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.


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!


GRB Earns Silver Award for SBA Lending

Dave Halladay accepts SBA Silver Award

We are pleased to announce that GRB has once again been recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration for its lending activities, earning a “Silver Award” for writing 36 loans worth $6 million to local businesses during the SBA’s fiscal year 2017.  In total, our SBA loans helped preserve or add 419 jobs to the region’s economy.

We are also happy to announce that GRB team member Amber Rhinehart was presented with the SBA’s “Ignite Award” for her efforts in guiding our SBA customers through the lending process.

As a community bank, we couldn’t be more excited about our relationship with the SBA and what these loans mean to small businesses.  Thank you to the SBA and to our local representative Virginia Smith for bringing us good news and advocating for businesses in our community!

Amber accepts Ignite Award from the SBA

GRB Rolls Out 55,000+ Surcharge-Free ATMs, Just in Time for the Holidays

STAR and Allpoint logos stacked

Responding to rising ATM fees, Genesee Regional Bank (GRB) has partnered with the Allpoint and STAR® ATM networks to provide the bank’s debit card customers with more than 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs around the world.  The network includes ATMs located within premier retailers in the Rochester region including Wegmans, Speedway, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Sunoco, Costco, Target, Walmart, Sam’s Club and more.

A 2017 Bankrate.com survey found that ATM fees have risen for the 11th consecutive year, now averaging $4.69 nationally for out-of-network withdrawals.  Coupled with the fact that consumers will use an out-of-network ATM an average of at least 30 percent of the time when they withdrawal cash, ATM fees add up quickly for accountholders.  With the holiday shopping season set to kick off next week, GRB hopes its customers will see an immediate benefit in both convenience and cost savings.

“As a Rochester-based financial institution, we do not want our local customers to pay fees to access their money.  We already offer up to a $10 credit each month for any out-of-network ATM fees, but we think providing more options for surcharge-free ATMs creates an even better experience for our customers,” said Paul Keenan, Senior Vice President, Retail Banking Manager.  “Adding the Allpoint and STAR surcharge-free networks, which have ATMs located in many major retailers, provides considerably more convenience and will help lower costs for our customers as they do their holiday shopping – and on an ongoing basis.”


Congratulations to Winners of the Greece Small Business Awards Program

“Even the largest companies began as a small business.  Our support for this program highlights the importance of all businesses to our community,” said Pecora.  “It is vital that we support the development of our community and recognize the efforts of those who are contributing to its economic stability and growth.  Through this awards program, and the work they do every day, the Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce is providing a supportive framework to help business owners achieve success.”

If you want to know more about the Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce or the Greece community, check out the radio interview featuring chamber President and CEO Sarah Lentini on Entercom radio on our Facebook page:


GRB Moves Up on 2017 Top 100 List

Chamber 2017 Top100 logo

GRB is pleased to announce it has moved up 14 spots to #30 on the Rochester Chamber and KPMG “2017 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 how many GRB customers and partners are on the Top 100.  The exciting new ideas brought to market by newer companies on the list and the consistent growth of those who have made the list numerous times since the Rochester Chamber started the program 31 years ago, is a testament to the strength and innovative spirit that characterizes our region.  Congratulations to everyone!

And finally, a tremendous thank you to all our employees.  Your commitment and dedication to serving our customers made this achievement possible.


“Focus on the Rochester Community” Topic of GRB Radio Interview

Photo of Community Relationship Manager Chris Kiley

We are pleased to share that GRB Community Relationship Manager Chris Kiley was recently a guest on the “Business Voice” radio show on WYSL and hosted by the Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Kiley discussed GRB’s focus on serving the Greater Rochester community and the bank’s commitment to supporting and developing small businesses in the region.

In speaking with Greece Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Sarah Lentini, Kiley emphasized the differences in working with GRB over larger banks.

“We’re 100 percent local, so our decision makers are in Rochester,” said Kiley.  “Our board of directors are local all businessmen so they can look at a business opportunity a little bit different than just as a banker – they can see the big picture.  We can be a little bit more flexible in our lending and how we structure a deal.”

If you missed the program, you can still catch the podcast on the Chamber’s YouTube podcast link.  Chris’ interview begins at the 50-minute mark.

To contact Chris in our Greece branch, go to our Personal Banking page.


GRB Co-founder and Entrepreneur E. Philip Saunders Honored by RIT

Phil Saunders photo

On Oct. 10, RIT’s Saunders College of Business honored local entrepreneur, philanthropist and GRB Co-founder E. Philip Saunders with a permanent wall display at the college to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the naming of the Saunders College of Business.  Mr. Saunders’ contributions to both the business community and to the community at large has been the cornerstone of his success.  As the president and CEO of Saunders Management Co., Mr. Saunders remains committed to enhancing the Rochester region.

In an article written by RIT and available at https://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=63918, Mr. Saunders explains the importance of his work with the Saunders College of Business:

Image of the Phil Saunders Wall at RIT

“Giving back to the community is an important thing to do for a person who has been successful.  In the last decade, Saunders College has increased enrollment, attracted quality faculty and achieved high rankings.”