Brentwood welcomes new banks

Red Mountain Bank makes it official

Movement from inside the cool confines of Red Mountain Bank out into the 90-degree weather for the bank's official ribbon cutting Tuesday took a while. No one seemed in a hurry to step outside to the parking lot.

But when everyone got there, Market President Rick Archer Jr. made quick work of it, introducing the bigwigs from the Birmingham home office, his Brentwood staff and special guests.

"You've made a big improvement to this corner," Mayor Betsy Crossley told Archer and the crowd of about 40. "It's absolutely beautiful."

Then not half as slowly as they came out, everyone filed back in, where a serious buffet of goodies and cold drinks waited.

I could grow to like ribbon cuttings, I think, with grow being the operative word.

Weight Watchers. The Martin Center. Tomorrow.

Reliant opens first Brentwood branch

And this news just arrived in the BrentWord home office:

Reliant Bank has officially opened the doors in Maryland Farms. The bank acquired the Brentwood location of Magna Bank making it Reliant’s third location and second expansion within just 10 months.
The new location at 5109 Peter Taylor Park, is located just off Maryland Way in Brentwood. The full-service branch offers consumer, business, investment and mortgage services.
Branch Manager Mike Buffler previously served as the assistant branch manager for the bank’s main office. Sarah Johnson the location’s commercial lender, joins Reliant from Magna Bank.
“This is a great opportunity for Reliant to further our footprint and meet the needs of those looking for a better banking experience. We have a great team of employees who are ready to serve the area,” Buffler stated. “Being located in Maryland Farms also provides excellent growth opportunity for the bank.”

A big open house celebration is planned later this month.

Valet parking Tuesday, and down the road

Red Mountain Bank makes it official

Red Mountain Bank, which opened two months ago at the corner of Franklin Road and Maryland Way, is ready to make it official. A ribbon cutting is planned Tuesday at 4 p.m. and everyone's invited.
Worried about parking? No need. Market President Rick Archer told me today they'll have valet parking and everything for the special event.
"We've had a great first two months," he said. "We've been blessed, especially in this economy. We're very happy."
He's not the only one.
The Birmingham-based bank performed a miracle at that very visible corner that makes me happy every time I drove by. It, along with other redos in the city's commercial district are slowly but surely making the area look brighter even without a lot of new development, or redevelopment as the case may be.
In addition to the ribbon cutting, the open house will feature hors oeuvres, Red Mountain Bank's signature coffee and visitors from its home office.

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More valet on the way

Speaking of redos in Town Center, did you see Vicki Stout's feature on Judge Bean's Bar-B-Que in Sunday's Williamson A.M.? If not, here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/BWbean.

Speaking of valet parking, Aubrey Bean mentioned to me on Friday he hopes to offer valet parking soon to alleviate some of the parking and traffic flow headaches being experienced at the Brentwood Court shopping center off Church Street.

The addition of Beans to the mix of already successful established businesses (Sweet Pea's, Sugar Drop, Amy's Gifts) and new ones (Nashville Needleworks) is becoming an issue. The lot has not been improved in ages. Check back later for more on this topic.

Our 'tony' town adds a bank

On Nov. 11, 2007, The Birmingham News published a story that stated, "Birmingham's Red Mountain Bank applied to open a branch in Brentwood, Tenn., a tony suburb of Nashville, signaling the boutique bank's first move outside the state."
I just hate it when someone calls us "tony," though my friend Jill Burgin did blog last week about moms wearing $250 sandals to the Civitan ball fields (http://www.seafoodchicken.blogspot.com/).
But what the Birmingham article predicted less than two years ago came true Monday with the opening of the Birmingham-based bank's first true Tennessee location.
Except for watching the transformation from crud to cream over the past few months, I knew little about the bank now at the corner of Franklin Road and Maryland Way. I walked in as a stranger and out as a potential customer, at least of their Red Mountain Bank coffee (keep reading for details).
Don't look for teller stations and "the rail" as we used to call it when I worked as a United Virginia Bank teller during college. As Rick Archer Jr., market president, explained it, Red Mountain has a "three-step rule" all staffers are trained to follow. That would be that before any customer has taken three steps into the branch, someone will be there to greet them.
"Our goal is to get to know you as an individual," he explained while standing in the taupe lobby that's still in progress, but already features leather chairs, big-screen TVs and a coffee and water bar adorned with fresh sunflowers.
Which brings me back to the coffee. In its Alabama branches, RMB sells two kinds of coffee, The Daily Grind, featuring beans from Indonesia and Central America, and an Investment Blend, with beans from Indonesia and East Africa. All proceeds go to local charities.
It seems that the city of Brentwood has some ordinance that prevents the bank from selling the coffee, so here it will make the bags available for donations. Where will those donations go? The staff is still trying to decide. Why don't you make a suggestion? I think it should stay right here in Brentwood or at least Williamson County. How about Happy Tales Humane perhaps, or what about Bridges of Williamson County?
Unfortunately, even our "tony" city and home county are home to many non-profits helping more people -- and animals -- than ever before.
I didn't sign up for anything today -- when I asked if they were offering an interest-free, opening-day loan special they looked perplexed. But I'll definitely be back for more coffee.

