Fuller up

First came the merger, then came the changing of the guard. Stand ready the Rolodexes.

Thomas Hales, president and CEO of Union State Bank, acquired in July by Key Bank, will retire, along with President and Chief Operating Offficer Raymond Crotty.

USB”™s Orangeburg headquarters will become Key”™s Hudson Valley headquarters.

Michael Orsino, president of KeyBank”™s Capital Region for the past two years, was named president of the newly formed Hudson Valley/Metro NY District. He will report to Thomas Geisel, president of the Northeast region of KeyBank N.A.

Reginald C. Fuller III, who has been the Hudson Valley”™s district president for the past year, will be taking on a new role: Hudson Valley/Metro NY District market president. He”™ll report to Orsino.

Prior to becoming Key”™s Hudson Valley District president, Fuller  served as district retail leader for the bank”™s Capital Region, overseeing 325 employees and 51 branches in 10 counties.  He came to the Hudson Valley and became its district manager over a year ago. Now, he”™ll be taking on a new mantle and greater responsibilities. With the acquisition of USB”™s branches, Key has doubled its presence in the mid-Hudson region.

“My plans right now are to help Mike in any way possible and integrate Union State Bank and Key Bank as a single  organization,” said Fuller of Orsino. “USB employees seem excited about the range of products they will now be able to offer their customers, and we are looking forward to a good relationship.”

He”™s also looking forward to working with Orsino and will be commuting from Newburgh, where the district offices are now located, to Orangeburg and beyond. “Mike”™s has a tremendous broad base of experience. He ran retail for the entire country, and I”™ll be here to assist him. My role will be to maintain our market presence in the north end of the franchise. Moreover, I”™ll have responsibility for the entire consumer piece. We have branch operations that start up in Ulster County down through Westchester and into our branch in Stamford.”

 

As of now, Key will concentrate on transitioning USB employees and familiarizing them with KeyBank”™s products, policies and protocols.

Is Key ready to go farther into Connecticut? “Not right now,” said Fuller. “We do have a branch there. We are going focus our attention on the mid-Hudson market.”

Fuller will be working to build a cohesive team while the two banks complete the transition to one. “We need to build on our strengths and the USB team is a very important part of the equation. We”™ll be competing with Chase Bank; we realize that.  With this merger, we have captured a significant share of the market. In Rockland, we are number two in market share; in Orange, we are number one. We have stepped up to the plate. Now we”™ll see what we can do to offer competitive opportunities for new customers. This acquisition made strategic sense for us.”

Fuller says the bank”™s mid-Hudson growth will also create new jobs at Key. “We”™ll definitely be looking to hire additional staff.”

Fuller, who seems to show up at every breakfast, lunch and dinner for almost every chamber-connected event, does have a life outside of work. He”™s married and right now he and his wife, an insurance company owner, are becoming experts at the commuter marriage. “It”™s a challenge,” said Fuller. “We both have such busy work schedules. My wife”™s business is in Albany and I”™m here. But we are in the process of building a house in Fishkill. She”™s talked about coming down and opening an office here; right now, this works for us. It doesn”™t work for everyone, but we make the most of our quality time.”

When Key opens its new district headquarters in the town of Poughkeepsie next year, it will also be adding another branch to the 63 it now has, thanks to the acquisition of USB. The bank plans to build a new retail outlet on the site of its new headquarters in Oakwood Commons on Route 9.

Despite his hectic schedule, Fuller still manages to make time to take part in community activities. He”™s working with Anne Conroy, president of the Dutchess County Economic Corp., planning the Nov. 8 Business Excellence Awards. As Fuller put it succinctly, “Participating in the community is ”˜key”™ to our commitment to customers.” KeyBank will be the event”™s platinum sponsor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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