Page 14 - BusinessWest March 20, 2023
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BANKING & FINANCE >>
  Forward-looking Statements
Matt Garrity M
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MARCH 20, 2020 << BANKING & FINANCE >>
BusinessWest
Focuses on Continued
Growth as He Takes Helm at Florence Bank
att Garrity says it was a few years ago, when he was estab- lished in his role as executive vice president and chief lending officer at Premier Financial Corp. in Ohio, that he determined that the next logical career step would be to preside over his own bank.
As time went on, and the calls from recruiters started multiplying, the major questions to be answered concerning this ambition were ... where, and what?
The ‘where’ involved geographic regions, and Garrity had his prefer- ences, especially the Northeast — he grew up in Lee. As for the what
... he desired to be at a bank with a long history, a solid track record, a strong growth pattern, and a plan to continue along that path.
Not long after being encouraged to consider succeeding Kevin Day as president and CEO of Florence Bank, he concluded that all of those boxes could be checked — with authority.
“It’s a perfect fit — this is such a great bank, and it’s got a terrific board,” said Garrity, adding that there many things that stood out about the institution. “From a financial standpoint, this is a very strong and well-positioned bank, and what also came across loud and clear in my conversations with the board was what a great culture this organization has; this is a very customer-focused, community-minded culture that we have here, and a very engaged workforce.”
Garrity, who arrived at the bank in January, takes the helm at a very intriguing time in its history. Indeed, the institution will celebrate its 150th anniversary this year — May 6 is the actual anniversary date. It
BY GEORGE O’BRIEN
[email protected]
“It’s a perfect fit — this is such a great bank, and it’s got a terrific board.”

















































































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