Best Community Bank in Greenwich
First Bank of Greenwich (FBOG) President and CEO Frank Gaudio; Abilis President and CEO Amy Montimurro; Abilis client Theo Brown; FBOG Vice President and Retail Banking Manager Emily Newcamp; and FBOG Chief Lending Officer Evan Corsello, at Abilis’ greenhouse. (Greenwich Sentinel photo)
A community feels united and whole when relationships are built amongst those who work alongside one another. The First Bank of Greenwich has proven themselves worthy of providing much more than the typical services expected of a bank; building a clientele that supports them repeatedly.
Voted “Best Community Bank,” The First Bank of Greenwich has routinely gone above and beyond for their clients, and it shows.
For Sophia Scarpelli of Sophia’s, honesty and integrity are the more distinguished qualities of the First Bank of Greenwich. In her words, “they do exactly what they tell you they’re going to do. They commit.”
Furthermore, they take time to remember who you are. “They really support their clients. I can’t say it enough. They know your name and they treat you with respect,” Sophia continued. Marc Penvenne, owner of Meli Melo and Bistro V, corroborated this statement and said “they are incredibly helpful whenever I call. Frank, Amy and the entire operation are focused on customer service and doing whatever they can to help the customer.”
Much like Sophia and Marc, Frank Cortese of New England Oil speaks highly of their customer service and their reliability. “Bigger banks don’t really have customer service. They don’t have the old feeling of shaking your hand and getting a deal done. It’s a local bank, they know their customers and they love their customers like family. It’s a good feeling to go in there and have that relationship,” he stated.
Frank Gaudio, President and CEO of the First Bank of Greenwich, is praised by Scot Weicker for his “gregarious, outgoing, intelligent, articulate, honest, [and] trustworthy” personality. “Frank is one who is dedicated to the community as evidenced by the First Bank’s commitment to so many local Non-Profits. I honestly don’t know how he does it as the word ‘no’ is not in Frank’s vocabulary,” he continued.
Weicker commented not only on Gaudio’s work ethic, but also on his character, conveying the significance of maintaining a positive attitude in business. “He is truly a man of the people. He’s most comfortable being with people vs. being behind a desk, although he is also masterful behind a desk making important decisions on a daily basis,” recalled Weicker.
In response to being voted “Best Community Bank”, Gaudio commented “We are honored by this news. We take great pride in serving all of our customers to the best of our ability. To have our community recognize this means we are doing our job correctly. This is a testament to every one of our employees and the job they do. I am incredibly proud of each and every one of them.”
Throughout town, people were eager to talk about their positive experiences with the bank. Robert Cardini, Operations Manager for Ceci Brothers said, “for years we were courted by the First Bank of Greenwich. We always thought that staying with the super large banking institutions was the way to go. Boy, were we wrong! When COVID hit, our bank dragged their feet and basically were no help to us at all. Upon a referral and a direct phone call from the president of First Bank, we received their full assistance and a huge commitment to begin a new business relationship. For the past two years we can’t say enough about the team at First Bank of Greenwich. Courteous, attentive, friendly, and unmatched professionalism. They truly are the ‘hometown’ bank of Greenwich, and we could not be happier that we made this move.”
Ryan Nuckel, Director of Development at the Greenwich Historical Society, commended Gaudio and his staff for “their dedication and support of our programs, and for all they contribute to the town of Greenwich,” and stated that “they are a trusted partner and have generously supported several of our community events, including the popular Music on the Great Lawn series of concerts.”
It is not just business that the bank works with, they also work with non-profits throughout town. One example is how, several years ago, they began working with Abilis, an organization that provides services and support for individuals with special needs and their families from birth on.
Amy Montimurro, President and CEO of the organization said that Frank Guadio “has interesting and wonderful ideas to help the organization.” The bank has hosted art shows, featuring artwork from Abilis clients. Gaudio said “It’s a blessing to have them do the work they do. This is the kind of organization the bank should be involved with.”
The First Bank of Greenwich was voted “Best Community Bank” due to their willingness to treat those who walk in the door like family, and that sense of community is what keeps their clients coming back.
(Article by Maesa Procopio for The Greenwich Sentinel)