Current News at JGB JGB Enterprises, Inc. Proudly Announces its Title Sponsorship of the 2008 JGB Syracuse Jazz Fest

JGB Enterprises, Inc. Proudly Announces its Title Sponsorship of the 2008JGB Syracuse Jazz Fest

For immediate release: April 2, 2008 Danica Bryant (315) 470-1903 / SCVB	Contact information Frank Malfitano (315) 437-5627 / syracusejazzfest.com JGB Enterprises, Inc. (315) 451-2770 / jgbhose.com

Liverpool, N.Y..... Central New York-based JGB Enterprises proudly announcesits title sponsorship of the 2008 JGB Syracuse Jazz Fest, which will be stagedon the campus of Onondaga Community College this June 27th and 28th. Thismarks the twenty-sixth year for "The largest free jazz festival in theNortheast," and the first year JGB Enterprises has served as Title Sponsorfor the popular annual summertime event.

Since 1982, Jazz Fest has been a beloved cultural and community treasurefor Central New Yorkers. Eighty thousand people attended the festival lastyear, and millions have attended it over the past quarter century. Duringthat time, the festival has been able to showcase performances by the world’stop jazz, soul, pop, rhythm and blues, gospel and funk artists year afteryear. Having presented major internationally renowned artists and big namestars for the past twenty-six years, the festival is a critically acclaimed,award-winning, and internationally recognized world-class event that hasplaced Syracuse on the international map in the entertainment and music industry.

The festival is always great fun and highly memorable. “It’s like an annualfamily reunion, homecoming event and party for gazillions of folks. And,it’s a very special experience for everyone who visits and attends, and foranyone who lives here,” says festival founder and director, Frank Malfitano.

The festival presents the region in an extremely positive light, attractingthousands of music lovers and new visitors to the Central New York regioneach June from throughout the Northeast and Canada, and the New York Citymetropolitan area. Many of them stay for the entire weekend, bringing untoldthousands of dollars in tourism revenues to the city and county each summer.
The festival also includes a jazz education and mentoring program for youngmusic students and scholastic band directors in the CNY region. The programhas received four international awards since 2001 for outstanding serviceto music education.

JGB founder and CEO, Jay Bernhardt, read about the festival’s uncertainfate last year in the Syracuse newspapers and decided to step in. “Giventhe vast importance of this event to the community, we simply could not standby and let it die,” says Bernhardt. “So many people put so much effort intomaking Syracuse and Central New York such a great place to live, work, dobusiness, and play. The Jazz Fest is an important part of those efforts.It is something that this community has always loved and enjoyed. It is oneof the most important cultural events in our region. It is something thatwe as a community can and should be very proud of. I am therefore extremelyhappy that the employees of JGB Enterprises, my family, and I could stepin to work with Frank Malfitano and all the others behind the scenes, includingcommunity leaders and the other corporate sponsors, to make sure that theevent this year is as great as ever.”

“If it weren’t for JGB Enterprises, there would be no Jazz Fest this year,plain and simple,” says Malfitano. “We were out of business until JGB steppedinto the picture and rescued us. All of our major sponsorships reached fullmaturity last year at the 25th anniversary festival. And since we’re almostcompletely dependent on corporate sponsors to cover the costs associatedwith running the festival and maintaining its free admission policy, JGB’sleadership, unparalleled sponsorship commitment, and amazing philanthropicgesture paved the way for subsequent commitments in 2008 from Onondaga County,Onondaga Community College, and other longtime corporate sponsors includingPrice Chopper, National Grid and Onondaga Beverage. Thanks to JGB, we havean amazing festival planned, the tradition continues, and the party is on.”

#   #   #   #

JGB Enterprises, Inc. is a leading supplier of military and industrial products throughout the United States and abroad. Founded in 1977 by Chief Executive Officer Jay Bernhardt, the company supplies industrial and hydraulic hoses for commercial clients and the U.S. military. JGB serviced over 4,000 military contract awards last year, including one with the U.S. Air Force for a drinking water system to purify and pump water for deployed troops. The company is one of the top ten military contractors in the Northeast. A diverse worldwide customer base includes fire-equipment manufacturers, oil companies, and dairy processors. JGB employs 250 people, 210 of whom are in Central New York. The company has four other branch offices in the U.S. Repeatedly recognized by the Central New York Business Journal as one of the fastest-growing companies in Central New York, JGB is one of a group of large companies in the region that serves as the “collective engine” to pull the area’s economy. JGB’s corporate Community Giving program made donations to nineteen local charitable organizations last year.  For more information, visit www.jgbhose.com or call 315-451-2770.

#    #    #    #