the Bank builds new branch on South Campbell

The Bank is branching out again, this time on the northwest corner of the intersection of Sunset Street and Campbell Avenue. The new branch, at 2655 S. Campbell, will be a full-service facility with a full-time staff of six.

The Bank branch is being built by Nesbitt Construction and has an estimated completion date of early 2001.

"This provides another location to meet the needs of our customers, especially business and professional customers. We hope to expand our reach into Springfield, including the central to west portions of the Springfield area. We want to be more convenient to our customers wherever they are," said Dan Derges, senior vice president of The Bank and banking manager of the new branch.

Don Ness of Ness Architects Inc., is the architect on the project.

The new branch is the first building Ness Architects Inc. has designed for The Bank.

Ness said the facility will be a 2,953-square-foot, wood-frame building designed to house offices, a lobby and a four-lane drive-through.

The building will be constructed of brick and stucco and feature residential characteristics. The central idea was to have a user-friendly design.

"Ness Architects Inc. responded to the needs of their clients and still maintained a sensitivity to the site constraints at the highly visible intersection," Ness said. "For example, we have worked closely with the city of Springfield to maintain the integrity of the Ozark Greenways Trail that runs to the south of the building site.

"We have worked in conjunction with the owner in landscaping this portion of the trail to preserve the natural beauty of this path. A vehicular bridge will be constructed on Sunset Street so that customers can easily access the facility from the south. The bridge is designed to accommodate future development on this tract of land," Ness added.

Another factor in the design was The Bank's business approach.

"The main thing with The Bank is that The Bank is working on developing a relationship with the Springfield market as more one-on-one with their clients meaning they are trying to keep the branch facility fairly small. That's what I kept in mind as I designed the building," Ness said.

The Bank occupies the southeast corner of the parcel at Campbell and Sunset. Ken Schwab, commercial real estate agent with Wilhoit Properties, represented The Bank in the property purchase.

"This is the first development on the parcel. The entire parcel is about seven acres and is zoned retail. Further development could occur there."

And future growth is an issue for The Bank.

"The facility is being designed to be able to expand up to an additional 1,000 square feet," Schwab said.

The Bank has three other locations: 3333 E. Battlefield, 3939 S. Fremont Ave. and 1433 E. Republic Road. When the new branch is completed, the Republic Road branch will be closed, Derges said.

"We felt like the Campbell location at the northwest side of the intersection of Sunset and Campbell offered us a great amount of visibility; it has a traffic count greater than 40,000 cars per day," Derges said.

The Bank has $140 million in assets, $125 million in total deposits and employs 38 full-time associates.

"We're very excited about the growth that The Bank has achieved in the three years it has been in existence," Derges said.

As for future expansion is concerned, Derges said, "We are constantly reviewing additional ways to serve our customers, including the addition of new locations."