Page 19 - BusinessWest March 2, 2026

“So, compared to our peers, we’re number one by far in terms
of our revenue mix, the revenue that comes from non-bank fee
income. But the only way to cross-sell those is to interact with your
customers and consult with them and deliver those other options to
them every day. So that’s the synergy we’re trying to get, and to have
branches on the ground is the way to do that.”
At the same time, the bank intends to get involved in — and give
back to — the local nonprofit landscape.
“It’s in our name, and it’s what we do every day, but as an institu-
tion, we give about $4 million a year to the community by way of
donations and sponsorships, that sort of thing. Last year, we sup-
ported about 2,200 different organizations.”
The bank does so with a regional model, Plasse added, noting
that the existing Springfield branch contributed about $61,000 to
22 different organizations last year, while team members volun-
teered more than 200 hours in the community.
“I’m the regional president for New England, which, for us,
includes Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. And we
have separate committees within each region to identify what the
community needs are. We don’t want to have a blanket approach.
I’m part of that committee, and we decide where to put our dollars
into the community along with members from each one of those
states. So we have people representing Massachusetts on that com-
mittee and advocating for local nonprofits in the Springfield area,
and then we have other folks from New Hampshire and Vermont as
well.”
As part of the recent ribbon cutting event on Boston Road, Com-
munity Bank donated $5,000 to the Springfield Symphony Orches-
tra and also committed $25 per loan or deposit opened at that loca-
tion to Rick’s Place, which supports grieving young people and their
families.
“And it’s not only dollars — it’s volunteering, too,” Plasse added.
“In New England alone, it was 2,700 hours last year, and bank-
wide, it was 17,800 hours of community service from our teams.
Everyone is really encouraged to live and breathe the bank. We put
our orange on — we kind of stand out. We look like a bunch of hunt-
ers out there, but it’s pretty fun when everyone gets together.”
Focus on the Future
Plasse said Community Bank has its eye on further growth, both
organically and, when opportunities arise, with new locations.
“The big headline the other day was about the Webster and
Santander merger. So we we expect we’ll see some opportunities
out of that; when there’s a merger, sometimes divestitures of loca-
tions can come up,” he explained.
In any case, “we’re not done in Springfield. I don’t know what
the next expansion might look like, whether it’s a de novo branch
like we did on Boston Road or something else. But ideally, you have
a hub and the spokes of the branch network, with the hub being
downtown and several spokes around it.”
While regional expansion in Western Mass. is certainly possible,
he added, the focus now is building in and around Springfield.
“We are certainly opportunistic if we feel like it’s the right time
to strike. Our CEO is not afraid to do that, and we’re actively look-
ing at similar things in New Hampshire and other places,” Plasse
explained. “But in in terms of market share in Western Mass., the
branch up and running downtown obviously has done very well, and
we will attempt to replicate that on Boston Road.
“We’re very excited about our customers in Springfield. They
may not root for the same football team as our friends in upstate
New York, but they they look and feel the same, and they appreciate
our core values of integrity, excellence, teamwork, and humility,” he
said, while putting emphasis on the last one.
“I’ve worked at other institutions where I didn’t necessarily feel
like that was evident, but humility is huge; there are no egos at this
bank. We had an entire executive team came to show up in Spring-
field, which hopefully tells the community how important it is. The
CEO was there, the CFO was there, head of HR was there, and all
the CEOs of the business lines were there — the four legs of the
stool. They’re all zero-ego, totally approachable people, which has
been really encouraging. And I think once people come in and inter-
act with us in the branch, they feel that.” BW
“We are certainly
opportunistic if
we feel like it’s
the right time to
strike. Our CEO is
not afraid to do
that.”
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