Newspaper with tablet on wooden table
HOMEBANK, Member FDIC, broke ground for a 4,500-square-foot facility at 3000 E Pitman Avenue in Lake Saint Louis on Wednesday, March 15. Trustee Byron Webb, Chief Executive Officer Joe Thomas and Community Bank President Tej Ghosh turned dirt during the ceremony at the construction site. Cissell Mueller Construction from St. Peters has been selected as the project contractor. Construction is expected to be completed before the end of 2023.
HOMEBANK currently operates a full-service bank at 2183 W Terra Lane in O’Fallon.
“Lake Saint Louis is a ‘planned community,’ meaning it was carefully developed by its founding fathers to make living there as convenient and enjoyable as possible. This new branch is a ‘planned’ bank, designed to make banking convenient and enjoyable,” said Thomas.
In addition to user-friendly online banking services and mobile app, HOMEBANK will offer an Interactive Teller Machine outside the building that will accept deposits and loan payments, disperse cash in specific bill denominations, and put customers in contact with live tellers during extended business hours. In the vestibule of the building, Smart Exchange digital lockers will allow customers to securely pick up documents after normal banking hours using a digital passcode. Inside, customers will get to speak with bankers from other HOMEBANK branches who are experts in a certain area of banking using the Maestro teleconference system.
“In this age of working parents and busy schedules, we are trying to find creative ways to better serve our customers,” said Thomas. “Banking when customers need it, how they need it.
“That said,” he continued, “we also believe that great customer service often needs to be delivered face-to-face, thus our investment in a new physical location. It’s difficult to trust your partner if you’ve never met them in person, sat in their office, and learned a little about them as a person. In all our communities, HOMEBANK branches and our employees are highly competent, friendly and welcoming to help reduce the anxiety that sometimes comes with big financial decisions.”
HOMEBANK is a full-service community bank established in 1934 that offers checking and savings accounts, loans, certificates of deposit, money market and IRA accounts, business banking services and more. Corporate offices are located in Palmyra, MO. In addition to Lake Saint Louis, the bank has branches in Palmyra, Mexico, Centralia, Bowling Green, Hannibal, Canton, and two locations in Quincy, IL. More information can be obtained by visiting www.myhomebank.bank or by calling Community Bank President Tej Ghosh, Business Banker Jennifer Begley or Vice President for Retail Operations Kailee Saxbery at (636) 385-7165.
Photo courtesy of The Peoples Tribune
Customers in Bowling Green couldn’t wait. They just kept coming into the new HOMEBANK at 1108 US-61 Business before it was officially open. On April 4, the doors quietly opened and later that month, HOMEBANK officers, the Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, and employees made it official and proudly announced “WE’RE OPEN!”
Each new HOMEBANK branch is designed with new technology and amenities specifically selected for customers of that branch. The Bowling Green branch features Smart Lockers in the vestibule so customers can drop off and pick up paperwork after hours. A special room has been added so customers can speak with HOMEBANK experts at other branches through the new Maestro software. And, for the first time, this HOMEBANK branch has a hitching station in the back so our Amish customers have a place to park their buggies. So unique!
Congratulations to Community Bank President Mary Dickey, Assistant Vice Presidents Halie Wyble and Katie Smith, and Customer Service Representatives Dana Portwood and Kirsten Buchanan. We’re so happy for you!
Every couple of years, we like to pull out the HOMEBANK grill at each of our locations and invite our customers to have lunch with us. Last month, we fed more than 300 customers in Quincy. While we won’t be cooking at every branch this year, we do have cookouts scheduled for Hannibal and Centralia in October (hoping for cooler weather). If you are located in either of these communities, watch your email for an invitation. We will be grilling at other locations in 2023.
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Each year, HOMEBANK employees choose a charity close to their hearts and organize fun events for six months to raise money to be donated to that entity. We have donated to Wounded Warriors, Buddy Pack programs, Honor Flight, CASA, St. Jude’s, our in-house emergency fund for employees, and recently, our local food pantries.
During the first half of 2022, employees raised $6,736.30 for local food pantries AND collected more than 1,800 nonperishable food items. The food items were distributed back in February, and this month, the cash will be split according to the size of the bank in each community. The following organizations will receive a slice of the pie: the Palmyra, Centralia, and O’Fallon Food Pantries, Quincy Neighborhood Federation, The Hope Center in Bowling Green, Canton Christian Church, Douglass Community Center in Hannibal and The Help Center in Mexico.
Another generous campaign is now complete, and we couldn’t be prouder of our employees.
Joseph Thomas, Chief Executive Officer, and Angie Poppe, Chief Lending Officer, are pleased to announce Nathan Alderton has joined the HOMEBANK Commercial/Ag Loan Team. He will be a lending resource for the Canton/NE Missouri market operating primarily out of the HOMEBANK Canton branch.
Nathan’s 6 years of experience in the financial industry focused on commercial/ag lending and relationship building. Prior to joining HOMEBANK, Alderton worked as a community banker in the Northeast Missouri market.
Nathan is a Certified Commercial Loan Officer with a Masters of Business Administration from Columbia College. Several years of farming experience provides Nathan with the knowledge and understanding required to expertly assist clients with their farming operation questions, needs, and concerns. He is committed to providing quality service to his clients, making their financial needs his priority.
He was raised in Kahoka, MO and currently resides in Ewing with his wife and young daughter. Nathan enjoys spending time with his family, hunting, fishing and working a row crop operation with his brothers.
Nathan is pleased to be a member of the HOMEBANK family and working with their customers. “I look forward to developing strong relationships with local businesses and community members. As an active participant in bank and community sponsored events, I look forward to being an active member of the community.”
Nathan will office out of the HOMEBANK Canton branch: 1810 Elm Street, Canton, MO. He can be reached via email, nalderton@myhomebank.bank or phone, 573-769-2001.
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