Firelands Federal Credit Union of Galion is moving into a new building this week. The Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce, along with United Way and other non-profits will be moving into the building that Firelands is vacating.
Galion’s new Firelands location will be located at 1222 State Route 598 (Portland Way North).
“Firelands Federal Credit Union has been looking for an opportunity to build a new location in Galion for several years,” said Nicole Jones, vice-president of marketing for Firelands Federal Credit Union.
“Our location at 419 Harding Way West was not large enough, it didn’t have adequate parking to accommodate our growing membership and there was no room for expansion,” Jones said “The new location at 1222 State Route 598 [Portland Way North] is located in a developing part of town that sees a lot of traffic, but isn’t congested.”
The new branch will have five teller stations, a coin counting machine, a drive-through ATM and ample parking, she added.
Angie Owens, branch manager for Firelands Federal Credit Union in Galion, is looking forward to working in the new building.
“We are so excited for the new office to open,” said Owens. “Firelands FCU has had a lot of growth over the past few years, and we have outgrown the Harding Way West branch. We are looking forward to continued growth in Galion, and the opportunities the new branch will bring.”
The ATM at the Harding Way West location will remain active after the relocation.
The new Firelands will open for business Monday, Oct. 27 at 8:30 a.m. Grand Opening week begins Monday, Nov. 3 and will include a variety of activities.
“We could not have taken this opportunity for growth without the combined efforts of all of our staff,” said Firelands Federal Credit Union President/CEO, Stephen Wasserman. “In addition, we appreciate everything the Galion city officials and the Galion-Crestline Chamber of Commerce have done to aid us in our expansion efforts. I am extremely excited about our new facility and the opportunity for growth in the Galion community.”
The old Firelands building, 419 Harding Way West, will see their new tenants in the near future. The Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce will be moving into the old Firelands building on Dec. 8.
Judy Dyer, executive secretary of the chamber, is looking forward to the move. “Oh, yes, very much so,” she said. “We’re going to be more visible, more signage, plenty of room for parking.” Dyer said the chamber is packed and ready to move except for the day-to-day things they need to conduct business.
Other chamber items are being revamped. The coat rack has been fixed, the conference table will be refinished, and the pamphlet cabinet has been stained to match the existing furniture. All storage will be moved to the basement of the new building.
“Basically, it was a business decision,” said Joe Kleinknect, president and CEO of the Galion-Crestine Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber had been looking for a larger facility and had looked at other buildings. When the plans for the new Firelands building on Portland Way crossed his desk he asked about the cost of their former building.
“The price was attractive,” said Kleinknecht.
“In the old Firelands building there are three offices upstairs,” said Kleinknecht. The teller area will become a conference room. The west side of the building will be space for United Way while the east side will be for the chamber.
Kleinknecht added other advantages of the new building are the increased beautification of the building, the new brick sign, the great parking and the fact that the chamber will be strategically placed between the two main business districts: Galion West District along Portland Way and the Uptowne District along Harding Way. Kleinknect added that the agreement with Firelands included that their ATM machine remain for customers in the central Galion area.
“They took great care of the building,” said Kleinknect. There will be room for more non-profit agencies in the new building and several are presently in leasing negotiations.
“We will miss being in the Uptowne,” said Kleinknect who added Hamilton Insurance will be moving into the chamber’s former offices. “So, the space won’t be empty.”
Amber Wertman, director of the Crawford County United Way is also excited about the move to the old Firelands building. Recently all of Crawford County United Way agencies merged into one larger agency creating a corresponding need for space. In light of the merger, Wertman also likes the message the United Way’s new home will send.
“We are stronger together than we are separate. This is what this building is going to be about. I think it sends a positive message to the people of Galion.”
