Shelley Regin, Author at Country Bank- Made To Make A Difference - Page 8 of 9

Ware, MA – We are pleased to announce that Angela Barahona has joined our Commercial Banking division as Vice President of Business Development and Cash Management. Ms. Barahona, who resides in Rutland, brings with her 17 years of experience in the industry. Angela’s knowledge of business banking and cash management services come from her various financial services roles and her passion for helping her business customers thrive.

Ms. Barahona has held various positions over the years in customer service, management, municipal and government banking, business development and corporate cash management, making her an experienced business banking professional. Angela is currently working towards her Associates Degree from The New England College of Business and Finance with a concentration in Business Administration.

Angela began her financial services career at Country Bank in 2001 in its retail banking area. A relocation in 2006 to the eastern part of Massachusetts brought her to State Street Bank Corporation in its wire division and later to Century Bank. For the last 13 years at Century, she held various positions working her way through the ranks, where she found her passion in helping business customers. “I am a committed and self-motivated individual who takes pride in hard work and putting the customers experience first. From retail branches to high level corporate portfolio management, my goal has always been to build strong solid relationships and find the right product or service to meet or exceed my customers’ expectations.“ stated Ms. Barahona.

“Coming back to her roots at Country Bank provides our team with an experienced and highly trained Business Development and Cash Management professional. Angela’s passion is to her customers and in building long lasting relationship which she has done for the past 17 years at various financial institutions. I am thrilled to have Angela join our team once again and know that her extensive banking experience will be a valuable asset to the Worcester community and Country Bank’s business customers.” stated Phil Goncalves, Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking.

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We are pleased to announce that Yvonne Santos has joined our team as the Vice President of Market Development. Yvonne joins us after 33 years at United Bank where she worked in various roles with her most recent position being Vice President, Area Manager in the Ludlow and Indian Orchard markets.

Yvonne lives in Ludlow, where she grew up in her family’s bakery business where she became deeply-rooted in the Ludlow community. She is actively involved in the Ludlow Community Center, The United Way and Relay for Life and is on the following committees: Rotary Club of Ludlow, Chair of the Scholarship Committee, Gremio Lusitano Club, East of the River Chamber of Commerce and the Portuguese American Citizens Club. Yvonne received the Rotary International Paul Harris Award in 2016, The Ludlow Education Association Award, Friend of Education Award in 2012 and United Cooperative Bank, Presidents Award.

Yvonne can be reached at ysantos@countrybank.com or 413-277-2410. She is available to meet with customers at any location. Country Bank is currently renovating a new location in Ludlow at 64 Cherry Street and Yvonne will be permentantly stationed there once the new location is finished.

We are pleased to announce that Russell Fontaine has joined our team as first vice president of Sales and Market Management. With 27 years in the financial and retail-services industry, Russ is an experienced sales manager and has held various positions over the years in sales, management, and customer contact solutions. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management and finance from Westfield State University. He also graduated from the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking and earned a Wharton Leadership certification.

Russ was a Regional Vice President for seven years at Citizens Bank before moving to PeoplesBank where he has worked for the past 9 years as the First Vice President of Sales and Service Support.

Russ has served on the board of directors for Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity for the past five years and chaired the Habitat Restore committee. He is also an avid supporter of the United Way and Western Mass. Special Olympics.

Good relationships start with good communication. Great relationships keep that communication going. If you think about the way you are with your friends, the people that you care about and that care about you, you don’t talk AT them. You don’t constantly tell them about how great you are, because that would make you a bad friend. The fundamentals of a great relationship start with understanding. You keep in touch with each other, you have fun together, you engage in thoughtful conversation, you share your feelings & stories, you’re able to be yourself and most importantly you listen to one another. The same fundamentals you share with your friends, are the ones you should share with your audience as a small business or brand. And it’s those fundamentals that you should be thinking about when you are maintaining your social media. Because those are the platforms where you’ll be able to keep that communication going.

When thinking about social media, the most important thing is to make sure you’re not always talking about yourself. It’s important to provide a balance of content. Think about it in these four themes: Educate, Entertain, Inspire, and Promote. There should always be a sense of at least ONE of these themes when you are pushing out your content to your audience. And they should all be equally weighted, because like we said before, if you’re constantly telling your audience about how great you are, they’re not going to engage.

And when you’re able to invest in this long term relationship a few things happen. Your audience wants to engage, you earn their trust, they listen to you, they accept you for who you are, and they introduce you to their friends! And in term, for your own business, you increase awareness, you improve your perception & exposure, you boost SEO, and maybe you even gather some organic customer testimonials. So now you have a loyal community, and your brand has great value.

