Brentwood Bank marks century of steely resolve
Brentwood Bank President/CEO Tom Bailey is flanked by Kevin Shivers, left, and Roger Zacharia of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers, who presented a proclamation to him commemorating the bank's 100 years of service.
Brentwood Bank's corporate headquarters at 411 McMurray Road, Bethel Park
Brentwood Bank has a branch office in South Fayette Township.
Courtesy of Brentwood Bank
President and CEO Tom Bailey has been an employee of Brentwood Bank for 37 of its 100 years.
The 1920s were beginning to roar when a former steel company employee helped to forge a South Hills institution that, to this day, has proven to be as sturdy as anything produced in a mill.
Hobart A. Moore, who had worked for Jones & Laughlin Steel on Pittsburgh’s South Side, was the lone full-time employee for a fledgling financial operation named Tunnel Building and Loan. He typically met mill workers as they walked off the streetcar en route home, securing the laborers’ paychecks and depositing them at Tunnel.
Moore was among more than a dozen people who launched the bank, which began operations Aug. 14, 1922, and has continued to evolve since – weathering the Great Depression, World War II, recessions, Black Monday and other global turbulence.
“The goal of the founders was to bring customers in. As residents moved to the South Hills, they needed a bank,” said Tom Bailey, president and CEO of Brentwood Bank, which has continued to help fulfill that need – long after dropping the Tunnel name.
This modestly sized community bank he leads is heading toward a not-so-modest milestone: 100 years of operation. Its objectives are not modest.
“A community bank is very important to the communities it serves,” said Bailey, a 37-year employee. “We really partner with our customers.
“We don’t always give customers the products they want, but we give them the solutions they need. We’re the trusted adviser. We do it with a little more personal touch. We’ve built a lot of houses too.”
Bailey works out of the corporate headquarters at 411 McMurray Road, Bethel Park, one of five branch offices that, coincidentally, employ about 100. The bank, according to a news release, “serves thousands of personal and business customers.”
The other branches are in Brentwood, South Fayette, Bridgewater (Beaver County) and a second Bethel Park location, on Library Road in the South Park Shops. Centenary celebrations are planned at those sites.
“We also have a mobile branch, which serves assisted living facilities. There are four we travel to each week,” said Bailey, who was born and raised in Brentwood before moving to Bethel Park 30 years ago.
Staying in business for 10 decades is a challenge, and Bailey credits strong corporate leadership for enabling Brentwood Bank to persevere. Sometimes, that has meant going the extra mile and beyond.
“We’ve benefited from the foresight of directors who have guided the bank through things,” Bailey said. “They used to meet at night at locations in the South Hills, collecting deposits and such. One night, they were locked out of a location, but put two orange crates together to set up a counter and did business on the sidewalk.”
Community outreach continues to be a major part of the bank’s equation, and that goes beyond providing jobs and helping people purchase homes. Brentwood Bank sponsors local events; has partnered with organizations such as Washington City Mission and Dress for Success; assisted on projects with Brentwood Library, South Baldwin Fire Hall and Bethel Community Center; and helps local organizations that provide programs in underserved communities.
“We’ve also helped build several fire halls and two libraries,” the president/CEO said.
Although Brentwood Bank competes with similar-sized community banks in the region, Bailey said there is a spirit of cooperation among them. “We help each other. We’re friendly competitors. We have a duty of service to help communities.”
He and his institution pledge to continue that mission into a second century, at a time that some banks are shuttering branches out of necessity. “With technology, people are coming to branches less,” Bailey acknowledged. “There’s a younger demographic that likes to use their phone and online banking. Have to keep our technology up to date.
“We have to be around for the next 100 years.”