Business View Magazine | April/May 2022

143 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 ALDEN STATE BANK COVID, and with all of the supply chain issues, it certainly was a little bit more challenging, but that’s the way things are today.” Opening in a building which had more square footage than what the bank required, Alden State decided to offer the additional space to non-profit group F Bites, for the operation of a café. The organization, whose name stands for Food Based Intervention through Technology, Energy and Science, provides educational and skill training opportunities aimed at making positive change in the lives of participants. Woodard describes, “We reached out to this particular non-profit, one of the only ones in the nearby Lancaster was opened in 1994. Recently, Alden State opened a third branch, in the community of Clarence. President and CEO Steve Woodard, shares the motivation behind the opening of the Clarence location during the pandemic, explaining, “We had a number of customers in that area, and with the consolidation in the marketplace, we really felt there was the opportunity for somebody who was local to expand. That particular building came up for sale and so, for us, it seemed like a good location. That was the impetus behind our acquisition of that building and opening that branch this past year. With