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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; As a young woman only a few years out of college, Laurie Schwager left the fast-paced lifestyle and the hustle and bustle of New York City for Northeastern Pennsylvania and has never looked back since.</p><p>She worked for the Irving Trust company, now known as the Bank of New York Mellon on Wall Street. Schwager admits that it was exciting being in the city, but has no regrets about leaving.</p><p>&#8220;Ultimately, I don&#8217;t think I would have stayed there because I would be looking for a place that I could balance having a family with working and doing what I like to do,&#8221; she said.</p><p>She currently serves as vice president/senior relationship manger at Bank of America in Scranton working with business clients, advising and bringing them products that the bank offers to help their business grow and succeed.</p><p>A native of Piscataway, N.J., she first came to the Keystone State to study economics at Bucknell University in Lewisburg. After spending a few years in New York, she moved to Kingston because her husband wanted to return to the town that he grew up in.</p><p>Before transitioning to her position at Bank of America in 2015 , she worked at many different banks in Luzerne County including Wells Fargo in Kingston, where she served as a commercial relationship manager for 10 years.</p><p>Schwager enjoys advising business owners, entrepreneurs and other individuals on finance issues.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s really a practical application of the things that I studied for the book learning, but really why I love it is because it really enables you to make a difference,&#8221; she said. &#8220;A lot of what I do is help clients weigh different types of financing options to see what&#8217;s gonna work best for them and what&#8217;s gonna be affordable to them.&#8221;</p><p>Besides banking, Schwager is also involved in volunteer initiatives.</p><p>She currently serves on the board for the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center and Dress for Success Luzerne County, a social services organization that provides professional attire and career development tools for women who need it.</p><p>Schwager said that many of the women who use Dress for Success&#8217; services are transitioning back to society after spending time in rehab or prison and some of them are even single mothers looking for help to advance in their careers.</p><p>&#8220;I feel that it&#8217;s important to give back to the community, because the success I&#8217;ve had in my career comes from other businesses in the community.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Laurie M. Schwager is vice president/senior relationship manager at the Bank of America offices at Montage Mountain. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/web1_Schwager-Bank-of-America-1toned.jpg</photo0><caption0>Laurie M. Schwager is vice president/senior relationship manager at the Bank of America offices at Montage Mountain. </caption0><photoCredit0>Tony Callaio | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Kulsoom Khan</p><p>kkhan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Name: Laurie Schwager</p><p>Hometown: Kingston</p><p>Age: 55</p><p>Occupation: Banker</p><p>Title: Senior Relationship Manager, Bank of America</p><p>Quote: &#8220;In this business, you&#8217;re always learning. The challenges are different all the time.&#8221;</p></factboxMeta></div>

Distinctive Women: Laurie Schwager