Three area banks to add new locations

Commerce Bank
Kansas City-based Commerce Bank is building its seventh Springfield branch on South National Avenue near Weaver Road as the first signed tenant in the undeveloped Ironbridge Village.
Commerce Bank Regional President Bob Hammerschmidt said bank customers selected the new site.
“We just asked our customers where they needed a new branch. We have a fairly large market share now that we serve out of Battlefield, but also we’ve had so many requests that it’s justifiable,” he said.
Hammerschmidt added that specifics of the new bank, such as project cost and building size, have not been finalized. Commerce is leasing approximately one acre of land for the new location, but Hammerschmidt said the bank plans to buy the property through a lease-purchase option with Ironbridge Village owner Martin Investment Co.
Ironbridge Village plans include about 100,000 square feet of retail, office and restaurant space, according to leasing agent Rob Murray of RB Murray Co. The total development comprises 14 acres, plus another 5.5 acres north of the new Liberty Bank construction site that will be tied into Ironbridge Village.
“We have an architectural design and are working with a couple of major tenants to anchor the project, but it’s too early to announce anything,” Murray said.
He added that lease rates should range between $12.50 and $14.50 per square foot, comparable to prices in the new Battlefield Marketplace nearby.

Guaranty Bank
Commerce is not the only bank developing southerly. Guaranty Bank is opening an eighth location, at 709 W. Mt. Vernon in Nixa. Executive Vice President Teresa Blair said the location makes sense for the direction the bank is taking.
“This location is in a high-traffic area, and with our branch in the Nixa Wal-Mart Supercenter, we feel we’ll be able to better serve the growing population of Nixa,” she said. The Nixa Wal-Mart branch will remain open.
The project – expected to be complete in August – should cost between $500,000 and $750,000. The 3,200-square-foot facility will have a full-service lobby and a four-lane drive through with an automated teller machine.
Morelock-Ross Properties Inc. is the general contractor for the project; Butler, Rosenbury & Partners is the architect, and Malone Finkle Eckhardt & Collins Inc. is the engineer.
Guaranty also built a similar-size branch at 1905 W. Kearney in Springfield in November, replacing the bank’s presence inside the adjacent Dillon’s grocery store.

First National Bank
A second Springfield branch for First National Bank is also in the works. Senior Vice President and co-owner Aaron Buerge said the new location, formerly Golf and Tennis World at 4108 S. National, is no accident.
“We chose that location because we have a need to take care of a lot of our current customer base that’s doing a lot of building in that part of Springfield,” he said. “With the city widening National and hopefully taking that down to Nixa, we hope we’ll be able to serve the needs of the community better at that location.”
First National purchased the building March 18 from Todd Johnson of Tykor Properties LLC. Bart Collins of Mellinger Commercial brokered the deal. Johnson purchased the building from former Golf and Tennis World owner Barry Dickemann in November 2004. The building’s commercial appraised value is $335,900, according to the Greene County Assessor’s Office.
This is the bank’s fourth location overall; there are two branches in Clinton. The new South National bank will cover 4,200 square feet and contain full lobby services and two drive-through lanes.
Bates & Associates Inc. is serving as architect, though Buerge said bids are still out for the general contractor and engineer duties on the project. He declined to disclose the purchase price of the building, adding that construction costs won’t be finalized until a contractor is chosen.
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