PRESS RELEASE
Source: Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, NA
Commerce Bank Opens Commerce Center at TecPort Business Center in
Harrisburg
Wednesday April 5,
New headquarters, operations and training center reflects Commerce’s
unique retail culture inside and out
HARRISBURG, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–April 5, 2006–Commerce
Bank/Harrisburg, NA, the sole banking subsidiary of Pennsylvania
Commerce Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:COBH
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bank’s new headquarters, operations and training center, to accommodate
its fast-paced growth. The 56,000-square-foot, two-story facility is
located at TecPort Business Center in Harrisburg, prominently visible
from Interstate 83.
Commerce Center houses the bank’s executive offices, operations and
support services departments, and customer service call center. The
building also houses commercial, consumer and residential mortgage
lending operations for the bank’s East Shore and West Shore regions in
Harrisburg. Additionally, it is home to Commerce University, the bank’s
in-house training, development and education department, which helps
every Commerce team member develop his or her expertise and advance
along a Commerce career path.
“Commerce Center reflects our unique retail culture, inside and out,”
said Commerce Bank Chairman, President and CEO GARY L. NALBANDIAN. “The
facility is immaculate in appearance, just like our convenient prototype
stores. It creates the same welcoming experience for our team members as
they create for our customers. Commerce Center is now the central point
from where our organization will continue to grow and turn more
customers into Commerce fans.”
About 275 Commerce team members work at Commerce Center, nearly one
third of the company’s workforce. The facility’s total capacity is about
400. It combines Commerce’s previous headquarters in Camp Hill and
operations center in Mechanicsburg, PA.
Commerce’s well-known brand and “WOW! the Customer” service philosophy
is celebrated throughout Commerce Center. Wall art consists of nearly 40
poster-size images featuring “slices of life” at Commerce such as grand
openings and community involvement. Two four-panel wall collages each
feature nearly 80 images from the bank’s Annual WOW! Awards, an Academy
Awards-style event to honor the “best of the best” in customer service.
Wall displays also highlight real fan mail from real Commerce fans.
“The features and amenities of Commerce Center are all about creating an
extreme sense of camaraderie, pride and morale among our team,”
Nalbandian said. “Every detail conveys the spirit of our ‘WOW! the
Customer’ service philosophy.”
The architectural centerpiece of the facility is a 2,062-square-foot,
glass-enclosed atrium. Other distinct features include: large-format,
flat-screen displays throughout the building to inform team members
about news and upcoming events; nearly 600 square feet of red neon
accents; a 60-seat cafe with full-service vending; a sound-masking
system to increase privacy and reduce audible distractions; and water
conservation via the sites own well to water the landscaping.
Commerce Center’s training facilities, under the direction of Commerce
University, include a 75-seat-capacity seminar room; teller training
room; customer service representative training room; call center
representative training room and computer lab. With a visually
stimulating appearance, the training area features actual Commerce
retail store equipment — including teller stations and even a miniature
size walk-in bank vault — to simulate a branch environment.
The Call Center at Commerce Center houses more than 30 representatives
in high-energy, motivating surroundings. The hub of the Call Center is a
high-tech raised platform from which team leaders proactively manage
resources to maximize service levels. The Call Center’s technology also
enables the bank to forecast staffing needs down to the half-hour based
on historical data.
Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, “America’s Most Convenient Bank,” opened its
first office in 1985. In the years since, the bank has cultivated a
unique retail model that has produced continuous strong growth. The bank
has doubled its number of branches in Pennsylvania in recent years,
growing a network of 28 stores in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon
and York counties.
Commerce’s hallmark products and services include seven-day banking,
free personal checking, free instant-issue ATM/Visa check card, free
interactive Penny Arcade coin-counting machines, free online banking and
24/7 bank-by-phone. In addition to retail banking, Commerce offers a
diverse portfolio of commercial banking services including term loans,
commercial mortgages, commercial leasing and lines of credit, and cash
management services.
Commerce Bank/Harrisburg currently has assets exceeding $1.6 billion.
For more information about Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, visit the bank’s
web site at commercepc.com.
Editor’s Note: To arrange media tours of Commerce Center including
photography, please contact Jason Kirsch at (717) 412-6200 or
[email protected].
Contact:
Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, NA
Jason S. Kirsch, 717-412-6200
[email protected]