HOUSTON, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA Compass is opening doors to Main Street, launching its Great Ideas for Small Business Social Series this morning in San Antonio to give small business owners the opportunity to network with other entrepreneurs and learn from industry experts.

The seminar series, which debuted in 2014, is part of the bank's sustained effort to reach out to small businesses. BBVA Compass will host seminars throughout the year in 10 key markets across the bank's Sunbelt footprint, with each event featuring a meet-and-greet, a networking session and a brief presentation by experts on select business topics. Today's event, at small business resource center Cafe Commerce in San Antonio, gave attendees a lesson on the power of social media and offered insight into accessing business capital.

"We created the seminars as a way to offer small business owners the resources and knowledge needed to continue to grow their businesses," said BBVA Compass Small Business Director Elizabeth Dobers. "Our goal is to become a partner for entrepreneurs who need more than just financial resources to flourish."

At the event, BBVA Compass Small Business Executive Director Lonnie Hayes offered insight into the current lending climate, loan application processes and conventional, SBA and alternative financing options. In addition, BBVA Compass Social Media Channel Manager Katie Gulas talked about using popular social networks for customer service and marketing to potential clients.

"Social media is a critical tool for many small businesses and cash flow is an always present concern for entrepreneurs, so both made for great topics for the year's first seminar," said Dobers. "We set out to give attendees a complete financial education around lending and credit while also showcasing social media as a cost-effective way to reach customers and engage with communities on a very personal level."

During the seminar, best practices and success strategies were also shared with small business owners not in the audience via the #GIFSB hashtag on Twitter. The #GIFSB hashtag will be used during all of the seminars, giving all entrepreneurs a chance to see what the bank's experts are saying and to submit their own questions.

The Great Ideas for Small Business Social Series also features an ongoing digital conversation with small business owners. Information from each seminar, along with additional tips and resources, will be accessible via BBVA Compass' Facebook page, Twitter handle and Great Ideas for Small Business Social Series website during and following each event.

Future Great Ideas for Small Business Social Series events, which will be held between now and October, are currently being planned in the following markets:

• Austin, Texas
• Birmingham, Ala.
• Dallas
• Denver
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Houston
• Jacksonville, Fla.
• Phoenix
• San Diego, Calif.

Small business owners and entrepreneurs interested in attending the seminars can find out more about upcoming events at http://www.bbvacompass.com/go/gifsb.

About BBVA Group

BBVA Compass is a subsidiary of BBVA Compass Bancshares Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) (MAD: BBVA). BBVA is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a solid position in Spain, is the largest financial institution in Mexico and has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt region of the United States. Its diversified business is geared toward high-growth markets and 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. The Group is present in the main sustainability indexes. More information about the BBVA Group can be found at www.bbva.com.

About BBVA Compass

BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 672 branches, including 341 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 77 in Arizona, 62 in California, 45 in Florida, 38 in Colorado and 20 in New Mexico, and commercial and private client offices throughout the U.S. 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 (5th). BBVA Compass earned the top ranking with customers in American Banker's 2014 annual reputation survey of the top 25 largest U.S. retail banks. It also has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration and in 2014 ranked 12th nationally in total SBA loan volume. Additional information about BBVA Compass can be found at www.bbvacompass.com, by following @BBVACompassNews on Twitter or visiting newsroom.bbvacompass.com. 

Editor's Note:
BBVA Compass is a trade name of Compass Bank.

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SOURCE BBVA Compass