Spreading Community Roots with Summit
In a time of branch consolidations and closings, The Summit was expanding its physical footprint with new locations in suburban Rochester and Syracuse. It wanted to excite current members and attract new prospects, yet was unsure how to make the most of the news.
McDougall partnered with The Summit’s in-house marketing team to turn otherwise ordinary branch openings into celebratory community events. In Henrietta, this became an up-with-the-sun breakfast gathering, bringing together local officials, staffers from nearby branches, longtime members and media—complete with a breakfast food truck surprise—to fill a time capsule with momentous collected from across the community.
In Syracuse, we tapped into the power of the Syracuse Orange, hosting a community meet-and-greet with assistant coach Adrian Autry plus a special surprise visit from Jim and Juli Boeheim. They accepted donations from The Summit and its members to fight breast cancer, with funds heading to the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY and the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation.
Both events exceeded expectations, as measured by attendance, media exposure, social media reach, employee response and member cultivation. Said Mike Vadala, the Summit’s president, “You know, we really couldn’t do this without you. The McDougall team is a great partner, right beside us every step of the way.”
In a time of branch consolidations and closings, The Summit was expanding its physical footprint with new locations in suburban Rochester and Syracuse. It wanted to excite current members and attract new prospects, yet was unsure how to make the most of the news.
McDougall partnered with The Summit’s in-house marketing team to turn otherwise ordinary branch openings into celebratory community events. In Henrietta, this became an up-with-the-sun breakfast gathering, bringing together local officials, staffers from nearby branches, longtime members and media—complete with a breakfast food truck surprise—to fill a time capsule with momentous collected from across the community.
In Syracuse, we tapped into the power of the Syracuse Orange, hosting a community meet-and-greet with assistant coach Adrian Autry plus a special surprise visit from Jim and Juli Boeheim. They accepted donations from The Summit and its members to fight breast cancer, with funds heading to the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund of CNY and the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation.
Both events exceeded expectations, as measured by attendance, media exposure, social media reach, employee response and member cultivation. Said Mike Vadala, the Summit’s president, “You know, we really couldn’t do this without you. The McDougall team is a great partner, right beside us every step of the way.”