Insight: Chris Hay

By Michelle St. Onge Photo by Jessica McCafferty

Hometown - Plattsburgh, NY

Family: Wife, Tobi, daughters Abby and Stella

Education: BA, Hamilton College (Economics); MBA, Boston College

Occupation: President and CEO, Dannemora Federal Credit Union

Community Involvement: Seton Education Council (President, ~20 years),

TDC (Board Chairman), North Country Chamber of Commerce (Board Member), CVPH Foundation (Finance Committee Member), Lake Champlain–Lake George Regional Planning Board (Loan Committee), Focus NY (Trustee).

Chris Hay was born and raised in the North Country, attended Hamilton College, earning his Bachelor’s degree in 1993, and later completed his MBA at Boston College in 2000. Like many young professionals eager to test themselves, Hay pursued opportunity beyond the region, joining NBT Bank’s management training program and steadily climbing through the lending ranks as a credit analyst and commercial lender. Career opportuni-ties in Boston broadened his perspective. There, he worked in management consulting, gaining experience in strategy and organizational improvement. Faced with the choice of continuing a position requiring hectic work travel or settling into family life, the pull of home was stronger.  Hay and his family made the decision to return to Plattsburgh to raise their children close to extended family and community roots.

Today, Hay leads with a values-first mindset shaped by both professional experience and personal conviction. He explained, “Working in a credit union where the money and decision-making stays local gives us greater flexibility to do the right thing for our mem-bers and our community.”

Community investment remains central to Hay’s philosophy. For him, leadership is not about title, but example and success are measured by leaving the community stronger than he found it.

Chris Hay recently sat down with Strictly Business to share some of his insights with our readers.

What habits do you have that contribute to your success?

I think it starts with a desire to work hard and demonstrate a high level of commitment. It’s not a competition, but I want to be viewed as one of the hardest-working people in the organization. I also have a strong desire to do things right. If we’re going to do something, then let’s really commit to it and do it well.

Who was your most influential mentor?

I’ve had a lot of good folks in my life professionally and personally, but one who stands out is Mike Dandrow. He was a close family friend, my hockey coach from youth hockey all the way through high school. I worked with him during the summers in high school and college. He showed me the value of hard work. He taught me that if I’m going to do some-thing, I’m going to give it my best effort. It might not always be perfect, but I’ll always do it to the best of my ability.

How have you inspired or mentored others?

It’s probably a little bold to say I’ve inspired anyone, but I always try to lead by example. I never ask people to do something that I’m not willing to do myself, and that’s something I try to foster in the culture here. For example, if the sidewalks at work haven’t been cleared of snow, I’ll grab a shovel and get started. President, CEO - no one is above any job.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Do the little things right. If you take care of the little details that your members (or customers if you’re in another industry) bring to you, the rest tends to work itself out. It’s easy to get hung up on focusing on the big picture. While it’s necessary to have goals and a focus on moving for-ward and developing, the details matter.

In business, what sets you apart is how you execute and how you deliver value. And to do that well, you have to take care of the little things. It sounds simple, but it makes all the difference.

What advice would you offer people starting their business career? 

Try to find a career that is meaningful to you. We spend so much of our lives at work, if you’re just going through the motions for most of your days, you’ll prob-ably bring some of that frustration and angst home with you. Don’t let some-one else’s expectations define who you become. It’s important to figure out what inspires you, and where you can add value to the world. That’s where you’ll find the best way to make a living.

What does success look like to you?

Being able to look back and see that you’ve made a difference. At work it could be having an impact on a particular employee who needed help with personal issues, putting together a program that helps borrowers get into products that were out of reach, or being flexible when prudent to put someone in a house that they might not have thought was possible. It’s things like these that help me look back and feel like I had a positive impact and left things a little bit better than when I got here.

Tell me about your approach to management and leadership?

I like to trust my people and give them the latitude to do their jobs. My expectations that our employees will go out and get their jobs done. I’m much more hands-off than some managers might be, but that doesn’t mean my door isn’t open. It absolutely is. No one is on an island here, and I encourage questions and asking for help when needed. Another big part of leadership for me is making sure people have opportunities. I try to find ways to help each team member to stretch their skills a little bit, and to develop in their roles.

Is there a local personality or businessperson you admire, and share why?

My deceased uncle, John Zurlo. He was a wonderful public servant and contributed to the community on so many different levels. A lot of the values I hold are values that I saw him live out every day. He helped build North Country youth hockey and was the driving force behind get-ting the ice-skating rink built in Rouses Point. He accomplished all of that, and at the same time, you couldn’t find a more committed family person. He balanced community service, professional responsibility, and family in a remarkable way.

If you could have dinner and spend an evening with a well-known per-son, living or dead, who would it be?

My daughter is a history major and she’s gotten me really interested in Abraham Lincoln. He was clearly a great leader who dealt with turbulent times in divisive times around the Civil War. Today we find ourselves with some challenging issues, and our country is also really divided. It would be intriguing to talk to Abraham Lincoln to get his thoughts on how we’ve evolved as a nation, and on how to bring folks back together.

What is something you’re proud of professionally?

One thing I take a lot of pride in is that when I’ve transitioned from place to place, I’ve often been able to bring people with me. Loyalty from my colleagues and customers wasn’t something I pushed for or took for granted. Now when I look back at the past 30 years, I can see the pattern at almost every place I’ve worked. To me, that validates that I have been treating people well, giving them support, and helping nourish their growth and their futures. It goes back to my basic values —when you take care of people, they will take care of you.