Being in the “thick of things” good for everything from business to barber visits Ed Reilly likes looking out his office window and seeing all his competitors. “It’s a benefit for me to be in the thick of things and bump in to people while downtown,” Reilly said. “I can to go lunch or breakfast and visit with clients, prospects of the bank or our friendly competitors. We all have similar issues and opportunities, and at the end of the day, we all want to see the Dayton area thrive. It’s good for the community, and it’s good for our respective institutions.”

Such “bump ins” happen frequently, he said. “I may go to breakfast at the Racquet Club and run into a local businessman I haven’t reconnected with,” said Reilly, who worked downtown for 20 years from the ‘70s to the ‘90s then returned a year ago. “We’ll say, ‘Let’s get together,’ then you come back to the office, get on the phone and set up an appointment. It’s that easy.”

A downtown address also means being situated in the hub of the Miami Valley. Indeed, such proximity is so important to KeyBank, it recently made a long-term commitment to maintain its headquarters in the central business district. By the end of 2008, it will relocate to the former Mead building on West Second Street. KeyBank will occupy the top three floors of the office tower, and a state-of-the-art KeyCenter will be located on the street level.

“There’s no better place for us to be headquartered than downtown Dayton,” said Reilly, touting such neighbors as law and accounting firms, colleges and universities, government leaders, and health care and arts organizations. “It adds up to the right environment that’s the most conducive for KeyBank and what we’re trying to accomplish ― growing our bank and investing in the community we serve. I don’t know that you could do that anywhere but downtown in our business.”

Being downtown also allows the bank to live by one of its favorite sayings: “Community is Key.”

“We believe in the importance of a strong, vibrant community, and downtown Dayton is the anchor of the Miami Valley,” Reilly said. “We think that being an integral part of the Dayton business community is the one way we can exhibit this belief.”

Yet being downtown isn’t only good for making business connections.

While driving to his first day back at work downtown, Reilly noticed a man who looked familiar. “I honked at him, and it was Bill from Jesse’s Barber Shop,” Reilly said. “He cut my hair for years and years, and now I’m going back to him again.”

Learn more about KeyBank by visiting their Web site.