MARTIN DIETRICH CHOSEN AS RECIPIENT OF 2017 HARRY TECKLENBURG LEADERSHIP AWARD

NORWICH, NY (October 5, 2017) – Commerce Chenango, The Chenango Foundation, and the Leadership Chenango Advisory Committee announced that Martin A. Dietrich has been selected as the recipient of the 2017 Harry Tecklenburg Leadership Award. Dietrich is Chairman of the Board of Norwich-based NBT Bank, N.A. and NBT Bancorp Inc.

Dietrich will be presented with the Tecklenburg Award at the Leadership Chenango kickoff dinner on Thursday, October 5, at Canasawacta Country Club in Norwich.

The award is given biennially to an individual who demonstrates strong leadership, and whose vision, expertise, and involvement have made a difference in the community. Tecklenburg honorees also must possess high ethical standards and the capacity to inspire others. The late Harry Tecklenburg, general manager of Procter and Gamble, Norwich, is fondly remembered as one who exemplified these traits, and as a strong supporter of the Leadership Chenango program.

Dietrich, a Norwich native and Colgate graduate, started his career in financial services with NBT Bank in 1981 and gained experience in accounting, credit administration, commercial banking, marketing and retail banking. He joined the bank’s senior management team in 1995, and became president of the bank in 2000. He advanced to president and CEO of the bank and president of NBT Bancorp in 2004; and became CEO of NBT Bancorp in 2006, from which he retired in December 2016.

Dietrich joined NBT Bank’s Board of Directors in 1993 and NBT Bancorp’s Board of Directors in 2005. He was elected chairman of the NBT Bank and NBT Bancorp boards in May 2016.

His community leadership roles include creation of the Norwich Building Tomorrow Foundation; renovation of Norwich’s East and West Parks; and the Norwich Streetscape Project. He is in his seventh year of service on the Regional Economic Development Council of the Southern Tier, and is a former member of the Commerce Chenango and United Health Services boards of directors. He also serves on the boards for Colgate University’s Upstate Institute, New York Bankers Association, and Preferred Mutual Insurance Company.

Writing in support of the nomination, Louis Callea, Vice President and General Counsel of The Raymond Corporation, noted that Dietrich is “generous with his time and talent, acts as a source of community leadership, and serves as a role model/mentor for future leaders.”