Kevin J. Gallagher, Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Ambler Savings Bank, spoke with MONTCO Today about growing up in West Oak Lane and Wyncote as one of five children. He recalled trying out for the school musical on a whim his senior year, which led to a starring role and a lifelong involvement in community theater.

After graduating from Temple University, Gallagher did brief stints as a shoe salesman and life insurance salesman before transitioning into lending. He discussed why he thinks what you major in college might not dictate your future and how Ambler Savings Bank is responding to a challenging market and interest rates.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I was born in Philadelphia and grew up in the West Oak Lane neighborhood near Wyndmoor. When I was in seventh grade, we moved a mile away to Wyncote.

What did your mom and dad do?

My dad was an Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) Federal Agent, and then he did a couple of other government jobs after he retired. He was also a Full Colonel in the Army Reserve and a teacher at the military schools down in Georgia in the summers.

We’d have two weeks’ vacation with him down in Virginia. My mom would pack all the kids up and we’d drive down in the station wagon while he was already down there teaching for two weeks.

What memories stand out from growing up in Philadelphia and Wyncote?

There’s so many with my family. I remember back in the day when we traveled, I was always in the front seat. I had the map and was responsible the getting my mom to the destination. Also, I had a bulletin (newspaper) route. I had to deliver them and collect money for the paper bill. I bought my first little six-inch television with the “bulletin money” I saved in a peanut butter jar.

Besides delivering the Philadelphia Bulletin, what other part-time jobs did you have?

During high school, I worked at a 7-Eleven for a while in Glenside by Bishop McDevitt High School, which is where I went to high school. I ran the cashier, did the cleaning, stacked shelves — all of that.

I spent a lot of time at the Citgo station at Keswick and Easton Road. When I was there in high school, I was the Assistant Manager. They used to fix cars there. We did all the pumping.

I worked through high school. I played freshman basketball, and then I had to go to work. We had a lot of kids in the family, and I was fortunate as I was the only one that went to college. I went to Temple.

You had a “get up and go” attitude, even as a young kid. You wanted something better in life. Where did that come from?

I think it’s a combination of being in a family with that many siblings and being in a neighborhood that was full of kids. We all hung out together. Back in the day, you went out at the crack of dawn, you came back by 5:00 PM for dinner, and nobody knew where you were.

Kevin, you’ve always been a people person.

I have. That’s probably one of my best assets, and it comes from my involvement in theater and being able to perform. In life, you have to be able to get up and go and get out. Theater teaches you to get in front of people, to create this work and this energy and this pride. You’re not afraid — you’re kicking open doors and you’re going in. It gives you confidence.

In my senior year of high school, I was dating a girl who was good friends with the choreographer of the shows. She said, “We’re doing Bye Bye Birdie. You like to sing, Kevin. Why don’t you come and meet Jean and see what happens?'”

Long story short, I came out for the show. I got the part of Conrad Birdie. I launched that into forty-some years of musical theater.

What about music back then? What floated your boat in high school and college?

My first album that I ever bought was Morrison Hotel by The Doors which I still own. I liked Simon and Garfunkel; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; The Beatles; and The Stones. We had our own music back then. We had guys like Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, but we also had The Temptations, Four Tops, and The Supremes. That’s what I grew up on.

You attended college at Temple University. Looking back, was it a good fit for you, Kevin?

Yeah. I majored in Sociology. I then became a Banker as a Platform Assistant, then went to credit, and then became a Lender. I went back to school at Beaver College, Holy Family University, and Temple for Accounting courses. I never got any additional degree, but I got enough to fully understand the business.

I like to tell people that it doesn’t matter what you study in college; it’s what you become and what you want to be. Sociology helped me tremendously.

You were coming out with a sociology degree and ended up in banking. Who saw promise in you and opened up doors for you in your career?

Well, I sold shoes for a couple of months for Fava Shoes at 69th Street in Upper Darby. My uncle, George Exner, was what they used to call the hatchet man at Prudential Insurance. He was a big guy there. He said to me one day, “You ain’t got to do this all the time, Kevin. Did you ever think of insurance? You seem to be pretty good at sales. Let me set you up with the President at John Hancock.” I sold life insurance for John Hancock for a year. I didn’t like it.

I knew some people at IVB, Industrial Valley Bank. I asked them, “What’s banking all about?” And I talked to the people in the branch. They hired me, and I got to be the Assistant Manager of the Jenkintown Plaza office down by the train station.

One day I got ahold of the manager’s paycheck to give it to him. It fell out and I looked at it, and I said, “I’m not going to do this the rest of my life if that’s going to be the pay.” Back in the early 80s pay scales were very different.

The next hallway down was the loan center, and I talked to some of the lenders. I said, “How do you get into this?” They told me, “You’ve got to go to credit.”

I wound up spending a year and a half in IVB credit.

Then IVB was bought by Fidelity Bank. After Fidelity, a guy by the name of Rolf Stensrud came to me out of the real estate division. He said, “I’m forming a bank. I’m looking for a chief lender.” In 1988, we opened up Republic Bank. I was their first Chief Lender. I was there for 12 years.

How did you get to Ambler Savings Bank?

I knew Roger Zacharia, Ambler Savings’ President through networking and seminars when I was at Prudential Bank. From 2010 to 2013, I had the pleasure of being the President of Huntingdon Valley Bank, so I got to know everybody at the senior level.

