As the chief executive of a banking company with just three branches and $136 million of assets, Mortimer J. O'Shea has to do a lot of things that executives of bigger ones never trouble themselves with.
For example, he routinely answers his own phone, greets customers at Hilltop Community Bancorp's main office, in Summit, N.J. - and frequently subs as a courier, collecting deposits from commercial customers who do business in outlying communities.
Mr. O'Shea, who has run Hilltop since it opened four years ago, is cost-conscious but says he is "on the verge" of hiring a full-time courier. Driving around picking up checks "probably isn't the best use of the CEO's time," he says.
Perhaps, but his road trips have done Hilltop some good.
Drew Bauman, a lawyer in Maplewood, N.J., said the sight of the bank's CEO picking up his deposits impressed him so much he that began recommending Hilltop to his colleagues. And Mr. Bauman, who recently agreed to serve on Hilltop's business advisory council, is a man who believes in word of mouth.
"I've probably gotten five or six lawyers to switch their accounts over," he said. "The service is outstanding."
