COBH Pennsylvania Commerce Bancorp (MM)

Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, NA, the sole banking subsidiary of Pennsylvania Commerce Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:COBH), has opened Commerce Center, the bank's new headquarters, operations and training center, to accommodate its fast-paced growth. The 56,000-square-foot, two-story facility is located at TecPort Business Center in Harrisburg, prominently visible from Interstate 83. Commerce Center houses the bank's executive offices, operations and support services departments, and customer service call center. The building also houses commercial, consumer and residential mortgage lending operations for the bank's East Shore and West Shore regions in Harrisburg. Additionally, it is home to Commerce University, the bank's in-house training, development and education department, which helps every Commerce team member develop his or her expertise and advance along a Commerce career path. "Commerce Center reflects our unique retail culture, inside and out," said Commerce Bank Chairman, President and CEO Gary L. Nalbandian. "The facility is immaculate in appearance, just like our convenient prototype stores. It creates the same welcoming experience for our team members as they create for our customers. Commerce Center is now the central point from where our organization will continue to grow and turn more customers into Commerce fans." About 275 Commerce team members work at Commerce Center, nearly one third of the company's workforce. The facility's total capacity is about 400. It combines Commerce's previous headquarters in Camp Hill and operations center in Mechanicsburg, PA. Commerce's well-known brand and "WOW! the Customer" service philosophy is celebrated throughout Commerce Center. Wall art consists of nearly 40 poster-size images featuring "slices of life" at Commerce such as grand openings and community involvement. Two four-panel wall collages each feature nearly 80 images from the bank's Annual WOW! Awards, an Academy Awards-style event to honor the "best of the best" in customer service. Wall displays also highlight real fan mail from real Commerce fans. "The features and amenities of Commerce Center are all about creating an extreme sense of camaraderie, pride and morale among our team," Nalbandian said. "Every detail conveys the spirit of our 'WOW! the Customer' service philosophy." The architectural centerpiece of the facility is a 2,062-square-foot, glass-enclosed atrium. Other distinct features include: large-format, flat-screen displays throughout the building to inform team members about news and upcoming events; nearly 600 square feet of red neon accents; a 60-seat cafe with full-service vending; a sound-masking system to increase privacy and reduce audible distractions; and water conservation via the sites own well to water the landscaping. Commerce Center's training facilities, under the direction of Commerce University, include a 75-seat-capacity seminar room; teller training room; customer service representative training room; call center representative training room and computer lab. With a visually stimulating appearance, the training area features actual Commerce retail store equipment -- including teller stations and even a miniature size walk-in bank vault -- to simulate a branch environment. The Call Center at Commerce Center houses more than 30 representatives in high-energy, motivating surroundings. The hub of the Call Center is a high-tech raised platform from which team leaders proactively manage resources to maximize service levels. The Call Center's technology also enables the bank to forecast staffing needs down to the half-hour based on historical data. Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, "America's Most Convenient Bank," opened its first office in 1985. In the years since, the bank has cultivated a unique retail model that has produced continuous strong growth. The bank has doubled its number of branches in Pennsylvania in recent years, growing a network of 28 stores in Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and York counties. Commerce's hallmark products and services include seven-day banking, free personal checking, free instant-issue ATM/Visa check card, free interactive Penny Arcade coin-counting machines, free online banking and 24/7 bank-by-phone. In addition to retail banking, Commerce offers a diverse portfolio of commercial banking services including term loans, commercial mortgages, commercial leasing and lines of credit, and cash management services. Commerce Bank/Harrisburg currently has assets exceeding $1.6 billion. For more information about Commerce Bank/Harrisburg, visit the bank's web site at commercepc.com. Editor's Note: To arrange media tours of Commerce Center including photography, please contact Jason Kirsch at (717) 412-6200 or jason.kirsch@commercepc.com.