Goldman Sachs quickly rebrands 'Storm the Hill' event scheduled for D.C. next week
Goldman Sachs has been forced to rebrand its unfortunately named ‘Storm the Hill’ conference scheduled for D.C. next week in light of Trump supporters on Wednesday violently breaking into the U.S. Capitol.
The company quickly remarketed the virtual event, created to urge lawmakers to provide more aid and resources to small business owners, on Thursday after four Trump rioters died in the clashes and a Capitol cop was left on life support.
The bank also called to attendants not to wear the ‘Storm the Hill’ t-shirts they had distributed in the mail beforehand, as the name of the January 13 event was changed to Virtual Capitol Hill Day.
Goldman had used the slogan as a rallying cry for thousands of small business owners to virtually descend on the Capitol to call for further economic relief strong the pandemic.
Goldman Sachs has rebranded its ‘Storm the Hill’ even scheduled for next week after Wednesday’s violent scenes as Trump supporters rioted through the building
Goldman had used the slogan as a rallying cry for thousands of small business owners to virtually descend on the Capitol to call for further economic relief strong the pandemic
CEO David Solomon had been among the financial leaders to immediately speak out against the violence on Wednesday as he claimed in a statement that Americans need to ‘begin reinvesting’ in democracy and start to rebuild U.S. institutions.
‘For years, our democracy has built a reservoir of goodwill around the world that brings important benefits for our citizens,’ Solomon said.
‘Recently, we have squandered that goodwill at a rapid pace, and today’s attack on the U.S. Capitol does further damage. It’s time for all Americans to come together and move forward with a peaceful transition of power.’
CEO David Solomon, pictured above, had condemned the violence on Wednesday
Solomon has also previously congratulated Joe Biden on his win in the election
The event being sponsored by Goldman Sachs in D.C. next week is set to offer the opportunity for small business owners to meet with lawmakers, and participants include graduates of the bank’s entrepreneur-training program called 10,000 Small Businesses.
In a memo sent on Thursday to attendees, the company explained that the slogan was initially chosen ‘to represent our enthusiasm to take part in a democratic process to advocate for small business’.
‘If you have other 10,000 Small Businesses apparel, we would encourage you to wear it,’ the memo added, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The bank has been involved in lobbying on behalf of small business owners for rent and child-care assistance and favorable tax treatment for emergency pandemic loans that have kept their businesses running despite the shutdowns.
It is also pushing for liability protection as employees return to work with the nation’s outbreak still worsening.
‘On June 9th -11th, 2,100 small business owners joined the 10,000 Small Businesses Voices Virtual Capitol Hill Week to connect with Members of Congress through 434 online meetings to make their voices heard on Capitol Hill,’ the event’s website states.
‘Participants also attended programming on topics such as adapting to a new operating environment, preparing for a phased re-opening, and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities.’
Ahead of the conference, on Tuesday Goldman had 10,000 ‘Help Still Wanted’ signs on the lawn of Capitol Hill as they continued with its plea.
Solomon was also in D.C. this week where he met with small business owners and predicted that they will survive the current storm.
On Tuesday Goldman had 10,000 ‘Help Still Wanted’ signs on the lawn of Capitol Hill as part of its push for lawmakers to offer more support for small businesses during the pandemic
‘A lot o
f small businesses have had to make some investment in digitization and technology to connect to their customers more digitally than directly,’ Solomon said, according to Axios.
‘Some of that will last and will help their businesses.
‘I think that there’s probably a good chance we’re going to need more to help us get to the light at the end of the tunnel and get past the pandemic,’ he added.
‘My guess is we’ll have to do a little bit more.’
There have now been four fatalities linked to the breach of the U.S. Capitol yesterday, as lawmakers have questioned how law enforcement had not prepared for the large crowds descending on D.C. given that Trump had been promoting the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally for weeks.
As of Thursday night, a Capitol police officer is also on life support after allegedly being hit with a fire extinguisher and suffering a stroke.
