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V O L . X X I I N O. X X V I I N OV E M B E R 2 8 , 2 0 1 6 28 B A N K I N G & F I N A N C E F O C U S Staffi ng the growth Relationships, of course, require people. And com- munity banks are striving to hire and develop the human resources they need to support their expan- sion. at's not easy in Maine's tight labor market. " e talent resources out there are obviously shrink- ing with the demographics," says Gregory Dufour, president and CEO of Camden National. "Young people are moving out of state and a lot of people are retiring. We don't see a lot of young people coming in." Dufour, like many bankers, says that his institution is investing heavily to develop its next generation of leaders and strengthen the connection they feel to the organization. ere too, he says, size is an advantage. "We're big enough to off er growth opportuni- ties and still small enough that anyone can call me if they have a question," Dufour says. "You get into large companies, and you don't have access to the CEO. Myself and the rest of the executive team — we spend a lot of time with our employees." Bangor Savings is partnering with Maine colleges and high schools on workforce development. Last year, the bank launched two-year accelerated train- ing programs for commercial credit and mortgage lenders. e programs are designed to help new col- lege graduates jump-start their banking careers and develop management and leadership skills. e bank also off ers a generous tuition reimbursement benefi t. e bank prepays tuition and fees for up to six courses each year for any employee working at least 20 hours per week. e courses don't even have to be related to business or banking and employees are not required to stay at the bank after completing the course. ese eff orts seem to be paying off . e last time Bangor Savings had an opening for a branch man- ager, 51 people applied, says Donnelly. Investing online and on-the-ground Even as community banks build branches in Maine's hottest real estate markets, they also must spend heavily to provide the digital services and security that their customers demand. "In some ways we are competing against large and multinational competitors, but also competi- tors who may only have one or two branches," says Dufour. "We have to have people who are manning our branches and know customers' names. But we also have to staff up a call center to serve customers who are conducting business online." Gorham Savings has opened two branches in Cumberland County in the past decade, including a prominent commercial lending center on Marginal Way. It is currently redeveloping Portland's historic Grand Trunk building on India Street. When it opens in the spring, the branch will be Gorham's 12th location in Cumberland County. At the same time, Gorham Savings has invested heavily in online products, including an online banking app, mobile check deposit, Apple Pay and a peer-to-peer payment system called People Pay. In 2014 Gorham began rolling out Interactive Teller Machines known as ITMs. ese are ATMs with the option for live video interaction with cus- tomer service representatives, so customers can do things like change their PINs and make withdraw- als without a debit card. Norway Savings has added four branches in Cumberland County in the past decade, even as it has added online services like mobile payments, person-to-person payments and Apple Pay. "We believe customers will fi nd more value in our products and services when we are more visible in a greater number of communities," says Weigel. Norway's newer branches have a smaller footprint and fewer employees than they once did, refl ecting a drop in lobby traffi c, Weigel added. Instead of stand- ing behind counters, bankers work at less-restrictive "dialogue pods," where they can stand beside cus- tomers, share their computer screens and assist with teaching new technology if necessary. "Traditional teller lines are becoming an institu- tion of the past," Weigel says. Cassidy, the bank analyst, noted that while most community banks do not have the same pressures for profi tability and growth as the large national banks, it will be a challenge for them to manage the expenses of building both high-tech and high- touch resources. " e community banks have an incredible hurdle in front of them [with] the increased costs to off er the level of services that are needed to succeed," Cassidy says. Big banks are here to stay ough national banks have a smaller footprint in Cumberland County, they're not leaving the market any time soon. And some larger banks have expanded their presence. 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