Business View Magazine - July 2023

172 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 7 but they show we care about our community,” Horodyski said. Branch Expansion and Employee Culture: Navigating Growth in Community Banking In a time when most banks were flush with deposits, Wallkill Valley Federal Savings & Loan pursued a counterintuitive strategy— it chose to expand. In December 2021, it acquired a branch in Newburgh, an area it had long aspired to serve. This acquisition demonstrated Wallkill Valley’s commitment to a long-term view rather than seeking quarter-to-quarter profits. Horodyski explains, “We look at the long game with our planning.” Wallkill Valley has since been working tirelessly to support its new clientele. “We’ve been restructuring some loans, providing additional credit, and offering better rates on their checking accounts,” notes Horodyski. The acquisition has been particularly beneficial recently, as many community banks have seen deposit attrition. “Having an additional place to generate deposits and grow relationships like Newburgh was a real boon for us,” he adds. Equally crucial to Wallkill Valley’s strategy is its approach to staffing. When Horodyski joined the bank in 2009, it had just 11 employees. Since then, the bank has grown to nine locations with 74 employees, and the company’s culture has evolved to match. At Wallkill Valley, the emphasis is on treating others as you would like to be treated. This principle guides how the staff treats each other and, by extension, how they engage with their customers. Horodyski believes this model reduces the intimidation factor associated with banking for those less familiar with financial language or systems.