News & Views

GRB is pleased to announce that it has been named one of the 50 Best Companies to Work for in New York State for 2013. The bank earned the #7 spot on the list of 30 small/medium companies.

Phil Pecora, President & CEO, says, "Inclusion on this list is a testament to the strong culture we've built, with our employees focused on delivering an unparalleled level of service to our clients, and to each other. This has truly been the main driver of our success."

Created in 2007, these annual awards are a program that evaluates and ranks the best places of employment based on employee satisfacton and engagement, as well as workplace practices and policies.

To be considered for participation, companies had to enter into a two-part survey process and fulfill the following eligibility requirements:  

• Be a for-profit or not-for-profit business or government entity.
• Be a publicly or privately held business.
• Have at least one facility in the state of New York.
• Have a minimum of 15 employees working in the state of New York.
• Be in business a minimum of 1 year.

GRB was honored at a public awards dinner at the Albany Marriott on Tuesday, April 30, 2013.  Four employees represented GRB at the dinner, and shared a table with another Rochester winner, Pharos Systems. 

GRB and Pharos Systems employees head to Albany.

Jean Gardner, HR Manager, receives our award.

Gaining yet more recognition on a national list, Rochester has earned a spot on Techie.com's list of the Ten Most Unexpected Cities for High-Tech Innovation. The listing highlights our student populations at the University of Rochester and RIT, university research dollars, and a tech-savvy workforce with lots of patents. 

Other cities on the list were Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Des Moines, Detroit, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Portland (ME), and South Bend. 

Last Saturday, twelve GRB employees, some family members, and a past intern volunteered their time at the Mary Cariola Children's Center. Their parents' organization sponsors an annual beach party for the kids and their families.  GRB staffed a fishing hole (magnetic fish and poles in buckets of water) and a craft table where kids made picture frames.  Families also enjoyed live music, volleyball, swimming, temporary tattoos, more crafts, and mini golf.

GRB is a proud to support Mary Cariola because of the great services they provide to so many families in our region, but especially because one of our colleagues' son is a student there.

It was great to see so many Mary Cariola kids enjoying their school-turned-beach party!

Pam Sherman, author of the popular "Suburban Outlaw" column and blog for the Democrat & Chronicle, recently profiled local restauranteur Charlie Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons owns several restaurants, including Black & Blue Steak & Crab, Jo Jo Bistro & Wine Bar (both with outposts in Buffalo as well), the Village Bakery in Pittsford village. His most recent venture is TRATA, the Restaurant at the Armory, in the newly developed Culver Road Armory.

Read Sherman's article here.

With the help of employees, clients, and friends, GRB donated 44 baskets of food for Thanksgiving meals to the Small Business Council's annual SBC Cares food drive.

The SBC exceeded their 2012 goal of collecting 1000 baskets, delivering 1061 baskets, worth over $50,000, to local organizations.

Carolyn Thaney, daughter of GRB Executive Assistant Julie Thaney, raised $675 at Calkins Road Middle School to help GRB collect an additional 13 baskets.

GRB employees and their families were among the volunteers on Saturday, Novmebr 17, who delivered the baskets to Sojourner House, Mercy Residential Services, Wilson Commencement Park, Veterans Outreach Center, The Community Place, Catholic Charities, YWCA, Alternatives for Battered Women, Baden Street Settlement, and the Open Door Mission.

Thanks to all who helped us and the SBC surpass donation goals, providing over one thousand local families with the supplies for a holiday dinner.

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

Marissa Kaiser, daughter of GRB SVP Paul Kaiser, delivering baskets.

L to R: Carolyn Thaney, Marissa Kaiser, Julie Thaney, Trevor Kaiser, Paul Kaiser delivering baskets for SBC Cares.

GRB Manager of Human Resources, Jean Gardner, was quoted in an August 2012 Rochester Business Journal Article on the state of hiring in the local financial services sector.

Despite some challenging economic times over the past few years, local financial institutions continue to grow and add employees, including GRB.

Gardner notes, "Community banking is a people business, so our growth requires us to continuously recruit talented individuals to service our clients and ensure quality in our operations." She also discusses the bank's hiring strategy and what we look for in candidates.

Read the full article here, and connect with Jean here.

GRB Senior Vice President for Commercial Lending, Paul Kaiser, is a featured panelist at the Small Business Council's inaugural Decision Makers' Forum on Tuesday, July 24.

The panel, Show Me the Money - Acquiring Capital for your Small Business, starts at 5:00pm at Midvale Country Club. John Halleran of Halleran Financial Group is the moderator; participants will break out into small group discussions with the panelists afterwards.

The Decision Makers' Forum is a new program from the SBC, offering business owners and senior managers the chance to engage with and learn from local experts, on a variety of critical business topics. SBC members are $30; $45 for nonmembers. For more information, see their website or contact Cindy DeVoldre at 256-4619.

Local entrepreneur Ann Germanow believes no woman should have to choose between food for her family or feminine hygiene products. Every year, thousands of families across the United States apply for public assistance, yet these programs do not cover many personal care items.

With that in mind, Germanow, founder and CEO of Scensible Source, is organizing a "Pad Party" on Tuesday, May 15 from 6 - 8pm at Shear Ego Salon and Spa. With the aim of collecting feminine hygiene products to distribute to women in need, the Pad Party will also feature food, drinks, networking, and spa pampering.

Read the full article from herRochester.com. Click here for more information about the Pad Party.

The inaugural padde tennis tournament benefitting the EquiCenter, a GRB client, was a big success. Held at Midtown Athletic Club on Saturday, 3/3, close to 80 teams participated and many more enjoyed the traditional after party.

GRB was proud to be the headline sponsor, and some of our employees even volunteered to bartend at the party.

Jeana Aranzullo, Erin Stull, and Ami Panipinto bartending.

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.  

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

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.

It's a little strange to blog about myself, but I'm posting this RBJ article because my story exemplifies the culture at GRB.  Three years ago, I joined GRB after a 13-year career in museums. 

Every year the RBJ recognizes Rochester’s best business websites. Winning websites are selected by a panel of judges, with awards presented in 11 categories.  At this morning's awards ceremony, GRB won "Best of the Web" in the banking/finance category!  Read the RBJ article here.  Photos after the jump.

After months of hard work, GRB re-launched our new website in November 2010, looking to highlight our unique culture and the Rochester small businesses we are proud to have as clients. The work paid off as we recently were selected as a Finalist for the Rochester Business Journal’s 2011 Best of the Web awards.