It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the Fourth of July, and here we are today halfway between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, with pumpkins on doorsteps. Time certainly flies, but hopefully you can take a deep breath, put on a comfortable sweater and enjoy the beautiful and less crowded Fall season.
This is always a busy time at the Bank. But this year, I started off the season with quite a surprise.
In early October, I had the honor of being named one of the The Most Powerful Women to Watch by American Banker magazine. I am beyond humbled to be recognized along with so many other accomplished and talented women who are making their indelible mark on the nation’s banking industry. It was a delight to meet so many of them at a gala celebrating the honorees in New York City.
The award though, inspired me to think about the meaning of “power.” Being deemed “powerful” goes far beyond the status of a title, financial reward and corner office. I believe that power should be used for the greater good and not for self-gain, and that is our mantra here at The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod.
We use power to empower through philanthropic support of local nonprofits, volunteerism in our communities and helping you reach your financial goals, whether that is purchasing a first home, realizing a dream of opening a business, or expanding an existing business. In that respect, every employee is powerful, and I could not be prouder to share my honor with all of them.
New Faces and a Promotion
Please join me in welcoming Erik Atkinson and Joshua Regan to our team as Branch Manager – Small Business Specialists. Erik will manage our Falmouth and North Falmouth branches, while Josh will lead the Yarmouth Port branch.
And a big congratulations to Sarah (Duffany) Swift, former manager of the Falmouth and North Falmouth branches, who has been promoted to the newly created role of Retail Administration Manager. In her new position, Sarah will be responsible for creating cross-functional teams and efficiencies to support daily operations of the Bank’s retail banking business at nine branch locations.
Best of luck in your new positions, Erik, Josh and Sarah!
It’s October – Time to Celebrate Women’s Small Business and Cybersecurity Awareness Month
October is National Women’s Small Business Month, an annual celebration to recognize the achievements of female entrepreneurs.
There are 1,000 women-owned small businesses on Cape Cod, and I’m thrilled that our Bank has played a vital role in helping so many of these entrepreneurs start and grow thriving businesses. Throughout the month, we are highlighting the success of our women-owned small business clients, many of which can be found here.
I hope you’ll take the opportunity in October to join me in supporting our local women-owned businesses from Bourne to Provincetown and the significant impact they have on our regional economy.
October is also Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is a great opportunity for our experts to provide some insight, tips and pointers to keep our digital footprints safe.
Paul Forni, Vice President, Information Security and Red Flag Officer, advises that writing passwords down on a piece of paper is not the best solution for remembering and safeguarding this important information. Instead, Paul suggests using a password manager – commonly referred to as a “vault,” to keep track of application passwords.
A vault stores login information (usernames and passwords) in a secure database, which is encrypted to ensure the information is safe and the only password users need to remember is the password to access the “vault.” These secure cloud-based software solutions enable access from any device with an internet connection, and most have a downloadable app for mobile devices.
Additional information about password managers and Paul’s recommendations on selecting one that best fits your needs, can be found here.
Our Foundation Awards $41,500 in Grants
I’m pleased to announce that The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust recently awarded $41,500 in grants to nonprofit organizations serving the critical needs of our communities. Grant recipients for the second quarter of the Bank’s fiscal year 2024 are:
- $10,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod to build two new three-bedroom affordable homes in the Town of Brewster, one of which will be designated in perpetuity for a qualifying U.S. veteran and their family to purchase.
- $4,000 to Good Grief Cape Cod, an organization that promotes positive change to how society responds to grief in children and young people by providing community engagement opportunities, sharing information and offering educational workshops with the goal of helping children and families cope with death.
- $2,500 to Friends Food Pantry (Friends of Bourne Council on Aging) to assist individuals and families in the Town of Bourne suffering from economic hardship and food insecurities.
- $2,500 to The Cordial Eye, a community arts organization based on the mid-Cape, to support its Creative Futures Cape Cod (CFCC) program, a paid fellowship and educational program for adults aged 18-40 in Hyannis and surrounding areas that have an interest in working within the creative economy.
In addition, the Foundation issued the latest installments of multi-year grant disbursements of $12,500 to Housing Assistance Corporation for continued support of its THRIVE Program, which offers rental assistance to low- and moderate-income families; and $10,000 to Amplify POC to grow capacity through program development and outreach initiatives designed to eliminate the racial wealth gap on Cape Cod.
Our commitment to being a force for good in our communities for more than 100 years is even being noticed “over the bridge.” Boston Business Journal named the Bank one of its most charitable companies in Massachusetts for the second year. What an honor!
Thanks for taking a few moments to get caught up with all the great things that are happening across the Bank.
Please enjoy the remainder of autumn, and we’ll touch base again before the holiday season.
Chair, President and CEO