JRS Architect, P.C. is helping Bethpage Federal Credit Union make new friends with its branch designs. Mineola-based JRS Architect, P.C., an award-winning architectural and interior design firm best known for its work for some of the nation's largest financial institutions, is designing new branches for rapidly growing Bethpage Federal Credit Union (Bethpage) that reflect the credit union's branding slogan, "Banking among friends." "JRS' designs aim to create a standardized brand identity for Bethpage Federal Credit Union's branches," said JRS vice president Robert Morrisey, who heads the JRS design team working with Bethpage. Bethpage's recently opened 3,200 s/f, freestanding branch in Massapequa, which stands out among the gas stations and restaurants that front Westfield's Massapequa Mall on Sunrise Highway, exemplifies JRS' effort to translate Bethpage's slogan. The branch's exterior - brown, split face concrete blocks along with copper and blue aluminum composite panels - provides a background for Bethpage's familiar blue signage. The earth-tone theme is carried over to the branch's interior. JRS has been working for four years with Bethpage, Long Island's largest credit union, on its branch design program. To date, JRS has designed and completed 13 branches, including recently opened ones in Freeport, Farmingdale and Mineola, as well as the credit union's main office in Bethpage. The look will carry over to two new branches, one under construction in Elmont and another waiting for construction permits in Central Islip. The branches range from 2,900 s/f to 4,000 s/f. At Bethpage's 20,000 s/f main office, JRS and the credit union's contractor accomplished a renovation in three phases over a six-month "live" construction period. Work was completed without closing the location or adversely having an impact on members or employees.