Jones is an active member of the Washington, DC and global communities. Marcella worked with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), a nonprofit world-wide organization concerned with the economic, political and cultural growth and development of cities and communities, for eleven years. She has held key executive level positions in fund development with several organizations in the U.S. and maintains a personal presence in the global business community. Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia, recently named the Todee School in Liberia in Macella’s honor.  She works closely with the philanthropy, business and media world to promote corporate and individual giving and volunteerism. Marcella has lived and worked in the wonderful City of Washington, DC since 1978.

The Chamber’s Choice honorees will be recognized at the annual DC Chamber of Commerce Awards and Gala on October 30, 2015. Each year, the Chamber’s Choice Awards and Gala draws more than 1,000 of the region’s most prominent leaders and decision-makers to one place for an evening of honoring, recognition and entertainment. This year’s Gala will be held at the Marriott Marquis in Downtown Washington, DC.

The 2015 Gala Host Committee members include:

Donna Rattley Washington (Co-Chair) – Comcast
Christine Warnke (Co-Chair) – Hogan Lovells
Bill Alsup – Hines
Rokas Beresniovas – State Bank of India
Craig Dean – Marshall Moya Design
Sulaiman Lafti – Afghan American Chamber of Commerce and TriVision
Carolyn Howell – The Fun Company
Steven Jumper – Washington Gas
Ed McAllister – W.C. & A.N. Miller Realtors/Christie’s
Ben Soto- Premium Title & Escrow
Vinson Stringer- Broughton Construction

The Chamber’s Choice Awards and Gala is being designed, produced and managed by the Hutchinson Design Group. The DC Chamber would like to give a special thanks for Sequoia Restaurant for hosting the Awardee Luncheon.

For detailed profiles and photos of last year’s event, please contact Krystal Brumfield, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, at kbrumfield@dcchamber.org. For more information on the Gala, please visit www.dcchamber.org.

The DC Chamber is the largest and #1 rated Chamber in the Washington region. For over 70 years, we have been the champion of local business-large and small-providing passionate advocacy, valuable networking opportunities, and enlightening educational programs.

www.dcchamber.org

The International Committee Presents
Future Outlook for the U.S.-India Economic Partnership

Tuesday, July 14

India is shaping up to be the economic success story of 2015. Its economy is growing faster than China’s, as well as the most of any major economy in the world. It will surpass Russia’s this year in size and nearly equal Brazil’s in 2016, according to new data from the IMF.

Please join us for a panel to discuss the future of India featuring:

Richard M. Rossow
Wadhwani Chair in U.S. India Policy Studies | The Center for Strategic and International Studies

Sumani Dash
Director and Country Head, USA and Canada | Confederation of Indian Industry

T.D. Sivakumar
Chief Representative of North America | Export-Import Bank of India

Jessica L. Reynolds
Regional Manager | India and Africa | Office of International Investment and Trade | Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development

Moderator
Rokas Beresniovas
State Bank of India (California)

6:30 pm Reception
7 pm Program

Complimentary Beer, Wine and Soft Drinks
Fruit and Cheese Display

48-hour cancellation policy

For more information and to make a reservation click here or contact Carolyn Rehman at 202-824-1390 or crehman@universityclubdc.com

GLOBAL TASSELS

Founded in 2014, Global Tassels is a 501(c)3 non profit that opens opportunities for students living in developing countries to get their college education. We currently work with countries such as Colombia, Haiti, India, Ivory Coast, and The Philippines. We are committed to select potential student leaders who will ultimately return to their home country to implement a project that will impact their communities. Global Tassels is an organization that supports the global movement and awareness efforts to eradicate poverty from 2015 and beyond. Our main commitment is to our students but we also partner and support community based organizations worldwide who are making significant impact in the lives of many.
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THE GALA
The Annual Campaign Gala supports Global Tassels efforts to finance the cost of our Student-Leaders educational needs and our ability to remain active, visible, and productive in the countries we are working with.
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THE HONOREES

Keynote Speaker & Founder’s Leaders Key Award
Jason Tengco
Senior Advisor
White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders

Global Community Innovators Awards
Rokas Beresniovas
Vice President
State Bank of India (California)

Inza Camara
Delegate General
Ministry of Economy & Finance, The Republic of Ivory Coast

Fiona Korwin-Pawloski
US Campaign Manager
Global Citizen, Global Poverty Project

Daniel McKee
Chief Executive Officer
Insomniac Designs

Dr. Anne Mungai & Dr. George Mungai
Founders
The Caroline Wambui Mungai Foundation

Paul Newnham
Global Youth Engagement Director
World Vision International

To attend the event, please register here.