BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP JULY 14 - JULY 20, 2017 27
BUSINESS & REAL ESTATE
Park Slope welcomes Dime Community
Bank and its modern touch
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUSBROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
A brand that Park Slope can
bank on.
Dime Community Bank,
which was incorporated in 1864 in
Williamsburg, cut the ribbon on
its newest branch in Park Slope on
Thursday, June 15, as Dime representatives
and local community leaders
discussed how thrilled they are that
the venerable institution is a part of
the neighborhood in a space o ering
a modern and unique feel.
“I can’t think of a more quintessentially
Brooklyn brand than Dime and
the same can be said about Park Slope,”
said Dime Chief Executive O cer Ken
Mahon. “With the variety of small
businesses in Park Slope, the professionals
and di erent ethnicities, it is
the quintessential Brooklyn neighborhood
and we feel grateful to be here. It
took us 153 years to get to Park Slope,
but we’re fi nally here.”
Mahon focused on customer service.
“Dime is not a regional bank. It’s not a
national bank. It’s a community bank
and that’s why we have community in
the name,” he said. “Our goal is to show
you why that’s important to you and
Park Slope. Our mission is refl ected
in the design of this branch. We built
a facility that is in harmony with the
other businesses here on Fi h Avenue.
We hope it’s friendly and inviting.
We hope it’s quick, in and out for
customers. We don’t expect them to
want to spend a lot of time here other
than get their business done.”
Branch Manager Charles Alexander
also expressed his enthusiasm.
“The neighborhood has embraced
Dime with open arms from day one,”
he said. “It's amazing to me how
friendly everyone that I met has been.
It’s so unique in this big city to fi nd a
community like this.”
“I don’t think there’s a more welcoming
branch in the neighborhood,” said
Mark Caserta, executive director of
the Fi h Avenue Park Slope Business
Improvement District (BID). “They’re
more than ready to work with the
community and work with the BID
The ribbon being cut at Dime Community Bank's new Park Slope branch.
and they believe in our small businesses.
I’d love to have more tenants
like this."
One of the key talking points of
the day was the branch’s modern
look. “The idea of the space is to be a
warm, welcoming place that doesn’t
feel cold, all glass, chrome and steel,”
said Mahon. “It’s intended to be warm
woods with a place for people if they
want to sit down and consult with
our inancial advisers. For those
who want to get in and out quickly, it
BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP/Photo by Arthur de Gaeta
does that as well because there are
no lines and no lobbies. You sit down,
take care of your business and away
you go.”
“It has a modern, even futuristic
type look to it,” added Alexander. “You
can still depend on getting old-fashioned
customer service and that’s
really what we’re looking to do. We
want to create a customer experience
that is second to none.”
During the event, Dime recognized
two organizations that serve the Park
Slope community and made a donation
to each.
One of them is Community Help in
Park Slope (CHIPS), an organization
composed of Brooklyn neighbors,
volunteers and friends trying to help
those in need. The other is Dream
Factory, which was founded in 1980
as a single all-volunteer chapter in
Kentucky but which has grown since
to become the largest all-volunteer
children’s wish-granting organization
in the United States.