That being said, social media marketing can be scary, especially if you are just not sure where to begin. But once you get going, it becomes easier than you think! If you have ever wondered just how to get started and would love some guidance, you are not alone and we are here to help! Let’s get started and review a few simple steps to get you on your way.

Step One – What is your Goal for being on Social Media?

Social media marketing supporting small business can do wonders to promote your product or service. Also, remember that different channels work better than others depending on your product or service. So do some prior research on where you want to focus your efforts. If you are a retail business, Instagram can work wonders for promoting new items or announcing sales. If you work heavily with other businesses, LinkedIn might be the right move for you. You can also have more than one goal – but just be sure you know what you are hoping to achieve through social media before you even begin.

Step Two – Who is Your Target Audience?

Take a moment and think about who your target audience is? Who is your current customer? Furthermore do they have certain characteristics that you can pinpoint based on your product or service? If so, how could you reach this same customer base through social media? Some things to consider – do you know the age segment that you want to target, is there a specific nationality or geographic location that might work best for you? All this makes a difference when using social media advertising as you can set specific segmentation filters which is why it’s important to understand your audience even before you begin.

Step Three – Be active

If you want to develop a relationship with someone, it is always advisable to take the lead and to be active. Social Media are all about sharing and interaction, so ensure that your content is always fresh and that you engage in discussions with your customers on a consistent basis.

Ware, MA – Country Bank is pleased to announce that Kelly Kemp has joined its Retail Lending Division. Ms. Kemp, who resides in West Brookfield, brings 15 years of experience in the mortgage industry and is based out of Country Bank’s 278 Park Avenue Office in Worcester. Over the last several years, Ms. Kemp has been deeply rooted in Worcester County in various mortgage lending positions. Ms. Kemp has an Associate Degree in Business Finance and Administration from Holyoke Community College and a Residential Lending Certification from The Center for Financial Training.

“We can count on Kelly to deliver expertise in a wide range of mortgage products from construction lending, FHA and USDA, to meeting the needs of jumbo borrowers in the area. With her diverse background in mortgage processing, underwriting and loan closing, Kelly can provide guidance through the entire mortgage process, “stated Denise Walker, Senior Vice President of Residential Lending.

“I love working with first-time homebuyers,” stated Kelly Kemp. “I take pride in providing my customers with a thorough and complete education about the mortgage process, so they can feel confident during their purchase of a new home. This care provides a stress free loan process for my customers.”

Ms. Kemp serves on the Executive Leadership Committee for the March of Dimes and is an Affiliate Member of the Worcester Chamber and Central Mass Realtor Association.

She can be reached at kkemp@countrybank.com or 774.200.5017.

Ware, MA – Country Bank announced today that Miriam Siegel has joined their team as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources.

With 26 years in the financial services industry,  Ms. Siegel is an experienced human resources professional. Ms. Siegel’s work experience is enriched by her Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a minor in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany. She is also a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) and Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) from WorldatWork.

For 21 years, Ms. Siegel worked at United Bank. She began her career as a payroll clerk and worked her way through the ranks until she found her passion within the human resources department. Her time at United Bank made a significant impact on her approach to human resources. “I live and work by the philosophy that your most valuable assets are your people.” stated Ms. Siegel. “I am very excited to be back at a local community bank where employees and customers come first.”

Ms. Siegel owned The Village Store Café in Wilbraham which she owned operated with husband. During that time, they began a run/walk – the “Cup to Pint Fun Run” to support local charities.  The recipients for this annual fundraising event, The Children’s Museum in Wilbraham, the Livestrong Program at the Scantic Valley YMCA and the Wilbraham Hampden Academic Trust (W.H.A.T.), have all received donations from the event.

Ms. Siegel is a member of the Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA), WorldatWork and the New England Human Resources Assocation (NEHRA) and serves on the Board of Directors for the Behavioral Health Network (BHN) in Springfield.

“Miriam’s extensive expertise in human resources within the financial services industry makes her a perfect fit for Country Bank.” stated Paul Scully, CEO and President of Country Bank. “We are thrilled to have her join our team; we know that Miriam will be an esteemed resource for Country Bank and its employees.”

Ms. Siegel resides in Wilbraham with her husband and step-daughter and has two grown daughters. She  enjoys mountain biking and is a licensed real estate agent.

Every year, millions of consumers fall victim to cybercrime. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center consumers lost more than $1 billion from scams initiated through the web in 2015. Here are seven tips to help consumers guard against online threats and maintain a safe and secure web environment.

“Criminals have become more and more sophisticated with their hacking techniques,” said Eric Devine, First Vice President of Information Technology, Country Bank. “As a result, it’s extremely important for consumers to secure their wireless networks and set strong network passwords using a combination of letters, numbers and special characters to actively guard against online threats.”

Country Bank recommends the following tips to keep you safe online: