First National Bank President and CEO Todd Mason, far right, and Executive Vice Present and Senior Lender Brendon Matthews, second from right, participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking of First National Bank’s first Lima branch Monday at 2580 Eastown Roads next to Menards.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — For Pandora-based First National Bank President and CEO Todd Mason, bringing the bank’s first branch to Lima felt like a bit of a homecoming, as he grew up in the area.
“When I behaved as a little kid, my parents would allow me to go see my grandmother, who was a cashier at JC Penney, and if I was really good, I got to go to the cafeteria,” he said to the bank board members, employees and community representatives at Monday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the bank’s upcoming branch location, which will be set at 2580 Eastown Road next to Menards. “Thanks to the community, what you’ve all done here in Lima has made this what it is today.”
First established in 1919, First National Bank currently has five branches employing a total of 50 employees in Pandora, Bluffton, Ottawa and Findlay. Lima’s branch, the first in Allen County, will be the bank’s sixth branch.
“It’ll be a full-service branch,” First National Bank Executive Vice President and senior lender Brendon Matthews said. “So we’ll have walk-in traffic through the lobby, we’ll have a full drive-thru service, ATM and night deposit. We’ll be fully staffed with a branch manager and small business lender.”
First National has seen its Lima clientele grow over the years, a trend that prompted the bank to consider expanding into Allen County. Matthews is hoping that physical presence in the Lima community and the fact it is a locally owned bank, rather than one with a large, national footprint, will help that consumer base continue to grow.
“I think the biggest thing is our local decision-making,” he said. “So when a customer comes to us and says they need something, either I myself can take care of them right then and there, or if I need to ask permission, I can make one phone call to my boss. All of our board members are local and they’re also, for the most part, small business owners. We’re not going to Columbus. We’re not calling New York City. It’s right here in Allen County.”
Construction equipment will be brought onto the site, located between Lock 16 Steakhouse and Menards, on Tuesday, with the bank expected to open in December.
