Walter L. Tillman, Jr.

Vantage Point Bank Chairman and CEO Walt Tillman possesses three decades of experience in the financial services industry. A native Philadelphian, Mr. Tillman’s banking background in the Delaware Valley region is substantial.

Early in his career, Mr. Tillman served as the Controller at Cheltenham Bank, and then undertook the position of Asset/Liability Manager at Independence Bancorp. He subsequently became the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Prime Bank, helping it to transform from a small thrift institution into a large community bank prior to its eventual sale to Summit Bank. Most recently, he served as the President and CEO of Earthstar Bank, a successful start-up bank.

While at the helm of Earthstar, Mr. Tillman solidified his reputation as a financial visionary by boldly moving banking into a new and untried frontier. As one of the first institutions to embrace advances in technology, Earthstar achieved a clear competitive advantage and unprecedented success by blending traditional branch banking with the then-revolutionary concept of Internet banking.

At Vantage Point Bank, Mr. Tillman is again leading banking in a new direction, with a business model unique to the industry. His vision is twofold: to combine traditional banking functions with financial services and wealth management; and to make these services available to a wide spectrum of customers, including individuals and businesses at all levels. According to Mr. Tillman, this is the means by which Vantage Point intends to deliver on its promise of banking from “a new perspective.”

“Our bank is trying to accomplish a lot of things. David and I believe that the financial world is not where it should be and that we can make banking better. We put together an organization to provide for people’s needs. Our goal is not only to do it well, but along the way also to provide a strong rate of return for our investors. We think we can do both — providing “better” for both our customers and our shareholders.”

Mr. Tillman is a 1973 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, where he earned a degree in Economics, and received an ROTC commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He received an M.B.A. from Wake Forest University in 1975.

Jess Amchin

As a pharmaceutical industry consultant since 2005, Dr. Amchin has provided medical consultation services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Prior to establishing his consulting practice, Dr. Amchin practiced psychiatry as a faculty member of the University of Pittsburgh and in private practice, and then served in a number of positions of increasing responsibility in the pharmaceutical industry. He has authored one book and numerous articles and abstracts.

Dr. Amchin received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University.

David Bezar

Vantage Point Bank President David Bezar realized early in his career that he was “an entrepreneur, not an employee.” His first business venture was as the owner of a retail operation in Philadelphia; years later, he found his true calling in the financial services industry. In this field, Mr. Bezar achieved career success but in addition, he uncovered a way to satisfy a compelling personal objective as well.

In 1989, Mr. Bezar started in the financial service industry. In 1996 he formed and was President of Wealth Partners, Inc., a financial holding company. When he left Wealth Partners after 12 years, the company had grown to serve over 9000 clients, with eight branch offices, over 400 licensed agents, 73 registered representatives and six licensed Principals.

While building Wealth Partners into a successful enterprise, Mr. Bezar learned a few personal truths: First, that for him, one of the most rewarding aspects of the business was in helping people to understand and gain control of their finances. He discovered, too, that bringing an educational approach to financial planning was one of the reasons his company was successful. His past business dealings also demonstrated that the middle-market consumer was grossly under-served when it came to financial services. He states, “I wanted to bring these consumers the same level of services that the affluent customer usually receives, but I also wanted to educate them about all aspects of financial planning.”

Vantage Point Bank reflects Mr. Bezar’s vision of a financial institution where people can feel comfortable discussing their finances and where they can come for individualized advice and attention — a “safe haven” that can provide whatever help or assistance they need. His ultimate goal is for the Bank to become a true community resource, one that changes the face of banking and financial services and the perspective of people regarding the both industries.

“We are on our way to becoming the model for community banks in our region. We have all of the services of the banking behemoths but we are much more nimble. We don’t want to be small; we want to be big in the lives of the people we touch.”

Mr. Bezar attended Villanova University from 1982 to 1985. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree at the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Brenner

Michael A. Brenner is one of the region’s best known businessmen, a respected community leader and a highly regarded member of many civic and charitable organizations in central Pennsylvania and beyond. As President and CEO of the Brenner family of automotive dealerships, he heads a substantial consortium of transportation-related companies and their subsidiaries located in and around Harrisburg.

In addition to his experience in business, Mr. Brenner possesses significant insight into banking and the financial services industry by virtue of his prior background, including: a position as the youngest person appointed loan officer of First Pennsylvania Bank in the mid-1970s; as the former Credit Manager of M. Brenner and Son’s, Inc., a wholesale distributor; and as an organizer and board member of Legacy Bank and chair of its Legacy Trust Company subsidiary’s board, a successful start-up bank based in Harrisburg.

