Mercer County Community FCU Breaks Ground for Hermitage Branch
HERMITAGE, Pa. – The Mercer County Community Federal Credit Union had a groundbreaking ceremony for its new Hermitage branch Friday.
The two-story, 10,000-square-feet building will feature an additional loan office, a member service office, an expanded lobby and wider, full-service drive-thru lanes. It will be located at 559 N. Hermitage Road.
Construction is estimated to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. Until the new office’s construction is finished, members can be served at the temporary Hermitage office in the Kohl’s shopping plaza or at the Sharon branch on Sharpsville Avenue.
A completely new building was necessary, according to Sandi Carangi, CEO of Mercer Community County FCU. Since nearly eight years ago, when she became CEO, the Hermitage location has grown from 14 to 30 employees.
“We had nowhere for our employees to go,” Carangi said. “We literally had to put two employees in the lobby just so they would have a place to sit.”
The old building had been there for 20 years but wasn’t built to house all of the new technology. According to Carangi, before the demolition, there wasn’t an available outlet for another computer. With the expansion, the new branch will be able to hold more state-of-the-art technology for financial services.
Staff and technology isn’t the only thing that has grown – the Hermitage branch serves 12,000 credit union members, and Carangi said that list continues to grow each month.
The credit union was able to secure the property next to the old branch and combine the two lots. With a little over 2 acres, the new building will have space to expand in the future. Carangi said the new branch could add anywhere between 10 to 20 new jobs.
“We’re looking very long-term. This building should last us the next 30 to 40 years,” Carangi said. “We’re very excited for the new building and thankful for the community’s support that got us here.”
Pictured at top: Sandi Carangi, CEO of Mercer County Community FCU, stands by a rendering of what the new Hermitage branch will look like once construction is completed.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
