Founders Gala

At the request of Commerce School Dean Warner, Sidhu took a meeting with the Chair of the Wilkes Board of Trustees, Reese Jones, CEO of First Valley Bank in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Jones convinced Sidhu to forgo another job opportunity and instead enter the financial services industry.

Wilkes was integral to launching Sidhu’s amazing 50-plus-year career in banking.

In the mid-1980s, Sidhu became CEO of a very small, troubled bank, renaming it Sovereign Bancorp, Inc. and growing the organization into a Fortune 500 company. From Sovereign's Initial Public Offering (IPO) of just $12 million, he grew the firm to a market capitalization approaching $12 billion, making it the seventeenth largest banking institution in the country with more than $90 billion in assets by 2006, when it was sold to Banco Santander.

Sidhu later served on the Board of Banco Santander in Madrid.

A few years later, with private investors, Sidhu took control of a small, failing bank in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He and the team built that institution into Customers Bank. Today, Customers Bank has assets approaching $25 billion, a market capitalization of over $2.5 billion and is one of the best performing banks in the United States.

Sidhu has received various recognitions in the industry, including Financial World’s CEO of the Year and Turnaround Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2023, Sidhu launched his Wall Street Journal and Amazon best-selling book, Never Ever, Ever Give Up – his life story. One of the very first book events was held at Wilkes.

He is now on a mission to give back, helping thousands of young people and adult entrepreneurs to live a life with purpose, think big and go for their dreams.

Sidhu has been speaking globally on the themes of his book, making presentations in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South America and all over the United States, including the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Recently, he visited Wilkes campus to speak to students external website.

In addition to his MBA from Wilkes University, Sidhu is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Leadership Course for CEOs.

With the support of friends and community members, the Borzell family established an annual golf tournament in 2012 to honor John Borzell’s memory. Proceeds from the event have helped to fund an environmental chemistry laboratory in the University’s Cohen Science Center as well as a science and engineering classroom on the second floor of the Stark Learning Center, both dedicated in John Borzell’s honor.

The tournament also continues to provide $1,700 (the “17” symbolizing John Borzell’s beloved number) in scholarships to student-athletes at Wyoming Area High School, as well as to support the John Anthony “Beno” Borzell ’11 Memorial Scholarship endowment at Wilkes for students pursuing studies in earth and environmental science.

For the Borzell family, supporting these students and maintaining connections with the young people impacted by John Borzell’s legacy has become a source of purpose and hope. Keeping his name alive remains deeply important to them. As Jack Borzell fondly recalls, shortly before his passing, John Borzell told his mother, “I’m going to make a name for myself.”

Through their unwavering commitment to education and opportunity, the Borzell family has ensured that he truly has. John Borzell’s spirit continues to live on, not only through his family’s hearts and philanthropy, but also through his donations to the Gift of Life Organ Donor program.