Jason VelázquezGFCU expects upgrade in new location to enhance access, member services
LEE, Mass. — As communities grow, so too must the institutions that serve them. Lee, an increasingly important gateway to both Boston and Albany, is witnessing some big changes for a town that can get forgotten in a county where so much of the action starts just over the northern border. Not overlooking the ongoing development, however, is Greylock Federal Credit Union (GFCU), which is constructing its own response to the evolution of a quintessentially cute Berkshires town.
Construction has begun on Greylock Federal Credit Union’s new Lee branch, slated to open early next year at 43 Park Street, Lee. The new location, GFCU hopes, will offer an enhanced member experience through the addition of key features and amenities.
According to plans, the new Lee branch will be nearly three times larger than the existing branch currently located at 47 Main St. The new location will provide off-street parking, include a drive-up, two Video Teller Service (VTS) machines and will be in full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Additionally, the new branch will feature a community room, a welcoming and convenient space that ensures Lee and other South County residents have full access to in-house financial education and wellness classes and resources.
Things that the current branch has never really been able host in its 25 years of residence at 47 Main Street, to say nothing of the needs of serving 3,400 members from Lee and surrounding towns.
Speaking with The Greylock Glass by phone, Roberta McCulloch-Dews, Vice President of Marketing for GFCU, acknowledged both the branch’s history and the credit union’s obligations to a 21st Century membership.
“Yes, it’s a little one, and it’s beloved,” noted McCulloch-Dews, “but it’s…little. And you know, this is really a situation where we reached out to our members and we’ve heard from them. These are some of the things that they’ve wanted.”
Mindy Brown, Greylock’s Lee branch manager, agrees.
“This new space,” she said, “is going to allow us to provide even better service for the more than 3,400 Greylock members that regularly use our branch.”
To complete the roughly $1.6 million renovations, Greylock is again working with PW Campbell, a design-build firm specializing in financial institutions. Construction started in late July and is expected to be completed by the end of the year with a grand opening in the first quarter of 2024.
“It’s a community space, obviously,” continued McCulloch-Dews, “not only for the members of the community in the immediate vicinity to gather for regular banking reasons, but it’s an opportunity Greylock to welcome the members in the neighborhood and surrounding towns, as well. It’s part of our mission to create access to financial education classes and resources that can help their financial journey. And I think when we think about access, it translates to so many things. Having that space, readily accessible — easily accessible — is so important for the community.
Despite more than a little nostalgia, staff members will find a way to balance memories with increased capabilities.
“We’re all very excited about the new space,” Brown, added, “but it’s still going to be hard to move. This little branch has been like a home for some of us who have been working here for many years, but it’s just too small and there’s no way to add a drive-up, which our members have been requesting for years.”
About Greylock
Greylock is wholly owned by its more than 100,000 members and offers full-service branches in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, Lee, Adams, North Adams, Williamstown, Lanesborough, and Lenox, Mass. and Greenport/Hudson, N.Y. Greylock has a Low-Income Designation (LID) from the NCUA and certification by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund allowing the Credit Union to offer expanded services to low- and moderate-income families. More information is available at www.greylock.org. Insured by NCUA.
Greylock’s family of businesses includes:
Greylock Insurance Agency, with six locations in Berkshire County and one in Westfield, Mass., handles commercial and personal lines including auto, homeowner’s, life, disability, long-term care insurance, all forms of bonding, and 24/7 claims service.
Greylock Investment Group offers access to a full array of services including financial planning, retirement planning, investment management, mutual funds, annuities and portfolio management.
Greylock Technology Group provides programming and IT consulting for financial institutions.
