Arvest to cut the ribbon on Fremont branch

Arvest Bank has scheduled a Feb. 1 ribbon-cutting ceremony for its 4140 S. Fremont Ave. branch, a company-owned location that replaces a leased site.

The roughly $2 million, 8,000-square-foot branch, located on about six acres at Fremont Avenue and Republic Road, shifts employees from Arvest's East Bradford Parkway location, the Arkansas-based company's first Springfield-area branch it has rented since 2007. Arvest Marketing Officer Michael Gandy said the new branch, which employs 20, opened to the public Dec. 10, following the Dec. 7 closure of the Bradford Parkway location.

The Fremont branch represents the fourth newly constructed facility Arvest has built in Springfield since 2008. Gandy noted Arvest also operates a branch in Nixa.

Starting today with a bevy of family-related events, Arvest is scheduled to finish off the week Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce ambassadors. On Friday, Arvest officials will present donations of $10,000 to the Mercy Springfield Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to be awarded during a five-year period; $5,000 to Disney Elementary School; $1,200 to Champions for Kids; and $1,000 to the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign.

The branch was designed by Rogers, Ark.-based Hight-Jackson Associates PA to reach Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Silver standards, and construction work was performed by Morelock-Ross Builders Inc.