Jennifer Alnwick Joins Sawyer Savings Bank as Vice President, Commercial Lending

Sawyer Savings Bank is pleased to announce the addition of Jennifer Alnwick as Vice President, Commercial Lending, at Sawyer Savings Bank, serving the Northern Ulster, Greene and Columbia Counties of New York.Jennifer Alnwick

Jennifer joins Sawyer Savings with over 25 years of experience in business banking and commercial lending. In her new role, Jennifer will be responsible for generating commercial lending opportunities as well as developing business banking relationships with local businesses in Northern Ulster, Greene and Columbia counties.

“I’m excited to build new relationships through local lending and apply my industry knowledge to meet my clients’ changing needs,” Jennifer said. “I enjoy getting to know business owners and learning more about their companies so I can be the best trusted advisor possible for them and their businesses. Being a part of the Sawyer Savings Bank team will enable me to add greater value to these partnerships due to the Bank’s core values and capabilities.”

“I’m pleased to welcome Jennifer to our team,” said Douglas Sturges, C.E.O of Sawyer Savings Bank. “With Jennifer’s deep expertise in business banking and management, combined with her insight into the needs of the Hudson Valley business community, we are confident that she will be a critical part of our expanding commercial lending team.

Ms Alnwick, who earned a Masters Degree from Marist College, is an active member of the community. She most recently served as board chair of the American Heart Association, and has served on the Ulster County Chamber Foundation, and is a graduate of Ulster Leadership Institute. Jennifer lives in Hyde Park with her husband and four children.

Her office is located at 85 Market Street, Saugerties NY and she can be reached at 845-217-6051 or jalnwick@sawyersavings.bank. To learn more about Jennifer, visit SawyerSavings.Bank/Jennifer

C.E.O. Douglas Sturges of Sawyer Savings Bank Announces New Branch Location

New Platz Branch main entrance

Douglas Sturges, Chief Executive Officer of Sawyer Savings Bank, is pleased to announce the opening of it’s newest location at the Woodland Pond complex in New Paltz, New York. The anticipated opening date of the New Paltz branch will be at the end of July, 2021.

“We are very excited to be expanding our footprint into the dynamic community of Woodland Pond” said Sturges. “As a customer focused financial institution for over 150 years, we believe our core values and relationship-based philosophy will be a great addition to the area of New Paltz. I want to personally thank the New York State Department of Financial Services for their approval and look forward to providing our banking services to the residents and staff at Woodland Pond as well as the surrounding community.”

The Woodland Pond Branch will be open to the general public at 100 Woodland Pond Circle, New Paltz, NY 12561. Sawyer Savings Bank has three other locations in Saugerties, Highland, and Marlboro. To learn more, visit SawyerSavings.Bank or call 888-772-1871.

Photo courtesy of Woodland Pond

Retirements and Promotions at Sawyer Savings Bank

We want to extend our congratulations to Gabriel F. Sottile and Cynthia L. Saporito on their retirements from Sawyer Savings Bank, effective December 31, 2020.

Mr. Sottile has retired as the Chief Operating Officer and will remain Chairman of the Board of trustees.  Gabe was elected to the board of trustees In 1999.  He joined the bank in 1978 serving in several capacities, including Internal Auditor, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, before his election to President in 1998.

Mrs. Saporito has retired as Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer at Sawyer Savings Bank. Cindy began her employment with Sawyer Savings Bank in 1986. During her career she has held numerous positions, including Internal Auditor, Mortgage Officer, Compliance Officer, and Marketing Officer. She also was the first female to gain an executive position. She was named to the Board of Trustees in January 2019.

In addition to the well-deserved retirements, Sawyer Savings Bank has also announced several promotions effective January 1, 2020.

Douglas P. Sturges has been elected as Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O). He previously served as the bank’s President and Sr. Vice-President & CFO. Sturges joined Sawyer Savings Bank in 1998.

