TAPinto New Brunswick's People to Watch in 2024: Tania Lopez

Tania Lopez watched in wonder as a local business owner was recently signing up young women eager to attend her beautician school with the promise of learning skills that would lead to a lifetime of good-paying jobs.

The owner knows a lot about cutting hair, applying makeup, and trimming eyebrows, but not so much about the business end of things, Lopez realized.

That was the precise moment when Lopez, the manager at OceanFirst’s new branch on Neilson Street, realized she could make a difference in New Brunswick.

“(The owner) said, ‘Tania, I know the struggle. I took the test 18 times before I passed. But I did it. If I can pass, they can pass it, too,’ ” Lopez said. “It gave me a lot of energy because I feel I’m here to fill a void, to teach them. You’re a professional. You know what to do. But there’s nobody here talking about, ‘Hey, how do you save? How do you keep a credit score? How do you build that salon into maybe two instead of one?’ So, that was powerful to me.”

Supporting those who support New Brunswick is at the essence of the branch’s business under Lopez, one of TAPinto New Brunswick’s People to Watch in 2024.

Lopez has been busy since the bank branch opened its doors on Dec. 4 connecting with nonprofit organizations, small business owners, and others in and around New Brunswick. Whether it was connecting beauticians and other entrepreneurs at various events or meeting with community leaders through New Brunswick Tomorrow or her role on PRAB’s Board of Trustees, she has been busy explaining how her bank can help them.

She said that although some banks don’t have the appetite to open branches in the area, her bank goes so far as to open accounts with residents who have only an employer identification number.

Financial literacy has been one recurring theme, but she’s also eager to talk about services that would be a huge help to small business owners. Imagine what a $25,000 line of credit could do for someone just opening a pizzeria or a tobacco shop – especially at a time when banks are staying away from lending to small businesses, Lopez said.

“There are so many businesses struggling and we can provide solutions, such as we can do 100% financing on equipment,” she said. “Say, they need that freezer. Or it could be even that they need furniture. It could be a security system. We’re not talking about millions of dollars. We’re talking about $5,000, $10,000, $20,000. (These are) small things that can make a huge difference for them.”

Lopez is no stranger to New Brunswick. She was 17 when she and her dad settled with extended family on Delafield Street when they arrived from the Dominican Republic.

She was determined to get a good education, but she had to endure some long days. 

Her dad would drop her off on his way to work at Middlesex County College in the morning before classes started. She would go to class, and then work in the college’s day camp. In the afternoon, she would get a lift to a nearby factory, where she worked till about 10 p.m. Then it would start again the next day.

Eventually, she graduated from Rider University and went into banking.

Lopez spent about 15 years at Wells Fargo, including the final eight years as a branch manager in Summit.

As the holidays were approaching, she was still in the process of moving into her new digs. Her desk is a work in progress that’s home to a handsome houseplant, a trusty stapler, a coffee mug, a white starfish, and other assorted items. A formal ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for the coming months.

Getting a chance to return to New Brunswick and open a branch for a bank that has been headquartered in New Jersey since 1902 has been a dream come true. Lopez admits it has been stressful.

She said she’s gotten a lot of support from the home office. Plus, she finds her twice-a-week yoga sessions relaxing.

If anything, the mother of two daughters is focused on finding her footing in the city and being a part of helping residents make their dreams come true – like the business financing services.

“It’s a one-page application, very easy,” Lopez said. “You could be approved the next day and by the end of that day, the business owner could have the check.

“I’m so excited about that because I think that it holds back a lot of people. There’s not enough cash flow these days, so they need any help they can get to get running, to keep going.”

Story By: Chuck O'Donnell
Photo Credit: TAPinto New Brunswick