GRB client Seibold Security, Inc. today announced plans to increase its workforce and expand its Rochester headquarters. Read the RBJ article here.

We are proud to be associated with firms like Seibold who are contributing to the expansion of our local economy. 

Adding another fundraiser to it's annual calendar, the EquiCenter's inaugural Paddles for Saddles paddle tennis tournament is Saturday, March 3. Sign up for men's or women's doubles; all levels welcome! 

While matches will take place at various clubs, the finals and after party will be at Midtown Athletic Club. All proceeds will benefit the EquiCenter, which provides a wide range of therapeutic equestrian activities to individuals with disabilities, at-risk youth, veterans, and their families.

Tournament details and registration information here.

Empire State Lyric Theatre presents a chamber opera festival, March 2 - 4, 2012, and GRB is proud to be a major sponsor.

Susan Cotroneo, Executive Director, says that this festival is the first of its kind in the region. "Chamber opera is opera on a smaller scale; one act staged performances," she notes.  Even those new to opera will find these accessible and entertaining.

Duncan Moore, a University of Rochester professor, has written a great op-ed piece about Rochester in the New York Times. He notes that since we've nurtured a "fertile entrepreneurial class" through our universities and private/public partnerships, Rochester is thriving. Moore challenges local businesses to continue to invest in the community.

GRB is proud to embrace this enterpreneurial spirit and be a resource for companies who are doing just that.  

Cathy Doran has been hired as a Senior Collateral & Documentation Specialist.  She previously worked for 6 years at RBS Citizens, NA as a Commercial Banking Loan Specialist. Cathy resides in Pittsford with her husband and 2 daughters.

Sharon Brownyard has been hired as Collateral and Documentation Specialist. She previously worked for Northwest Savings Bank for the past five and a half years in various capacities. Sharon resides in Irondequoit with her husband, Tom.

Nick Urbanik has joined GRB as Internal Bank Auditor at the Linden Oaks location. Nick previously worked at Deloitte & Touche as a Consultant and has 5 years of combined audit experience with Deloitte & Touche and Stewart Title. Nick resides in Brighton with his wife and two kids. 

Recently promoted to Portfolio Manager, Tim Levine is a true GRB success story.  He originally joined the bank in January, 2011 as a Credit Analyst Intern while completing his degree at St. John Fisher College.  Tim quickly mastered his position, and made significant contributions to the Commercial Credit team. 

According to an article on TheStreet.com, a financial news website, Rochester is one of 10 cities poised for greatness in 2012.

Congratulations to GRB client Pactech Packaging, Monroe County's Business of the Month for November. We are proud to have financed their new manufacturing facility. Read the county's press release here.

GRB is proud to announce we are ranked #41 on the 2011 Rochester Top 100 list. This is our fourth year on the Rochester Business Alliance's list, which ranks the region's fastest growing, privately held companies.

Preident & CEO Phil Pecora notes that the bank's success is a tribute to the hard work of our employees, and is also linked to the success and loyalty of our clients, many of whom share in the Top 100 rankings.

(Read about one of those clients, Fibertech Networks, in this D&C profile for their 4th place ranking.)

We congratulate our client, Mark Gentile, President & CEO of Odyssey Software, on his recent award from the Rochester Small Business Council. At their annual luncheon, Gentile was named Business Person of the Year in the category of businesses with fewer than 50 employees.    

This past weekend, four GRB employees arrived before sunup to help set up a blood drive at the Perinton Rapid Laser Wash, owned by clients Mark and Michelle Landers. Mark's amazing story of surviving an aortic dissection prompted the Landers to host the blood drive.

L to R: Dave Cushman, Kate Turner, Reece McKenzie, San Gueli.

Celebrating 15 years of banking service to Rochester, GRB hosted an anniversary celebration September 14 at our Linden Oaks headquarters. Thanking our employees, board members, and clients, GRB Chairman Phil Saunders and GRB President & CEO Phil Pecora also spoke about the bank’s growth.

The Greece Chamber of Commerce today announced the six finalists for their Small Business of the Year Awards.  GRB is proud to be the presenting sponsor of this event for the third year in a row. Highlighting the successful, entrepreneurial, and community-minded small businesses that abound in Greece, there are two award categories this year. The Microenterprise of the Year (10 employees or fewer, and less than $2 million in revenue) joins the Small Business of the Year category.

GRB has been awarded five stars in Bankrate.com's Safe and Sound Ratings Service for the quarter ended September 30, 2011. A 5-star rating is the highest award rating and is defined as a "Superior" ranking of financial strength and stability.

GRB client Mark Landers and his wife Michelle run a successful car wash business, building and opening their most recent one with financing from GRB on Rt. 31F in Perinton.  They have three kids, and lead a busy life as small business owners.  Last March, Mark nearly died.

GRB client CJ Rapp, inventor of Jolt cola, recently launched a new beverage. Karma water debuted locally in September. We are proud to be part of the local team that brought Rapp's next creation to market.

From coverage in the Democrat & Chronicle: 

Rapp said he made it a point with the new company to involve other Rochester-area businesses in various aspects of the enterprise.

"There are 10 to 12 locally based companies that have a business role with the new company," Rapp said. "There is tremendous talent in this community."

Among the local businesses involved are ValTech, Hammer Packaging, Martino Flynn, The Bonadio Group and Wright Wisner Distributing Corp. These local firms and others are doing parts of the overall process, such as manufacturing and distributing the caps and labels, designing the bottle and marketing the product using traditional and online approaches.

As reported back in April, GRB Chairman Phil Saunders donated $10M to the University of Rochester Medical Center. The gift supports clinical care and research in neuromuscular disease, and underscores Saunders' desire to give to organizations that attract money and jobs to the region.

Photo via URMC.

As we work to help small business in Rochester grow even in these challenging economic times, it made sense for us to take advantage of federal funds available for just that purpose. GRB is one of 20 community banks nationwide to receive part of $253 million in capital through the Treasury Department's Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF).

Part of the Small Business Jobs Act, the SBLF was established to encourage community bank lending to small businesses. Read the Daily Record article here.

Clients enjoyed free Ben & Jerry's ice cream one afternoon in July as part of our 15th anniversary celebration.

This month's Monroe County Business Brief has two GRB-related items. Commercial Banker, Pat Murray was honored earlier this summer as one of two County Bankers of the Year. His second time winning this accolade, Pat referred four projects to Monroe County Economic Development, all of which successfully closed.

GRB client Pactech Packaging, Inc. is highlighted in the Business Profile. A manufacturer of flexible packaging, Pactech recently moved to a 127,000 s.f. facility in Ogden, utilizing Monroe County's SBA 504 program to purchase and renovate the building.