Leominster, MASS – Several Fidelity Bank employees were virtually honored by Fidelity Bank at the bank’s annual All Hearts Meeting March 9 for their unique contributions during an unusual year. Three of the honorees are from Leominster – Damian Scott, Jessie Maldonado, and Emily Daugherty. “It is a pleasure to recognize our caring colleagues for the work they do,” says Ed Manzi Jr., Fidelity Bank Chairman and CEO. “I am inspired by how our honorees continue to rise to the challenges presented by the pandemic.” The annual awards recognize Fidelity Bank role models who exemplify the bank’s caring culture and LifeDesign approach of providing the clarity needed to help clients make informed decisions and move forward with confidence.
Mission Accomplished awards were given to Linda Carmichael and Becky Beaton. These most prestigious awards single out two outstanding individuals, one for work done helping Fidelity Bank clients and the other for work that supports their Fidelity Bank colleagues. Both individuals have shown an impressive commitment to Fidelity Bank and have made a significant contribution to the bank being able to thrive during these difficult times.
Fidelity Bank Vice President of Operations Linda Carmichael of Fitchburg was given the Mission Accomplished award representing the support departments of the bank. Carmichael led our Operations team through the complexities and challenges of our merger with Family Federal Savings, a significant Cash Management project, and was instrumental in leading our critical deposit operations department through 2020 – keeping the team fully operational while managing the guidelines and remote work situations brought on by the pandemic. In addition, she stepped in to help lead another department in the bank through a leadership transition. With limited expertise in this area, she proactively jumped in providing support to this team in addition to her own. “Linda is a well-respected team player who is truly fearless in her approach and never complains,” says Manzi.
Fidelity Bank Vice President and Small Business Relationship Manager Becky Beaton of Rindge NH received the bank’s client-facing Mission Accomplished award in recognition of her stand out work with the Commercial Lending and Community Banking team in their successful implementation of the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) that provided critically needed help to hundreds of small businesses. “Becky has been such a treasure for our clients and the bank this year,” says Manzi. Beaton provided 24/7 support for the hundreds of clients urgently seeking these loans from April through July, while also providing guidance to the CARES Team and support to the Commercial Lending and Credit Admin teams receiving and processing the applications. In addition to caring for her clients and colleagues throughout the process, Beaton also worked hard to continuously improve the process in an unwavering pursuit of excellence, serves as an important liaison with the bank managers, and generates small business loans.
Role Model awards were given to employees who personify Fidelity Bank’s five guiding values of treating everyone with care and respect, exhibiting honesty and integrity, pursuing excellence, being committed to continuous learning and improvement, and maintaining a positive and fun work environment.
The entire IT team received the bank’s Role Model award for personifying the bank’s guiding value of Treating Everyone with Care and Respect. They are Systems Administrator Damian Scott of Leominster, Systems Engineer Marcin Wiadrowski of Holden, Systems Analyst Tracey Collins of New Ipswich, NH, and Systems Administrator Helen Bleckley of Clinton. The team worked tirelessly and with great dedication and intelligence to meet the challenge of Fidelity Bank having to deploy people to work remotely to preserve their health, while caring for its clients. They deployed new technologies and acquired equipment so the bank could implement a new workplace model without missing a beat. None of the staff at Fidelity Bank could have been heroes without the IT team and their immense care.
Jessie Maldonado of Leominster was honored for exemplifying the bank’s guiding principal of pursuing Continuous Learning and Improvement. Maldonado is Assistant Branch Manager for the Leominster Main Street banking center of Fidelity Bank. This year Maldonado demonstrated initiative and passion to help her colleagues and her banking center be the best it could be. She demonstrates consistent willingness to increase her own knowledge and impressed the importance of this on others.
Emily Daugherty of Leominster was recognized for Maintaining a Positive and Fun Work Environment. Daugherty is Fidelity Bank’s Marketing Coordinator and was recognized for her consistent contributions to every celebration, recognition event, and client campaign. She produces creative materials, handles social media, and was a huge part of ensuring that the pandemic didn’t take the fun or positivity out of events that had to go virtual such as retirement celebrations and graduations. Daugherty perseveres with positivity. Her colleagues never hear a negative word from her. Her efforts have made sure that the Fidelity Bank workplace remained positive and fun despite the challenges of 2020.
Helen Bleckley of Clinton was honored for Pursuing Excellence. Bleckley is a Systems Administrator who used her technical ingenuity to provide excellent service to her colleagues just so they could do their day-to-day work. Additionally, this individual teamed up with the HEART Club with an innovative approach to help with the technical details of the bank’s first Heart and Sole challenge. While wearing a smile Bleckley has put her excellence on display last year.
Janette Fontaine of Baldwinville was recognized for Exhibiting Honesty and Integrity. Fontaine is a Client Care Representative whose diligence and commitment to Fidelity Bank clients is evident and has been recognized many times. She has walked some clients through situations to help them avoid scammers, helped others avoid peril and did so with an immense amount of care. One client said she even “saved the day.”
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About Fidelity Bank:
Founded in 1888, Fidelity Bank is one of the strongest independent community banks in Central and Eastern Massachusetts. Fidelity Bank’s unique LifeDesign approach to banking provides the care and clarity needed to make informed decisions with confidence. The Bank offers a range of personal and business banking solutions to clients in 14 full-service banking centers in Leominster, Worcester, Fitchburg, Needham, Gardner, Stow, Shirley, Barre, Millbury, Paxton, Princeton, and Winchendon. The Bank has consistently earned a “5 Star” rating from BauerFinancial, Inc., the nation’s leading independent bank rating and research firm. In 2020 Fidelity Bank was voted Worcester Telegram & Gazette Best Financial Services in Central Massachusetts and was named to the Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work list for the sixth time. As of September 30, 2020, the bank had total assets of approximately $1.15 billion. For more information, visit www.fidelitybankonline.com or www.facebook.com/fidelitybankma
