New building in St. Michael, Minn., will be business center

Northwestern Financial Review, Oct 15-Oct 31, 2003

The Great Northern Bank of St. Michael, Minn., has completed construction of its new headquarters. Expanding to meet increased customer needs, the four-year-old bank moved from a 3,000-square-foot leased office into the new 20,000-square-foot, twostory building. Great Northern occupies half of the building's space. The remaining portion houses business tenants and a community room.

"We are very pleased with the new facility and look forward to serving the growing needs of businesses and residents in the community for a very long time," said Paul Ederer, president.

The bank worked with KKE Architects, Minneapolis, on the building's design, which was conceived to conjure up images of old fashioned small town banks. The building features brick and stone masonry and a large metal cornice on its exterior as well as columns, soffits, mahogany wood and antique gold finishing in the interior.

Ederer predicted the building will become a "central resource for businesses and residents needing professional services." he said the expanded bank building will also provide additional convenience for customers and the community. "Besides extended service hours, a full-service lobby, and drive up lanes, we now have easy access from the highway for people to take care of their banking business quickly and efficiently," Ederer said.