Photo / Jim Neuger
Kim Twitchell of NBT Bank, at the bank's previous Portland office in 2018
November 21, 2019
NBT settles into new Portland office with plans to add bankers
Photo / Renee Cordes
NBT Bank has moved into a new office on Portland's waterfront, at 5 Widgery Wharf. The bank was previously in the Pierce Atwood building on Merrill's Wharf.
In need of more space for future growth, NBT Bank has moved from the Pierce Atwood building in Portland to 5 Widgery Wharf on the waterfront, sharing an address with F.L. Putnam Investment Management Co. — and prominent signage of its own.
"We finally have some visibility in downtown Portland, and we're very excited about that," said Kim Twitchell, NBT Bank's Maine regional president.
On day four in the new space, she told Mainebiz the new office is about 25% larger than the old digs, "which is not a significant increase but provides us space to grow into."
Twitchell, a 30-year banking industry veteran, leads an eight-person banking team on the third floor, while NBT's EPIC Retirement Plan Services subsidiary is housed on the second floor.
The EPIC team is made up of about eight or nine individuals, some of whom work remotely, Twitchell said.
NBT, whose parent company, NBT Bancorp (Nasdaq: NBTB) is headquartered in Norwich, NY., has been in Maine since 2014. The parent company had assets of $9.7 billion as of Sept. 30.
With prominent exterior signage already up announcing NBT's new home, construction is also underway for a new walk-up ATM, which NBT did not have at its previous location. Like the building itself, Ducas Construction is building the ATM, Twitchell said.
"We're at the mercy of the weather, but we're hoping it will be open definitely before year end," she predicted.
She said the ATM will offer the ability to do more retail banking, and let the market know that NBT is a full-service bank and can do both commercial and consumer transactions.
Hiring plans
On the hiring front, Twitchell said NBT Bank is looking to fill several positions.
"We're looking to hire a commercial banking specialist, an analyst a business banker, and an additional retail banker, so we are continuing to grow and expand," she said, "and we certainly have the space available for those additional people that we are searching for."
At the same time, she noted that the market for talent is tight in Maine's largest city, and that banking in particular is highly competitive.
"We certainly are always meeting with folks and hoping to bring over the best talent in the market," she said.
More generally, she said that NBT Bank is finishing a "very strong year" on the lending side, adding, "we certainly hope it is going to continue."
She specifically mentioned NBT's involvement in new downtown office construction as well as multifamily new construction projects.
"We've also seen volume associated with the reduction in interest rates," she added.
In the area of community engagement, Twitchell highlighted NBT's efforts to address the critical housing need in Maine through affordable housing initiatives in excess of $36 million.
NBT has also contributed more than $150,000 to organizations and causes in Maine, she noted.
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