Westfield Bank has completed its move to its larger new home for its Summit County branch in Fairlawn.
In November, the bank purchased the building, formerly owned and occupied by CFBank at the northwest corner of Smith and Ghent roads near Summit Mall, for $3.2 million.
Westfield Bank opened at the new location, 2923 Smith Road, on Jan. 21.
CFBank has moved to a temporary location at 25 Ghent Road, and in May will move to its permanent location just a few hundred feet to the west of its former building.
For Westfield, the move from a location on West Market Street in Fairlawn was a signal for a bigger presence in Summit County, bank President Tim Phillips said.
The affiliate of Westfield Insurance has six branches and is based in Medina County and Westfield Center Township. The bank,which started in 2001, also has branches in Wooster, Brecksville and Canton.
It opened its former Fairlawn location in 2008.
“Our move went according to plan. We opened on the right day and everything went really well,” Phillips said. “Customers are already finding us, and we’ve done a lot of marketing around it. Customers are very complimentary of the new space and more room.”
There was minor cosmetic work that needed to be done before the move, Phillips said.
The bank plans to install its ATM in the parking lot, but weather has delayed some reconfiguration of the lot for that kiosk until March, he said.
As part of its normal perks, customers are able to use any other ATMs and are reimbursed up to $12 in fees, Phillips said. Customers also can get cash back when using their debit cards at stores for free.
The bank’s night depository has been moved to the new location.
Westfield will be using the first floor, which at 6,000 square feet is more than double the former location. The bank is also planning to hire a few sales and customer service representatives to expand its team of seven, Phillip said.
In all, Westfield Bank employs 124.
The second floor of the building, approximately 6,000 square feet, is available for lease. Phillips said the bank has had some preliminary discussions with possible tenants. He would like to see a complimentary service business to the bank. The floor plan can also be subdivided for two tenants, he said.
Cushman & Wakefield is listing the upstairs for lease.
Mike Stacy, who owns the building at 2635 W. Market St. formerly occupied by Westfield Bank, said on Friday that he has the building under contract for purchase, but he was unable to disclose the buyer.
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/blinfisherABJ and see all her stories at www.ohio.com/betty.