Commonwealth Bank signed a contract today for the construction of a new training centre adjacent to its Prince Charles Drive branch. Pictured l-r, seated, Commonwealth Bank Director and Chair, Premises Committee, Earla J. Bethel; Bank President, Ian A. Jennings and General Contractor Brendan Watson, Watson Construction. Standing, David Lavin, Construction Cost Engineering (Bahamas) Ltd. quantity surveyors, Bank Vice President and CIO Charles Knowles and Tariq O’Brien, ARCOP Ltd. Architects.
Commonwealth Bank recently signed a contract for a new corporate training centre at a cost of $800,000. In doing so, the Bank cited its emphasis on customer service and training as “the number one reason we are the leading bank in The Bahamas.”
The signing took place at the bank’s CB Plaza headquarters on Mackey Street where the training centre is currently located. As the bank has grown, CB Plaza has become increasingly crowded, making the move to property adjacent to its Prince Charles Branch a more suitable location, according to Director Earla J. Bethel, who heads the Premises Committee of the Board of Directors.
“We were fortunate to be able to identify available property adjacent to one of our branches” said Mrs. Bethel. “The architect, ARCOP Ltd, , went to work immediately to design a functional, state-of-the-art training centre.”
Investing in the 8,740 square foot, single story training facility complements the bank’s focus on service, a commitment that is echoed in staff performance and dedication to serve the bank’s customers.
“Service is what sets us apart, and that service does not come without constant reinforcement of its importance,” said Ian Jennings, President. “Training and skills upgrade are ongoing processes as is our commitment to reward those who provide the best, creating customer satisfaction with every transaction.”
“At Commonwealth Bank, we believe it is not good enough to be good, nor sufficient to be satisfactory. At Commonwealth Bank, we are committed to seeing a smile on the face of every customer and though that customer knows that he or she has a choice when banking, the choice is very clear. They will be right back here next time they plan to bank,” said Jennings.
The new site will house the Learning Centre with three training rooms equipped with modernized technological tools. It will also house disaster recovery facilities. Tariq O'Brien of ARCOP Ltd. Is the Architect, David Lavin is Construction Cost Engineer and the contractor is Brendan Watson of Watson Construction. Expected completion date is June 2016.
With branches in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco, Commonwealth Bank has 10 branches, five of them with Saturday banking, numerous off-site ABMs for 24-hour banking and employs more than 500 persons. Since going public in the year 2000, the bank has not missed paying a quarterly dividend and has paid an additional extraordinary dividend in most years.
The Bank’s commitment to community, marked by its extensive support in donations to education at every level, this year reached an all-time high with the 2015 announcement of an historic $500,000 pledge over 10 years to the Cancer Society of The Bahamas.
