When Bank Independent leaders gathered Friday to cut the ribbon on a new Hartselle sales office, there was no need for the usual welcome to town.

The North Alabama-based bank has been part of the Hartselle community for 21 years. Its new office at 1211 U.S. 31 is instead a sizable reinvestment in a community Bank Independent President Jason Windham said the bank believes in for the long haul.

“While today marks the opening of a new location, it is not the beginning of our commitment to this community,” Windham said. “We have proudly served Hartselle for 21 years, and this new location represents our continued commitment to the people and businesses who have placed their trust in us.”

The opening comes as Bank Independent marks its 79th year serving North Alabama, a milestone Chief Administrative Officer Penny Camp said made the Hartselle investment particularly meaningful.

Camp was candid about the bank’s previous Hartselle location, saying it no longer reflected either the quality of the bank’s team or the standard Bank Independent wants its facilities to represent.

“We knew that if we wanted to achieve our vision to be the bank of choice in the communities we serve, that we needed a facility that represented the quality of our team as well as that commitment that we live out through our mission, vision and values every day,” Camp said.

The new office was built in just over a year, with the project breaking ground last August.

For Windham, the investment is about more than a new building.

“We believe in the families who call this area home, the entrepreneurs who are creating jobs, the businesses that drive our local community, and the organizations that make this a wonderful place to live and work,” he said. “We want to continue being a financial partner that helps those dreams become a reality.”

‘Take it up a notch’

Hartselle Mayor Missy Evans said the opening carries a different significance than welcoming a business to the city for the first time.

“Today, I just want to say thank you,” Evans said. “You all have made decades of a commitment to Hartselle.”

Evans said Bank Independent had an opportunity to make any number of business decisions about its future in the city and instead chose to invest further.

“You decided to take it up a notch and demonstrate to this community a deeper commitment,” she said.

That decision, Evans said, sends a message beyond the bank itself.

“Thank you for your continued investment and just the message that this speaks to our businesses, to our residents, and to the region of what a player Hartselle is in the growth in North Alabama,” she said.

Bob Thompson, Bank Independent area president for Lawrence, Morgan and Limestone counties, said the bank has watched that growth firsthand over the past two decades.

“We are proud to be a part of a community that values strong relationships, supports local business, and continues to invest in its future,” Thompson said. “This new office represents our continued commitment to Hartselle and to serving the families and businesses that make this community such a special place.”

‘This speaks for itself’

State Sen. Arthur Orr brought an especially personal perspective to the ribbon-cutting: His family banks there, too.

Orr said his 15-year-old daughter was preparing to open her first bank account the following day with a $200 birthday check.

“She wants a debit card, no credit cards yet,” Orr joked. “Don’t start sending her the credit card notices.”

But Orr said the new building itself makes a more serious statement about Bank Independent’s investment in Hartselle.

“A lot of businesses and companies talk about how good their quality is and their investment in the community,” Orr said. “I think this speaks for itself.”

Bank Independent Vice President of Community Banking Initiatives Hallie Mauldin said the new office also reflects the people behind the bank’s longtime presence in Hartselle.

“The entire Bank Independent team, thank you for choosing to invest your time, talent, energy, and hearts,” Mauldin said. “Congratulations to the entire Bank Independent team on this exciting new chapter.”

Bank Independent leaders said the office represents a renewed commitment to the customers who have supported the bank during its first two decades in Hartselle.

“Every account you open, every loan you trust us to provide, and every relationship you build with us is a responsibility we are honored to carry,” Windham said.

And as the doors opened on the bank’s newest investment, Windham made clear the institution sees Hartselle as part of its future, not simply its past.

“This investment reflects our confidence in this community and our optimism about the future that we can build together,” he said.

Bank Independent’s roots in North Alabama date to 1947, and the bank is celebrating its 79th year serving the region. What began in the Shoals has grown to more than 30 locations across North Alabama, including a Hartselle presence that now spans 21 years.