Community State Bank’s new headquarters on the northeast side of Ankeny is almost ready for its employees to call it home.

The final touches are being put on the four-story, 71,000-square-foot building. Employees will begin moving in in mid-April, and the bank will begin operating from the new location on May 1, bank CEO Kurt Gibson said during a recent tour of the building, located at the corner of Northeast 36th Street and Northeast Four Mile Drive, near Costco.

Community State Bank had nine locations throughout the metro but lacked one location that was large enough to house departments that benefit from working close to one another, Gibson said.

The new headquarters will house about 140 employees when it opens, but has room for growth. None of the bank’s other branches will close, Gibson said.

“This gives us a space where we can improve collaboration,” he said.

Living up to its name

Equally important to what Community State Bank’s new headquarters will offer its employees is what it can offer the community, Gibson said.

There is a grand staircase in the front entryway and lobby, which could be used for events, both those sponsored by the bank and those hosted by other community groups or organizations.

On either side of the staircase are retractable screens available for various events and programming.

Adjacent to the entryway and lobby is meeting space that will be made available to the community. It can be divided into two separate rooms depending on need. 

Also in the lobby is The Refresh, where clients or community groups can host coffee meetings, happy hours or lunch. 

On the other side of the lobby are the retail banking center and Community State Bank’s wealth management division.

Jaclyn Taylor, owner of Taylor REP, the owner representative that worked with Community State Bank on the headquarters project, said the entryway and lobby is intended to be inviting to customers and the community.

“We wanted it to be very professional looking, designed smart but functional, but also with an impact,” she said during the tour. “It’s extremely elegant but understated.”

Taylor said the building has consistencies in its design throughout.

“You’ll see statement pieces, like the grand staircase, but some consistencies, too,” she said. “We wanted some of the raw material look, but wanted softness brought to the space as well. We really love the mix of materials, the steel and the wood.”

There is also signage throughout that is designed to inspire and personalize the space.

“The design was intentional for customers with inviting amenities for them and we really thought of them when this area was designed,” Taylor said in describing the lobby and grand staircase.

On the third floor is a learning center that seats 162 people. It’s where Community State Bank will provide training for its team. The space will also be available to other companies or organizations that may not have training space available in their current location.

Taylor said 99% of work was completed by local partners, which “reflects CSB’s deep commitment to the community it serves.”

Gibson said having space, whether it be the first-floor meeting rooms or the learning center, where other organizations can meet allows the bank to live up to its name.

“We want to be able to help,” he said. “Community is in our name, so we think that’s a valuable part of the service we can provide. It’s part of our role as a corporate citizen throughout Central Iowa.”

The right space to achieve its mission

Community State Bank was founded in 1902 and is the only bank chartered in Ankeny, making it an easy decision to build its new headquarters in the fast-growing community, Gibson said.

“There were other options available, but many studies show this part of Polk County, the northeast side of Ankeny between here, Elkhart and Bondurant, is going to be one of the fastest growing areas in Central Iowa over the next 30 years,” he said. “We thought this was a great location to put a bank. It’s great for our customers and great to support the growth that’s going to happen in this part of the metro.”

For employees who will work in the new headquarters, there are many upgrades and features that Gibson and others involved in the project say will be attractive.

Employee work areas are split evenly between work stations and private office space. 

Work stations are an open office concept and located along the outside areas of the floors where natural light is abundant from the glass that encapsulates the building. The building is equipped with solar powered shades, which move up or down with the sun.

Work stations are equipped with desks that can be raised or lowered for either standing or sitting.

Offices are purposely designed to be a little smaller to encourage users to spend more time in collaborative areas to foster greater engagement among staff, Gibson said.

Besides the learning center, the building’s third floor features the Recharge, a cafeteria and break room similar to the Refresh on the first floor but larger with a variety of seating. It provides space for employees to take a break, enjoy coffee, meet with another employee or just get away to clear their head for a few minutes. Adjacent to that space, is a covered outdoor patio with furniture. 

Just off the Recharge are two standard restrooms and four bathrooms with showers. Around the corner are lockers where employees can store their workout gear or other belongings.

The third floor also features the building’s fitness center.

Each work area and department has dedicated print stations, coffee stations and under-the-counter refrigerators.

There are up to 16 conference rooms, including a conference space that seats around 22 people at the top of the grand staircase on the second floor where client and customer meetings can be held.

The conference rooms provide a nod to the bank’s past and are named after past leaders and officers of the bank, four of whom were women.

The executive suite is on the fourth floor, which includes offices for leadership, a boardroom large enough to accommodate the bank’s board of directors and another covered patio. Adjacent to the boardroom is a kitchen area that can be used for catering.

Gibson said the design of the building was intentional and intended to meet the needs of employees and the community. Employee committees focused on different elements of the design and had input on just about everything from finishes and trims to lighting, flooring, furnishings and colors used in the building.

“This is about what we think our employees deserve, what our customers deserve and what the community deserves,” he said.

Community State Bank’s new headquarters by the numbers

• 535 tons of steel
• 120 miles of wire
• 118 tons of glass
• 6 million LED lights on the exterior

Source: Community State Bank website and Taylor REP

Project partners on the Community State Bank headquarters

• Taylor REP 
• Simonson and Associates Architects
• Graham Construction, a 3G Company
• Snyder and Associates
• Baker Group
• Raker Rhodes Engineering

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9 a.m. on April 2 to correct a reference to Community State Bank’s wealth management division.