NEW ORLEANS, LA -- Liberty Bank & Trust Company and Alden J. McDonald, President & CEO will serve as host of the Annual Liberty Bank Business Networking Golf Tournament which will take place on Saturday, July 7, 2007, from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm, at the TPC Louisiana golf course in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Liberty Bank and Trust Company, established in 1972, is one of the five largest African-American owned financial institutions in the United States. This networking event is designed to foster the development of mutually beneficial relationships among business people who are participating in the recovery of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region.

This tournament is being held during the same weekend of the Essence Music Festival which brings thousands of visitors to New Orleans. "Networking is an essential component for any business, especially entrepreneurs. Our goals is to provide a forum in which business leaders have the opportunity to interact and identify potential markets both locally and internationally in an informal setting. Holding this event while so many corporate leaders will be visiting our city makes good business sense" says McDonald.

Located just twenty minutes from downtown New Orleans, TPC Louisiana 7.520 yard, 18-hole, stadium styled golf course was designed by world renowned golf course architect Pete Dye with the assistance of PGA TOUR Players, Steve Elkington and Kelly Gibson. The Tournament Players Club of Louisiana was created to not only to challenge the top golfers of the world but to also provide a challenging and fun experience for player of all calibers. Following the tournament, golfer will continue to network while enjoying New Orleans' jazz trumpeter Marlon Jordan and dining on southern cuisine in the well appointed TPC Grille Clubhouse.

For only $1,200 per foursome, golfers get to enjoy a "PGA TOUR Experience," exchange business information, ideas, and support in an irreplaceable atmosphere while sharing insight on how to benefit from New Orleans' "cultural economy" and explore opportunities to participate in the recovery of the Gulf Coast. Golfers are asked to register their team in advance by contacting Ann Marie Allen at 504-240-5161. (Note: In an effort to encourage team play, the rate for individual golfers is $325 each.)

Fee includes:

Green & Cart Fees
Practice Balls
Personalized Cart Signs
Personalized Scorecards
Contest Hole Management / Awards & Prizes
Welcome Rules Sheet
Bag Handling Gratuity
Scoring Summary
Liberty Bank Gift Bag
Clubhouse Jazz Buffet

Event Schedule:

7:30 am - Morning Workout
8:30 am - Shotgun Start
1:00 pm - Clubhouse Jazz Buffet & Award Presentation

Directions to Course from Downtown: Take the Greater New Orleans Bridge over the Mississippi River to the Westbank Expressway (US Highway 90). Stay on Highway 90 passing through Marrero and Westwego. Continue driving until you reach the light at Segnette Boulevard, the traffic light adjacent to the Alario Center. Take a left onto Segnette Boulevard ( Alario Center) continuing to the first traffic light at Lapalco Boulevard. Take a right onto Lapalco Boulevard and the Club will be 1½ miles on the left.

Proceeds will go to The Liberty Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 non-profit corporation which was organized by Liberty Bank and Trust Company in 1993 to facilitate the bank's philanthropic housing and education initiatives including, but not limited to, assisting in the implementation and support of community-based endeavors that are designed to improve the quality of life, expand access to secondary and higher education, and to increase the availability of affordable housing in the New Orleans and Baton Rouge areas of Louisiana and in Jackson, Mississippi.

As chairman of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, McDonald has helped lead the post- Katrina rebuilding effort by example: Liberty is enjoying its most profitable year ever, despite having lost half its branches from the devastation of hurricane Katrina. Liberty Bank intends remain an integral participant in efforts to rebuild New Orleans and its surrounding communities.

McDonald is nationally recognized as a dynamic catalyst in the movement of minority businesses into the mainstream economy. He was one of only two African Americans named to Fortune Magazine's highly regarded "Portraits of Power" list for 2006 which profiled some of the most powerful people in business for 2006 and their impact on the global market.

The mission of Liberty Bank is to provide cost- effective delivery of high quality, innovative, customer- driven products and services to the diverse markets with particular focus on the disadvantaged African- American community who traditionally have been financially underserved. Concurrent with the bank's mission, Liberty strive to generate a fair return to shareholders while being an excellent corporate citizen.

The Essence Musical Festival is not affiliated with this event.