“At Sawyer Savings Bank, we pride ourselves on combining the best people with the best technology in order to provide a level of customer service that’s unparalleled in our community.”

James Whitaker, President
James Whitaker, President

 

In 2022, just as we have for over 150 years, we worked with customers, staff, and community members to help them conveniently and safely manage their finances and achieve their financial goals. Most importantly we strive to maintain a customer-first mentality as mentioned in our newly adopted mission statement.

Customer First – Investing in Ourselves and Products.

  • Our newest branch in New Paltz, on the Woodland Pond Campus, received a renovation to become a full service location, complete with safe deposit boxes that can help protect important assets and valuables.
  • We’ve added new sales representatives in residential and commercial lending that have expanded our geographic reach to better serve our customers.
  • We adopted a Universal Banker model in our branches, which creates a faster, more personalized customer experience. Any branch team member will be able to assist you with your banking needs.
  • We created two new eco-friendly product lines to help customers looking to reduce their environmental impact. Our Sawyer Solar loan helps businesses and homeowners alike harness the power of the sun by helping to offset energy costs and offers competitive low
    rates on solar panel financing. Our Eco-LOC is a home equity line of credit that can be used for select energy efficient and environmentally friendly appliances and products to help improve their property, and the planet.

Customer First – Investing in Technology.

  • We have completed the implementation of an organization wide CRM, “customer relationship management” tool – a type of software that helps us to manage, track, and organize relationships with customers. This will strengthen our ability to be a leading provider of financial services by providing a higher level of personalized customer service.
  • For added ease and convenience, we’ve upgraded our technology to provide the ability for customers to open an account online. With its intuitive interface, and integrated background checking capabilities, this makes account opening fast and easy.
  • Customer First – Investing in our Communities by being the best community partner we can be by giving our Time, Talent, and Treasure.
  • We provided over $100,000 to help our neighbors in the community, through organizations such as the Kingston / Saugerties Boys and Girls Club; Food Bank of the Hudson Valley; HOPE Rocks; The Saugerties Animal Shelter; school backpack programs in Highland, Saugerties, and Marlboro; the Alzheimer Association; American Cancer Society; Saugerties Public Library; The United Way of Ulster County; Diaz Ambulance; Sawyer Motors Foundation, and more…
  • Our staff has volunteered hundreds of hours for local community organizations, from volunteering at animal shelters, serving on non-profit boards, collecting donations to battle food insecurity, raising awareness of climate change by planting trees, to providing meals to our first responders… and the list goes on.

The continued success of our organization is a direct result of a deep commitment to community banking values and our employees’ and trustees’ commitment to the bank, to ultimately provide a customer-first experience. We continue to focus on the financial needs of local families and small businesses to provide exceptional service, great products, and sound advice. Sawyer Savings Bank has been and continues to be a financially strong community bank as a direct result of our customers’ success and their trust in us.

Respectfully submitted,

James Whitaker
President