A Sheffield, Ala.-based bank announced Aug. 4 that it is building a $60 million operations center on 50 acres of a former Tennessee Valley Authority property off Reservation Road in Muscle Shoals.
Construction on Bank Independent's 95,000-sq.-ft. complex will begin next spring, the company said, a process that is expected to last two years. The new complex is being designed to allow Bank Independent to move all its operations staff under one roof. Currently, those employees are spread among five buildings Muscle Shoals.
"Today's announcement continues our 75-year commitment to making a positive difference every day for our team members, our customers and our communities," Bank Independent President Macke Mauldin said in a news release.
"Our new facility will provide high quality custom designed office space to serve the needs of our team members, customers, and communities," added Rick Wardlaw, the company's CEO, in the same statement.
He explained that the new Muscle Shoals ops center will include training rooms, a medical response area, a wellness room, a fitness center and a conference center served by catering. In addition, the new facility will have a team member café, private dining and a kitchen.
Wardlaw said the center also is slated to have a Bank Independent Museum "that will honor the legacy of the thousands of team members who have served the bank over the past 75 years with over 25 million hours of service. We look forward to this facility enhancing our reputation as the employer of choice for the next 75 years."
The general contractor for the new Bank Independent ops center is Robins & Morton, a privately held construction firm based in Birmingham, with branch offices in Huntsville, Charlotte, Dallas, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, San Antonio and Tampa.
Since 1946, the builder has established a reputation as a trusted advisor to clients nationwide by cultivating a high-performing team that values integrity, safety, and innovative thinking. Due to that, Robins & Morton is among the top 15 contractors in the southeast.
Complex to Be Sited in Natural Setting
Bank Independent, with 29 branches across northern Alabama, noted in the release that plans call for the Muscle Shoals building to be four floors in height and sit on a high point at the edge of a forest with meadow views to the east and abundant trees to the west. Team members will park on the forested side, which will give their cars shade, and employees will be connected to a welcoming two-story lobby by a covered walkway. Entrances from two sides of the building also will give direct access to the building for visitors and team members alike.
Systems are planned to be put in place to ensure comfortable working conditions, and floors sized for functional work groups have been designed for effective collaboration. Configured floor plates will allow natural light to penetrate deep into the workplace.
The building's structure will include a combination of steel and concrete, while the façade will encompass brick, glass and metal panels with aluminum frames, Bank Independent noted in its news release.
Additionally, the facility's HVAC system will employ chillers and an underfloor distribution system that delivers air directly into the comfort zone. The interiors are set to use LED lighting systems suspended from a structure above with minimal suspended ceilings, which will result in tall interior spaces. Corporate workspace will be subdivided by open office systems furniture and demountable glass walls — all providing maximum flexibility for future changes.
"While this facility demonstrates our commitment to our team and our community, it is also an investment," Mauldin explained. "It's an investment in the creative and collaborative future of work. We built a similar facility on a smaller scale for our subsidiary company, Interstate Billing Service, in Decatur back in 2016. That investment has more than paid off in the efficiencies we have gained from a quality work environment that facilitates collaboration and promotes the wellbeing of our team."
Top Architecture/Design Team Took Project
Calvin Durham with Lambert Ezell Durham (LED) Architecture LLC, in Florence, Ala., is the lead architect on the new Bank Independent operations center, in association with KPS Group Inc. in Huntsville.
LED Architecture is the oldest and largest design firm in the region, Bank Independent said in its statement. The firm has been delivering quality architectural and interior design services for projects, both large and small, in the Shoals, and in the surrounding areas of Huntsville, Decatur, Athens, Moulton, Russellville, Haleyville, and Double Springs as well as in Georgia and Tennessee.
Established in 1965, KPS Group provides architecture, interior design, planning and related consulting services across the southeast from its Birmingham headquarters and satellite office in Huntsville.
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