Bank Independent let their presence be heard and felt through downtown Huntsville on Tuesday, June 13 as hundreds gathered in the streets to witness the grand opening of the bank’s newest location.

Bank Independent and Prince Holdings, who partnered on the development project, celebrated the 225 Holmes Avenue with live music, free swag for everyone and enough green clothes to make Saint Patrick himself green with envy.

A spokesperson from the Mayor’s office even described it to the Huntsville Business Journal as an “open display of strength.” It’s hard to blame them for that assessment and equally difficult to fault Bank Independent if that’s true.

The new project is a breathtaking five-story, mixed-use development project in the heart of the city’s business district. Each floor features 15,000 square feet of space totaling over 77,000 square feet of much needed Class A office space and ground floor retail opportunity. Nola VanPeursem Architects served as the architectural firm while Robins & Morton was the lead contractor.

Brendan Prince of Prince Holdings, a local, family owned and operated asset management firm, gave the opening remarks at the ceremony and touched on the path Prince Holdings and Bank Independent took on their way to becoming partners.

“I remember getting a phone call saying, ‘Hey, there’s this bank we’d like you to meet to potentially partner with on a project at this site in downtown. And we really weren’t interested in partnering with anyone,” Prince Admitted.

“However, we took the meeting. We met with Pruitt Malden and John Bowling. They told us about Bank Independent and the more they told us, the more it resonated with us and the more we saw ourselves potentially in a partnership with an organization like this. We could sense their authenticity and their desire to do something great in downtown Huntsville,” Prince continued.

He also recalled some of the specific points along the way that proved he was right to change his mind.

City of Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle addresses the crowd in front of Bank Independent’s new location in downtown Huntsville

“What was most impressive was their firm’s grasp and understanding of bank independent employees and their customers’ needs,” he shared. “I particularly remember one of the OAC meetings early on, we were just trudging through spec pages of upcoming acquisitions, HVAC and electrical flooring. John and Chad stopped the meeting and said, ‘I see on here that you’ve got lighting with X amount of wattage.’ They said our employees here really like and work better with lighting with this other amount of wattage. I think that says a lot about an organization and their commitment to their people to learn and find out what their employees like and don’t like.”

Mayor Tommy Battle followed up Prince’s speech and proclaimed the day’s celebration was about more than just relocating buildings.

“Today is a point of inflection,” Mayor Battle began. “We’re not just moving an office or opening a new office here. We’re also opening our latest new building in the downtown area, which signifies the growth of our whole city. It’s something very special.”

He also made sure to thank Bank Independent for their part in downtown’s newest addition.

“It doesn’t happen without the backing of the bank. And it doesn’t happen without the funds. The Funds have come primarily from Bank Independent, who has made a lot of great decisions in this town and helped us continue to grow and continue to get better. So we are very excited today to be part of the bank independent team,” said Mayor Battle.

Bank Independent’s Huntsville City President DeMarco McClain shared his pride and appreciation of the company’s journey and what they stand for.

“This is an important day,” McClain cheered. “When I look up there, (the top of the new location) I get pride and appreciation for the journey of where we’ve come from and where we’re going. I’m proud of the contributions that we’ve made to brick and mortar, which will include six locations in Madison County by the end of this year.”

“However, I’m also proud of our community involvement,” he continued. “The bank is, at its core, about giving back to the communities we serve. It’s a great feeling to be with a financial institution that supports community in the way that we do. While we are investing in real estate and we enjoy contributing to the economic development in North Alabama through construction projects and small business funding, giving back to the communities that we serve is a legacy that I’m honored to be a part of both personally and professionally.”

Sections of the first floor, as well as all the second, third and fourth, are available for lease through Crunkleton Commercial Real Estate. The first floor has two spaces available that can be combined into one 5,512 square foot space. The second floor has 14,612 square feet available while the third floor has 14,589 and the fourth floor has 14,522.