First Community Bank hosted a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony with the Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce on Friday, July 16. Several bank officials were on hand from the corporate office to celebrate the event with the local staff and community members.
First Community Bank CEO Dale Cole said, “We started this bank on Aug. 4, 1997, We started with only 14 employees and now we have 458 and growing. So we are continuing to move forward. You have to have money to start a bank. So I went to investors to raise capital. With 153 investors we raised $3,452,000 to start a bank in Batesville. I knew we’d be successful because we were able to hire the man with the local knowledge Mr. Dover. He’s been beside me for the last 20 plus years and done a wonderful job. We are now the seventh largest bank in the state of Arkansas.”
Our capital now is 185 million dollars. We are a very strong solid bank. Yesterday our asset size was up to $1.9 billion. We chose a slogan for us, ‘Where Community Comes First.’ We wanted to be first in services, products and people. We invest money back into all of our communities. We will invest a lot of money in Harrison.”
The downtown location is the first branch in Boone County and they have already purchased a piece of property on Hwy. 65 North and positioned an ATM there for now.
Cole made light of the fact that Ty Rowland now keeps it from being an all girl bank.
FCB President, Boris Dover, “There were 12 others that joined us with the local knowledge. Mr. Cole had the vision for this bank and what it is today. He probably didn’t envision it to be $1.9 billion, but he did have the vision for a community bank in Batesville and now Harrison. We have 13-14 other locations around the state and Missouri. This grand opening is long overdue and delayed because of COVID. But we opened this facility on Feb. 1, 2020. It is a one-stop financial center offering a variety of services for our customers.”
“This branch does represent 27 locations and we are close to opening 28 and 29. Our success truly has been in hiring good people and bankers and going into strong communities. It’s important to find the person with the local knowledge. When we found the right person to lead the team — Tabitha Eddington has done a phenomenal job assembling the team. She has a true passion for community banking,” Cole said.
“When I was blessed to come back to community banking, by joining First Community Bank, I felt like I had come home. Local isn’t just what we say, it’s what we do. I hope you’ll see that demonstrated by all the community partners who joined us. We offer a unique style of banking that prioritizes hiring local employees like we’ve been talking about to take care of our customers and community. We believe in neighbors helping neighbors,” Eddington said.
“As Mr. Coleman said, our bank is all about investing in our community,” she said. She then presented several checks to local organizations.
“We have enjoyed amazing support from our great customer base. We can’t thank you enough if you are a customer. We are invested in Harrison and this community. We hope you will give us the opportunity to earn your business, if you haven’t already,” she said.
Co-chair of the Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce Melissa Collins said, “I’ve heard alot about COVID slowing down the grand opening, but it certainly did not slow down the business development for First Community. Our area has really thrived in spite of COVID and we are thankful for that.”
City of Harrison Mayor Jerry Jackson said, “Tabitha and her girls, excuse me Ty, she did several events with the city and that’s all we heard — Tabitha and her girls. We appreciate all the events she has sponsored. We hear the question all the time, ‘Why do we need another bank in Harrison?’ I think the answer to that is the prosperity of Harrison and what is happening right now. I hope you’ve all seen the progress over the last few years. If it wasn’t for Harrison growing like we are, we wouldn’t have all these banks come to Harrison. What would you want more? You want more banks because that is saying great things about Harrison.”
Ribbon Cutting
Donna Braymer/Staff
The Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce assisted First Community Bank in celebrating their grand opening with a ribbon cutting with Chamber ambassadors on Friday, July 16. From the main office in Batesville, Boris Dover, FCB president and CEO Dale Cole spoke to the crowd gathered. FCB is located at 220 E. Ridge. The phone number is 870-204-5600.
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