Indiana’s Lake City Bank is opening its 51st branch later this year, inside the Elkhart, Ind., high school. The full-service branch will be partially staffed by students enrolled in the school’s business and international relations study program in addition to normal Lake City employees. Primarily targeted at students, teachers and staff, the branch will have limited hours during the school day.
“By having students as part of our branch team, and as our customers, we see this office as a way for us to gain real-life intelligence about what the next generation is looking for in financial services,” said Stephanie Leniski, senior vice president, chief retail officer. “This new branch also provides us the opportunity to introduce banking as a career to students.”
Lake City will also offer financial literacy classes and other learning opportunities in the new office. Having entered the market in 1990, the bank has nine branches in Elkhart County, four of them in the city of Elkhart.
“We’re opening this branch, our 51st, as we prepare to celebrate our 150th anniversary as a company next spring,” said David Findlay, president and CEO of the Warsaw-based Lake City. “It’s gratifying that we can continue to innovate as a community bank and work with the next generation of team members and customers.”
Lake City Bank has a long-standing relationship with Elkhart Community Schools, providing business accounts and treasury management products to the district. When the new combined high school was in development, administrators didn’t have to look far to find a partner for the business school of study.
“We are thrilled to have Lake City Bank partner with us in this effort,” said Steve Thalheimer, superintendent of schools. “Direct working experience in the branch fits with our focus on project based learning, as does learning by opening a bank account and using it to manage money, save and plan.”
The $6.2 billion Lake City has 50 branches in north and central Indiana.