Member Spotlight: QNB Bank

BY MELINDA RIZZO

In ways big and small – and across 144 years – QNB Bank takes its role in the community seriously.
 
Since 1877, only seven presidents have filled the top spot at QNB, that’s about 20 years of service at the helm, on average.
 
Part of QNB’s remarkable stewardship – from weathering world wars, financial disasters like The Great Depression and The Great Recession (2008), two global pandemics (in 1918 and 2020, respectively) – is an unwavering mission to embrace a role in community partnership and service.
 
“The bank [QNB] provides support for community events, raising awareness of our downtown businesses, and bringing visitors to our downtown, which helps to drive the daytime downtown economy,” said Naomi Naylor, executive director at Quakertown Alive!
 
Organizations supported by QNB have a common denominator: they promote the common good. That means more time, talent and treasure to share.
 
“QNB Bank has been a long-standing supporter of The Open Link with time, talent and treasure,” said Stuart Bush, executive director of The Open Link in East Greenville, Montgomery County.
 
The Open Link provides adults services to promote socialization as well as operating a food pantry and providing volunteer opportunities.
 
In addition to monetary, leadership and goods donations – like bottled water and golf outing goodie bags, QNB employees serve on area boards of directors, and volunteer in varied and countless ways.
 
“The community aspect of service is what we feel sets us apart as a community bank, it’s one of our main pillars,” said Brian Schaffer, senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
 
From pencils to playgrounds – “and everything in between,” requests of all shapes and sizes are considered at QNB.
 
With its largest financial sponsorship to date, QNB provided significant investment – and naming rights – to build the new QuiNBy’s Playground located on the 600 block of West Mill Street in Quakertown,
 
Currently under construction, QuiNBy’s Playground will feature age-appropriate activities for youngsters. It replaces the more than 30-year-old Panther Playground.
 
Schaffer said taking care of employees translates to taking care of customers and operating profitably to shareholders.
 
“And all that allows us to give back to the community,” he explained.
 
Employee “sweat equity” and board seat representation runs across the organization with the vast majority of QNB employees involved in one or sometimes half a dozen different community organizations and events, Schaffer said.
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At Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton, QNB’s long-standing support has included seats on the non-profit’s board and supporting various events and fundraising efforts. “Together we have housed the homeless, fed children, adults and families, across the community [we are] fighting food-insecurity, and delivered adult-education programs that have led to a life of self-sufficiency,” said Malcolm Friend, director of resource development at Keystone Opportunity Center in Souderton.
 
About 600 community support fulfillments are provided annually by QNB in Bucks, Lehigh and Montgomery counties, about a 25-mile radius from its Quakertown Borough headquarters.
 
“When you think about that amount spread out in a small geography, it’s a lot,” he said.
 
During 2020, QNB provided about 350 fulfillments, still a high number considering events like golf outings, silent auctions and other events had been cancelled or postponed.
 
From big capital campaigns like QuiNBy’s Playground to donating roughly 100,000 bottles of water since 2011 and its “batting for books” Iron Pig’s sponsorship program, resulting in about $40,000 donated to area libraries.
 
Batting for books benefited from Rhys Hoskins (current Philadelphia Phillies first baseman) time with the Iron Pigs, according to Schaffer. “He lit up the park, and the donation was $5,000 that year because he had most of the doubles they hit,” he said.
 
The program contributes $25 for every double the Iron Pigs hits at home in Coca-Cola Park during the season.
 
“We’re not just writing checks, we are deeply involved with our community,” Schaffer said.

For more information on QNB visit www.qnbbank.com.