Florence Bank Presents 2025 President’s Award to Three Employees

Brennan LaFlamme

FLORENCE — Florence Bank recently presented its 2025 President’s Award to three staff members for exceptional service. Established in 1995, the President’s Award recognizes outstanding performance, customer service, and overall contribution to Florence Bank. Honorees are nominated by their colleagues at the bank.

Bill Olejarz

This year’s award recognizes Brennan LaFlamme, an IRA specialist in the bank’s main office in Florence; Bill Olejarz, an information security risk analyst, also in the main office; and Katherine Ravenelle, teller operations manager in West Springfield.

Katherine Ravenelle

LaFlamme has six years of industry experience and has served as a teller supervisor and customer service specialist. Responsible for maintaining all IRA accounts and keeping up to date on regulations, he provides IRA trainings for customers and staff. Currently working toward a degree in cybersecurity at UMass Amherst, LaFlamme is active in the community, serving as a board member for the Therapeutic Equestrian Center in Holyoke.

With four years in the industry, Olejarz assesses cybersecurity risk to help protect sensitive data and systems, reviews vendor security, and works with departments to support compliance and ensure security controls are in place to reduce threats. He is skilled at third-party risk management, regulatory compliance, cybersecurity and risk reporting, security awareness training, and cross-department collaboration. Olejarz holds a master’s degree in cybersecurity management from Bay Path University, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Western New England University, and an associate degree in computer information systems from Springfield Technical Community College.

Ravenelle has 13 years of banking experience. She manages teller line operations to ensure quality service is provided while adhering to policies, procedures, and security. She handles customer transactions, account openings, and account servicing, and is skilled at customer service as well as adapting to different markets and customer needs, branch operations, and fraud prevention and detection.

“We are very proud of these three individuals who gained notice from their peers because they are courteous, hardworking, and dedicated to their areas of expertise,” said Matt Garrity, president and CEO of Florence Bank. “Their contributions to Florence Bank allow us to provide the superior customer service for which we are known.”