Press Release

Fairfield County Bank opens new Bridgeport office

 January 10, 2008

Recently, Fairfield County Bank opened an office at 1089 Madison Avenue in Bridgeport.   Chris Johnson, Vice President and area Manager of the Fairfield/Westport division of the bank noted: “We have a great opporunity to bring the best in community banking services to the Bridgeport market. I believe what sets us apart from the super regional and national banks is our combination of great products and services and the great people who work here.” The office currently operates from a temporary building that will be replaced in mid summer 2008 with permanent quarters next door. The bank is renovating the building on the same site. Yvette Benedetto and Odette Batista, pictured above, are just two of the reasons why Fairfield County Bank is able to offer the residents of Bridgeport excellent service. They bring a wealth of banking experience and an understanding of the needs of the Bridgeport market as bankers who have worked most of their careers in the area. The Bridgeport office is open Monday-Friday from 9 AM to 4:30 PM with  24-hour ATM services.   

Fairfield County Bank Names New Corporators

July 26, 2007 - Paul S. McNamara, Chairman of the Board of Fairfield County Bank, announced the following individuals have been elected Corporators of the Bank:

Patrick B. Cleary is the President of Pre-Engineered Building Concepts, Inc., a 'design build' contracting firm established in 1983 and located in Brookfield.  His company specializes in metal building construction in the commercial, industrial, manufacturing and retail sectors.  General Contracting and/or Construction Management Services are provided, in addition to full 'turn-key' type projects.  Mr. Cleary has served on the President’s Advisory Board of Ceco Building Systems since 2002.  Furthermore, he has received numerous dollar volume sales and cumulative awards from Ceco since being a franchised builder-dealer from 1985.  He has also been named one of the country’s Top 100 Builders in the metal building industry.  Mr. Cleary received a degree in Architectural Engineering from Norwalk Community College and resides in Bridgewater with his wife and has three children. 

Daniel B. DiBuono, President and Owner of Tower Realty Corporation in Brookfield has been a specialist in Commercial and Industrial Real Estate for over twenty-five years.  From 1981-1988 he was a Developer/Builder for Modern Printing in Brookfield and in 1988 became President and Owner of Tower Realty Corporation. Mr. DiBuono serves on the Northern Fairfield County Board of Realtors and is a member of the Connecticut Commercial Investment Division (former President and current member). His community involvement includes serving on the Regional YMCA’s Board of Trustees, Ability Beyond Disability’s Board of Directors, and as Chairman of the Danbury PAL Winter Carnival. Mr. DiBuono holds a degree in Business Administration from Western Connecticut State College and resides in Brookfield with his wife and has two children.   

Kevin L. Dumas, CPA, has been the sole owner of Dumas Estate & Tax Management for the past twenty years and is responsible for all management aspects of the firm along with client development and consulting.  He received his B.S. degree from Providence College and attended M.S. courses at Bentley College.  Mr. Dumas was formerly with one of the “Big 5” accounting firms, Ernst & Young.  He also served on the Boards of Directors of the former New Milford Bank & Trust Company and NewMil Bank.  Often a featured speaker to various groups on tax and general business topics, Mr. Dumas serves as Treasurer for MVP-SOS and Treasurer for the Animal Welfare Society of New Milford.  In addition, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of New Milford Hospital and the Hunt Hill Farm Trust.  He sits on the Board of Finance for the Town of Roxbury, where he resides with his wife and two daughters.  

Michelle H. James is President and CEO of United Way of Stamford. Before joining the United Way, Ms. James was Vice President, Marketing Manager at Union Savings Bank in Danbury where she was responsible for all advertising functions, public relations, community activities and administration of the Bank’s foundation.  She previously worked for Ethan Allen, Inc. in advertising and public relations and prior to that served as the Executive Director of the Charles Ives Center in Danbury, a 5,000 seat non-profit amphitheater. Ms. James’ active community involvement includes Secretary, Board of Directors, Ridgefield Playhouse; Chair, Special Events, Danbury Hospital Development Fund; Board of Directors, Danbury Scott Fanton Museum & Historical Society; and Hord Foundation volunteer. She is a former Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of United Way of Northern Fairfield County where she served as Chair, Community Impact Committee. Ms. James is the recipient of the Peter T. White Award from the United Way of Northern Fairfield County and The Seton Community Service Award from the University of New Haven. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of New Haven and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Rutgers University. Ms. James resides in Danbury with her husband and two children. 

Harold "Hal" Kurfehs is a Vice President at Coldwell Banker Commercial, Scalzo Group in Bethel specializing in commercial, investment and industrial sales, as well as development projects.  Prior to joining Coldwell Banker Commercial in 1996, Mr. Kurfehs was a Senior Commercial Broker at William Raveis Real Estate in Danbury and previously held the position of Director, Advertising and Public Relations at Ethan Allen, Inc. where he served as a member of the Board of Directors.  Earlier in his career, Mr. Kurfehs was President of Fairfield Book Co. & Harlin House LTD in Brookfield and prior to that was Vice President and General Manager at Reed LTD in Toronto, Canada.  His professional affiliations include Chairman of the Brookfield Economic Development Commission and Vice Chairman of the Brookfield Planning Commission, and member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).  Mr. Kurfehs has held various positions on the Connecticut Association of Realtors, Commercial Investment Division, including Greater Danbury President, State President, and State Director, and has served on the Advisory Board of NewMil Bank.  A recipient of the Top Producer Award, Coldwell Banker Commercial, Scalzo Group, in 2002, 2003 and 2006, Mr. Kurfehs has been the subject of numerous publication "profiles" in local newspapers and the Commercial Record.   An honors graduate with a B.S. degree from St. Peter's College, Mr. Kurfehs earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in Brookfield with his wife and has three children.    

