‘Goosebumps moment’: Quad City Bank & Trust celebrates big day

Holly Katko took a good look at the upgraded and renovated building that houses the Quad City Bank & Trust’s branch at 4500 N. Brady St., Davenport, and liked what she saw. “This is just beautiful … I just moved here and I’m looking for a bank. This might be it,” said Ms. Katko, who […]

Holly Katko took a good look at the upgraded and renovated building that houses the Quad City Bank & Trust’s branch at 4500 N. Brady St., Davenport, and liked what she saw. “This is just beautiful … I just moved here and I’m looking for a bank. This might be it,” said Ms. Katko, who now lives in LeClaire and is CEO of UConnect Solutions, Inc., a business that specializes in business training and consulting.

1 of 9

Ms. Katko was one of more than 100 visitors and staff who helped celebrate the grand reopening of the Quad City Bank & Trust branch on Wednesday, Jan. 24. That ceremony featured a Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony, tours of the renovations, speeches by bank leaders and a video outlining some of the bank’s milestones over the years.  In addition to the grand reopening ceremony, the celebration also helped mark a second big milestone for the bank – Jan. 7 marked the bank’s 30th anniversary.  “Wow, this is a total goosebumps moment. … We started off with $4 million in assets (30 years ago). Today, we’re over $2 billion in assets,” John Anderson, the bank’s CEO, said during the welcoming comments to the crowd. Much of the Wednesday celebration was devoted to thanking the community, customers, business partners, project contractors and employees for their help with the three-year, multi-million dollar renovation. (Bank officials on Wednesday would not release the cost of the renovation.) Laura “Divot” Ekizian, president and chief relationship officer for Quad City Bank & Trust, also delivered many of those words of praise. She thanked bank employees and the customers for working through the years of building renovations.  She added that the bank operations at the Brady Street site remained open during the four phases of the renovations, with bank employees working out of a trailer during part of the project.  Mr. Anderson said that the “secret sauce” behind the bank’s success during the renovations and its entire history centers on its talented and hardworking employees. “This team makes dreams happen every day,” he added. Ms. Ekizian also praised the many people who helped create the new-look bank, adding she knows there were some tough days during the project. “If there were tense moments, it was because everybody wanted it done right,” she told the crowd. Prior to Wednesday’s ceremony, Ms. Ekizian said this about the renovation project in a news release: “We are proud to keep our locations up to date with modern amenities to serve our customers’ needs and provide an uplifting and inspiring workspace for our employees.” Members of the business community took a closer look at those modern amenities during tours of the bank. Some of the highlights include:

• Basement level: The basement area features two training rooms, an employee break room and a mother’s room. The break room includes games, a shuffleboard table and a kitchen area. The basement area also features some whimsical artwork on the walls. There are scenes of birds, and a series of artwork featuring dogs wearing glasses, bowties and shirts. Dave Ford, QCBT’s assistant vice president and facilities manager, said the dogs are featured in art because dogs are part of the culture of the bank. “It’s very common at any of our locations to see a customer bring in their four-legged friend. … We even have dog treats,” he said.
• First floor: This floor features an updated reception area, teller windows, officer space and plenty of art on the walls.
• Second floor: The floor has office space and more art. But the main feature of the floor  appears to be the Michael A. Bauer Conference Room. This conference room even has its own kitchen area. “They thought of everything for this room,” said one bank employee as she toured the room on Wednesday.

“When I look at this, the words that come to mind are ‘incredible’ and ‘welcoming.’ … It’s just a very inclusive space,” said Mr. Anderson. In addition to looking over the physical updates, visitors also got to view some of the history of the bank. A brief video was shown outlining some of that history and bank milestones. That history began Jan. 7, 1994, when the bank held its opening day.  In the video, people who were employees at that time called that day brutally cold – around 20 below zero – and very hectic. One employee interviewed said they were “overwhelmed with customers” and opened more than 300 new bank accounts on opening day. Today, the bank has grown from a financial institution with $4 million in assets to $2.4 billion in assets and 158 employees. The bank employees volunteered more than 7,500 hours in 2023 alone. Coupled with their volunteerism, the bank also donated more than $500,000 to 97 local organizations in 2023.  “Our community is what is most important to us. Without them and their support, we wouldn’t be here. I find great joy in watching our employees pursue their passions and support our community in so many ways each day,” said Mr. Anderson in the earlier release. The community might see more renovation projects in the future. Mr. Anderson said bank officials are now considering other renovations at its branches in the region. “When you get to be 30 years old, you have to look at these things with buildings,” he added.