Bremer Bank Announces Expansion of Baxter Branch
Baxter, Minn. - March 6, 2008 - Bremer Bank, a regional financial services company jointly-owned by its employees and the Otto Bremer Foundation, will begin construction soon on an 1,100-square foot expansion to its Baxter branch building located at 7558 Design Road. The physical expansion will allow Bremer to offer additional services, including business banking.
"Our Baxter branch, which currently provides service to our retail clients, has experienced tremendous growth in the past few years," says Mike Riley, president and chief executive officer for Bremer in Brainerd. "We are excited to expand our Baxter branch offering clients additional products and services. This addition demonstrates our commitment to the Brainerd and Baxter communities, which has been in place for more than 100 years."
Bremer will expand on the east side of the building, adding three offices and a conference room. Additionally, the bank will change the roof line by adding new gables, new outdoor signage and re-designing the parking lot. Bercher Design and Construction is the designer and builder on the project.
"One visit to the Bremer Baxter office and you can see first-hand how well the Bremer staff takes care of its clients," says Brent Gunsbury, president of Bercher Design & Construction. "The expansion and exterior improvements are designed to reflect on the outside what clients already know when they're inside - a warm, friendly, and knowledgeable staff."
Bremer Bank and its owner, the Otto Bremer Foundation, have given nearly $7.5 million dollars to nonprofit organizations in Brainerd and Baxter in the past 20 years. Additionally, employees volunteer hundreds of hours on an annual basis to organizations throughout the Baxter and Brainerd communities.
Bremer Financial Corporation
Bremer Financial Corporation is a privately-held, $7.2 billion regional financial services company jointly owned by its employees and the Otto Bremer Foundation. This unique ownership structure is the only one of its kind in the nation. Founded in 1943 by Otto Bremer, the company is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota and provides a comprehensive range of banking, investment, trust and insurance services to more than 100 locations in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Company profits are distributed in the form of charitable grants by the Otto Bremer Foundation to communities served by Bremer. In 2007, more than $30 million in charitable donations were given across the Bremer footprint and employees donated more than 92,900 volunteer hours to their communities.