Bank Midwest expands with 21st Wal-Mart location

by Maria Hoover

Inside Business Editor

mhoover@sbj.net

A new branch location of Bank Midwest opened April 14 in the new Wal-Mart Supercenter at 2004 E. Marler Lane in Ozark. According to Gerald Clemen, senior vice president of in-store banking for Bank Midwest, the new branch employs five full-time employees and one part-time employee. Branch manager is Debbie Beasley, who previously managed the Bank Midwest banking center in Raymore.

Wal-Mart Supercenter also opened April 14.

Clemen said pairing the bank locations with Wal-Mart stores has been a successful relationship. Ozark Bank Midwest is the 21st in-store location in the last four years. There are about 70 Bank Midwest branches total in Missouri and eastern Kansas, including the in-store locations, Clemen said.

In Springfield, there are in-store locations in the Wal-Mart Supercenters at 2021 E. Independence, 3520 W. Sunshine and 3315 S. Campbell, and a free-standing branch at 600 W. Republic Road.

"We have very much the same philosophy in delivering seven-day-a-week service to our customers," Clemen said. "Like Wal-Mart, we feel very strongly in delivering a lot of value to our customers."

The only days that Bank Midwest's in-store locations are closed, Clemen said, are Easter, New Year's Day, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving.

"Some of those traditional bank holidays Columbus Day, President's Day when a lot of other banks are closed, we're open to serve our customers, very much like Wal-Mart," he said.

As Wal-Mart expands, Clemens said, it's entirely possible that Bank Midwest will continue the in-store-branch relationship.

"And on a market-by-market basis, I think we would be very open to the thought of future expansion with Wal-Mart."

Bank Midwest is the largest subsidiary of Kansas City-based Dickinson Financial Corporation. Academy Bank, also held by Dickinson Financial Corporation, has about 25 locations in Colorado Wal-Mart locations, Clemen said.

Dickinson Financial Corporation has assets of more than $3.5 billion and employs more than 1,600 people through its affiliates in 17 states, including Missouri.