Michigan’s ChoiceOne Financial held a ribbon-cutting celebrating the opening of its newest office last week.
ChoiceOne purchased the Grand Rapids, Mich., building on 330 Market Avenue SW earlier this year and renovated the historical site for its use.
“We are thrilled to open our full-service, state-of-the-art branch office in downtown Grand Rapids,” said Kelly Potes president and CEO of the $627 million ChoiceOne. “As the local community bank, we recognized a need to provide our Grand Rapids customers with more convenience downtown.”
By year-end, the Sparta-based bank will have over a dozen full-service banking locations in in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon and Newaygo counties in western Michigan. The next grand opening will be in Rockford as ChoiceOne opens its second full-service office in the city at 590 E Division Street NE.
ChoiceOne is fully committed to bringing a physical presence to its customers as well as a robust electronic one, Potes said. “Our mission is to provide superior service, high quality advice and show our utmost respect to everyone we meet. Our vision is to be the best bank in Michigan. We encourage everyone to stop in and put us to the test!”
Earlier this year, ChoiceOne was one of 20 banks honored for their innovation by the Independent Community Bankers of America. Honorees were chosen for their innovation in the areas of technology, products and branch design.
ChoiceOne has partnered with two Michigan fintech start-ups, Autobooks and HT Mobile Apps. Detroit-based Autobooks is a fully integrated payments and accounting platform for small businesses delivered through ChoiceOne’s online banking platform. In partnership with the bank, HT Mobile Apps created Plinqit, a mobile savings tool that uses automated transfers into their Plinqit account from a checking account. Deposits are kept locally at ChoiceOne Bank.
In working with these start-ups, ChoiceOne’s leadership dedicated significant time to work through the various operational and compliance challenges that come with new partnerships. ChoiceOne has been intentional in partnering with local entrepreneurs that are bringing innovation to Michigan and the banking industry, the bank says.
“As a Michigan community bank, ChoiceOne Bank has partnered with Michigan fintech start-ups to offer innovative banking strategies to our retail and business customers,” said Chief Operating Officer Adom Greenland. “Each of these partnerships bring cutting edge technology to ChoiceOne customers and help position ChoiceOne as a tech savvy community bank.”