I am asked often to reflect back on my nearly 35 years at Saco & Biddeford Savings. In 1989, I loved what the bank was, and its place in the community.
In 2023, I can still say the same thing. As the financial services landscape continues to evolve, we like to see our bank as a source of stability and reliability. People find comfort knowing that nearly 200 years after our founding, our name remains unchanged.
Our commitment of service to our customers and communities is unwavering. We value local relationships, and vow to stay true to our promise of mutuality. These relationships with customers and with communities form our roots. While those roots allow for new growth and relationships to form, we never lose sight of where we came from or how we got here.
About seven years ago, a group of us worked on an overarching message that told the story of us. Many of you may remember hearing it in advertising campaigns, with Don Campbell’s wonderful voice narrating. That message was:
There’s a difference between living in a place and being a part of it.
Simply going about your days or having an impact on others’.
It’s about caring.
It’s about belonging.
It’s about feeling home… at home.
As a mutual savings bank, we take that word “mutual” seriously.
Working to our customers’ mutual advantage on things that are mutually beneficial.
Not just for our own good, but for the good of the community.
The people we serve helping us serve those around us.
Giving us the chance to give back in order to give more.
Because when each of your customers is part-owner, too, everyone’s in it together.
That’s why our focus is on our people.
Our friends and family right here in our neighborhoods.
The dreams we dream. The hopes we hope.
The values and beliefs we all share.
And the heart of a community getting to have a heart again because of it.
We see how much you love it here.
Well, we want you to know the feeling’s been mutual for 189 years.
In a world where unpredictability often shakes us to the core, we promise to be resolute in continuing to deliver an element of steadiness to the communities that we serve. That is why we are here, and we will continue those efforts for many years to come.
I continue to use the word “we” as I will continue to have a personal involvement with the bank as a member of the Board of Directors. I am pleased to have Mark Jones and a team of others to whom I can pass the baton at the end of 2023.
It has been an extreme pleasure and an honor to have the opportunity to serve as part of this organization for so many years, and I thank you all for that.
With immense gratitude,
