After years without a bank, Red Hook celebrated the opening of Spring Bank at 356 Van Brunt St. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 23. Despite cold weather, more than 50 people attended the celebration including Senator Andrew Gounardes, Akbar Rizvi, the Chief Lending Officer (CLO) and president of Spring Bank, ReyJane Gaudin, the branch manager, Assembly Member Marcela Mitaynes, as well as many Red Hook residents and local leaders. There was also food from Baked and other local stores.
“Red Hook doesn’t always pop up when you think of areas in Brooklyn,” Rizvi said. “But when you dig a little deeper you will find a robust and engaged community of hardworking residents, small business owners, entrepreneurs, risk takers, and community protectors. When we visited sites for a potential location, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of community and that’s what we represent, who we are, and what we want to be a part of.”
The celebration felt welcoming as leaders like Rizvi and Gaudin spoke to many of the people in attendance and Spring Bank even gave gift bags to people following the ribbon-cutting ceremony. There were also murals on the wall made by local artists.
“It’s so exciting to be here today and this marks a big opportunity for growth for all of us,” Gaudin said. “Spring Bank is here to empower the community and to help local individuals, entrepreneurs, and local businesses to thrive. I’m so excited to be a part of the Red Hook community.”
Spring Bank has demonstrated a commitment to creating a more socially equitable world, including an accessible economy with opportunity for all.”
“Red Hook has been ignored for a very long time and there are a lot of things that will take a long time to fix but there are also a lot of easy things that we can start working on project by project,” Gounardes, who is from Bay Ridge, said. “When I learned that there was not a bank branch in the neighborhood, I thought that was one of the things we could solve. Who better than Spring Bank to serve the community, and I’m really excited that you guys took that call.”
After the speeches, leaders from the bank, leaders from the community, and politicians all gathered and cut the ribbon outside of Red Hook’s new bank.
Spring Bank offers checking, saving, and business accounts. They’re open from 9-5 Monday-Friday and everyone is welcome to walk in to start an account, ask any questions or receive advice. They offer commercial, personal, and small business lending.
