GRBblog

Welcome to the GRBblog! Get to know GRB, Rochester's only locally owned and managed commercial bank. A commercial bank, but also a community bank, with an entrepreneurial spirit about everything we do. We're committed to Growing Rochester Business and making our community a better place to live and work.

The GRBblog is where we post bank news and information, stories about the great organizations we support, and share relevant local and national business news.


GRB Welcomes Tim Jones to Executive Team as Chief Lending Officer

Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Tim Jones

GRB Executive Vice President Dave Halladay to Take on New Position as Chief Credit Officer

Genesee Regional Bank (GRB) is pleased to announce that Tim Jones has joined the bank’s leadership team as Executive Vice President, Chief Lending Officer.  Executive Vice President Dave Halladay will take over the newly created role of Chief Credit Officer.

Jones, who has more than 25 years of commercial banking experience in the local Rochester market, will oversee the commercial relationship management team and lead GRB’s business development efforts.  Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in economics/finance from Ithaca College and completed his Master of Business Administration at Rochester Institute of Technology’s Saunders College of Business.  He also completed the Senior Leadership Development Program at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.  Active in the community, Jones is a member of the Board of Directors and serves on the Audit and Finance Committees for Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women and is a member of the Board of Directors of Friends of Constellation Brands Performing Arts Center (CMAC).  He is also a former chairman of the Board of Directors of Bivona Child Advocacy Center, and continues to serve the organization as a member of its Stewardship Committee.

“We are pleased to welcome Tim Jones to the GRB team.  Tim is an exceptional banker who brings solid credit acumen and extensive sales management experience to GRB,” said Philip L Pecora, GRB’s President and CEO.  “In the last decade, GRB has grown five-fold in total assets, adding hundreds of new commercial client relationships and more than 80 employees.  With a focus on continued growth, we feel it was time to bring additional leadership resources to the bank.”


GRB on Rochester Top 100 List

Rochester Top 100 2018 winner logo

GRB is pleased to announce it has once again placed on the Rochester Chamber and KPMG “Top 100” list.  GRB is the only bank on the Top 100.

To be eligible for the Rochester Chamber Top 100, businesses must be privately held, headquartered in the nine-county Rochester region, and have earned at least $1 million in revenue in each of the three most recent fiscal years. The Rochester Chamber Top 100 is computed based on revenue growth, taking into account both dollar and percentage growth.

We are also proud to note the number of GRB customers and partners on the Top 100.  The diversity of new businesses on the list and the consistent growth of long-standing local companies serves as a testament to the strength and innovative spirit that characterizes our region.  We wish everyone a sincere congratulations!

At GRB, we are fortunate to have a wonderful employee team serving our customers every day.  Thank you for your commitment and dedication.  You made this achievement possible.


You Could Be Surprised with Mastercard Surprises!

Image of woman enjoying visit to NYC

GRB is pleased to announce that it is participating in the Priceless Surprises® campaign with Mastercard®, allowing eligible cardholders to be entered for prizes just for using their GRB debit card.  Surprises range from $500 statement credits to once-in-a-lifetime trips – and one GRB customer is guaranteed to win one of the $500 prizes!

The grand prize winner can select one of the following amazing destinations:

  • New York City
  • Los Angeles
  • Hawaii
  • Miami
  • Chicago

Beginning Oct. 1, 2018, Cardholders will automatically receive one (1) entry into the promotion each time they use their Mastercard to make a purchase during the promotion period through Dec. 30, 2018. PIN-based purchases made with a Debit card, international transactions and transactions with an HSA Mastercard or small business Mastercard are not eligible for an entry. The promotion is open to our Mastercard debit cardholders age 18+ who are U.S. residents, and cardholders in good standing.


GRB’s Brandon Beardsley Recognized in RBJ Forty Under 40 Program

RBJ Brandon Beardsley 40 under 40 Announcement

Congratulations to our VP, Risk Management Officer Brandon Beardsley for being named to the 2018 RBJ Forty Under 40 list! Brandon joined GRB five years ago as an internal auditor. He was promoted to his current role leading the bank’s regulatory and compliance team in 2016. Dedicated to community service, Brandon is on the Camp Good Days and Special Times Inc. board and received the 2017 Teddi Award, awarded by Camp Good Days for voluntary services that go above and beyond. He also participates in a number of industry and local organizations including the Rochester Security Clearinghouse, Institute of Internal Auditors, Rochester Young Professionals, and Information Systems Control & Association (ISACA). Way to go, Brandon!


Is Your HSA Due for a Check Up?

Laura Benotti, HSA Relationship Manager

For those with a High Deductible Health Plan, your Health Savings Account is an important part of your health benefits package.

“To maximize its benefits, make sure and give it a ‘mid-year check up,'” says Genesee Regional Bank’s Health Savings Account Relationship Manager Laura Benotti.

