The Human Resources department here likes to say that Chesapeake Bank is a “great place to work.” This is based not on just the series of awards and accolades the bank has earned through the years, but also on the individual stories and experiences of employees.
Regina “Reggie” Rossignol is one of those employees. In November, Reggie will mark her 20th year of employment with Chesapeake Bank. In that time, she’s worked for three different departments and on hundreds of different projects.
She started as a teller, then transitioned to IT, and finally landed in marketing, where she’s involved with featuring small business and other partners on the Chesapeake Bank blog. She also is the main liaison with web-based vendors and other website-related companies.
“One of the things I’m most grateful for about this company is that I am a mother of three children, and work-life balance is a priority,” said Reggie. “It is important to me to be able to take off when my kid has a field trip or doctor’s appointment. And I am able to do that here.”
“I am able to do the things that are important to me, even when it comes to volunteering in the community,” said Reggie. “It allows me to not have to separate who I want to be just to have a career.”
In her spare time, she runs her own art company, known as Love and Light Affects. It is her talent which fuels the company, but she was able to lean on the resources of the bank to get started.
“It helps me a lot in what I am doing in marketing,” said Reggie. Since she’s started and runs her own small business, she can easily identify with the small businesses which she’s written about.
In fact, when she started Love and Light Affects, Reggie worked with Chesapeake Bank’s David Younce to bounce ideas and discuss business plans. Younce is a Business Banker who serves the Richmond and Chesterfield areas.
Reggie also took advantage of networking and business advisors, which are available both free of charge and locally.
“It’s incredibly challenging to get a business off the ground — especially while you’re working full time,” said Reggie.
She worked with the Gloucester Economic Development Center, Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center, and SCORE for assistance and the new William & Mary School of Business group Crim Dell. This new organization groups W&M MBA students with local businesses. The students gain real-world experience, while the business owner can tap into the latest theories and counsel while utilizing extra hands-on focused projects.
Believe it or not, when Reggie is not working her “day job,” or on her business, or even spending time with her children, you can find her scrubbing oysters. One of her favorite volunteer activities is raising baby oysters for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
Through the foundation, Reggie took oyster “spat” to a local pier. The oysters grew in cages, and when they got to full size, she turned over the oysters to the foundation. They took these new oysters and planted them on a man-made reef in the York River, which helps clean the bay and provides habitat for other animals.
“It’s actually very restful and therapeutic,” said Reggie.
Reggie’s journey with Chesapeake Bank has been eventful. Both — Reggie and Chesapeake Bank — have changed mightily over the past 20 years. Like the bank, Reggie has learned new skills and transformed herself. She credits her Chesapeake Bank experience for helping her grow in life and work.
“I believe that if you’re willing to look for it, you can find meaning in everything,” said Reggie. “The interactions with the people I work with … they have become my closest friends. The mentors I’ve had have really affected me personally.”