Following a soft opening on Feb. 5, Bethpage Federal Credit Union held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony with community members, elected officials and their representatives for its Ozone Park location at 102-32 Atlantic Ave. on Mar. 15.
The Ozone Park branch is Bethpage’s second location in Queens – the nonprofit credit union opened a branch in Sunnyside last year. Linda Armyn, president and CEO of Bethpage, the largest credit union in the Northeast region, told QNS that Queens had been part of their expansion plans for many years.
“Pre-pandemic, it was impossible to get real estate here,” Armyn said. “We opened up Sunnyside a few months back, and it’s been doing fantastic, which we knew it would.”
Armyn said the Ozone Park branch was off to a great start with people coming in and opening new bank accounts, taking advantage of Bethpage’s great market rates, low fees and excellent services. The chartered credit union is available to people nationwide who open a $5 membership account, offering a full menu of personal and commercial financial services. New members receive a $250 bonus when they open up a Bethpage free checking account at the Ozone Park Branch by Oct. 1, 2024, with a qualifying deposit of $100 or more within 90 days of account opening.
“We think we’re going to have great success here,” Armyn said. “The community has been so welcoming to us, and we’re super excited.”
Bethpage Branch Manager Ruddy Daville was as thrilled about the opening of the Ozone Park branch as the community.
“We’ve been waiting for this day for quite some time now,” Daville said. “The community is so responsive, and they’re so excited as well, which puts us in a great position.”
Grand opening giveaways included tote bags, water bottles, foldable dog water bowls and coupons in the shape of a paper pizza slice for a piece of pie from neighboring business Luigi’s Pizza.
“It’s our way of supporting our neighbors as we come into a new community,” Armyn said.
Robert Suarez, assistant vice president for Community Development at Bethpage Federal Credit Union, said the community feedback had been positive and community members could not wait for the branch to open.
“We were here prior to our opening, and [community members] were coming up to us, ‘When are you opening?” Suarez shared. “It’s nice to see them three months ago, and then here [we are] finally open, and for them to join us is really remarkable.”
State Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., who represents parts of South Ozone Park, attended the grand opening and told QNS it was “a great day for Ozone Park and the surrounding communities” to have the oldest and largest credit union in New York State open a branch in the neighborhood.
“It’s great for the businesses, too,” Addabbo said. “We can’t forget our businesses. They have financial needs, and Bethpage is ready to help them. Between the businesses and the residents, it’s a great benefit to the neighborhood.”
Through his spokesperson, Congressman Gregory Meeks expressed how important it was for his community to have access to a federal credit union.
“This is a great opportunity for the community to continue to build on the great work that Bethpage Federal Credit Union has done and continues to do,” Meeks’ spokesperson said.
Sherry Algredo, chairwoman of Queens Community Board 9, said Bethpage was an excellent resource for businesses and families in Ozone Park with a personal touch.
“I was reading about the way [Bethpage] works with businesses,” Algredo said. “It’s great for businesses, startup businesses and entrepreneurs, businesses who are looking for loans, who are looking to expand.”
Sam Esposito, president of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, said the latest edition to the strip mall would bring more business to the other stores and create new jobs for the community.
“[Bethpage] is a good community partner. And they’re going to be partnering with us,” Esposito said. “We are glad that they are here. We love new business.”
Bethpage, which has been around for 80 years, is opening a third Queens location in Forest Hills later this year.
Voted as the Glass Door Top Place to Work for Small and Midsize companies, Bethpage is part of the national CO-OP network. Members can access their accounts at over 30,000 free ATMs and over 5,000 shared branches nationwide.
For more information on Bethpage’s robust portfolio of banking, borrowing and investment services, visit lovebethpage.com or call 800-628-7070.
