New bank branch, HQ will be ‘coolest building’ in area

Quad City Bank & Trust and its parent company, QCR Holdings, Inc., have found the “perfect spot” for a new four-story, multi-million-dollar business complex. That new building will serve as the corporate headquarters for QCRH, now in Moline, and also will expand QCBT’s banking footprint in the Quad Cities – becoming its sixth consumer banking […]

Quad City Bank & Trust and its parent company, QCR Holdings, Inc., have found the “perfect spot” for a new four-story, multi-million-dollar business complex. That new building will serve as the corporate headquarters for QCRH, now in Moline, and also will expand QCBT’s banking footprint in the Quad Cities – becoming its sixth consumer banking branch. Construction on the building will soon start in the growing business district – often called The Plex – in northern Bettendorf, surrounding the TBK Bank Sports Complex. The construction project is expected to be complete by the end of next year.

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“This is the spot where all the big activity is going on. … We wanted our bank to be here. This is a perfect spot,” said Todd A. Gipple, QCRH’s current president and chief financial officer, who will become the company’s new CEO, along with maintaining the president title later this month. Mr. Gipple was one of the speakers at a ground-breaking ceremony Thursday afternoon, May 15. That brief ceremony, attended by about 100 people from the business community – including bank employees, project contractors and city leaders – was held at the future site of the branch and headquarters on a sunny, hot, breezy afternoon. That site is currently an expansive empty lot that was once farmland located near the intersection of Forest Grove Drive and Middle Road. It is located across the street from Dental Care at The Plex. Mr. Gipple thanked the many groups and people who helped make the building project possible. One of those people in the crowd whom he gave special thanks to was Helen Peters, whose parents, the VenHorst family, farmed the land for many years. He also thanked companies that will build the new bank and HQ building – including Russell, Streamline Architects, Conceptual Design, Inc., IMEG,  Confluence and Valley Construction. Mr. Gipple said he approached leaders in those companies and asked them to create “the coolest building in the Quad Cities,” and he’s confident they will get the job done. He added that also wants the outside of the new building to have a “campus atmosphere” so employees and customers can better enjoy the new building and site. Once completed, the new building will also likely host community events.  “We think our expanded presence will not only enhance our customers’ experience but will bring the community to us in ways we haven’t yet experienced,” said Laura “Divot” Ekizian, president and CEO of QCBT, in a statement ahead of Thursday’s ceremony. During the ground-breaking ceremony, Ms. Ekizian told the crowd that they look forward to the new building in Bettendorf, but the company is not pulling back from any of its other branch sites in Iowa or Illinois. “We are committed to our entire region,” she added. Mr. Gipple added that once the new Bettendorf building is done, QCRH will leave its current headquarters site at 3551 7th St., Moline, in what most know as the Velie’s Mansion. QCRH is now looking for a new owner who will “cherish” the historic Moline building. “We want somebody who will continue to invest in it and take care of it,” he told the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal on Friday, May 16. Construction of the new building is expected to start soon. Mr. Gipple said that work crews were waiting for the ground-breaking ceremony to be done before “immediately” starting work on the project within the next few days. “This place is going to start looking like a building really fast,” Jim Russell, CEO at the Davenport-based Russell, told the crowd.  Here’s a closer look at the building:

• Size: 100,000 square feet of office space over four stories.
• Features: In addition to office and bank space, the building will feature a parking structure that can hold more than 200 vehicles.
• Estimated completion date: End of 2026.
• Location: Near the intersection of Forest Grove Drive and Middle Road in northern Bettendorf. It will be built on a 10-acre lot in the southeast corner near that intersection.
• Partners in the project: Russell, Streamline Architects, Conceptual Design, Inc, IMEG and Confluence.
• Cost: Not disclosed, but Mr. Gipple said Thursday it is accurate to assume the project will cost at least several millions of dollars.

Quad City Bank & Trust was founded in 1994. Today, it has more than $2.7 billion in assets, providing full-service commercial and consumer banking, correspondent banking, trust and asset management services. The bank is headquartered in Bettendorf, and employs 162 individuals at five locations throughout the Quad Cities area.  QCR Holdings, Inc. is a multi-bank holding company serving the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Valley, Des Moines/Ankeny in Iowa, and Springfield, Missouri, through its wholly owned subsidiary banks. The banks provide full-service commercial and consumer banking and trust and wealth management services.  In addition to Quad City Bank & Trust, it has Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust Company, which commenced operations in 2001; Community State Bank, based in Ankeny, was acquired by the QCR in 2016; and Guaranty Bank, based in Springfield, was acquired by the company in 2018. Additionally, the company serves the Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Iowa, community through Community Bank & Trust, a division of Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust Company.  The holding company’s banks have 36 locations in Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. As of March 31, the company had $9.2 billion in assets, $6.8 billion in loans and $7.3 billion in deposits.