Let Freedom ring

C. Falls' new Freedom Bank opens in temporary quarters

A new bank opened in Columbia Falls last week - in a trailer house.

The modest building on U.S. 2 is the temporary facility for Don Bennett's new Freedom Bank. Construction of a two-story permanent bank building will begin in a few weeks.

As a sign on the trailer says, "You gotta start somewhere."

Response from the Columbia Falls community has been supportive, Bennett said, with a steady flow of customers. There's been a generous amount of good-natured ribbing about the 14-by-60-foot "trailer bank," Bennett said.

"We get a joke from pretty much everyone who comes in," Bennett said with a laugh. "They'll ask how easy it would be to hook it up and haul it off."

Not to worry, he tells customers. The temporary bank is equipped with state-of-the-art security.

Joking aside, Bennett is very serious about his new venture and plans to use more than 20 years of banking experience to create a financial institution Columbia Falls can be proud of.

He's the former bank president of First Citizens Bank in Columbia Falls.

The timing is right for another bank in Columbia Falls, given the city's rapid growth over the past decade. The last new bank to open there was a branch of Glacier Bank in the 1970s.

"Columbia Falls is the most under-banked community in the Flathead," Bennett said. "I think we're on the verge of some pretty exciting growth opportunities."

He's using the temporary facility to work through what amounts to a "very complicated process" of putting all of the bank's computer systems and networks in place.

Freedom Bank offers a full slate of banking services. The new building, designed by Schwarz Engineering, should be ready by Christmas.

"Traffic through here has been pretty steady," Bennett said. "We're very busy."

His staff includes Tracy Dougherty, vice president and cashier, and Becky West, a personal banking officer. Bennett's teen-age daughter Blayne helps out after school.

All employees will be stockholders in Freedom Bank, a feature Bennett said is aimed at letting the staff share in the bank's success.

As for the name, Bennett said he researched every bank name in the country until he came up with a number of different possibilities. He didn't want to use common bank titles such as "first" or "national."

"I wanted something that was easy to spell," he added.

The name also taps into his philosophy of the project - "we're free to build the bank the way we know how to do it best," he said.

Bank hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. A drive-through window is available. Freedom Bank's telephone number is 892-1776.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com