Coffee with: Open for business

After spending several years at branches outside the Lower Mainland, new Scotiabank Ladner manager Corey Hanna is glad to be lead the team at the new Ladner Trunk location.

Philip Raphael photo

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Even before the sign went up on the building, Corey Hanna knew he'd made the right choice in coming to Ladner.

It was weeks before the new Scotiabank branch was open for business at the renovated location at Ladner Trunk Rd. and Central Ave. and people passing by would try the doors to see if they could enter the premises and do their banking.

Hanna, manager of the new branch, says it was clear to him there was a pent up demand for the services locally, and the official May 28 opening day couldn't come too soon for many.

"I was surprised by the amount of foot traffic we had in the first week," says Hanna. "It was a pleasant surprise. There were a lot of people who couldn't wait one more day for us to be here (open)."

Many were long-time Scotiabank customers who were glad they now had a local option rather than having to commute to Tsawwassen or Richmond to do their banking.

"They were really happy to see a branch in their own backyard," says Hanna, 27, who grew up in Cloverdale and attended Holy Cross secondary school in the Fleetwood area of Surrey.

Hanna is happy to be back in the Lower Mainland after spending the early part of his career in Penticton and Kamloops.

While that allowed him to fast-track his progress with the bank, the draw of family is what lured him to take up the post in South Delta.

"I was very excited to come home," he says. "That was one of the biggest things for me and my family. We'd been away from the Lower Mainland for five years and we had this chance to get our two daughters closer to their grandparents."

The fact that the move came with the opportunity to manage a new, "from-the-ground-up" branch was also a big plus.

"Not a lot of new (Scotiabank) branches are opened up—maybe one or two every year in B.C.," Hanna says. "So, to get the opportunity to come in and hand-pick your staff and really build a branch from nothing is quite the unique experience not many managers get to have."

Since opening Hanna says he is quickly getting to know the community.

And the community in turn is becoming familiar with the staff—about half of them call South Delta home—and the fact the branch has the only drive-thru ABM in town.

With the branch up and running Hanna says he is looking forward to hosting an official grand opening event Sept. 6, complete with a party featuring an appearance by the B.C. Lions Grey Cup winning quarterback Travis Lulay.