Investing In Growth | CoreFirst Bank & Trust
Investment in future growth doesn’t always require expanding the physical footprint. Sometimes it means renovating existing space to better serve customers and employees.
A FRESH LOOK
CoreFirst Bank & Trust has undertaken numerous renovations in the past few years to modernize its facilities and provide a better experience for customers and employees.
Renovation of the CoreFirst Bank headquarters located at 3035 SW Topeka Blvd, which began in summer 2019 and was completed in late 2020, gutted the building down to studs and concrete. They replaced the HVAC and electrical systems, rebuilt the corporate offices and redesigned the lobby and other customer service areas.
“Our building on SW Topeka Boulevard is a beautiful building,” said John Fager, executive vice president of CoreFirst Bank & Trust. “It won the 1972 beautification award, so we needed to make sure our renovations stayed true to that original architecture.”
Removing the old escalator allowed a complete redesign of the interior, providing a more open floor plan with more modern customer spaces. A new elevator provided access to the upper floor, which now houses the bank’s operational activities.
MORE SPACES REIMAGINED
Once renovations wrapped up at the main bank, CoreFirst began a systematic approach to remodeling a number of its smaller branches across town. Keeping customer service top of mind, Fager said they limited renovation work to one location at a time and kept the drive thru tellers open throughout the construction process.
“We like to space out our renovations so that we don’t have a negative effect on customer traffic,” Fager said. “It generally takes three months to renovate a branch, so we take that into account when we schedule a project.”
Fager said decisions to renovate specific branch locations are based on a variety of factors. A branch may undergo a remodel because they need to move a teller line to make it more functional from an operational standpoint. Depending on the age of the branch, some locations need a complete overhaul in facilities systems. And sometimes, a branch may simply need a cosmetic facelift to upgrade interior finishes and furniture.
Renovations were completed at the Fleming Place Branch, located at 10th and Gage Boulevard, the end of 2021. Three additional branches underwent remodels in 2022. Renovation of the Wanamaker Branch at 22nd and Wanamaker began in August and was completed by mid-October. As soon as that project ended, renovations began at the Croco Branch at 29th and Croco, with completion at the end of November. The next branch on the remodel schedule, North Plaza Branch, located at 2010 NW Central Avenue, is currently under construction.
“We are in the planning stages for some additional branch renovation in 2023, but we don’t have all of the particulars ironed out quite yet,” Fager said.
RENOVATING CUSTOMER SERVICE
The investment in customer satisfaction goes beyond the physical facilities, however. It also means investing in software, applications, products and services that help customers achieve their financial goals.
Investment in technology is nothing new, Fager said. CoreFirst prides itself on its efforts to lead the way in the banking industry. It was one of the first banks in Kansas to install ATMs and has been providing banking services to its customers via an app for the past 15 years.
“We have offered seamless banking services through our app for a long time,” Fager said. “But the functionality continues to change. Customers can do so much more than transfer money through the app. They can track purchases and obtain a snapshot of their monthly spending. They can chat in real time on the app with a customer service representative who can answer questions. All of these features help customers make better decisions about their finances.”
For commercial customers, investment in growth means specifically tailoring services to each customer to meet their diverse needs.
“Technology is a big driver in the fintech world,” Fager said. “We are constantly analyzing what customers want and what we can make available to them. We have to ascertain feasibility and long-term benefits of each offering.”
INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY
Investment in growth also means investing the local community. CoreFirst has always played an active role in helping to support the local community. This year, thanks to a partnership with Evergy Plaza, CoreFirst brought ice skating to Downtown Topeka. Skaters took to the ice at the CoreFirst Ice Rink for the first time on Saturday, Nov. 12. The rink will continue to operate through January 29.
“The bank has always been a big supporter of the community,” Fager said. “Because of the pandemic, we hadn’t been able to do some of the projects we would normally do. So, this year we wanted to do something fun to bring the community together.”
