He went on to cultivate this sense of open-mindedness over his nine-year tenure as general manager of the St. Anthony’s High School Hockey Club, adopting the competition’s mindset to anticipate their moves. “To stop and think about someone else’s perspective is the most important part of learning,” he says, explaining why he revitalized the bank’s corporate education and internship programs. Today, 600 students apply to intern each year. Tom spent his own formative years in the Catskills, where his firefighter grandfather “Rudy”—a key inspiration in life—got him a job working on Mr. Buhl’s farm. “Mr. Buhl handed me a pitchfork and said, ‘There’s the barn. There are the horses. Clean up the stalls.” Nowadays, Tom travels several times a year to Washington D.C., where his wardrobe fixation has sparked conversations about community banking with the likes of United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “I said, ‘Scott, fix your French cufflink—we’re about to take pictures. And that broke the ice,” he chuckles. “The mutual banking model is a lost art,” he remarks, citing the fact that only one new mutual has formed in the past 63 years. “When I meet with politicians, especially during COVID, they’re talking about public banking and starting a new model. I say, ‘You’ve got one already: It’s called a mutual. And they’re like, ‘What’s a mutual?’” Among the litany of organizations Tom is involved with, MutualsMatter.org stands out. He serves on the board of the organization, which aim to shine a light on the power of mutual banking. He recalls how Maspeth Federal’s nation-leading capitalization—its “rainy day fund”—enabled it to float borrowers for three years during the pandemic through a deferment program that Lenny designed. “He said, ‘Tom, it’s a rainy day.’” Tom recollects. “That’s what a mutual can do. If our founder were here during COVID, he would have probably had a couple shots of bourbon—because he owned a liquor store,” Tom explains, “and that’s exactly what he would have done.” The bank’s COVID response may be the best embodiment of Tom’s commitment to paying it forward, a philosophy instilled by his father, who brought his children to the multitude of community events he spearheaded. “I didn’t know what it meant then. And now I do. I’m realizing it has always been about the next generation.” Tom founded the bank’s Financial Literacy Program In 2021, which has grown to reach thousands of students across the region. These days, Tom can be found dawning a casual linen Oxford in lavender. He talks of his love for country music, kayak fishing, golf, travel and restoring vintage cars—one of many skills he learned from Rudy. “I love what I'm doing. I love my life. I'm happy. I just want to make sure that I'm helping the next generation get to that level, too.” Twenty-five years in, Tom says it’s still fun to come to work. “It’s the team that’s with me. I’ve been taught more by the people here than I’ve ever been able to teach anyone else,” he reflects. “And I’m no longer in a three-piece suit. Although,” he notes, “they are back in style.”
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