The Lockport BMO Harris Bank branch hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Feb. 23 to celebrate the bank’s 200th anniversary.
The event brought together a number of people, including members of the Lockport Area Chamber of Commerce and civic leaders.
“This is really promoting us, as a whole, with our employees and doing a lot of things for the team that works here and throughout the company, and really just celebrating everyone entirely, not just customers, but also everybody that works here,” Bank Manger Peter Franz said.
Knowing BMO Harris Bank has reached this milestone brings great meaning to the Lockport branch, Franz said.
“We’re just trying to build our presence back in the community,” Franz said. “We want to be that big bank with a small-town feel. Our customers come in, we want to know them by name, we want to greet them, we want them to feel special, we want to set us apart from everybody else.”
The branch is in the middle of extending special offers for certificates of deposit and saving accounts.
“It’s a real good opportunity for most of our new customers to come in, sit with a banker, get them the right product,” Franz said.
BMO Harris Bank Market President Martha Maka shared the same sentiment.
“Lending is going to be a huge opportunity for us with the season approaching,” she said. “A lot more folks are interested in buying new homes. We’re certainly here to help with purchasing that new home or refinancing the existing and a lot of home improvement. The season is coming around. [If you’d] like to get that new kitchen, buy that new car or add that addition onto the home, we’re here to do that in terms of home equity loans. We’re really happy to help with that.”
There are a number of BMO Harris Bank branches in Will County in addition to the Lockport location, including branches in New Lenox, Homer Glen and Orland Park.
“We’re really surrounded,” Maka said. “When you think about the Chicago area, we have 504 locations spanning across the organization here, in Chicago.”
Maka added that BMO Harris Bank is continually growing and looking for ways to expand. Franz said seeing the support of business and civic leaders at the Lockport branch celebration of BMO Harris Bank’s 20th anniversary is exciting.
“We want to get some recognition out in the community,” he said. “It’s great to put names to faces.”