Staying Ahead: Lenore DeFilippo looks back on

45 years – and counting – with Kearny Bank

Pine Brook office manager has been on the job since July 1, 1974

FAIRFIELD, NJ (Sept. 24, 2019) – It means a lot when you choose to spend your entire career with one company.

Just ask Lenore DeFilippo, manager of Kearny Bank’s Pine Brook office. She’s been a member of the Kearny Bank team for 45 years.

“There weren’t any computers when I joined the company – we did everything back then with adding machines,” DeFilippo recalls, chuckling. “But, banking is banking. People still want the most for their money.”

The story began on July 1, 1974, in a world where pocket calculators represented cutting-edge technology and Americans were struggling through the historic Energy Crisis. It was DeFilippo’s very first day as a Kearny Bank employee; she was a teller at the Caldwell branch. Within several years, she transferred over to what was then the new Pine Brook office, on a site where bank buildings have stood since 1915. During the ‘90s, DeFilippo was appointed Pine Brook’s manager.

“Early in my career, I spent some time in our company’s mortgage department, but I quickly realized I wanted more direct contact with people,” explains DeFilippo, who for a time attended the meetings of something called the Women’s Association of Savings and Loans. “I just belong in a branch environment. I’m happy to talk with anyone, and some of our clients will actually drop by just to say ‘hello.’ And I’ll realize I’ve known them so long that I’ve seen their kids grow up.”

If you’re with the same company for 45 years and at the same location for four decades, you meet a lot of people … and get to see them grow through time.  As an example, in the late ‘70s a young college student named Craig L. Montanaro – whose father was the bank’s senior executive – worked part time with Lenore at the Pine Brook branch. Today, he’s Kearny Bank’s president and CEO.

“When I first met Lenore, I saw right away how energetic and enthusiastic she was,” Montanaro says. “She just smiled all the time. And while it’s amazing that she’s still there, in that branch – it isn’t really surprising. Even 40 years ago, I suspected she would accomplish noteworthy things.”

DeFilippo wasn’t married when she accepted the job with Kearny Bank – now, she and her husband have grandchildren. And she long ago decided it made sense to live in the same town where she works and is a board member on the local chamber of commerce. Her family moved to Montville Township more than 20 years ago.

“Whatever I’m doing in town and wherever I go, I pretty much know everyone,” she says with a laugh. “I suppose for some people, that wouldn’t be an ideal situation – but it works for me.”

DeFilippo retains her impressive energy level through a local gym membership that she utilizes frequently. She’s also passionate about painting and crafting. As a result, she’s often too busy for reminiscing – though she’s seen a lot, including the advent of entirely new financial technologies.

“From mobile apps to online banking, changes are coming faster and faster,” she notes. “People sometimes ask me how I keep up, but it’s not all that difficult. After all, I regularly use all our services, so that keeps me current.”

Several years ago, DeFilippo saw the Pine Brook office undergo a major remodel, and even the street it’s on – Changebridge Road – has had its route altered, going from two lanes to four, and then back to two.

“There were still some farms around when I began working here in this office,” DeFilippo notes. “I’ve experienced quite a bit. But what’s always been most important to me is interacting with the people who come into our building each day. We place tremendous value on them because they’re our clients – and to me, a lot of them have also become friends.”

• Photo: Taking a Moment – Lenore DeFilippo in the stylish, new lobby of Kearny Bank’s Pine Brook office.
• Photo: Back in the Day – The Kearny Bank Pine Brook office’s lobby (with Lenore DeFilippo at one of the workstations), long before a recent renovation.

About Kearny Bank

Seamlessly melding the finest traditions of community banking with state-of-the-industry capabilities, Kearny Bank provides a range of progressive offerings to its personal and business banking clients. Established in 1884, and operating now from administrative headquarters in Fairfield, NJ, Kearny Bank is steadily expanding its footprint throughout New Jersey, as well as New York City’s Brooklyn and Staten Island boroughs. Additional details are available online at kearnybank.com; an overview video can be viewed at https://bit.ly/2kxcZxo.

# # #