By Staff
From staff reports
NILES – Downtown Niles' newest structure is ready to open.
Chemical Bank will officially open its new office at 407 E. Main St. in Niles on Monday. A Four Flags Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 11 a.m., and the official grand opening and community celebration will take place Saturday, Jan. 13 from noon to 3 p.m. during the 2007 Hunter Ice Festival. The bank will be providing refreshments, free horse-drawn carriage rides for viewing the ice sculptures, plus giveaways and an opportunity to grab free cash in an inflatable money machine.
"I think the reason for our growth in Niles is really very simple; our success is based upon Chemical Bank's core belief in community banking," said Thomas S. Grant, community bank president for Chemical Bank-Niles. "Our goal is to make sure that each customer consistently receives exceptional, valuable and memorable customer service by a very competent team of banking professionals."
The new Niles office is a full-service bank offering all of the products and services that Chemical Bank has available including an extensive range of consumer, commercial, mortgage, trust and insurance products. Chemical Bank also offers investment services that include financial planning and estate planning, retirement programs, investment management and custodial services.
The new office will offer lobby service, three drive-up lanes and a drive-up Automatic Teller Machine. The lobby will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The drive-up will be open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The current Niles Township office on South 11th Street will remain open to serve customers.
Ron Sather, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said the new structure will present itself well positioned at the beginning of the downtown business district. He also added the building and additional business the bank will create fits into the plan of Niles being a designated Cool Cities program.
"I look at it as kind of providing the whole cornerstone of the downtown area," Sather said. "It shows not only their thoughts … but I think it helps encourage and show other businesses we are very serious and continually making strides in improving our downtown. They're not doing that for now or next year, they built that for the future."
Chemical Bank should also have a positive impact on other downtown businesses by drawing bank employees and customers to other Main Street business for eating and shopping, Sather added.
"I think that's the second part of this is you're attracting a number of people to the downtown area," he said.
Niles Main Street Director Lisa Croteau echoed Sather's comments and complemented Chemical Bank on the investment they've made in Niles.
"Not only have they added employees to the district, the facility will bring people who otherwise might not visit our downtown to our downtown," Croteau said. "Aesthetically, I think the building is a good fit in the district. I love that they incorporated the columns from the old Michigan Inn into the design of the building. I think they look great!"
Chemical Financial Corporation is the fourth largest banking company headquartered in Michigan. The Company operates through a single subsidiary bank, Chemical Bank, with 128 banking locations spanning 31 counties in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. As of September 30, 2006, the Company had total assets of $3.84 billion. Chemical Financial Corporation common stock trades on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol CHFC and is one of the issues comprising the Nasdaq Global Select Market and the Nasdaq Financial 100 Index.