SOUTHINGTON, Conn. – During the COCC Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in October, COCC announced Matthew Sosik has been elected to the Cooperative’s Board of Directors. Mr. Sosik is the Chief Executive Officer for Hometown Financial Group, Inc., a $3.4 billion mutual multi-bank holding company based out of Easthampton, MA. He also serves as President and CEO of bankESB, a subsidiary of Hometown Financial Group and a COCC member institution. As a member of our Board, Mr. Sosik will serve on the Personnel and Planning & Finance Committees. He is one of nine COCC client CEOs to sit on the Board of Directors. Richard A. Leone, CEO of COCC, is the tenth member of our Board.
“We are excited to bring Mr. Sosik onto the Board and benefit from his extensive industry experience,” said Mr. Leone. “The relationship and support he and his company have built with COCC over the years has been and continues to be invaluable to the success of our Cooperative.”
“I’m truly excited and honored to be part of such an innovative and industry-leading company like COCC. I have been a very satisfied COCC customer for almost 25 years, so I’m thrilled to help the company continue its robust growth and success,” Mr. Sosik added.
Matthew Sosik joined Hometown Bank in 1996 after 5 years with the FDIC. In 2013, after 17 years leading Hometown Bank, he became the President and CEO at bankESB and began to build Hometown Financial Group through a combination of organic growth strategies and six merger and acquisition transactions. Additionally, he has spent time volunteering as a board member for The Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), whose mission is to work with communities to create innovative policy and financing solutions that provide affordable homes and better lives for the people of Massachusetts. He also serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council.
Mr. Sosik’s election to the Board comes in tandem with the retirement of John F. Heaps, Jr., CEO of Florence Bank. Mr. Heaps has provided consistent insight and vision to successfully guide the company ever since his appointment to COCC’s Board of Directors in October of 2011. John has served a diverse portfolio of roles on numerous committees since 2011, including his most recent position of Chair of the Personnel Committee which he’s held since 2013.
“We are grateful to Mr. Heaps’ contributions and dedication to our company during his tenure and we wish him a happy and healthy retirement,” Mr. Leone concluded.
ABOUT COCC
COCC is an award-winning client-owned financial technology company servicing financial institutions throughout the Northeastern United States. Launched in 1967, COCC was founded by its clients. This unique cooperative structure has set COCC apart from the competition and is one of the driving forces behind their success. COCC is recognized as a leader in delivering innovation and the quality service financial institutions demand and deserve.
