Story

mobank News Archive

mobank’s 1st Annual Rock. Paper. Scissors. Tournament!

mobank hosted its first Rock. Paper. Scissors. Throwdown Tournament on First Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 at the Crossroads branch. David Morris Photography’s Cara Dunsmoor was the overall champion! Phil Kinen emceed the event, co-sponsored by the Crossroads Community Association, which featured more than 25 Crossroads-area business representatives. Each Rock. Paper. Scissors. participant was the winner of his or her company’s own contest. Acoustic guitarist and singer, Sean McNown entertained the crowd of spectators, along with The Roasterie, which served hot coffee from its cool, retro RV for the chilly First Friday. Check out Missouri Bank’s Facebook Page for more details on participating businesses and photos from the event.

Cara at the Bat

The outlook was uncertain for the last 28 that day
Rock-Paper-Scissors Tournament was the game they came to play

They gathered at the Crossroads branch of their Missouri Bank
With steely eyes and faces grim, to show 'twas no mere prank

Pale Ale was quaffed to steady nerves and bolster player's spines
While Sean McNown of grand renown played folky guitar lines

Champions all were they when the fateful day began
The winners of the prelim rounds within their workplace clan

But only one would get to claim the shining winner's belt
So, carefully they countered the "hand" opponents dealt

One by one the valiant climbed into the ring to vie
But then threw scissors against rock, and had to say goodbye

The music played, the beer did flow, the noise reached fever pitch
All crowded 'round to see who would emerge without a glitch

SMG came oh-so-close but fell just short of glory
Their run was strong and proud, the end a wee bit gory

At day's end one competitor stood tall above the rest
Of all KC's RPS champs, Cara Dunsmoor was the best

A festive time was had by all as Dunsmoor they did hail
To be a part of next year's games, just respond to this e-mail

Crossroads Branch Marks First Year of “Artboards” with New Exhibit

On Friday, Oct. 2, mobank displayed the fourth installment of “artboards” on the roof of its branch at 125 Southwest Blvd. The artboards first debuted with the opening of Missouri Bank’s new Crossroads branch in fall 2008. The artboards rotate about once each quarter to feature a new display of local artists’ works.

Currently on the west-facing boards are May Tveit’s “Color Field” featuring mirror photographs of brightly-colored hay bales on the beach. Tveit attended the Rhode Island School of Design and Domus Academy in Milan, Italy, and she is currently a resident artist at Review Studios.

On the east-facing boards are Grant Miller’s work from his recent acrylic-on-wood paintings. Miller’s installation depicts the information overload we constantly experience in an array of mediums. Miller attended the Kansas City Art Institute and Washington University and is now represented by Byron Cohen Gallery. Both artists boast an impressive list of solo exhibitions and honors, which you can read more about here: http://www.artarch.org/cgi-bin/projects.pl.

As part of the building renovation by Helix Architecture + Design, mobank donated the billboards on the roof of its Crossroads branch to the “Art through Architecture” (AtA) program. AtA is a partnership between Charlotte Street Foundation and the American Institute of Architects – Kansas City. Kate Hackman, associate director of the Charlotte Street Foundation, serves as the project’s curator.

To read about one of this installment’s artists recently featured in The Kansas City Star, please visit http://www.kansascity.com/974/story/1524523.html.

mobank in the Media

Earlier this year, Missouri Bank’s Crossroads branch created a Facebook page to foster an online community. mobank wanted its customers, prospects and community organizations, many of which already have a presence on Facebook, to be able to connect with the bank and each other.

“mobank never wants technology to replace face-to-face customer relationships,” said Grant Burcham, Missouri Bank president and CEO. “We hope our Facebook page, which has been a blast, is one way we can enhance these relationships.”

Facebook and other social media have changed the way people communicate, even in the banking and finance industry. Facebook is the third most popular Web site on the Internet, and it’s adding more than 700,000 new members each day.

Recently, an article for Mashable.com featured mobank’s Facebook page in the article, “5 Ways Banks are Using Social Media.” Mashable, “The Social Media Guide,” is one of the top three most popular blogs with more than 5 million monthly page views. In addition, Mashable founder and blogger Pete Cashmore tweeted a link to the story through his @mashable Twitter profile, which reaches 1.5 million followers.

Thank you to everyone who has become “a fan” of Missouri Bank on Facebook! To read “5 Ways Banks are Using Social Media” and comments posted to the article, please visit http://mashable.com/2009/09/11/banks-social-media/. In addition to mobank, the article also cites social media examples from Wachovia and Bank of America.

A Strategy You Can Bank On

This story appears as written by Cindy Hoedel of The Kansas City Star, with permission from the The Star.

Grant Burcham is president of Missouri Bank. When his family bought the bank at 910 Walnut in 1984, it was worth $13 million. Today, the value has grown to nearly $400 million. A Crossroads coffeehouse his bank helped finance was the venue for this conversation.

What was Missouri Bank like when your family bought it in 1984?

It had no parking, no drive through, no ATMs. We quickly learned there were a lot of barriers to getting new business. We weren’t convenient. You made a deposit, you got a parking ticket. It really drove home for us the importance of differentiation and just plain and simple great service. It’s all the little things. It’s not rocket science by any means.

View this link to read the entire story featured in the April 19th Star Magazine article.

Missouri Bank Coming to Brookside

In early 2010, Missouri Bank will open its fourth branch location at 7 W. 62nd Terrace in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City, Mo. The full-service branch will occupy the former Star Motors Ltd. building and will have two drive-through lanes that actually go right through the building. Initial plans include a lobby with floor-to-ceiling glass on one side, so drivers will be able to see mobank’s lobby through its glass walls.

