Advanta signed Bill Rancic, a successful business owner and recent winner of the hit television series, The Apprentice, to serve as its corporate spokesperson.
Advanta issues business credit cards to America's small businesses through its subsidiary Advanta Bank Corporation.
"Advanta is the only financial services company focused exclusively on the needs of small business owners and Bill represents a new generation of entrepreneurs," said Dennis Alter, Chairman and CEO of Advanta. "He is a dynamic, passionate and intelligent business leader who embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and drive that makes business owners unique. He is a reflection of the great American dream to run a business and is someone who will represent our company very well. As an Advanta card holder, he is representative of the type of entrepreneur we help everyday."
This is the first corporate spokesperson agreement for Rancic, an entrepreneur who launched a cigar business out of his studio apartment and grew it into a successful global company. Last spring, Rancic won the televised competition on "The Apprentice," which was one of the highest-rated television series of the year. The hit series tapped into the entrepreneurial dreams of millions of young Americans and has sparked renewed interest in people who own their own businesses.
"Advanta began as a small business and its appreciation for the hopes and dreams of business owners attracted me to the company," said Rancic. "Advanta provides resources, experience and expertise to entrepreneurs and small businesses that helps them start, manage and grow their companies."
Small businesses represent a vibrant portion of the U.S. economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses provide approximately 75 percent of the net new jobs added to the economy; represent 99.7 percent of all employers; employ 50.1 percent of the private work force; and provide 40.9 percent of private sales in the country.
Rancic will be an ambassador for Advanta in public appearances, media interviews, marketing and promotional campaigns. He will be promoting the features and benefits of the company's credit card.
The relationship between Rancic and Advanta grew from a meeting between Rancic and Alter at the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Expo in Orlando, Florida in May, where both men were speaking to the business owners in attendance.
Rancic said he was immediately drawn to Advanta after hearing the story of the founding of Advanta by Dennis Alter's father Jack, who had been a teacher. Jack Alter established Advanta, then known as Teachers Service Organization, with $30 in seed money and a vision to provide loans to other teachers, a group which typically had difficulty in obtaining loans from traditional banks.
"My own father, the person I admire most, was an educator who served as a superintendent of schools for 20 years before becoming a college professor," Rancic said. "Because of its origins, I was able to immediately identify with Advanta. I continue to be impressed by its mission to help give small business owners a fighting chance. This corporation has not forgotten what it is like to be a small or start-up business."
Advanta focuses on the small business market and related community.
In Bill Rancic's new book and CD, You're Hired : How to succeed in life and business from the Winner of The Apprentice, Bill discusses the secret for success in his personal and professional life.