Permanent Roots Established in Hastings

Although Heartland Bank has operated a branch in Hastings for the past eight years, the associates of this branch feel they just now have truly put down their roots with a brand new, permanent location.

Heartland Bank marked this special occasion with a Grand Opening Celebration on Thursday, April 14th. The event was well attended by a crowd of several hundred. Current customers, Hastings Chamber representatives, and other members of the community were able to tour the new facility, guided by associates of Heartland Bank.

Pictured Above: Associates of Heartland Bank along with representatives of the Hastings Chamber of Commerce held an official ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the new branch building.

“When we came to Hastings, we always intended to build. We actually first opened in Cimarron Plaza with the intention of it being a temporary location,” said Jeremy Anderson, Regional President of Heartland Bank. “That was eight years ago. It was finally time to put down roots in a more permanent place to call home.”

As guests made their way through the branch during the grand opening, many noted the open feeling the branch conveys. This was achieved by utilizing glass windows heavily throughout the design of the building.

“We used glass primarily as a way to make the building more welcoming to people driving by, to customers, and to the community in general,” said Patrick Moore, Architect at Wilkins ADP.

“We tried to blend a modern, contemporary exterior design with historical references and some classical elements,” said Moore. This allows the bank to provide a safe, secure location while still having an open and inviting layout for the bank’s customers.

For the design of the bank, the architects and designers focused heavily on the lobby area and specifically how the customer feels when they enter the bank.

“We wanted to make sure it felt open and inviting to the customers and provided easy access to the Heartland Bank staff,” said Kali Eklund, Principal / Project Manager / Designer at Wilkins ADP.

Pictured Above: Customer Service Associate Supervisor Shelly Dedrick stands in front of the feature wall in the new Hastings branch building.

An image of Fisher Fountain in Hastings was chosen as a central design element in the lobby of the bank. The image, taken by Hastings photographer Jorn Olsen, was applied to a glass feature wall that separates the lobby teller area and the drive-thru teller area.

“It’s one element that as Hastings customers enter the lobby, they can really connect with Heartland Bank as their local bank,” said Eklund.

Another important feature of the building is a large community room. This room was used heavily during the event Thursday night as it provided a large area for attendees to eat, drink, and socialize.

“We’ve added a state-of-the-art conference center that will allow the bank to host internal training sessions and meetings. It also allows any business or organization in the community to come in after hours or during business hours to reserve and utilize this facility for meetings, webinars, or workshops. The facility includes full audio / visual capabilities, room for catering accommodations, and seating for 30-40 guests,” said Anderson.

Anderson is quick to note that at the end of the day, the community room, the open lobby space, and the use of glass throughout the building was intended for one primary purpose: to benefit the customer experience for Heartland Bank customers.

Anderson, along with the rest of the associates at Heartland Bank, are eager to continue serving their current customers, as well as any new customers who are looking for a local bank with permanent roots in the Hastings community.