1st Source Bank welcomed business and community leaders to their new North Calumet Banking Center in Valparaiso on Tuesday for a ribbon cutting ceremony that celebrated their incredible new location, reinforced their commitment to the community, and kicked-off of their Valparaiso Five-for-Five Charity Challenge to coincide with the opening.
The dual-celebration is a representation of 1st Source Bank’s mission to grow within the communities they serve and to also work to make those communities a brighter and better place to live and work.
“When we take a look across our footprint at where we can see some vibrancy as far as a community goes, Valparaiso is always at the top of the list,” said 1st Source Bank President, Jim Seitz. “That’s why two years ago we made the decision to build on the south side (of Valparaiso) and then on the north side as well. It’s a reflection of the mantra that we take to make sure that we’re giving back to the communities which we serve.”
“Matt (Vessely) and his staff have just done a tremendous job in this marketplace and in this community, and for us, it’s one of the fastest growing markets that we serve,” added Seitz. “Again, it’s a reflection of the teamwork and of the support we get from the communities. As the city of Valparaiso and Porter County grows, 1st Source Bank is right there with you.”
Seitz also noted that this unique, side-by-side banking design is meant to take the mystery out of banking. Coming out from behind what has always been a wall of separation to greet customers and make their banking experience more personal and transparent has been the goal of 1st Source bank since this new way of banking was implemented.
Regional President Matt Vessely spoke about the new North Calumet Banking Center, saying, “There are no barriers or hidden features, and it’s very transparent. You can look right at the same screen that the teller is looking at and there’s no mystery, which is very comforting. That happens at the teller line and in every office so if you’re here to close a loan you’re not sitting across the desk from anyone flipping a paper around. You’re actually looking at the same thing, the same direction which is more personal.”
“As banking changes over the years, the impersonal transactions are now done using technology,” Vessely described. “If you want to deposit a check or check your balance, you’re going to do it online. If you’re coming in here you probably need to talk with someone so we’re trying to support that in a more intimate and personal way.”
Now that the North Calumet Banking Center is completed, Banking Center Manager, Shannon Franko, is happy to be able to share such a wonderful location with loyal customers who were patient during the transition.
“It’s so exciting and it’s been overwhelming!” said Franko. “It’s not only exciting for us but for our customers as well. Not only did they go through the move with us but they can now come back to us, and it’s just a wonderful thing to be able to show them the investment in the community and that we’re really interested in better serving every customer.”
“Like Jim (Seitz) said, you take the mystery away,” Franko added when describing the side-by-side banking. “You’re doing the transaction together and what we see, they see. Instead of having that teller line, which is a barrier to our customers, it’s just a much more consultative environment and the customers have really embraced it. That’s always a concern but our customers really like the changes and they seem to be as happy as we are.”
As a way to celebrate their new, state-of-the-art location and continue its dedication to the Valparaiso community, 1st Source Bank has initiated a Five-for-Five Charity Challenge which will ultimately award five local charities with $1000 each. 1st Source is encouraging Valparaiso residents to stop by the new North Calumet Banking Center to submit a written nomination, in person, of a local nonprofit who they would like to see win one of the five $1000 donations.
“At a grand opening like this we like to make a donation to the community to celebrate and give back, and we wanted to ramp that up with this celebration,” Vessely said. “We set aside $5000 to give to Valparaiso-based charities and we thought it would be great to have the community provide input on which charities should get the money.”
Between August 1st and August 12th, anyone can stop by the North Calumet Banking Center to nominate a Valparaiso-based, 501(c)(3) charity nonprofit. Charities will be selected based on the impact they have in the community as conveyed through the nominations received by 1st Source Bank. For 1st Source, quantity and quality are important so keep that in mind when you’re submitting your nomination.
“Based on the nominations we receive here, only in this branch, we’re going to select five charities that will each receive $1000,” Vessely added. “We want people to experience the place and it’s for a good cause, but it’s also going to help introduce this concept to our customers and to the community at large.”
Stop by the North Calumet Banking Center located at 2700 North Calumet in Valparaiso today to nominate your favorite nonprofit and help them continue to make a positive impact on the Valparaiso community.
For more information about 1st Source Bank, visit www.1stsource.com, or visit 1st Source Bank’s Facebook page here to find out more!