“Your situation may have changed significantly since the beginning of the year,” noted Benotti.  “If you aren’t maxing out your HSA contribution and you end up adding a new medication or treatment, you could fall short in your account and not be able to take advantage of all the pre-tax savings offered by your HSA.  Take this opportunity to figure out whether you need to make some changes while there is still time to spread additional contributions out over the remainder of the year.”

Benotti also points out that the opposite problem can also occur…contributing too much.  Since HSA dollars are saved as pre-tax dollars, if you contribute too much to your HSA account you will need to rectify the situation prior to filing your taxes or face an excise tax.


Facial Recognition Support Available on GRBmobile for iOS Users

Photo illustration representing facial recognition technology

The latest upgrade to GRBmobile brings a number of enhancements to users, including support for iOS facial recognition technology used on the iPhone 10.  Now, GRBmobile users that unlock their mobile device with facial recognition can also bypass the user name and password requirement for GRBmobile using the same process.

If you have automatic updates turned on for GRBmobile, the latest version will be installed when available. If you manually update GRBmobile, go to the App Store or Play Store to install the latest version.


Save a Life on May 24 – Actually, Make it Three Lives

American Red Cross logo

On Thursday, May 24 the Red Cross Bloodmobile will be at Genesee Regional Bank’s Winton Road location from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. GRB is proud to partner with the American Red Cross and be a part of all they do for our community, our country and around the world. Our blood drive is important to patients in need, but the collection and distribution of blood is just a small part of all the Red Cross does:

  • Every 60 seconds, 44 people in America are assisted by the American Red Cross.
  • 15,500 people every day receive lifesaving Red Cross health and safety training.
  • 1,000 times a day the Red Cross provides services to military members, their families and veterans.
  • 190 times a day Red Cross workers help families affected by a home fire or disaster.

From a blood supply standpoint:

  • Each pint of blood we collect can help save up to three lives.
  • The Red Cross must collect 14,000 units of blood each day.
  • The blood collected by the Red Cross helps millions of patients in over 2,400 hospitals across the country.
  • 80 percent of blood donations are given at blood drives are hosted by sponsoring organizations like ours.

Appointments for the GRB Blood Drive can be made in advance by clicking here.  We hope you can join us to give blood and save lives!


Celebrating the Addition of New Services at Our Winton Road Branch

Photo showing ribbon cutting at Winton Road

Genesee Regional Bank (GRB) is pleased to have celebrated the addition of new services for both Retail and Commercial clients at its headquarters location at 1850 South Winton Road with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 2.  The event also coincided with National Small Business Week, recognizing the significant contributions of small businesses to the U.S. economy.

As a small business itself, GRB serves the small business community and individuals exclusively in the Rochester region.  Last year, GRB was presented with the Silver Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration for its lending activities.  The bank is also one of the top residential mortgage lenders in the community and provides full retail banking services including home equity loans, checking and savings accounts, CDs, Health Savings Accounts and more.

In May 2016, GRB moved its headquarters to South Winton Road and added a small bank branch in the lobby with limited retail and business banking support.  Responding to customer demand, the bank recently added state-of-the-art Cash Recyclers to support a full range of cash transactions in the Winton branch.  Business customers can also begin using the new Night Depository in the bank’s secure vestibule area for after-hours deposits.

The ribbon-cutting was attended by Nelson Lopatin from the Brighton Chamber of Commerce, Brighton Town Supervisor William Moehle, Director of Communications for the Honorable NYS Senator Joseph E. Robach, Director of Planning and Development for Monroe County Jeff Adair and President and CEO of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce Bob Duffy.


National Small Business Week – Highlighting Local Success

More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year.

As a small business lender, at GRB we know every small business has a story.  We are highlighting our celebration of National Small Business Week by helping tell those stories with in-depth customer profiles on our Web site.  A special thank you to all of the business owners who took the time to provide thoughtful answers to the challenges and successes they’ve experienced on their journey of entrepreneurship.

Look for the accompanying campaign with the theme, “Spotlight on Small Business” on our social media channels.


Genesee Regional Bank Named to “Best Companies” List for 2018

Best Companies award graphic

GRB is proud to announce that it has been recognized as one of the “Best Companies to Work for in New York 2018” by the NYS chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in the small/medium size category. The 2018 award marks GRB’s fifth year on the “Best Companies” list.

Rankings in the annual program are chosen based on employee responses to the engagement and satisfaction survey, as well as the employer-provided benefits and policies questionnaire. The results are analyzed based on eight core focus areas:

  1. Leadership and Planning
  2. Corporate Culture and Communications
  3. Role Satisfaction
  4. Work Environment
  5. Relationship with Supervisor
  6. Training, Development and Resources
  7. Pay and Benefits
  8. Overall Engagement

It is no small feat to appear on this list year after year. So, to the members of the GRB team, a sincere thank you.  Your ability to work together, provide our clients with outstanding service, and help each other every day makes all the difference. Your Best Makes GRB the Best!