Page 16 - BusinessWest June 13, 2022

weren’t interested. We really were driven by a desire to use this property to make a difference for the town; that was our guiding compass.”
With that, Scully poignantly described the mindset that ultimately led to the announcement on June 1 that the bank was donating the proper- ty at 75-79 Main St. to the town with the intention of it becoming the site of its new police station and perhaps other municipal uses.
Elaborating, he said there were multiple objec- tives in mind as the bank considered what to do with the property that had been its home until it moved its headquarters into renovated mill space on South Street in 2005.
These included a desire to help the police department find larger, better quarters — some- thing it desperately needs — while also “energiz- ing Main Street,” as Scully put it, noting that the town’s central business district has been hit hard by COVID and other factors and needs a spark. He believes that having the police department and perhaps some other town offices in that com- plex will provide one.
The decision to gift the property to the town comes, coincidentally, as the bank introduced a marketing tagline: ‘Made to Make a Difference.’
This tagline evolved from a series of focus groups with customers, team members, board members, and non-customers who had gathered to discuss their experiences with the bank and their knowledge of its impact on the people and communities it serves, said Scully, adding that the donation of the Main Street building is the latest example of this mindset at work.
“It’s what we’ve been doing for 172 years — we’re made to make a difference; make a dif- ference in your loan, make a difference in the
community, make a difference in your financial planning,” he said, adding that this mission has been carried out in countless ways over the years, including a recent project in Worcester to build 55 beds for children in conjunction with the Mass. Coalition for the Homeless, at which the new slo- gan was formally introduced to the bank’s staff.
the bank’s Main Street property, prompted more moves by businesses. Meanwhile, COVID and lengthy and very involved reconstruction of Main Street brought additional challenges to that part of downtown.
These forces coincided with Main Street prop- erty going quiet, as a result of the pandemic and
“
people. But we really weren’t interested. We really were driven by a desire to use this property to make a difference for the town; that was our guiding compass.”
forces resulting from it.
That property, valued at approximately $3 mil-
lion, includes the former banking office located on the corner of Main and Bank Street along with the E2E building located at 79 Main St., the rear parking lot and bunker style garage, and rooftop parking situated behind the 65-71 Main Street location that was also donated by Country Bank to the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation back in 2016.
It has been vacant since the start of the pan- demic, when the bank closed its branch there due to staff and customer safety concerns.
“Not maintaining a presence on Main Street was a tough deci-
“That was the first time they’d heard the slogan, and in the previous two hours, they had just made a difference in a child’s life, someone who did have a bed of their own,” he explained, adding that the donation of the Main Street property adds a new and an intriguing chapter to that long-running story of giving back.
Building Momentum
Yes, we were approached by some
As he talked about the decision to gift the property to the community, a donation he described as rare for a private institution, Scully first set the stage in an effort to explain how this came about, why it makes sense for the town, and how it meets the bank’s ongoing commitment to the community embedded in its new marketing slogan.
He started by discussing Main Street and, more specifically, what was largely missing from it — vitality, or energy. Elaborating, he said that many retail businesses had moved over the past several years from Main Street to the new com- mercial hub on Route 32, near a Wal-mart. And in recent years, several fires, including one at
sion that required months of con-
Country
Continued on page 47
MUG QUOTE NAME
When business owner John first heard about Stand Out Truck® and their digital billboard trucks, he was skeptical.
After doing some research, he found that Stand Out Truck's billboard trucks were different. Their trucks used three high- resolution digital screens to display ads. This meant that potential customers near his business would see his ads multiple times as they drove or walked by. John knew his next client could be right around the next corner the Stand Out Truck® turns.
John decided to start a campaign with Stand Out Truck® and instantly his business would be seen for miles. His phone was ringing off the hook with customers!
Thanks to Stand Out Truck®, his business was thriving even more than before.
Start Your Campaign Today. First Hour FREE. Call 413-356-0820 or standouttruck.com/contact
Stand Out Truck® - Digital Billboard Trucks
ADVERTISING THAT DRIVES RESULTS
Be like John.
16 JUNE 13, 2022
BANKING & FINANCIAL SERVICES
BusinessWest