Thank you to those loyal readers who followed this entire series on our chamber award winners that ends this week. Next week, I’ll get back to more traditional columns, but I’m grateful that every year I get an opportunity to highlight the unbelievable leaders in our region.

First though, I want to update you on the privacy bill I wrote about a few weeks ago. We’re very fortunate to have legislators who listen to our concerns and consider them when making their decisions. That privacy bill got voted down as one of the last orders of business before the session ended. Thanks to those who reached out to share their stories with our legislators. We look forward to helping to craft a privacy bill for next session that protects consumer’s information, while also supporting our businesses’ needs.

Glenn Hutchinson, 2024 Harry C. Crooker Lifetime Achievement Award

As with recent recipients of the Harry C. Crooker Lifetime Achievement Award, Glenn Hutchinson has no plans to retire any time soon. In fact, he loves being the president and CEO of Bath Savings and looks forward to continuing to grow the bank and support the communities for years to come. However, the tradition for our Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber has always been a little different with this award. We understand many of our honorees for this award are beloved and well deserving of recognition, so rather than waiting to show our appreciation, we feel like now is always better than later. There is no need to postpone any well-deserved accolades until the end of the story, just because it is the end; in truth, there is never a wrong time to say good things about the right people. So, though Glenn plans to continue to achieve great things, we are wholly committed to thanking him now for all he has done, and for what he will undoubtedly continue to do.

Like many great businessmen, Glenn credits his spouse for steering him onto this career path, and toward his subsequent promotions. In fact, it was Ellen who, in a role as an executive recruiter, convinced her husband to stop commuting from their Portland home to his senior accountant role at Pioneer Plastics in Auburn, and rather start a banking career with Sun Savings in Portland in 1985. Glenn loved the work almost immediately, helping homeowners find their first homes, helping businesses start up or expand, and because of his kind and fair management style, the industry took to him. In 1988, Glenn moved to Bath to be the chief financial officer at Bath Savings Institution. In 1995, when the president’s position at Bath Savings became open, it was again Ellen who convinced Glenn that he had the right experience, demeanor and appreciation for region to apply to be the leader of a community bank that had been a bedrock of the Midcoast for generations.

Bath Savings has seen tremendous growth and expansion during Glenn’s tenure. As Glenn likes to say BSI “was founded in 1852, was here long before any of us and it will be here long after we all retire so our job is to make sure we leave the institution in a better condition than we found it. So, my goal is to make sure the bank, our customers and our community continues to grow and prosper to become even stronger than we are today. I want to ensure that we leave the bank in the best position for the next generation of leaders and customers!”

The customers and local leaders are constantly on Glenn’s mind. Over the years he has been a part of so many organizations including Bath Area Family YMCA, United Way of Mid Coast Maine, Mid Coast Hospital, MaineHealth, Maine Maritime Museum, USM Board of Visitors and the Maine Bankers Association just to name a few. Also, Glenn makes sure that the bank is always giving back whether that is through support of community projects through sponsorship or encouraging employees to volunteer with local organizations. Community-driven non-profits are vital to our region, and as a community leading business themselves, Bath Savings is always there to support those community builders.

Of course, when you bring up success to Glenn, he is humble and prefers to deflect any praise to those who are around him. He speaks in such high regard for his employees and leadership team, and it’s clear how much he values all 180 employees that make Bath Savings Institution what it is today. When pressed on the key individuals who helped with the vision on how to grow Bath Savings, Glenn mentions the Board of Trustees, who were led by Donald Spear, Brian Perkins and others during his earlier tenure and now led by Board Chairman John Voorhees.

In the end though, for all the deflection he may try to add and the praise he will undoubtedly share, Glenn has been a leader in our region for decades. Bath Savings has been a believer in so many projects and has helped so many people plan for retirement through Bath Savings Trust Company. They have helped grow businesses, helped engage their employees in the towns they call home, supported dozens of local initiatives annually in every community they have a branch in, and that all falls under the umbrella of their leader. Through level-headed, pragmatic leadership, a kind heart and a vision for the region, Glenn and Bath Savings have been a major part of so many successes in our region.

Yet, the beat goes on. Glenn may be on the back nine of his career, but he can’t even see the clubhouse yet. We know that in the coming years — as retirement does come — that many organizations and individuals will also show their appreciation for all of the investments Glenn has given this region. We’re glad to honor him now, because, as we said, there is never a wrong time to say good things about the right people.

Cory King is the executive director of the Bath-Brunswick Regional Chamber. 

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