Batesville-based First Community Bank hosted a grand opening celebration for its new Batesville operations center at 1401 Harrison Street, beside the financial institution’s main bank, on Tuesday. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held as state, county, and city government officials, alongside several members of First Community Bank, commemorated the completion of the new facility.
First Community Bank is locally owned and managed, and opened in 1997, in Batesville. First Community currently operates 28 full-service branches in Arkansas and Missouri, and employs more than 490 professional bankers and reports assets of $1.94 billion, as of Sept. 30, 2021.
“At First Community Bank, we understand the importance of keeping jobs local and the economic impact that can have on a community and its people,” said Dale Cole, chairman and chief executive officer for First Community Bank. “We’re celebrating over 250 jobs in a rural community, and an investment in the town where it all began.”
Cole and Boris Dover, president and chief operating officer for First Community Bank, welcomed the crowd. The event featured several guest speakers including Mayor of the City of Batesville, Rick Elumbaugh; Independence County Judge, Robert Griffin; President and Chief Executive Officer of the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce, Crystal Johnson; and Arkansas State Bank Department Commissioner, Susannah Marshall.
Attendees were provided tours of the new facility and received a free keepsake paperweight featuring an architectural rendering of the operations center. Copies of a custom photo book featuring pictures from area photographers were also offered to guests.
Flynco of Little Rock, was the contractor for the project, in addition to several local subcontractors. The three-story operations center is approximately 28,809 sq. ft. and is connected to the main bank by a 170 ft. sky bridge over 14th Street. The building complex provides space for 125 employees.
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