Houston Rockets and BBVA Compass announce Buy On Purpose as its 2018 Small Business opportunity winner

HOUSTON, June 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA Compass and the Houston Rockets today announced Buy On Purpose as the winner of the Small Business Opportunity Contest, awarding them the top prize of $10,000.

Buy On Purpose, located on the northside of Houston, sells office supplies and delivers orders the next business day. The company then donates 50 percent of its profits to organizations around the world that fight human trafficking and ensure clean water supplies for communities in need, among other causes.

"The opportunity for a life with basic human rights is a precious commodity," said BBVA Compass Houston CEO Mark Montgomery. "There were so many worthy candidates for our top prize, but this company has an extremely unique story, and uses business savvy to pay it forward and help people all over the world. I commend the fans for voting for a small business that is transcending regular day-to-day operations and doing extraordinary things." 

Simon Lee, the company's founder and president, began Buy On Purpose after multiple mission trips around the world in the late 90s and early 2000s, where he says he found his calling to help others. The company began operations in 2004, after his father and mother gave him startup money in support of his cause.

"We are so grateful for BBVA Compass and the Houston Rockets to promote small businesses in Houston," said Lee. "Thank you to all who voted for us and supported us over the years!"

As part of their winnings, Lee and his company will receive $10,000, lunch with Rockets executives and consultation sessions with BBVA Compass and Rockets representatives. Other prizes include tickets to a future Rockets game next season and social media promotions on bank and team channels.

"Congratulations to Mr. Lee and Buy on Purpose on winning this year's BBVA Compass Small Business Opportunity Contest," said Rockets Chief Revenue Officer Gretchen Sheirr.  "The Houston Rockets take tremendous pride in giving back to our community, so it was great seeing all of the local businesses who submitted for the contest doing the same."

The BBVA Compass Small Business Opportunity contest gave small business owners a chance to submit their entry in early May, detailing the nature of their operation, how they give back to the community, and what they would do with the winnings in order to grow their business. After the submission period ended, all entries were reviewed by a panel of judges, the submission field was narrowed down to four finalists, and fans voted for the winner online. 

To learn more about BBVA Compass, visit: www.bbvacompass.com

For more news visit: www.bbva.com and newsroom.bbvacompass.com

About BBVA Group
BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in Mexico, it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States; and it is also the leading shareholder in Garanti, Turkey's biggest bank for market capitalization. Its diversified business is focused on high-growth markets and it relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. More information about BBVA Group can be found at bbva.com.

About BBVA Compass
BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 649 branches, including 336 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 63 in Arizona, 61 in California, 45 in Florida, 37 in Colorado and 18 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (6th). BBVA Compass has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and ranked 6th nationally in the total number of SBA loans originated in fiscal year 2017. Additional information about BBVA Compass can be found at www.bbvacompass.com. For more BBVA Compass news, follow @BBVACompassNews on Twitter or visit newsroom.bbvacompass.com.

SOURCE BBVA Compass

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