After serving as Harbor Bank of Maryland’s president and chief operating officer for nearly three years, John Lewis was promoted to chief executive officer in April. He steps into the role previously held for four decades by the bank’s co-founder Joseph Haskins Jr.

The Daily Record reached out to Lewis to discuss his new role, goals for the financial institution and advice from his predecessor.

The Daily Record (TDR): When Joseph Haskins Jr. stepped down as Harbor Bank’s CEO in April, he picked you as his successor. What is it like to step into a role created by the bank’s co-founder?

John Lewis (JL): Mr. Haskins and the board spent years preparing the organization and our stakeholders for his transition to non-executive Chairman.  I benefit greatly from how orderly and measured our transition has been. It’s an honor and quite a responsibility when a co-founder entrusts you with something that they have dedicated their life to making successful. The bank celebrated its 40^th anniversary last year and he joked that while his task was to wander in the wilderness, my task is to lead the organization into the promised land. A founder’s role is based in building a strong foundation and culture. A successor’s role is based in understanding and honoring the foundation and culture and marching the institution forward into the future.

TDR: What first drew you to the banking industry? What made you want to make this path your career?

JL: As a rising junior at Cornell University, I was selected to participate in an internship program designed to provide exposure to the banking industry.  During my summer with Fleet Bank, I worked as an analyst in corporate and industrial lending and enjoyed the quantitative aspects of the investment process along with meaningful client interactions across a range of industries.  In the banking industry,  the power of your best ideas and analysis ultimately determines your returns.  I’ve always found the direct linkage between preparation, thought, conviction and action to performance and results to be rewarding.

TDR: What are your goals for The Harbor Bank of Maryland? (Short term — less than a year as well as long term — five years from now).

JL: In the short term we’re focused on being an employer of choice and making investments in our people, processes, workplace and infrastructure.  We are in a relationship-based industry and talent and commitment drive success. Over the long term, while its counterintuitive, Harbor benefits from its small size and specialization. Technology, including big data and AI, is poised to dramatically change how our industry scales.  The analogy is the telecommunications industry where countries were able to leapfrog investment in fixed communications infrastructure and move directly into cell phones.  Our goal is to be the combination of a nimble and opportunistic firm which moves at the speed of responsible innovation (enabled by the lack of substantial legacy costs and technological debt) married with the deep history, impact and purpose that serves as our foundation.

TDR: You’ve been a part of the bank for nearly a decade. How has the bank grown and changed to meet the needs of the customers over the time you have been there?

JL: Harbor Bankshares Corporation has an expansive platform with the inclusion of affiliates and subsidiaries.  We’ve used our platform, including the organization I was initially brought in to lead, The Harbor Bank of Maryland Community Development Corporation, to be an even better and relevant partner to our customers.  We’ve added products and services like technical assistance and advisory, community development financial institution (CDFI) offerings, SBA lending and a coworking space.  We successfully enabled the more efficient use of technology by transitioning our core technology platform.  This transition allowed for expanded distribution and services offerings such as Zelle, secondary market sales, and online account openings.  We also opened new locations to provide convenience and increase customer satisfaction.

TDR: If you don’t mind sharing, what’s the best piece of advice Mr. Haskins gave you when you were preparing for your new role as CEO?

JL: Be the best John Lewis that you can be, not the best Joseph Haskins.