First GREEN Bank Celebrates Saturday Grand Opening with Live Music and a Host of Family-Oriented Activities

ORMOND BEACH – Rain drops and cloudy skies didn’t dampen Saturday’s (6/9) grand opening of the First GREEN Bank at 175 W. Granada Blvd. or prevent bank officials from enlightening the community to the bank’s respect for the environment.

Nestled alongside the tents sheltering singers, a caricature artist, a face-painter and a balloon-twister were exhibits of battery-operated cars, solar-energy products and complimentary all-natural hot dogs.

“We encourage our employees to be green by recycling and using less water and electricity,” said Chairman and CEO Kenneth E. LaRoe, as he gestured toward an hybrid Prius, one of 12 logoed company cars that are used by couriers and other employees. “We also hope that our motto of ‘a local bank with a global mission’ will resonate with customers as well.”

First GREEN Bank was named Florida’s 2011 Green Company of the Year by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Central Florida Chapter. The company’s 12,000 square foot Mount Dora headquarters is only the second privately built commercial building in Florida to qualify for the Council’s Platinum LEED certification. The bank has another branch in Clermont and plans to open an Orlando branch by the end of this year, he said.

The 6,000 square foot Ormond Beach branch, which is being leased for the next three years, is slated for a transformation soon, according to Market Executive Jim Hester.

“We haven’t made a lot of changes here yet,” said Hester, a native of Ormond Beach. “But, we plan to replace all of the lighting and plumbing to make it a more sustainable building. We’d also like to put in an electric car-charging station and solar panels.”

Hester, who manages five employees in Ormond Beach, said the branch office opened in February and held a standing room-only mixer last Thursday 6/7 during a torrential downpour.

“It was phenomenal,” he said. “It was flooding outside and we probably had 150 people in here. It’s going so well here that we might build our own building like we did in Mount Dora.”

And, according to Head Teller Susette Drogo the environment isn’t the only thing important to the leaders of First GREEN Bank.

“They also like to take care of their employees,” she said, referring to zero interest loans available to employees who purchase cars that get more than 30 mpg, and to an area in the office with exercise machines. “We have some healthy rowing competition going on right now.”

LaRoe said he would like to hire only employees who are already environmentally conscious for his bank, but that isn’t always feasible.

“I’d like all of our employees to be green, but it’s easier to hire a good banker and then teach them to live green.”