Daniel W. O’Grady is an attorney with the Law Offices of Daniel W. O'Grady in Bethel which has been in existence since 1987. Attorney O'Grady specializes in the general practice of law concentrating on residential and commercial real estate, summary process and probate matters.  He is licensed to practice in Connecticut, U.S. District Courts and the United States Supreme Court.  His professional affiliations include the Connecticut Bar Association, Danbury Bar Association, and Connecticut Legal Services Pro Bono Program.  A Probate Judge Elect for the Town of Bethel for the past 17 years, Attorney O'Grady is the current Assistant Town Counsel and current Counsel to the Bethel Economic Development Commission.  He is the director of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Bethel Republican Town Committee. For the past twenty years, Attorney O'Grady has been associated with the Bethel Jaycees, Bethel Historical Society, Exchange Club, Masonic Temple, and youth sports including basketball, baseball, hockey, and soccer coach. He has served as Town Counsel to the Town of Bethel and is a former member of the Bethel Zoning Board of Appeals.  An active Justice of the Peace since 1987, he is a former member of the Advisory Boards of Savings Bank of Danbury and NewMil Bank.  Attorney O'Grady graduated with a B.S. in Management from Central Connecticut State College, an MBA from the University of Connecticut and earned his law degree from Quinnipiac University.  He resides in Bethel with his wife and has three children. 

Terry C. Pellegrini is an attorney with Moots, Pellegrini, Mannion, Martindale, & Dratch, P.C. in New Milford.  Attorney Pellegrini is widely acknowledged to be the area’s most experienced attorney in land use and zoning, having practiced in that field for more than thirty years.  He represents numerous commercial and developer clients before the various boards and commissions in New Milford and surrounding communities.  He also specializes in residential and commercial real estate and has served as general counsel to the Greater New Milford Board of Realtors for more than twenty five years.  His community activities are extensive and include the Board of Directors of the New Milford Hospital, of which he is past chairman.  He also served as Town Attorney and Selectman for the town of New Milford.  Mr. Pellegrini graduated from St. Francis College and Villanova Law School.  A resident of New Milford for many years, Mr. Pellegrini now lives in South Kent. 

Margaret Price Sims is Vice President of her family’s company, Ridgefield Supply Company, where she runs the day-to-day operations. She is a 2000 graduate of Wheaton College where she earned degrees in Political Science and International Relations.  In 2003, Ms. Price Sims became a Certified Building Material Specialist, the only certification in the lumber industry.  In July 2005 she was named “Young Retailer of the Year” by the National Retail Hardware Association. Ms. Price Sims currently serves as Director of Lumberman’s Foundation of the Northeast Retail Lumberman Association.  In addition, she is the President and co-founder of the non-profit organization, From Builders For Rebuilders which coordinates rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Most recently Ms. Price Sims served as a Project Leader for the Extreme Makeover Home Edition project in Bridgeport.  She resides in Ridgefield with her husband Sean Sims.

Richard J. Ramey is the President of Ramey Construction located in Danbury where he manages single family and multi-family projects.  Mr. Ramey is currently a member of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Fairfield County.  He is the recipient of several home building industry awards. Mr. Ramey’s community involvement has included the Danbury Planning Commission, Danbury Lions Club, and Danbury Republican Town Committee.  A graduate of Western Connecticut Sate University with a B.S., he attended graduate school at the University of Bridgeport and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Mr. Ramey resides in Danbury with his wife, Carole, and has one son, Erik.

Greg Steiner is the President of Steiner, Inc, and has been actively involved in the family business since 1987.  Steiner, Inc. builds and develops homes in Brookfield, Bethel and Fairfield, and has developed the Berkshire Corporate Park. The company is located in Bethel.  Mr. Steiner serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Home Builders and is a member of the Greater Danbury and Brookfield Chambers of Commerce. His community involvement includes Ability Beyond Disability, Brookfield Parks & Recreation and coaching soccer for Brookfield Youth Soccer.  Mr. Steiner received a B.S. from Bryant College in Rhode Island and resides in Brookfield with his wife and has three children. 

Robert R. Van Houten is a CPA and Principal at Fiorita, Kornhaas and Van Houten, PC located in Danbury.  Mr. Van Houten is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants (CSCPA).  His community involvement includes the Immaculate High School Advisory Board of Directors; Greater Danbury Tip-Off Classic, organizer and chairperson; New Fairfield Youth Lacrosse, Inc., travel coach; New Fairfield Jaycees, member and travel basketball coach; and Photronics Scholarship Foundation, Inc., Scholarship Committee member.  Mr. Van Houten is the Past President and organizer of the Immaculate High School Alumni Association, a former board member of the Campfire Girls of Western Connecticut and has coached various sports for New Fairfield Parks & Recreation.  He is the recipient of the Golden Tee Award from Immaculate High School and the Centennial Award for Excellence from Western Connecticut State University, from which he earned a BBA.  Mr. Van Houten resides in New Fairfield with his wife and has four children.

Founded in 1871, Fairfield County Bank, which includes the Ridgefield Bank division, is a $1.4 billion community bank with 20 offices throughout Fairfield County including Danbury, Darien, Fairfield, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Rowayton, Trumbull, Weston, Westport, and Wilton.