I met up with Roger. He said, “I want to know more about commercial lending.” After the fifth or sixth meeting, he said, “What are you going to do after the merger of Prudential? I’d like to expand the bank from the commercial end and do much larger credit because we have the capacity.” In 2020, Roger asked if I would come work at Ambler Savings Bank. We shook hands. It’s the best move I’ve ever made.

I’ve been at 10 banks. I don’t want to say I’ve seen it all, but I’ve seen a lot. And the atmosphere around here, the 60 employees, the fact that I’m with people who have been in jobs at one bank for 40 years — I’m amazed. Roger does an excellent job of running this place.

We’re doing great things here from the commercial end. We’ve done some significant deals. I feel a purpose every day. I think it’s full circle in life where you begin learning and you share experiences, you get people to help you and you then turn around and start helping people.

We’re three-quarters through 2024. What are your priorities and challenges that you’re focused on at Ambler Savings?

The market has played havoc over the last year. Rates have prevented us from being able to do the business that we have done in the past. But the bank itself — equity-wise, asset-wise, loan-wise — is a strong organization.

From the business development side, our purpose right now is to maintain the contacts in the community, maintain the reputation of the bank, continually call on our existing customers to maintain them, and maybe get a piece of additional business from that relationship.

Kevin, the Philadelphia area is often referred to as “overbanked.” What do you think sets Ambler Savings apart in that competitive landscape?

The small community nature of Ambler Savings is the biggest flag we have to fly, and we do it every day by simply returning phone calls and providing the service customers expect. Banking is about personal relationships. If I like you and you like me, we’re going to do business together. And when you’re having that burger on the weekend at the barbecue, you’re going to talk about me. You’re going to talk about Ambler. That’s what we’re trying to drive.

Not to say that our credit criteria is more flexible than anybody else — we do things by the book — but when something can’t be done the way they brought it in, we’ll try to facilitate an alternative. I’ll tell you, “I can reduce the amount and the cash flow will work this way.” Or, “I need another piece of collateral.” There’s a lot of banks that say, “That’s too small, and you don’t qualify.” That’s just not us.

What do you do with your free time, Kevin?

It’s funny. In high school in 1974, I was Conrad Birdie. I didn’t do anything with theater after that until 1984, when Jean Haver who was the Choreographer of the show in ’74, called me and said, “We’re doing Grease. I remember you from Birdie. Do you still do shows?”

I said, “Jean, I haven’t done a show in 10 years.” I ended up playing Danny Zuko with the Lenape Valley Music Theater. I met another 30 friends in the show. And from that point in 1984 till today, I’ve done one or two shows a year.

Mostly, now, I’m the Producer at a group called Willow Manor Players. I’ve decided to give back what old people gave me when I was young. I’ll be that guy to hold on to theater so that these kids can have that same benefit.

This one little girl said to me, “Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Gallagher, theater’s not for geeks anymore.” That was during a “Hell week” rehearsal. That made me as proud as I could ever be because I impressed upon her that what she was doing was worth it, despite whatever her peers may be saying. They get up in front of 250 people to sing, dance, and act. Where else can you go and get that type of experience? When they go in front of their class in school, they’re going to kick that door open and walk in with confidence that most of their friends don’t have. That’s what it’s all about. The theater is full of building blocks for these kids and young adults.

The other group I’m involved with is Jenkintown Music Theatre. Jenkintown Music Theatre is where I cut my teeth. In 1988, I got my first part there in South Pacific. I’ve done The Music Man. I was Frank Butler for Annie Get Your Gun. I was in 36 shows in 28 years. You meet 20, 30 people every year you do these shows, and these relationships I’ve kept over the years.

Three last questions for you, Kevin. What’s something big that you’ve changed your mind about over the last 10 years?

It’s something I tell my son all the time. I say, “The stuff you worry about today — when you’re my age, Kevin, it doesn’t matter. It’ll all work out. Stick with it. Use our advice. Ask us questions. Work hard. Stay in that job. Raise a family. You’ll laugh when you’re 65, and look back and see what you worried about at 33.”

So, the biggest change is when that change of perspective happened for me. When did I stop caring that way? It took a long time — when I was 58 or 59. That was a big thing for me to stop the worry. It makes work and family life not so much easier, but more enjoyable. When you’re fresh and you can enjoy things, you’re tremendously productive.

How do you stay hopeful and optimistic? It’s a crazy world out there.

I’ve got to stay around for my family. I’ve got to stay around for the grandkids. We have three grandkids and two on the way. I need to stay around because I want to continue to share my knowledge and my energy in trying to help them.

I got a call last night and my son said, “Dad, you see the market tanked? Is this a good time to open up an investment account?” Or I got a call from my daughter during a massive rainstorm. She said, “Dad, what do I do? There’s water all over the floor.” I just want to continue to share what I know. Kids need guidance and examples.

Finally, Kevin, what’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Never quit! I tell that to my kids all the time. As a matter of fact, I took black electrical tape and taped that to the heating duct in our house in the basement. And when my kids went down to do the bench press — they’re all workout people — they looked up and saw “Never quit.”

The kids I work with in the theater program say, “I can’t do that.” I tell them, “Yes, you can, try it. And when you do, you’ll realize that not only can do it but you enjoy it, as well.”