Arbor’s Tree Planting Program Spans Four Decades and Two Continents

Arbor is proud to have planted thousands of trees in the past 40 years – more than 13,000 in the past two years alone – and we’re still going strong. Since day one, Arbor’s focus on community-building, which grew from the forward-thinking vision of Founder, Chairman and CEO Ivan Kaufman, has defined the company’s direction and driven its philanthropic activities.

Arbor’s Trees Have Been Planted Across the U.S. and Israel

Trees have been at the core of our brand since Kaufman announced a contest in the mid-1980s to allow employees to select a new name for American Mortgage Banking, as Arbor was previously known. By definition, an arbor is a structure, traditionally built of wood, that stands tall and strong and provides shade and shelter despite constant change around it. Arbor won the vote and inspired the new name of Kaufman’s company, which places a high value on long-term client relationships.

Arbor’s tree planting program initially gave every client a tree when they closed a loan. The program has since evolved to donating trees to organizations such as the National Forest Foundation and the Jewish National Fund.

“We want to be more targeted in our donations to ensure that we’re giving trees to areas where they’re needed so that we can reinforce reforestation efforts that we believe in,” said Leah Fisher, SVP, Special Projects, Governance and Risk and Arbor’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) task force lead.

Since Arbor began partnering with the National Forest Foundation and the Jewish National Fund in 2021, 11,000 trees have been planted domestically and 2,200 trees in the State of Israel. The trees are native to the areas where they are planted, and donations continue to this day.

Inaugural Arbor Green Campaign Kicks Off

Thanks to our early employees’ choice of a company name, Arbor has a direct connection to a nationally celebrated holiday, Arbor Day, observed annually on April 28, during a month focused on raising awareness for environmentally-friendly causes.

The inaugural Arbor Green Campaign kicked off in April 2023, and builds upon and furthers Arbor’s existing efforts and commitments to the environment and our communities.

The campaign includes a combination of internal and external activities designed to grow employee engagement and inclusion and increase awareness of volunteer programs and green financing options that Arbor offers. Arbor has planned volunteer opportunities and Arbor Day celebrations in several office locations across the country, which include no-cost admission to the Arbor Day Festival at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, New York on April 29-30 and a volunteer day installing tree shelters at Tifft Nature Preserve in Buffalo, New York on May 18. An internal giveaway supporting Smile Farms and the New York Botanical Garden will offer prizes with a purpose to employees.

During April and all year round, Arbor is proud to embrace the Arbor Day spirit by promoting sustainable practices and products among our employees, clients, and partners!

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