Sawyer Savings held a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday, October 8 at its new location in Highland at 3515 Route 9W. The branch is located on the former site of Casa Mia restaurant. On hand to welcome the bank to its new location were William Farrell, president of the Southern Ulster Chamber of Commerce; Ward Todd, president of the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce; Peter Ingellis, executive director of the New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce; Liza Lanzarone, Highland branch manager and Gabriel Sottile, president, CEO and trustee of Sawyer Savings.
The Saugerties-based bank founded in 1871 also has a location in Marlboro. The Highland branch is not entirely new to town — they moved to Route 9W from their former location on Vineyard Avenue in the village of Highland — but the move allowed the bank to offer more room for parking along with an ATM and drive-through. CEO Sottile, who has been with Sawyer Savings since 1975, said that when they look at locations for new branches, the trustees are interested in towns that have a community culture similar to that of Saugerties. Their emphasis on small town values and community-based banking can be seen in their First Time Homebuyers Program and their established mission to generate long-term relationships with their individual and business customers.
Sawyer Savings is also known for their support of many local organizations and nonprofits, including food pantries and libraries, the Saugerties unit of the Kingston-based Boys and Girls Club, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Ulster Literacy and Operation SOS (Support Our Servicemen and women). They recently made a $1,000 donation to the Michael Oremus Foundation, founded in 2007 by the family of Highland’s Michael Oremus, who was killed while deployed in Baghdad. In his memory, the foundation provides scholarships and recreational activities for children and families in need. The Michael Oremus Foundation will host a fundraising cocktail party on Saturday, November 8 at Mariner’s on the Hudson in Highland and a soccer tournament on Saturday and Sunday, November 22 and 23 at the Hudson Valley Sportsdome in Milton. For more information, visit www.michaeloremus.org.
The ribbon-cutting was held in the midst of a “six-week extravaganza” of weekly themed-events through the end of the month. “Teen Week” continues through Saturday, October 18, followed by “Children’s Week” from Monday, October 20 through Saturday, October 25. That event concludes with an autumn celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that will include giveaways, pumpkins, face painting and balloons for the kids. Children’s Week is also intended to encourage kids to learn good financial habits early.
For more information about Sawyer Savings, visit www.sawyersavings.com or look for them on Facebook.
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