43. Kevin O’Connor

As president and chief executive officer of Bridge Bancorp and its wholly owned subsidiary Bridgehampton National Bank, Kevin O’Connor has shown how important community banking can be. With its commitment to the East End of Long Island and total assets of $4.1 billion (including $2.9 billion in deposits), the bank has become a bulwark for fostering stability and growth in this region. It figures that O’Connor got his banking chops working for North Fork Bank, starting in 1987, and rising through the ranks to become executive vice president and treasury before coming on board in 2007. He’s always been a hands-on manager, whether he’s talking with Bridgehampton’s customers about their businesses or his senior management team and the Board of Directors about lending strategy. O’Connor is involved with both the bank’s investment portfolio and its wholesale funding activities, including mergers and acquisitions.