OnDeck & Minor League Baseball Honor Local Business Virtuoso Landscaping with 'Small Business of the Month Award' at Akron RubberDucks Game

NEW YORK, July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- OnDeck^®, a leading platform for small business lending, along with Minor League Baseball™, America's leader for affordable family entertainment, announced today that Akron, Ohio-based Virtuoso Landscaping has received the Small Business of the Month Award. OnDeck launched the award program in partnership with Minor League Baseball to recognize small businesses that are making a positive impact in their local communities. In addition to throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at tomorrow's Akron RubberDucks game, Virtuoso Landscaping owner Rodrigo "Rod" Costa will be presented with the award on-field prior to the start of the game.

After many years of doing landscaping as a side job, Rod established Virtuoso Landscaping in Akron, Ohio, in 2005 to provide commercial and residential maintenance and landscaping to more than 200 customers per year in the greater Akron area. Since then, the company has grown to employ as many as seven full-time employees and as many as 17 full-time and part-time employees during the busy seasons. The company also subcontracts work out to seven different companies in the Akron area.

"We created our Small Business of the Month Award program to recognize small businesses that are serving their local communities and creating jobs – and Virtuoso Landscaping is a natural fit," said Andrea Gellert, chief marketing officer, OnDeck. "Rod's passion for his business and Akron is what differentiated Virtuoso during our review process, and we're thrilled to give his business this additional exposure among his most important audience."

Costa will receive 10 VIP tickets to the July 23 RubberDucks game, an on-field photo opportunity and will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. OnDeck's Chief Legal Officer Cory Kampfer will join Costa on the mound and will also discuss the award during the nationally-televised broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

"I couldn't think of a better place to start a business than in Akron, and I think it's great that OnDeck has this award to recognize business owners like me," said Rod Costa, owner, Virtuoso Landscaping. "I relish the small-town feel of Akron and enjoy seeing my customers at the grocery store, birthday parties and restaurants. We're looking forward to showcasing Virtuoso's success among many of our neighbors and customers at tomorrow's RubberDucks game."

Virtuoso Landscaping joins select small businesses from throughout the U.S. who will be recognized by OnDeck and Minor League Baseball across more than 20 activation clubs this season. OnDeck is hosting Small Business of the Month Award contests on Facebook throughout the season. To apply, visit OnDeck's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OnDeckCapital.

OnDeck is 100 percent focused on small business with $2 billion in critical growth capital deployed nationwide. In Ohio, OnDeck has delivered more than $68 million to 1,870 small businesses.

About OnDeck
OnDeck, a leading platform for small business loans, is committed to increasing Main Street's access to capital. OnDeck uses advanced lending technology and analytics to assess creditworthiness based on actual operating performance and not solely on personal credit. The OnDeck Score®, the company's proprietary small business credit scoring system, evaluates thousands of data points to deliver a credit decision rapidly and accurately. Small businesses can apply for a line of credit or term loan online in minutes, get a decision immediately and receive funds in as fast as the same day. OnDeck also partners with small business service providers, enabling them to connect their customers to OnDeck financing. OnDeck's diversified loan funding strategy enables the company to fund small business loans from various credit facilities, securitization and the OnDeck Marketplace^®, a platform that enables institutional investors to purchase small business loans originated by OnDeck. 

Since 2007, OnDeck has deployed more than $2 billion to more than 700 different industries in all 50 U.S. states, and also makes small business loans in Canada. The company has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and operates the website BusinessLoans.com which provides credit education and information about small business financing. On December 17, 2014, OnDeck started trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information, please visit www.ondeck.com and follow OnDeck on Twitter @OnDeckCapital.

About Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, is the governing body for all professional baseball teams in the United States, Canada, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs through their farm systems. Fans are coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Minor League Baseball ballparks. In 2014, Minor League Baseball attracted 42.4 million fans to its ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable family-friendly entertainment to people of all ages since its founding in 1901. For more information about Minor League Baseball, visit www.MiLB.com. 

Media Contact
Michael McGinn
FleishmanHillard
212.453.2046
[email protected]

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SOURCE OnDeck

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