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Gary Small to Succeed Bevack as CEO of UCFC
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Gary M. Small has been chosen to succeed Patrick W. Bevack as president and CEO of United Community Financial Corp. and its subsidiary, the Home Savings and Loan Co., UCFC announced Tuesday.
Small, in the financial services industry 28 years, is senior executive vice president and chief banking officer of S&T Bank in Indiana, Pa. There he has had responsibility for directing its wealth management, retail banking and insurance operations. S&T has $4.5 million in assets and some 50 offices in 11 counties in central and western Pennsylvania.
Small assumes his posts at UCFC and Home Savings April 1, the day after Bevack retires. Bevack will remain a director on the boards of both and become an adviser to both for two years, UCFC said.
Small will join both boards, succeeding Richard J. Buoncore, who announced earlier this month he would not stand for re-election to a three-year term on both. His resignation takes effect March 25.
Small is no stranger to the Mahoning Valley having had responsibility for this market as an executive with Sky Bank, since acquired by Huntington Bank, and continuing in that role with Huntington. With Sky, Small was executive vice president-head of regional banking; with Huntington he was executive vice president-regional banking group president.
Before joining S&T, Small was an executive for Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, where he began as chief operating officer of its 1,000 storefronts across the United States. His responsibilities were expanded to include oversight of the Jackson Hewitt franchise network, pricing strategies, financial products and support units.
Small began his career in financial services at Merchants National Corp., later acquired by the former National City Corp., where was executive vice president-retail network executive his last four years with responsibility for 200 National City branches in the Midwest.
In a prepared statement, the non-executive chairman of UCFC and Home Savings, Richard J. Shiraldi, said, “Gary has excelled at every position and institution that he has been associated with, and the [UCFC] board and management team are excited to build upon that long history to ensure Home Savings becomes the premier community bank in Ohio and western Pennsylvania. As we turn our attention to growth, Gary is uniquely qualified to lead our team into the future. His experience will enable [him] to develop new business lines, expand our geographic footprint and continue our long commitment to the communities we serve.”
Responded Small, “I am very excited to be joining the Home Savings team. Few organizations can match Home Savings’ rich history of superior customer service and dedication to the communities we serve. Home Savings has never been in a better position to expand our products and services to met the needs of our customers.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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