Hartford Business Journal

18 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 What's in a Name? Everything. "From Greenwich to Granby and beyond, we have been having a major economic impact in Con- necticut. We were some- what a best-kept business secret until recently." — Tom Senecal, President & CEO, PeoplesBank Michael J. Oleksak Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer mjoleksak@bankatpeoples.com Frank Crinella Senior Vice President, Senior Lender fcrinella@bankatpeoples.com Lynn A. Brown Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking labrown@bankatpeoples.com Shaun Dwyer Senior Vice President, Commercial Banking sdwyer@bankatpeoples.com James Cormier First Vice President, Commercial and Business Banking jcormier@bankatpeoples.com Vicky Crouse First Vice President, Commercial Banking vcrouse@bankatpeoples.com David Ference First Vice President, Commercial Banking dference@bankatpeoples.com Xiaolei Hua First Vice President, Commercial Banking xhua@bankatpeoples.com Matthew Krokov First Vice President, Commercial Banking mkrokov@bankatpeoples.com Steve A. Parastatidis First Vice President, Commercial Banking sparastatidis@bankatpeoples.com Joseph Premont First Vice President, Commercial Banking jpremont@bankatpeoples.com Joseph Westcott First Vice President, Commercial Banking jwestcott@bankatpeoples.com "We are in it for the long haul, and businesses really appreciate that stability." — Michael Oleksak, Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer Then there is the commercial and business banking team. "We have an incredibly talented and experienced group," Tom stated. "They have as- sisted just about every business type and have a track record of success that goes back decades." Accord- ing to Tom, his commercial bankers become a critical part of the business Crinella, Senior Vice President, Senior Lender at PeoplesBank, that's just the start of the conversation. "We are in it for the long haul," Michael explained, "and businesses really appreciate that stability. Our commercial bankers are trusted advisors – an experienced resources who are going to help the business succeed. If you are a business owner, that is a real benefit." Local is something else that makes PeoplesBank unique. "Our decisions are made here, not in some big bank's backroom, miles and miles away from here," Michael stated. "We know the community, we know the business environment and we really know – from working with him or her over owner's team – trusted advisors who can help identify solutions to a variety of business banking needs. Having a trusted advisor on your business team is simply an advantage, he feels. That certainly helps explain Peo - plesBank's success in Connecticut, which represents close to 60% of its commercial loan portfolio. "From time – the individual business owner's needs. Our customers get the service they need fast, and that makes a bottom-line difference." "We are a $3.6 million bank that has grown almost all of that organically, meaning the hard way by building trust in the community and with cus- tomers," Frank explained. "Decisions Tom Senecal is on a mission to make business banking simple. "We know how to do it. It's a combination of having the most innovative business banking tools and technologies backed up with an incredibly experi - enced team of commercial bankers." As a mutually chartered bank with no stockholders diverting profits, PeoplesBank continues to invest in itself as well as the communities it serves. "It is definitely unique for a community bank like ours to be on the leading edge of technology," Tom suggested. "It's something we have been doing for years. We were one of the first community banks to invest in digital banking technologies and now it is what attracts a lot of customers to us. Digital banking technologies help provide our customers with a friction - less experience." In fact, PeoplesBank recently won an award for its online banking offerings. It makes Michael smile. Every once in a while, when he introduces himself and the bank he represents, he will be greeted with, "Oh, I've heard of People's United Bank." Michael, though, is Michael Oleksak, Executive Vice President, Chief Credit Officer at PeoplesBank, not People's United Bank. "The two organizations could not be more different," Michael stated. PeoplesBank is a thriving mu- tual bank, meaning it can't be bought or sold, that has been helping Con- necticut businesses for years. People's United Bank, having recently been acquired by a larger, investor-owned competitor, will likely cease to exist as a brand in the near future. According to Michael and his associate Frank Greenwich to Granby and beyond, we have been having a major economic impact in Connecticut for years," Tom explained. "We were somewhat a best-kept business secret until recent - ly." The secret is no longer a secret, as PeoplesBank continues to expand its footprint in the state, recently opening a new banking center at 102 LaSalle Road in West Hartford. The bank has also announced more than $60,000 in donations for charitable and civic causes in that area. In summarizing PeoplesBank's future, Tom is still focused on simply doing more. "We have been named a 'Best Local Bank' year after year. I believe we earn that award every year through service – service to the community and service to our customers. That has worked for us so far, and we will do more of it in the future." are made here locally. Not only do I support my team of business bank- ers, our CEO stays involved too. He wants to know what we are doing to help our customers succeed. We've built a team of trusted advisors and a suite of innovative products that are second to none. That's what the name PeoplesBank means." Making Business Banking Simple. PeoplesBank: T H E N O T S O N E W B A N K F O R B U S I N E S S I N C O N N E C T I C U T .

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