FirstBank Holding Company, the Colorado-based holding company for FirstBank, which has been operating in Arizona since 2007, today announced a new location at 19309 N. R. H. Johnson Blvd. in Sun City West. This 4,500-square-foot location marks the company’s 15th branch in Arizona and also pushes FirstBank over 100 employees within the state of Arizona.
Kevin Classen is the West Valley Market President and will oversee the new branch. FirstBank hired several local employees as well as relocated current employees to staff the branch.
“FirstBank’s continued growth with the new Sun City West location marks a major milestone in our commitment to the Arizona market,” said Classen. “Since we entered the market more than seven years ago, FirstBank has been able to provide Arizona banking customers with a trusted banking relationship, and we look forward to continuing to do so at our new branch location.”
The new location will offer a full range of checking and savings accounts, including free business and personal checking and FirstBank’s eSave account package, which automatically transfers 1 cent up to $99.99 to customers’ savings account each time they use a debit card, pay a bill electronically or transfer funds.
In addition to the Sun City West grand opening, FirstBank is also celebrating several recent milestones and major loan investments. Since opening its first Arizona location in 2007, FirstBank has provided area residents and businesses with 2,025 loans worth more than $750 million. FirstBank has also uniquely positioned itself in the market, becoming the area’s leader in lending and banking to foreign Canadian investors. Over the past several years, FirstBank has developed Canadian loan programs totaling more than $45 million in loans to Canadian citizens and companies investing in the area.
Among FirstBank’s major recent projects include several new construction loans for new apartment developments. With the recent boom in multi-family housing throughout the Phoenix area, FirstBank has approved nearly $70 million in loans in 2014 to help in the construction of more than 750 new apartment units to market. “FirstBank has been a true partner throughout this project,” said Rick Huffman, chief executive officer of HCW, LLC. “The growth throughout Phoenix has been exciting to watch and we are proud to play a major part in the city’s continued expansion.”
FirstBank — which operates more than 115 locations in Colorado, Arizona and California — is highly active with local communities where its employees live and work. The company donated more than $5 million to nonprofits in Arizona, California and Colorado last year and was the main sponsor of the inaugural Arizona Gives Day, a 24-hour online giving initiative aimed at increasing individual giving throughout the state, which raised more than $1 million for Arizona nonprofits. Additionally, FirstBank recently announced a $20,000 donation to the Arizona Leadership Foundation, providing scholarships for students to attend private schools throughout the state. FirstBank is unique in that a majority of its stock is owned by management and employees.
