BY WASHINGTON COUNTY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
When was the last time the president of a bank greeted you by name? Did you ever have the feeling that your account didn’t matter to your bank?
Have you ever been trapped in a voice mail system, when all you really wanted to do was speak to a teller?
The staff at Gateway Bank, the area’s newest bank, knows just how you feel. Their goal is to embrace the concerns of the small business owner and make every customer a priority.
Gateway Bank was created with these goals in mind. And, in a world of buyouts, mergers and conglomerate banks, Gateway held a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 28, 2004 and opened the doors to it’s one and only office at 3402 Washington Road in Peters Township.
William J. Burt, the president and CEO, said Gateway’s goal is to change the banking experience for their customers with an innovative approach to local, personal banking.
“That’s why we’re here, there’s a void. We all worked at larger financial institutions, so we know what it is like,” he said. “One of the keys to this is local ownership, local directors, local employees and local decision making.”
At Gateway, the customer will always come first, even those who call on the telephone.
“Our phone is answered by a live person within three rings,” he said. “That’s our goal.”
And when a customer visits the bank they will notice a more personal atmosphere.
“We go over to them, say hello and introduce ourselves. We will do that all the time. We want people to know that from the top to the bottom we are interested in their welfare at the bank. It’s all about long-term relationships,” Burt said.
Randy Patterson, vice president and senior business banker, said one of their goals is to focus on small business owners. Over the years he has found that the owners of many small businesses believe that they aren’t getting the same attention as the big business accounts.
“At other banks they’re a transaction rather than a relationship,” he said.
Bob Kerr, executive vice president and chief lending officer, added that this won’t be the case at Gateway.
“We want to get to know the business and react to what their needs are,” he said, explaining that one way this can be done is by listening to the business owners and addressing their needs in a prompt manner.
For example, Branch Manager Brian Grudi said some banks make their customers wait three weeks before making a decision on loan approvals. In the business world that can seem like an eternity.
“We do it quickly,” he said, adding that the hands-on approach to banking will allow Gateway to tailor services to suit the needs of each customer.
Kerr stressed that it’s all about taking care of the customer.
“The more we are able to know a customer and their business the more we are able to save them money, make them money and most importantly save them time. You are not only taking care of their business, but the business owner, his or her family and the employees of that company.”
Kerr pointed out that even though Gateway is a single branch bank, technology has made it possible for them to offer the same services as the larger banks. For example, they have on-line banking, bill payment and treasury management services.
How can a new bank offer such personalized services? Experience has a lot to do with it and Gateway’s senior management team has over 100 plus years of combined banking experience.
Burt alone has accumulated over three decades of experience in the financial services industry. As area president with both National City Bank of Pennsylvania and Integra Bank of Pennsylvania, he was responsible for retail, commercial, trust and private client group product sales for 29 branch locations with $1 billion in deposits and $260 million in loans in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As president and CEO with First National Bank and Trust Co. in Washington, he managed and directed all operational activities of the $400 million commercial bank. Most recently he was principal of W.J. Burt Consulting, a bank relationship management consulting firm.
Kerr has more than 20 years of commercial banking experience and was the senior vice president in the business banking division of PNC Bank. He was responsible for all sales, services and commercial lending activities for companies with annual revenues of up to $30 million in the greater Pittsburgh area.
Patterson brings over 18 years of business experience to Gateway Bank. He was formerly vice president and senior banking advisor-business banking at PNC Bank. His responsibilities included providing banking services and products to targeted businesses with sales up to $25 million.
David W. Kramer, Gateway’s vice president and credit policy manager, has over 19 years of banking experience. Most recently, he was the senior credit officer for PNC Advisors, where he was responsible for the design and implementation of and credit approval for consumer and commercial loan portfolios.
The Gateway team of professionals also includes, Lori L. Preston, executive administrative assistant; Nancy Krulac-Faust, vice president and finance and operations manager; Kristine Brinsky, administrative assistant; Cheryl A. Kubitz, assistant branch manager; Karen Heller and Suzanne Garcia, customer service representatives; and Andrea L. Groves, Jason Knizner and Carla S. Johnson, tellers.
The directors and officers, which include Burt and Kerr, also include: Leonard M. Carroll, the managing director, chairman and treasurer of Seneca Capital Management Inc. of Sewickley; Gay and B. Cook, managing director, president and secretary of Seneca Capital Management Inc.; Alan R. Guttman, CEO and shareholder of Guttman Oil Company of Belle Vernon; Thomas S. Henderson, president of Henderson Investment Corp.; Charles J. LaBelle, general manager of Automotive Operations for Falconi Enterprises in Washington; F. James McCarl, president of the McCarl Group, LLC; Frank J. Palermo Jr., a certified public accountant and shareholder in Palermo/Kissinger & Associates, P.C.; Nancy L. Rackoff, a partner with the law firm of Tener, Van Kirk, Wolf & Moore, P.C.; Dr. Randall L.C. Russell, chairman and CEO of Ranbar Technology Inc. and Ranbar Electrical Materials Inc.; and Patricia L. Siger, a non-profit consultant.
For more information about Gateway’s complete line of banking services, call 724.969.1010; visit their web site at www.gatewaybankpa.com or stop by and experience the DIFFERENCE.
3402 Washington Road McMurray, PA 15317