Actively involved in numerous community organizations, Mr. Brenner has frequently been honored for his civic, business and charitable contributions, including: as Business Leader of the Year, City of Harrisburg (1998);Time Magazine Quality Dealer and one of five finalists for the prestigious Time Magazine Quality Dealer of the Year award in 2000; recipient of the National Endowment Achievement Award, presented by the United Jewish Communities of North America (2002); recipient of the Business Partner Award presented by the Council for Public Education (2002); recipient of the Catalyst Award (2002) presented by the Capital Region Economic Development Corporation; Winner of Wesley Union Community Development Corporation President’s Leadership Award (2005); and Dealer Magazine Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) Dealer of the Year Award Nominee (2006).

Mr. Brenner’s powerful combination of business acumen and banking know-how shapes his vision of the future of Vantage Point Bank. It is his view that Vantage Point’s business model is unique because it “has, from the outset, combined traditional banking functions with wealth management operations into the Bank’s core.” He believes that this integrated strategy provides customers with the convenience of one-stop shopping for these services, leading to greatly expanded and enhanced customer relationships for the bank.

But the real key to the bank’s success, he says, resides in Vantage Point’s ability to give customers individual and personal attention:

“Right now, we are like a boutique of banking, offering customers a very personalized banking experience, if they desire. We provide our customers with a much more personalized experience than our competition. At Vantage Point, you can deal directly with the decision makers if you want — not so with those large institutions.”

Mr. Brenner received a B.S. in Management with dual majors in Marketing and Finance from Syracuse University in 1974. He serves on the boards of directors of two early stage technology companies and has been active in numerous community organizations including as Chairman of the United Way Capitol Regional Capital Campaign; as a Board Member of the United Jewish Community of Greater Harrisburg; and as the Business representative of the Career Advisory Council of the Susquehanna Township School District. He has also served on several boards including the Americans for Competitive Enterprise Systems (ACES); the Boys and Girls Club of Harrisburg; and the Jewish Home of Greater Harrisburg. Mr. Brenner currently team teaches 11th grade students in the School of Business and Industry Prep Program at Harrisburg High School.

Craig Ginsberg

Dr. Ginsberg is a Psychiatrist with twenty-two years of experience, most recently as Medical Director of the Brooke Glen Behavioral Hospital. Prior to that, he was the Medical Director of Friends Hospital in Philadelphia. He is also an expert in data processing and telecommunications. He owns and manages Byte Support, Inc., a computer store that sells to businesses and individuals, and he also manages Navpoint, an Internet Service Provider based in Erdenheim, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Ginsberg graduated from Temple University in 1980 with a B.S. in Biology and received his M.D. from Hahnemann Hospital in 1984. He currently has an active medical license in Pennsylvania.

Marshal Granor

When it comes to all things real estate, few individuals possess Marshal S. Granor’s deep experience and first-hand knowledge of all aspects of the industry, which he has acquired over more than three decades — literally, on occasion, “in the trenches.”

Mr. Granor is a practicing real estate and business attorney and a named partner in the law firm Granor & Granor, PC, in Horsham. He was a principal author of Pennsylvania’s Planned Community Act. Since 1980, he additionally has been a principal in Granor Price Homes, an award-winning development company, operating in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, co-founded in 1971 by his father Bernard. He is also the President and Broker of Record for Granor & Co., an independent real estate agency, as well as a licensed title insurance agent and mortgage broker.

With such an extensive real estate background, Mr. Granor has worked with many banks as lenders, business partners and financial institutions. And that is one of the principal reasons he chose to become involved in Vantage Point Bank:

“What attracted me is that I understood that integrity and customer service are our number one priorities. We were going to do things the right way, not necessarily the most profitable way. I’ve had many banking relationships in the past, and sometimes it can be frustrating. I think many people, myself included, are really tired of the mega-banks. I don’t think most people are looking for perfection, just the kind of place where if there is a problem, you can talk to a human being about it. At Vantage Point, I can say I’m finally getting the kind of service I would like to have had elsewhere, but never found. It’s like going into a small business where you’re treated like a really important customer. Big banks try to do that with training manuals and trickle-down management. But at our bank, everyone shares the same philosophy, that we are in a ‘how can I help you?’ business.”

Mr. Granor believes that the bank’s leadership has the ability and vision to grow “with strength, not just with speed,” and to provide the services that customers really need, to maintain today’s 24/7 business pace. He says also:

“This is one of the most dynamic and involved groups I have ever been allied with. I have never seen a group of people with this range of skills gathered together like this. We get a tremendous amount of work done on our Board and throughout it all we’re going in and out, smiling. I am really glad they asked me to contribute my expertise to this effort.”

