Berkshire Bank Launches New Innovative Programs Providing Customers and Employees with the Best of Two Worlds
The Community Bank Will Provide Customers With 21st Century Convenience with a 20th Century Neighborhood Feel
(Boston, Massachusetts) May 16, 2019 --Today, Berkshire Bank launched a series of new programs to bolster their commitment to diversity and inclusion both internally with its employees and externally with their customers. For over 170 years Berkshire has been the bank communities can rely on. Nowadays it’s more common for people to connect with an outsourced teller than with a real person. With the expansion of the MyBanker program, Berkshire Bank is making sure that when customers bank with Berkshire they have access to real people and not just an automated system. The MyBanker program is designed to provide everyone who banks with Berkshire the “VIP treatment”. This reimagined program will offer concierge services to everyone, not just a privileged few.
The new Storefront Program that is launching simultaneously will dive in even deeper to the community by creating a place to help neighborhoods tackle the growing wealth gap, building more authentic relationships and providing a safe space for communities to exchange ideas and encourage growth within the local economy.
Berkshire is invested in both its outward facing products and work, as well as a commitment to building its internal capacity and diversity. It is for this reason that Berkshire is thrilled to announce that this year they will be setting internal hiring goals to ensure diverse representation as well as creating a committee that tends to internal needs as well as external vendors.
“Since taking over the reins of Berkshire at the end of 2018 it has been our focus to offer products to our customers that meet our changing times. While technology has offered convenience it has also eroded our in-person connectivity--Berkshire’s new programs are set up to put community first. We want to offer our customers a community feel with all the ease technology has to offer”, said Richard Marotta, President and CEO of Berkshire Bank.
“I am so proud to see the commitment to diversity and inclusion grow. As the new SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer I am excited to collaborate with my team to create the diverse pipeline of recruits our industry and our company need. Our society is changing and it is imperative that we meet its demands to evolve and expand. Our internship programs and collaborations are just the beginning to connect our customers and neighbors with opportunities to join our team,” said Jackie Courtwright, SVP, Chief Human Resources Officer.
“We take our commitment to diversity and inclusion seriously and that includes at the board level. We have created a new committee on our board that will exclusively focus on the board’s efforts to diversify the company and I am incredibly honored and eager to lead this effort,” said BHLB bank director, Laurie Norton Moffatt [CEO/Director of Norman Rockwell Museum.] “People are our business and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees and customers is our priority and commitment to our communities.”
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Berkshire Bank is recognized for its entrepreneurial approach, relationship customer experience, distinctive culture and embracing and celebrating the diversity of all customers, employees and suppliers—as it commitment to diversity continues to grow. With $12.2 billion in assets, Berkshire provides business and consumer banking, mortgage, wealth management, investment and insurance services through 109 full service branch offices throughout New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, including Commerce Bank, a division of Berkshire Bank. Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE: BHLB) is the parent of Berkshire Bank. Berkshire Bank was named one of Massachusetts' Most Charitable Companies by the Boston Business Journal in 2018.