Spring Bank is supporting the growth of small businesses and startups in the Bronx through a partnership with the Business Outreach Center, a CDFI-certified small-business development organization. In the summer of 2014, Spring Bank wrote a letter of credit to help the Business Outreach Center secure the lease for the Bronx Business Incubator, a new space for entrepreneurs to conduct business, engage in workshops and network with peers. “[A] majority of small businesses get their first loans from community banks," said Demetris Giannoulias, founder and chairman of Spring Bank. "It's fun to meet people and hear them talk passionately about something that they're working on and to be able to be a part of it. That's the great thing about being a banker."