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Central Pa. bank enters new market with opening of Berks branch
Brian Pedersen//November 4, 2019//
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Jonestown Bank & Trust plans to open a full-service community-banking branch in Robesonia, Berks County.
The Lebanon County-based bank said it plans to open the new office at 318 East Penn Ave. in a former Santander Bank branch.
“There used to be three banks in the immediate Robesonia area,” said Ed Martel, chief operating officer for JBT. “All three decided to remove themselves from that market. One of the things we take a lot of pride in is serving local communities.”
When customers no longer have access to those financial resources, Martel said JBT sees that as an opportunity not only for the bank, but for those people in the community.
“For us, it’s a logical connection,” Martel said.
The western part of Berks County is very similar to Lebanon County and northern Lancaster County, in terms of demographics and needs of the client, Martel said.
The branch, set to open in early spring 2020, will be JBT’s 15th community banking office. JBT serves 11 Lebanon County communities and 3 Lancaster County communities.
Shawn Ford, branch manager, will lead the Robesonia branch. Ford has 12 years of financial industry experience and recently joined JBT after previous employment with First National Bank and Merrill Lynch. Prior to that, he served in the U.S. military.
JBT currently has assets of $625 million.
