Gahanna, OH – August 23, 2016 – Heartland BancCorp (“the company,” and “the bank”) (OTCQB: HLAN), today announced the selection of Ruscilli Construction Company, Inc. as the general contractor for the bank’s new Corporate Center in Whitehall.
“We are very proud to partner with Heartland Bank on this signature project for Whitehall. It’s always exciting to work with another multigenerational Central Ohio business that shares similar values and commitment to our community,”said President Tony Ruscilli.
Working with the architectural firm of Moody Nolan, Heartland’s plans include a two‐story, 60,000‐square‐foot building located at the gateway of Whitehall’s Community Park along the North Hamilton Road corridor. The park‐side view of the six acre wooded site will feature an outdoor veranda that will play host to various corporate events, staff retreats, business meetings, and/or team building experiences. To enhance the outdoor space, elements of a nearby park structure will be added to the rain garden that buffers the private veranda from the park itself. Employees will have direct access to walking paths and trails in the Community Park to promote a healthy lifestyle.
The new corporate center will house approximately 87 employees and will improve efficiencies by consolidating several business units under one roof. Employees will enjoy multiple collaboration/ideation spaces designed to foster innovation, support business processes, and improve communication and productivity. Natural light will flood the open concept work space. Employee benefits include a workout facility and locker rooms, a mother’s room, state of the art technology throughout the corporate center and high‐tech security features.
Included within the new Corporate Center will be a 2,100 square foot branch office, Heartland’s 15th in central Ohio, which will feature drive‐up teller stations, an exterior ATM, and a night depository. The new office will follow the Universal Banker branch staffing model that was successfully introduced with Heartland’s Hilliard branch opening in June of 2016. Not only are Universal Bankers trained to handle everything from opening new accounts to booking loans, they also enjoy a more personal partnership with their clients by sharing their workspace, computer screen and up to the minute financial data both securely and privately. For architectural renderings, please contact Heartland Bank.
“The last time we built a Corporate Center was in 1996 and the bank had $230 million in assets and 75 employees,” said Scott McComb, Chairman, President and CEO of Heartland Bank. “Today, as we approach $800 million in assets and 185 employees with operations staff located in several different offices it was time to get everyone back home again. Our collective strength is our people, and having the support divisions at one location will strengthen our abilities, cohesiveness and execution as we continue to be Central Ohio’s Community Bank.”
About Heartland BancCorp
Heartland BancCorp is a registered Ohio bank holding company and the parent of Heartland Bank, which operates thirteen full‐service banking offices. Heartland Bank, founded in 1911, provides full service commercial, small business, and consumer banking services; alternative investment services; insurance services; and other financial products and services. Heartland Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve, a member of the FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender. Heartland BancCorp is currently quoted on the OTC Markets (OTCQB) under the symbol HLAN. Learn more about Heartland Bank at HeartlandBank.com.
In May 2016, Heartland was ranked #77 on the American Banker magazine’s list of Top 200 Publicly Traded Community Banks and Thrifts based on three‐year average return on equity (“ROE”) as of 12/31/15.
Safe Harbor Statement
This release contains forward‐looking statements that reflect management's current views of future events and operations. These forward‐looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company as of the date of this release. It is important to note that these forward‐looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the ability of the Company to implement its strategy and expand its lending operations.