First Source formally opens new Rome branch office

ROME — First Source Federal Credit Union marked the grand opening of its newly built Rome branch office on March 1.

The office opened Feb. 8 and is the fifth location for First Source, which is based in New Hartford and has additional branches in Utica and Herkimer.

The new 4,500-square-foot Rome office at 1822 Black River Blvd. employs eight people. The positions are all newly created jobs, bringing First Source’s total employment to 127 people, says Kristy Nole, assistant vice president of marketing and communications at the credit union.

First Source currently serves 656 households for a total of 903 people in the Rome area, Nole says. The new branch makes banking more convenient for those members, and the hope is that First Source will attract new members from within a 15-minute driving-time radius from the branch, she says.

Along with being handy for Rome residents, the new branch is convenient to First Source members who may live elsewhere but work in the Rome area, perhaps at one of the businesses at the nearby Griffiss Business and Technology Park.

 “It’s on the way to wherever they’re going to or coming from,” Nole says.

To reach out to potential new members, First Source sent out a direct mailer that reached 13,500 households in that area, Nole says. The mailers invited people to the grand opening and to stop in for a financial review. “We’re hoping we get a good response from that,” she says. First Source is also marketing the new branch on billboards around the Rome area.

First Source first broke ground on the $2 million project last June. Schopfer Architects of Syracuse designed the building and Beebe Construction Services, Inc. of Utica was the general contractor.

“The modern design and open layout were created to complement our personal approach to service and our members will feel very comfortable here,” Deborah Adamo, Rome branch manager, said in a news release. Adamo also serves as chairwoman of the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce.

The new office is located on a busy retail stretch of Black River Boulevard. Neighbors include several restaurants, retail stores, as well as branches of M&T Bank and AmeriCU Credit Union.

The response from the Rome business community has been wonderful, Nole says. From floral arrangements with best wishes to a lunch delivery from Five Guys Burgers and Fries across the street, businesses have reached out to make First Source feel welcome, she says. The credit union is trying to return the favor by purchasing gift cards to local businesses to hand out to new members.

Headquartered at 4451 Commercial Drive in New Hartford, First Source Federal Credit Union (www.fsource.org) had 32,161 members and total assets of $312.5 million, as of the end of 2011, according to data from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA). First Source’s net income rose by 7.1 percent to $2.38 million last year from $2.22 million in 2010.

The credit union’s grand-opening festivities included a number of giveaways, an in-branch broadcast by Lite 98.7, a ribbon-cutting ceremony with public officials, and a Rome Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event.