Community Bank & Trust of Florida opened its second location in Gainesville (10th overall in the tri-county area) on May 15 during a grand opening ceremony. The new office is located across the street from UF in the Roberts’ Stadium Club building at 1802 West University Ave. The space totals about 2,800 square feet between the first-floor retail area and the third-floor offices.
Hugh Dailey, president of Community Bank, said that the new location will offer all the services that its other offices offer and that the team is excited to be able to serve students and faculty.
Dailey said that the bank (which was opened in 1998, employs 125 and has more than $590 million in assets) performed several location studies before deciding on the Stadium Club. The location was chosen because of the population density and access to students. The Stadium Club office held a soft opening a month before the ribbon cutting, and Dailey said that existing clients have said they find it much more convenient than driving out to the Oaks Mall side of town where the original Gainesville office is located.
“We feel like we’re going to be here for a long time, and we want students to know that even if they graduate and move to Atlanta or Orlando they can still bank with us online. They can take a picture of their check and deposit it online,” he said. “We keep all of our money local and reinvest it in the community. We do residential lending, commercial lending, USDA loans and we keep it all in our portfolio and don’t just sell it off. If you call here, you’re going to talk to a live person. We’re trying to put the people back in banking.”
Community Bank also presented a $500 donation to J.J. Finley Elementary School for the school’s post-FCAT student celebration at Splitz bowling.