NAUGATUCK — David Rotatori was a teenager when he took his first job with the former Naugatuck Savings Bank, now Ion Bank.
He was 18 and worked in data entry. On days the courier was out, he delivered mail between the branches. On July 20, the bank named Rotatori — who has been chief financial officer, chief risk officer and corporate secretary — as president and a director.
In 18 months he will also be the chief executive officer as Charles Boulier III transitions leadership responsibilities and retires.
Boulier, who has been the bank’s chief executive officer and president since 2013, followed the same transition plan when former President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Yanarella retired from the post that year.
“We have a template that we are following,” Boulier said. “It worked out well last time, so we are going to follow that same template.”
That means over the next year and a half, Rotatori will take on more of the CEO’s responsibilities, and Boulier’s day-to-day involvement will wane.
“At the end of this 18-month transition everyone will be reporting to Dave, and Dave will be running the management of the bank,” Boulier said.
Rotatori, a lifelong Naugatuck resident, started his financial career with Naugatuck Savings Bank, which has since become Ion Bank, from 1990 to 1995. He was first an accounting clerk and internal auditor.
Rotatori said when he approached the bank before his senior year in high school, there were no positions open, but one was created to give him a job and experience.
“That meant a lot to me way back then,” he said.
He went on to become senior auditor at KPMG, vice president and assistant controller at Webster Financial Corporation, and vice president, finance officer at People’s United Bank.
In 2009, Yanarella hired Rotatori to return to the bank as senior vice president, chief risk officer and chief administration officer where he became responsible for commercial loan administration, compliance and loan review.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Dave beginning 27 years ago when he was still a student,” Yanarella said. “Over the years, Dave’s career has taken him to other financial institutions, where he gained great experience. I had the good fortunate of rehiring Dave.”
Yanarella said Rotatori has shown “tremendous talents in a number of different areas.”
“We are very pleased to see this transition taking place,” he said.
Yanarella said Rotatori happened to be in the bank building for a United Way meeting when they reconnected.
From the start, Rotatori said the bank’s community commitment was evident.
“It was there that I first learned about the United Way,” he said. “I have never forgotten that, since I was 18.”
This year Boulier will lead the United Way of Greater Waterbury’s fundraising campaign and Rotatori will lead the campaign for the United Way of Naugatuck and Beacon Falls.
“It is in our mission statement to be exemplary corporate citizens,” Boulier said. “The way to do it is through volunteerism. We both agreed to run united way campaigns this year. We are going to have a little competition between ourselves.”
