Thomas Banks has longstanding roots in the South Shore, and so do his customers. He’s been at Rockland Trust for 25 years, working his way up from branch manager to district manager. And having the opportunity to build up those kinds of long-term relationships with his customers is part of what makes being a community banker so satisfying to him.
“We have a lot of customers that are second-, third-, fourth-generation families. I really like the fact that the executive team is local, they’re right here on the South Shore. Although we’re larger than we used to be, we still have the community bank feel and touch,” Banks said.
But the faith and trust his customers have in him isn’t something that comes out of thin air.
“I’ve known Tom for 20 years. [He’s] has always been a leader in rallying community support for Rockland Trust,” said Roberta Sousa, a fellow district manager at the bank, who nominated Banks for a Community Bank Hero award. “We do a lot of volunteering, and Tom has always been one to make it fun and encourage people to become involved in community activities. He often times leads them himself.”
In addition to his numerous board and advisory positions with various civic groups in Rockland, Banks has also led Rockland Trust’s participation with Annual South Shore Hospital Walk for Hospice, Cradles to Crayons, which makes care packages for children and families in need, and helping direct the STARS 40 under 40 event, for which he was named Outstanding Community Volunteer by the STARS board of directors. He also participates in the United Way Asset Allocation Committee, helping the larger charity to identify worthy local causes for their support – and sometimes identifying areas of need in which Rockland Trust can lend a hand when the United Way can’t.
Last but not least, Banks has also been persuading enough to rally dozens of colleagues to jump into the freezing waters of Boston Harbor every February for the past six years as part of the Hull Annual Drowned Hogs Plunge, raising over $10,000 for local charity WellSpring in the process.
