Month: September 2014

Bank announces plans to expand KCK branch

Enterprise Bank and Trust announced plans today to expand its full-service branch located at 151 S. 18th St. in Kansas City, Kan.

The expansion will add a total of 1,073 square feet to the space, and the location will total 2,646 square feet when the project is complete. The added space will help to meet high customer demand and enable the bank to continue to deliver exceptional customer service.

This branch, located within Prescott Plaza, opened on Feb. 3, 2014, and was Enterprise Bank and Trust’s first location in Kansas City, Kan. This branch serves the surrounding, community, including businesses in the Fairfax Industrial District. This location also features a bilingual staff and offers services designed for the Hispanic community. Services offered at this branch include, personal accounts, business accounts, mortgages and an ATM.

“The branch has experienced success in this market. This location is exceeding expectations in deposit totals and through July 2014, it had reached 88 percent of its year end deposit goal. Furthermore, 50 percent of total deposits come from this branch’s business accounts and we’ll continue to serve community business clients,” said Duncan Burdette, regional chairman, Kansas City. “This expansion project will not only make way for future growth, but enable us to better serve our clients.”

The leasing agent and general contractor for this project is Colliers International, which has an office in Kansas City, Mo. The construction is scheduled to be completed in November 2014.

“The response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Hidy Ortiz, branch manager. “We are excited to be expanding the space so we can continue to serve our customers quickly and effectively.”

Enterprise Financial operates commercial banking and wealth management businesses in metropolitan St. Louis, Kansas City and Phoenix. Enterprise is primarily focused on serving the needs of privately held businesses, their owner families, executives and professionals.

Bank launches charitable foundation

Lenexa-based CommunityAmerica Credit Union today announced that it has formally established the CommunityAmerica Foundation administered by the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.

The CommunityAmerica Foundation will work to transform the lives of Kansas City families within the credit union’s field of membership, helping them attain long-term success and independence through financial literacy and empowerment, a spokesman said.

“The formation of our foundation highlights CommunityAmerica’s calling to build financial success together with Kansas Citians,” said Dennis Pierce, CommunityAmerica CEO. “Our credit union has worked with countless families during its nearly 75 years of operation, helping them achieve financial success — and this foundation is a natural extension of this commitment.”

The CommunityAmerica Foundation’s first step will be to launch a signature program – Family Financial Transformations – working with Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. The program will support selected families in the Catholic Charities’ network within CommunityAmerica’s field of membership, helping them stabilize and take steps toward true financial freedom. Family Financial Transformations will work with the families on established education and stabilization criteria, equipping them with real-world resources and skill sets for long-term success.

“Participants in the Family Financial Transformation Program will work with a team of professionals from CommunityAmerica Credit Union and Catholic Charities of NE Kansas that are committed to enabling them to reach self-sufficiency. Participants will be involved in intensive case management and financial literacy programming including a personal financial coach. We’re excited and privileged to be working alongside our CommunityAmerica partners to help break the generational cycles of debt in our community,” said Ken Williams, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas president and CEO.

“Once a family gets in over its head, it struggles with the basic tenets for financial success such as savings, timely payment of bills, etc.,” Pierce said. “Family Financial Transformations™ will be there to provide comprehensive counseling, case management and financial classes for local families who need assistance in achieving a fresh start.”

The CommunityAmerica Foundation expects this signature program to expand its reach and impact after evaluating the program’s first full year in operation.

“CommunityAmerica believes in the potential of every family, knowing nobody is immune to tough times, and through this program we have the unique opportunity to ensure that the tough times aren’t the defining times,” Pierce added.

The CommunityAmerica Foundation may also consider other grant requests that align with its financial literacy mission beginning January 2015. Nonprofit organizations who wish to apply for a grant may contact Mayra Aguirre at 816-627-3426 or [email protected].

Taylor drops out of Senate race

Chad Taylor, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, today withdrew his name from the ballot. (Staff file photo)
Chad Taylor, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, today withdrew his name from the ballot. (Staff file photo)

Chad Taylor, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, withdrew his name from the ballot today.

Taylor was running against incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican, in a four-way race with an independent and Libertarian candidates.

Taylor’s name on Wednesday evening had “withdrawn” next to it on the secretary of state’s list of candidates for office, but on Thursday morning, his name was back on the list, perhaps indicating that there will be some ruling in the future on the withdrawal.

“Thank you everyone for supporting us – financially, spiritually and emotionally,” Taylor said in a message sent out on social media.

Independent candidate Greg Orman’s campaign television ads were far more visible in the Kansas City area than ads for Taylor. According to the website Open Secrets, sponsored by the Center for Responsive Politics, Taylor had raised $130,097 compared to Orman’s $671,322, and Roberts’ $4.7 million.

Also running for Senate is Libertarian Randall Batson. He raised no money, according to the Open Secrets website.

Taylor defeated Patrick Wiesner in the Democratic primary. Both candidates had appeared at a campaign forum in Wyandotte County.

The Pat Roberts campaign issued this statement about the Taylor withdrawal:

“Chad Taylor’s withdrawal from the U.S. Senate race reveals a corrupt bargain between Greg Orman and national Democrats including Senator Harry Reid that disenfranchises Kansas Democrats,” said Leroy Towns, executive campaign manager for Pat Roberts for Senate. “It makes clear what has been obvious from the start: Orman is the choice of liberal Democrats and he can no longer hide behind an independent smokescreen.

“We are confident that Kansas voters will quickly see through this charade foisted on Kansas by Orman and his Democrat allies.”