Deep connections, help D.C. small businesses succeed

Jimmie Drummond found his calling as a teenager. He went to a three-week architecture summer camp and never looked back. Today, his architecture and design studio Drummond Projects regularly wins accolades, awards, and contracts for some of the most prestigious builds in and around his hometown, Washington, D.C.

And yet despite his knowledge and talent when it came to design, Drummond spent years struggling with the tedious day-to-day logistics of running his business. Drummond’s finances flowed through "typical checking and savings accounts,” rather than the multiple accounts that managing his growing company demanded. Then he started working with Jazzmine Jackson, a Business Relationship Manager at JPMorganChase. With her help, he diversified his banking portfolio – and improved his financial acumen.

“We've got a payroll account. We’ve got the back pocket one, as we call it. We've got the credit card account, we've got the CD account, and then I've got my personal accounts,” Drummond says. “It just made our accounting flow a bit easier. It’s a recipe for success that feels like you've got more ingredients than just salt and pepper. You’ve got a little bit of cayenne; you’ve got a little bit of garlic. You can make something a little more flavorful. My financial literacy has definitely increased.”

Lending a hand to D.C.’s business leaders

Every day, more than 260,000 people head off to work at a D.C. small business —about half of the District’s workforce, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. But, as Michael Barr, a governor of the Federal Reserve System, pointed out in a recent speech, it’s common for small businesses to face a knowledge and skills gap. “Many entrepreneurs and small business owners start their firms without the range of financial and management skills needed to run a successful business.”

One way to help close that gap is by bringing on a strong financial advisor who can offer wisdom and provide access to the products and services that help small businesses succeed. In Drummond’s case, his inspiration and help came from JPMorganChase and Jackson. Jackson initially helped him transfer his business accounts from another bank, then she became a trusted resource as he set up his firm for success.

There are days when Drummond reaches out to her multiple times for advice and help. Jackson says this type of service is something she and her colleagues strive to deliver for all their clients.

“I like to position myself as a valuable asset,” Jackson says. “I ask them, ‘what do you really need? Let me help you talk through it. Let me be that quarterback player for businesses, whether it be strategy, cash flow, employees, or real estate.’ I try to be intentional with all my clients. I want to understand their background, I want to understand their family. I want to understand the whys and the intentionality behind what they do. JPMorganChase gives us the support to service our clients with excellence.”

Jackson stays abreast of current economic trends and conditions and is constantly trying to look ahead for her clients. In addition to striving to make sure they have the right banking products, she offers her customers supplementary tools and resources that we make available.

Drummond Projects is only one of the more than 100,000 small businesses that JPMorganChase supports in the greater D.C. region, offering access to financial tools, educational resources, and mentorship. Since 2019, we’ve provided more than $12.7M in support for business growth and entrepreneurship initiatives.

Creating a chain reaction of achievements

Our commitment to our customers allows small businesses to do more of what they do best instead of putting that time into mundane financial tasks. Before working with Jackson, for instance, Drummond often struggled with handling incoming payments. His firm accepts more than ten payment types from its partners, customers, and suppliers across the globe, and figuring out how to process them was a challenge. Now, Drummond can simply pick up his phone whenever he needs help.

“When there is a hiccup, I can reach out to Jazzmine and the problem just dissolves. It gives us tremendous confidence to be able to tell our clients, ‘I’ll get right back to you,’ and be able to follow through. Our firm is only ten people, but with help from JPMorganChase it appears as though we’re 50,” Drummond says.

Successful business relationships like the one between Drummond Projects and JPMorganChase have created ripples throughout the region. As his projects spring up across the D.C. area, he’s helping his clients grow, too. The work he does bringing schools, restaurants, housing developments, mixed use projects, and cultural spaces to life translates into new jobs and places to live, work, and eat. This means a lot to Drummond, who focuses on creating spaces that reflect the needs and history of the community where he works. This mirrors JPMorganChase’s commitment to strengthening the local economy. We help foster a network of small business owners who can learn from each other, partner with each other, and often improve each other’s bottom lines. Earlier this year Drummond connected one of his design clients, chef and culinary expert Eric Adjepong, with us. After working with Jackson, Adjepong secured financing for a new project.

“When I told Jazzmine the context – what Eric needed – the project went from, ‘Alright, are we going to stall here or are we going to keep rising?’ And it did just that. He is connected to the same financial support that we’ve been getting from JPMorganChase. Fast-forward, that project was almost a million-dollar buildup.”

 Adjepong’s new Ghanaian restaurant, Elmina, opened earlier this year to rave reviews.

This is only a small portion of what we are bringing to the Washington D.C. area. We are expanding in the region, and our commitment extends beyond traditional banking services to include targeted investments in underserved communities.

Going forward, we will continue to go the extra mile for our customers and the greater D.C. area, something Drummond says makes him proud to be a customer, too. “It lets me know that we're not alone. We’re all in this together.”

JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. The testimonials are the sole opinions or experiences of those featured and not those of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. or any of its affiliates. These opinions or experiences may not be representative of what all may achieve. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. or any of its affiliates are not liable for decisions made or actions taken in reliance on any of the testimonial information provided.