WC Smith welcomed DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon and local elected and community leaders to the grand opening of the Chase Bank branch at Skyland Town Center.
Only the third Chase branch bank to open east of the Anacostia River, the Skyland location is far more than a branch – it is a community center, the first in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and one of 11 such centers Chase has opened to date. Chase has 4,800 branches nationwide.
In addition to offering traditional banking services, the Skyland Chase branch will help Ward 7 and 8 residents and local small businesses realize a better financial future through free financial health and home buying workshops, business mentoring, skills training, and fintech solutions.
The branch features a community room for area residents and nonprofit organizations to use, as well as free WiFi.
Brian Atkins, a Ward 8 resident, was hired for a new role of community manager to promote and connect residents to the resources and tools available at the bank. Atkins has organized financial health workshops with local groups such as National Association for the Advancement of Returning Citizens (NAARC), Martha’s Table, and Congress Heights Community Training and Development Corp.
Also available is a new Chase program aimed at boosting minority small business growth. Entrepreneurs are paired with a consultant who provides three to six months of advisory services such as mentoring, business development coaching, and financial planning to help strengthen sustainable business growth.
Wards 7 and 8 will also have access to a full-time community home lending manager focused on helping more Black, Hispanic and Latino consumers navigate the home buying process and become homeowners.
Chase’s Dimon noted that the bank is “excited to continue investing in Greater Washington because we see business, government and community leaders working across state and city lines toward a common goal of creating economic opportunity for more people.”
Bowser added that, by opening at Skyland Town Center, Chase will help the community take advantage of the services and amenities the development has to offer.
Chase and CVS have opened at Skyland. Over the next year a Lidl grocery store, Starbucks, barber shop and nail salon, and several restaurants are slated to open. The Crest, a 263-unit residential building, opened in April.
