BUTLER TWP — NexTier Bank executives Carol Achezinski and Dena Martinez believe that providing hands-on personal customer service is vital, but so is giving back to the community they serve.

The two women lauded the leadership skills they learned for both business and the community through their participation in Leadership Butler County.

“It showed me that I could be part of making Butler a better place to live,” said Achezinski, who is senior vice president of preferred corporate services. “It's kind of Butler's best kept secret.”

Leadership Butler County has been an important program for NexTier as more than a dozen of its employees have attended it.

Since Achezinski began working at the bank in 1997, she said banking services have changed significantly. More government regulations have made it more challenging to do business, she said, adding, “we really try to focus on the customer and his/her needs.”

Martinez, who is vice president/regional manager, said, “The way people are banking has changed dramatically. The use of online banking, smart phones and kiosks are now standard practice. And, with technology advances, it is expected to continue to evolve.”

Maria Smathers, NexTier senior vice president, marketing and retail delivery, said, “These have been challenging times for businesses generally and the financial services industry is no exception. NexTier certainly felt the sting of the Great Recession, and we've worked very hard to return to a normalized state.”

And the bank is poised to assist the growing natural gas industry.

Smathers said, “While we have not done much direct business with the Marcellus shale industry, we have serviced the array of new and established business that is supporting that industry. This includes not only banking services but also insurance products from our NexTier Insurance Services subsidiary.”

Achezinski, 51, joined NexTier Bank as a retail banking manager. Now she manages relationships for the bank's larger commercial clients.

She graduated from Geneva College with a bachelor's degree in human resources and organizational development.

She received the Athena Award for Butler County in 2003 and a year later was named one of the top 25 women in business in a Pittsburgh business magazine.

Achezinski was in the 2000 Class of Leadership Butler County, which she said helped her become a better community leader.

Achezinski serves on the Endowment for Butler County, Lutheran Services Life and Golden Tornado Scholastic foundations.

Through her experience with the leadership program in 2008, Martinez was able to learn about the diversity in the county including its industries, nonprofits, cultural activities and communities.

“Learning more about local government and local community involvement: It opens doors,” said Martinez. “It taught how to lead and work with different people. And how to work with different personality types.”

Martinez, 44, a Slippery Rock University graduate, has worked at NexTier Bank for the past decade.

In her current position, she oversees five regional branches, Saxonburg, Clearview Mall in Center Township, Moraine Pointe Plaza in Butler Township, Slippery Rock and Cranberry Township. She also works with small to medium businesses regarding their financial needs.

In the community, Martinez is the treasurer of the board for the Grapevine Center and the vice president of the Butler AM Rotary Club.

Through Rotary, she has participated in activities that benefit the Salvation Army, the Community Health Clinic of Butler County and the Butler Family YMCA. She also has participated in community beautification projects including flower planting and road cleanup.

A challenging area for banks is regulatory oversight, which always has existed for banking. However, when it becomes regulatory overreach, as is the case with the recent Dodd-Frank legislation, it can impair a bank's ability to serve its customers, said Smathers.

An example, she pointed out, is the new Qualified Mortgage Rule, which may not allow a bank to provide residential mortgages to those who have qualified in the past.

Smathers said, “New capital regulations may also make home equity lending quite prohibitive. And the cost of complying with regulations is especially burdensome for community banks like NexTier, since we don't have the mass to absorb those costs like the larger banks.”

As the regulatory environment and economic conditions continue to strain profits, the NexTier officials believe there will be a continued consolidation in the industry.

“Banks will most likely have to be at a minimum asset size to compete effectively, perhaps in the $2 billion to $5 billion dollar range,” Smathers said.

“Branch networks won't disappear, but the advent of mobile banking and online services will continue and the branch system will have to evolve to become more service driven and consultative versus transaction driven.”

NexTier Bank has 15 locations in Butler, Northern Allegheny and Armstrong counties. It employs more than 160 people and has assets of $500 million.

<b>What is leadership? </b>'Leadership is a way of allowing people to empower themselves and work to the best of their abilities.'<b>Who is good leader? </b>‘Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey. They do so much with their shows and network. They give back in a great way.’<b>Name: </b>Carol Achezinski<b>Age: </b>51<b>Address: </b>Connoquenessing<b>Family:</b> Two children, Jeff and Megan<b>Job Title: </b>Senior vice president of preferred corporate services<b>Company:</b> NexTier<b>Company address: </b>245 Pittsburgh Road, Butler, PA 16001<b>What it does: </b>Financial Institution<b>Number of employees:</b> 160<b>Community Leadership: </b>Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation Board member

<b>What is leadership? </b>‘Leadership is a quality that allows you to pull people together for a common goal.’<b>Who is good leader? </b>‘My mother, Linda Vogel, was a great leader because she possessed many of the same qualities as great leaders throughout time including strength, perseverance and the ability to overcome adversity. Although she faced many challenges in life including severe health issues, she was the head of a single-parent family and was able to obtain her associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees to better our life.”<b>Name: </b>Dena Martinez<b>Age: </b>44<b>Address:</b> Butler<b>Family: </b>Two children, Dakota and Claudia<b>Job Title: </b>Vice president/regional manager<b>Company: </b>NexTier<b>Company address: </b>245 Pittsburgh Road, Butler, PA 16001<b>What it does: </b>Financial institution<b>Employees: </b>160<b>Community leadership:</b> Treasurer of the board for the Grapevine Center