Wisconsin’s Bank First is planning to open a new, environmentally-friendly operations center in its home city of Manitowoc. The 13,100-square-foot facility will be located on the 8.74 acre lot in the industrial park at the corner of Dufek Drive and West Drive.
The move was sparked by the $2.8 billion bank’s growth over the last decade, it said in a press release, having more than doubled in size since its 2011 mark of $910 million in assets.
“We are thrilled to officially announce plans to build our new operations center,” said CEO Mike Molepske. “The addition of this new facility is essential for our future. With our overall rapid bank growth over the past several years, we have simply outgrown our current space for our operations team in Manitowoc. This center will allow us to centralize a majority of our operations staff while continuing to provide exceptional service for our customers.”
The building will have features and materials that are environmentally friendly and are designed to mitigate disease exposures such as Covid-19. The property currently hosts a natural landscape of plants and grasses which the bank plans to preserve and maintain. Designs include a perimeter walking path to encourage employee wellness and space for two 6,000-square-foot future additions.
Site work will begin in early fall of 2021 with construction to begin in early spring of 2022. Stauss Architect, LLC is assisting in the design and planning process and Jos. Schmitt Construction will be serving as the general contractor for the project.
Bank First has 21 offices in Wisconsin.