Mr. Granor is licensed as a real estate broker and a title insurance agent in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar, serves as an adjunct professor of law at Manor College, is a volunteer moderator of a medical Internet support group, and teaches continuing education courses to real estate licensees, title insurance agents and attorneys.
He is also co-president of the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia, an organization that grants interest-free loans to people in financial need. Mr. Granor graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Political Science and earned his J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1980.

Parag Amin

A successful entrepreneur, inventor and businessman, Parag Amin is involved in the technology, financial and hospitality industries across the region as well as nationally and internationally.

Mr. Amin is widely regarded as a visionary in the field of information technology, and was a member of the Emmy Award-winning team that pioneered development of Direct to Home (DTH) digital satellite broadcasting for PRIMESTAR in 1995. He is a frequent advisor on IT issues and strategy to governmental entities both in the United States and abroad, as well as to businesses operating around the world. Since 1999, he is the President and Principal of two technology companies: Radiqal, LLC in Horsham, a software products and services company specializing in gaming and digital television; and Surya Info Tech Pvt. Ltd., in Baroda, India, a state-of-the-art software development company. In 2006, Mr. Amin also became a partner in “Mexican Post,” a chain of family restaurants in the greater Philadelphia area.

With his broadly-based business acumen and proven ability for critical thinking, Mr. Amin would be a superb addition to the board of directors of any organization. But his reasons for accepting the post with Vantage Point Bank reflect that, for his part, he is equally impressed with the Bank’s people, policies, and growth strategies:

“I wanted to serve at Vantage Point primarily because of the professional qualifications of David and Walter, and the unique business model they had developed. Usually, bankers and financial services professionals approach the issues from very different perspectives — but not here. From the get-go, David and Walter demonstrated a mindset where the business side and the philosophical side were merged completely. That’s a terrific combination for customers as well as investors.”

According to Mr. Amin, Vantage Point Bank will continue to grow by delivering on its promise of world-class customer service, and he intends to do his part to make sure the bank never strays from that objective.

“I have had relationships with many banks,” he says, “But there is one thing I will never forget. First and foremost, I am a banking customer.”

In addition to serving as a director of Vantage Point Bank, Mr. Amin is currently an invited member of the Expert Advisory Group of GIFT (Guarat International Finance Tec-City), a public/private partnership designed as a hub for the global financial services industry. He is the recipient of the IBM OS/2 Official Ambassador Award and is a member of Sterling Who’s Who, an exclusive registry for executives and thought leaders worldwide. He received a B.S. in Computer Science, magna cum laude, from Stockton State College in 1987, and an M.S. in Computer Science, summa cum laude, from Drexel University in 1991.

Gayla McCluskey

A nationally known expert in the field of occupational and environmental health, Gayla McCluskey has served on numerous boards and has had the opportunity to contribute her specialized skills and practical knowledge to many organizations. As a business owner and entrepreneur, she readily identifies with the mission of Vantage Point Bank, and its objectives of breaking new ground in the financial services industry.

Ms. McCluskey has amassed more than two decades of experience in her field, working with Fortune 500 companies including Sun Oil Company, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer, Rhone-Poulenc, United Technologies, OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and Exxon Corporation. In 1993 she founded Global Environmental Health Services, which provides advice and counsel to companies to ensure compliance with occupational health, safety and environmental regulations and guidelines.

Ms. McCluskey says she is most impressed with the Bank’s business model, its emphasis on high quality customer service, the diversity of her fellow board members and the personal credibility of the Bank’s officers.

“Having had my share of bad experiences with financial institutions, I am very excited about our drive to provide high quality customer service. I am an out-of-the-box thinker so I was very impressed with our business model tying traditional banking to financial services.”

A popular speaker at the national level, Ms. McCluskey has testified before the United States Senate on OSHA Reform. She is the former President of the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the largest association of occupational and environmental health professionals in the world. She is a Certified Industrial Hygienist, a Certified Safety Professional, a Qualified Environmental Professional and a Registered Occupational Hygienist.

Ms. McCluskey is a 1977 graduate of Oklahoma University where she earned a B.S. in Engineering; and a 1984 graduate of the University of Dallas, where she received an M.B.A. in Engineering Management. She currently serves as a Clinical Instructor of Emergency Medicine at the Drexel University College of Medicine.

Mehul Patel

Mr. Patel is the vice president of engineering for Metrologic Instruments, a technology company that designs, manufactures and markets bar code decoding hardware, adaptive optical solutions and high-speed image processing software. Prior to Metrologic Instruments, he served as director of advanced development at Symbol Technologies, Inc. and as director of engineering at Accu-Sort Systems.

Anil Patel

Mr. Patel is the owner of NorthStar Hotels Group, Inc. and NorthStar Management, Inc. Prior to founding NorthStar in 1993, Mr. Patel worked for several years in positions including as a lender, a vice president of commercial and construction real estate, and as a Federal banking regulator.