East Façade

North Façade

“Brookside is a great urban neighborhood and a place where we’ve wanted to have a location for a long time,” said President and CEO Grant Burcham. “We’re not a huge branching bank and are very deliberate about where we want to go. We’ve identified certain areas in Kansas City that fit well with our brand and demographic. We like the sense of community in Brookside and want to be a part of it.”

The new branch will open in early 2010.

Missouri Bank Debuts New “Artboards”

In conjunction with February’s First Friday, Missouri Bank debuted its second set of “Artboards” on the rooftop of its Crossroads branch at 125 Southwest Blvd. The exhibit features local artists Archie Scott Gobber (east-facing) and Miki Baird (west-facing).

Gobber’s images illustrate the buzzword that pervaded the recent presidential election, while capitalizing on the nature of the billboard itself as something temporary, to be replaced in the near future.

Miki Baird’s “Urban Deposit” draws upon her interest in “litter and trash – the kind of things we all leave behind.” For this piece, Baird walked around the Crossroads area photographing plastic bottles, cups, and discarded wrappers, then combined dozens of small images to create a larger pattern.

mobank donated the billboards atop its newest branch building to the “Art through Architecture” (AtA) program. AtA is a partnership between Charlotte Street Foundation and the American Institute of Architects – Kansas City. They support local artists by encouraging and assisting architects to incorporate art into their projects. Kate Hackman, associate director of the Charlotte Street Foundation, serves as the project’s curator.

Designed by Helix Architecture + Design, mobank’s Crossroads branch was the first Kansas City area building to earn Gold-Level Art Achievement recognition through AtA. mobank’s “Artboards” will feature a new artist, typically launching on a First Friday, every four months.

October 2008 – Crossroads Branch is Open for Business

Open for business in October 2008, the new Crossroads Branch is complete. This bank is like none other in the region. Highlights include:

Two original Jesse Small sculptures
Custom-designed furniture by el dorado
A customer-friendly workplace offering wireless access
Cutting-edge technology with no teller windows to come between the mobanker and the customer

“It’s exciting to invest further in the Crossroads District,” said President and CEO Grant Burcham. “We’ve supported Crossroad’s businesses for decades and enjoyed having a branch there. Now we put down deeper roots and helped preserve the neighborhood’s character and integrity by renovating an existing building with a new sustainable design.”

The building is being submitted for Leadership in Energy and Environmentally Designed (LEED) Silver-certified. “It’s been quite a journey and learning experience working to attain this certification,” said Julie Ladage, chief operating officer. “From reusing timber and pavers, to planning a rooftop garden, which will absorb rainwater, improve air quality and beautify the view for people in surrounding buildings - we truly want to do our part to further enhance this great, historic district.”

mobank will open the Crossroads branch for selected First Fridays

September 2008 – Missouri Bank’s Brand Recognized as One of the Best in the Nation

Bancography Brand Value Index recently named Missouri Bank the 7th Best Bank Brand in the country. No other small bank in Kansas City made the list. “Considering there are more than 8,000 banks under $500 million in assets in the country, we are flattered and humbled to receive this recognition,” said President and CEO Grant Burcham.

Bancography is an independent brand consulting company that developed the Brand Value Index to calculate the value of an institution's brand and rank institutions among their peers.

In calculating brand value, Bancography quantifies the proportion of each bank’s value that is attributable to intangible factors that make up their brand. These factors include the bank’s reputation, service quality, image and market awareness. The brand value index identifies institutions that produce financial results beyond what their capital base, market conditions and competitive environments predict.

Missouri Bank customers, from small business owners to local artists and acclaimed chefs – seem to agree with Bancography. In a recent customer satisfaction survey, Missouri Bank’s clients described the bank as friendly, professional and – you got it, fun!

“We invented the brand by simply being ourselves. We believe in knowing customers on a personal level to build honest, sincere partnerships. That’s the heart of Missouri Bank,” said Grant Burcham. “It’s they way we treat our customers and each other. Our brand is merely a reflection of that philosophy, not something we’ve come up with in the marketing department.”

March 2008 –'S Corp’ Status a Long-Term Move for Missouri Bank

Missouri Bank was one of many banks that converted to S corporation legal status in 1997 following a regulatory shift in the industry. The new legislation allowed certain banks to be taxed through Subchapter S of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code.

These banks became subject to only one level of taxation; so when gains were realized by shareholders, they were taxed as partnerships and able to avoid double federal taxation at the corporate level.

Missouri Bank’s President and CEO Grant Burcham said the bank’s S corporation election was a long-term decision. “We’re trying to be a good steward for our customers and shareholders.”

Operating as an S corporation is beneficial on many levels. Because of the tax savings, the bank has more capital to work with, allowing assets to be funneled into the community.

To discourage immediate bank sales, Congress created a 10-year time period during which if a bank was sold, it would expose it to a built-in tax on any gains. As that 10-year period draws to a close, many have speculated it would spur an onslaught of bank acquisitions. However, analysts now think that concern for the national economy will keep acquisitions low this year.

We don’t have an exit strategy where having the 10 years run out would be beneficial,” Burcham said. “It’s a much longer time horizon. We didn’t look at this solely as a tax-favored investment. We see it as a way to help customers realize dreams and to provide opportunities for great folks who have a passion for their careers.”