News
JPMorganChase ‘not a fair-weather friend,’ CEO Jamie Dimon says at Linden branch
By Carrie Ghose
Columbus Business First
A few bemused customers walked into JPMorganChase’s Northern Lights branch Wednesday and found themselves in a semicircle of cameras and microphones from every news outlet in Central Ohio.
JPMorganChase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon was en route to cut the ribbon on the 19th branch nationwide redesigned on a community center model. When he walked in, he beelined to shake hands and chat with branch and Columbus market employees of the nation’s largest bank.
“We’re here permanently,” Dimon told reporters. “JPMorgan is not a fair-weather friend. A lot of the people hired here are local.
“Over time, it lifts up the community. It brings more income here, more small businesses here.”
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The center opened in August, but the ceremony was moved to coincide with Dimon’s visit to Columbus. The day’s itinerary included headlining Columbus Business First’s Power Breakfast and a town hall with employees at the McCoy Center in the Polaris area.
“Smart business minds know the more customers you touch, the greater your profits,” said Stephanie Hightower, CEO of Columbus Urban League. “It’s entirely consistent for Chase to set out a welcome mat.”
Reducing the poverty cap between white, non-Hispanic people and people of color would greatly add to Central Ohio’s GDP and employment, she said at the event, citing a recent study the league commissioned from Regionomics LLC.