After a year of remodeling and renovations, Bell Bank Mortgage celebrated the grand opening of its downtown mortgage servicing center located at 234 Frederica Street with a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday.
Bell Bank Mortgage is a division of Bell Bank. Headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota, it is one of the nation’s largest employee- and family-owned banking systems.
The company has had a temporary center in Owensboro since last August, and the location currently has approximately 40 employees.
Senior Vice President and Mortgage Servicing Director Bob Smiley said they hope to fill the building, bringing a total of 178 jobs to Owensboro.
Smiley said that the company chose Owensboro because of the type of people in its local workforce.
“We selected Owensboro because of the similarities to our company,” Smiley said. “It’s a smaller Midwest culture with hardworking people. Bell itself is a stable, family-oriented company that puts great value on their employees.”
Smiley was particularly excited about the new location being downtown and what that offers to the employees.
Michelle Trenda, a new loan specialist, said thus far Bell Bank Mortgage has offered a positive work environment.
“They put us first,” Trenda said. “They go above and beyond to make sure that we’re happy and that our quality of life matters.”
Candance Castlen Brake, president and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, was present along with other chamber members to celebrate the occasion. Brake said that getting Bell Bank Mortgage here is an exciting moment after experiencing location issues and obstacles with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Positive announcements like this create momentum,” Brake said. “This is an example of things that happen because people get together and figure out how they’re going to overcome obstacles. That’s what we do here in Owensboro.”
