SOLVAY — Solvay Bank recently unveiled renovations that turned its downtown Syracuse location into a “smart branch” and will soon break ground on new branch location in DeWitt. “A few years ago, we developed a concept called a smart branch,” says Paul Mello, president and CEO of Solvay Bank. A smart branch is one that […]
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“A few years ago, we developed a concept called a smart branch,” says Paul Mello, president and CEO of Solvay Bank. A smart branch is one that uses technology to help make the branch more efficient. The bank just completed work to convert its Syracuse branch in the State Tower Building at 109 Warren St. into such a location.
The biggest change that comes with the smart concept is training and enabling employees to perform a variety of job functions, Mello says. Typically, bank branches have very segmented jobs, he says. Tellers handle deposits and withdrawals. Loan officers handle loan applications. While that setup may have worked well in the past, he says, today’s customers want to be able to handle their business efficiently. Solvay Bank has solved that problem by training employees to handle a variety of functions, he explains. An employee can handle a deposit for one customer and then turn around and help a new customer open an account, for example.
“We’re trying to create an environment where it’s easy to do business with us,” Mello says. The smart branch blends personal service with technology, providing the best of both worlds to the bank’s clients.
In addition, Solvay Bank added a coffee bar, community conference room, an electronics charging station, and offers Wi-Fi while still providing all the typical commercial and retail banking products that customers expect, Mello says.
With new housing and new businesses opening almost daily, downtown Syracuse is hopping, he says, and it was the right time for Solvay Bank’s branch to invest in it. Along with converting to the smart branch concept, the bank also added 1,000 square feet to its space there, bringing the total square footage for that branch to nearly 3,400 square feet.
Before the dust even settles on the smart branch renovations, Solvay Bank hopes to break ground on its next project, a new branch on East Genesee Street in DeWitt across from Wegmans.
“We’re going to make that a smart office as well,” Mello notes. The DeWitt area is a good location for the bank, he says. “We do have pretty good demand from customers out there who do business with us.” The new branch, which will open in late spring or early summer of 2014, will better serve existing clients in that area and, Mello adds, hopefully attract new customers to Solvay Bank.
The banking landscape has changed a lot in recent years, he notes, with many acquisitions taking place. That creates opportunity for Solvay Bank to reach out to customers who are looking for the blend of technology and services coupled with the personal attention that Solvay Bank offers, Mello says.
Technology is important, he says, and that’s why Solvay Bank offers products such as mobile banking, but at the same time, customers want the ability to talk to someone when they need to.
Mello says the bank is working with a developer, whom he declined to name, on the new branch project. While he didn’t have a total cost for the project to share, Mello says he does expect the bank will expand its current staff of 150 employees by about six people once that branch opens.
Earlier this year, Solvay Bank expanded is main office at 1537 Milton Ave. in Solvay, adding about 13,000 square feet and creating enough space to centralize all of the bank’s support functions for improved efficiency. The bank worked with Parsons-McKenna Construction Co. on the project, which broke ground last June, with work wrapping up this past January.
The company also launched a new branding campaign over the summer with the tagline, “We’re local and we mean it.”
Founded in 1917, Solvay Bank (www.solvaybank.com) has eight branches located in Solvay, Fairmount, Camillus, Liverpool, North Syracuse, Cicero, downtown Syracuse, and Westvale. As of July 15, when the company announced its first-quarter results, the bank had total assets of $647.5 million. The company also operates Solvay Bank Insurance Agency, Inc.
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