Cleveland rocks to bank boss' band

By JEFF HARRINGTON

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 31, 2000

Third Federal Savings chairman and chief executive Marc Stefanski peddles certificates of deposits by day but dreams about a different sort of CD at night.

The banker, who plays the keyboards and sings in a band in his spare time, has invited employees of his Cleveland thrift to a one-performance-only event next week to hear his band jam at a bar in the Flats area of Cleveland.

Cherie Skoczen, who works in the bank's marketing department, said her boss' repertoire includes "a little bit of '60s and '50s, beach music, plus stuff today like John Mellencamp."

Stefanski's band, which includes at least one other bank employee and the architect who designed the bank's new headquarters, is dubbed the Once-a-Month Club Bank.

That's a bit of a misnomer. This is the first time in a year that Stefanski et al. have performed for employees.

That means it's the first concert opportunity for employees hired in Florida since Third Federal moved aggressively into the state last fall. The bank has five Tampa Bay area branches and plans to open five more throughout Central Florida.

No word yet on whether any of Stefanski's Florida employees/groupies plan to make the trek north. The trip would be at their own expense but they have a few incentives: There's no cover charge and the refreshments are free.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.