Bank of Labor's Sandra Olivas Recognized as the Minority Business Advocate of the Year by the Kansas Department of Commerce

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Oct. 18, 2017 - PRLog -- The Kansas Department of Commerce's Office of Minority and Women Business Development announced that Bank of Labor's Sandra Olivas was named the Minority Business Advocate of the Year. The recognition was for her contribution in supporting the growth of minority-owned and women-owned businesses.

Olivas is the Small Business Development Officer at Bank of Labor and fosters community partnerships to assist business clients beyond the banking services available. Olivas, who is also bilingual, actively connects entrepreneurs with local organizations, training programs and professional networks.

Some examples of Olivas led endeavors that earned client praise, includes:

•     Offering a 5-week Spanish Quick Books program with small business owners to improve their accounting, invoicing and end-of-year financial reporting and was the only Kansas bank doing so.

•     Hosting Google experts to provide free workshops for small business owners to improve their online presence and access website analytics to understand their web traffic and make improvements.

•     Cooperating with Community Housing of Wyandotte County, to hold an educational luncheon to educate contractors on CHWC bid process and opportunities. Subsequently some attendees were awarded CHWC contracts.

•     Partnering with El Centro Inc., a non-profit community agengy, to host free Spanish OSHA Training seminar for construction contractor clients to learn about safety standards and best practices to minimize workplace accidents.

Bank of Labor client, Raul  Villegas, President of Soccer Nation stated, "Bank of Labor has been more than a bank for our business. They have become a trusted partner of El Padrino Soccer and Soccer Nation. Bank of Labor has been with us, hand-in-hand, assisting in the growth of our business. [Our partnership] has helped meet the needs of our community. Together with the Consulate of Mexico we held a health fair and the first bilingual College Fair completely free for our youth".

As a volunteer member of the Olathe Latino Coalition, Olivas offered workshops and bilingual experts to discuss a range of topics to educate and support Bank of Labor's small business customers.

"We are proud of the commitment and success Sandra has had helping small businesses, in particular the range of connections she has made to help minority and women-owned businesses excel," said Bank of Labor's President, Robert McCall. "As a community bank, she embodies the culture and passion we encourage by going above and beyond to help fuel client successes."

"I am honored to work with these entrepreneurs who inspire me to be the best I can. While many people recognize me from my past career in television, helping the community and business owners is even more rewarding," said Olivas. "Connecting clients with helpful tools and expertise give these small business owners the boost and confidence they need to make their business plans a reality."

About Bank of Labor

Bank of Labor, also known as Brotherhood Bank, was chartered in 1924 to provide banking services, loans and financial expertise to support the success and growth of the small business community.  Since that time, the bank has demonstrated a strong commitment to serving, educating and doing "whatever it takes" to be a trusted financial community partner in Kansas locations including Kansas City, Olathe and Shawnee areas.  As these areas have evolved, Bank of Labor has been a leader in bringing bankers to better serve the diversity of our small business community.