James P. Whitaker has been elected as President. Whitaker also retains the position of Chief Information Security Officer (C.I.S.O). Whitaker has been with Sawyer Savings Bank since 2000 and previously held the position of Executive Vice-President and IT Officer.

Brian C. Fay has been elected as Sr. Vice-President, Finance/ IT and Chief Financial Officer. Fay has been with Sawyer Savings Bank since 2019.

Christen R. Padilla has been promoted to the position of Assistant Vice-President of Residential Lending and Loan Servicing. Padilla has been with Sawyer Savings Bank since 2008 and has previously held the positions of Assistant Vice-President- Finance and IT.

Finally, we congratulate Ernest Schirmer, who in addition to his duties as an IT Specialist and Facilities Manager, will take on the role of the Banks Security Officer.

Presidents Message, November 23, 2020

Dear Valued Customers & Community Members,

At Sawyer Savings Bank, our goal over these past few months has been to provide a safe environment, while providing essential and exceptional financial services to our members.

It has been a time like no other and we, like you, have had to do things in ways that were never done before.

As always, our first priority is to ensure our staff remains healthy in order to continue to serve the needs of our customers and communities. As the number of COVID-19 cases across our Hudson Valley area continues to rise, we have decided to restrict access to our branch lobbies effective Monday, November 23, 2020. Our drive ups will remain open during normal business hours.

These temporary changes are being made out of an abundance of caution as preventative measures to decrease the number of people interacting within our branches and create greater social distance between our teams and customers, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and health guidelines from both State and National governmental agencies regarding the pandemic.

“The safety and security of our customers and staff remains our number one priority,” said Doug Sturges, President. “In light of the increasing number of COVID cases across our area, we wanted to do our part to help slow the spread by temporarily moving to drive-up service and our fast track banking depository. We apologize to our customers for any inconveniences this may cause, but ensure you that our staff is ready to work with you as needed. You can also access your accounts through online banking, our mobile apps, and our network of ATM’s.”

Your trust in us over the past several months has not gone unnoticed and we are so grateful for your continued support. We are committed to providing you with financial assistance you need during these unusual times. And we will always be here for you, just has we have been for the past 150 years. We appreciate your business and your understanding and we recognize the adverse impact this is having on all of us. We will continue to communicate with you just as we’ve been doing throughout the last several months. Thank you for your flexibility as we do our part for the health and safety of our customers, staff, and community.

 

Doug Sturges,
President

On The Move

Sawyer Savings Bank would like to congratulate Cherie Ingrassia, who has been promoted to the position of Accounting Clerk in our Finance Department.

Sawyer Savings Bank would like to congratulate Hershelyn Siojo, who has been promoted to the position of Customer Service Representative in our Saugerties Branch.

Stuff the Truck successfully donates to local food pantries

Sawyer Savings Bank is proud to have sponsored another “Stuff the Truck” event on Friday, September 25, 2015 at each of our Branch locations. In Saugerties, food was collected for and Sawyer Savings Bank made a monetary donation of $2,000.00 to the Saugerties Food Pantry. In Marlboro, food was collected for and Sawyer Savings Bank made a monetary donation of $2,000.00 to St. Mary’s Church, Marlboro. And, in Highland, food was collected for and Sawyer Savings Bank made a monetary donation of $2,000.00 to St. Augustine’s. We are thankful to our friends and neighbors for their participation in this annual event. Without your support, this event wouldn’t be possible. We hope to continue helping our neighbors in need. Mark your calendars… Sawyer Savings Bank’s Annual Stuff the Truck event is the fourth Friday of September, annually. Thank you!

Meet Courtney Schmelz, New Marlboro Branch Teller

Sawyer Savings Bank would like to welcome Courtney Schmelz to the position of Teller in our Marlboro Branch Office. Courtney joined the Sawyer Savings Bank team on September 29, 2015. Welcome Courtney!

Attend our First Time Homebuyers Seminar

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 6-7PM
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Sponsored by: Sawyer Savings Bank & RUPCO