It’s a little tricky for a community banker to talk about gratitude without falling too deeply into clichés. One of the greatest films ever made, which is about to go back into regular rotation as Christmas nears, is about a community banker who temporarily lost sight of all he had to be grateful for. And although George Bailey, fictional or not, is one of my heroes, I hope to avoid his particular pitfall especially as we near Thanksgiving.
I feel so thankful to be a part of this organization we call Spring Bank. Thankful that in a world of massive impersonal corporations, and in a massive city like New York that a quirky, earnest, and loving place like Spring Bank exists. Where things aren’t always perfect, but when they aren’t, we face them and work to fix them. Where every day we get better.
I am thankful for our depositors, who believe in us and the mission of Spring Bank enough to keep their hard-earned money in the bank. These deposits allow us to grow and provide capital to the consumers and small businesses who are often ignored, neglected or even worse, preyed upon, by other lenders.
I am thankful for the Bronx, for the home it’s been to Spring Bank for the last 10 years. It may not be the sexiest, trendiest and certainly not the richest borough of New York City, but it is the borough with the most character, and we are blessed to have some of that character rub off on us. The Bronx has been through a lot in the last 40 years, and we are lucky to be here in 2017 amid its amazing resurgence.
I am thankful for all the individuals who work alongside me every day, who take care of our customers with a smile. We have the most talented and caring team of people. From our front-line tellers to our customer service reps to our back-office operations department to our loan department, every one that works at Spring Bank is special and is responsible for the amazing character of this bank.
I am thankful to be in a business where people matter and to get to share stories, hopes, dreams and fears with colleagues and customers every day. I am thankful for the opportunity to make a difference in peoples’ lives.
Happy Thanksgiving!