Amazing day in downtown Brentwood

What an amazing day it's been.
Had incredible meeting with web designer. Then had lunch at Sweetpea's Cafe (formerly Maggie's) just off Church Street in the little strip mall just east of Pewitt Drive. Not only was the catfish great, we were told that business has really begun to pick back up after a slow spring.
I'm taking that as a positive sign the recession is slowing.
Next it was on to Tom Jones' State Farm insurance office where I gazed across at the new Red Mountain Bank. Who would have thought the downtrodden building at that corner could be rejuvenated and landscaped to look so wonderful? Paired with the framing going up on the Pinnacle Bank building at Franklin Road and Town Center Way and the amazing facelift to the building that now houses The Perch coffee and crepe house, we have some real-world examples of how Town Center can improve right now.
See my previous post about the new restaurant renovating the sad Church Street Pub building and you'll agree we're really on a roll here.
Did I mention Spruce, my new favorite gift and home accessories store? If you haven't stopped in, do it. After eyeing it for months, I finally went in today. Wow. No need to head to downtown Franklin and redo or any of the other stores there. Combined with existing businesses like Hot Pink, Gabriel's Garden and the other boutiques that call downtown Brentwood home, we're looking good.
Cheerleading for Brentwood? Sure. But why not. Anyone who knows me knows I don't give feint praise.
So get out this weekend and start exploring yourself. And if you're hungry, I thoroughly recommend the catfish at Sweetpea's.

Say, we're 'Historic' too, and lots more

While the election of a new mayor and vice-mayor stole the headlines from Monday night's City Commission meeting (scroll down to Monday night's post for details), there's lots of other news to report. For instance ....

Bank a welcome sight
Rick English shared with the commission that Red Mountain Bank will open in three to four weeks at the corner of Franklin Road and Maryland Way. All who have passed or turned that corner in the past few years know what an improvement the bank has made since acquiring the forlorn-looking building that most recently was home to dry cleaning and computer repair businesses.
English shared that Red Mountain has spent $18,000 on landscaping alone. A grand opening is planned in late June.

Historic Franklin move over
While recognizing her request was late in the city's budget-making process, Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber president Cindi Parmenter asked the commission to consider using a portion of its motel tax to support the Williamson County Convention and Visitors Bureau (http://www.visitwilliamson.com/). She held up the bureau's latest tourism brochure that only mentions Historic Franklin on its cover "because we are not supporting the CVB," she said. (The county seat just loves it when people use that capital "H". It's Historic, you know.)
With city support, Brentwood would hold more seats on the bureau's board, could possibly be home to a new visitor's center and could get a piece of the tourism organization's $1.1 million budget, Parmenter said.
"It is an investment, not just an expenditure," she added. Brentwood has more hotel/motel rooms than any other city in the county, making the request seem reasonable.

A November election ahead?
City resident and active chamber member Chris Bosen asked commission members to discuss turnout at last week's municipal election, and what each thought of holding the non-partisan event in conjunction with state or national races as a way to increase voter interest.
Of the commissioners who responded, none spoke in favor of making a change. Anne Dunn cited partisan interference in the past as one reason the commission years ago voted to have its own election day.
Commissioner Joe Sweeney, however, did suggest that Bosen and the chamber undertake a study and to share the results with the commission. A step in the right direction.

Picayune, Miss. pays it forward
Did you know if a natural disaster strikes Brentwood and chaos and crime run rampant in the aftermath, all we have to do is make a phone call to Mississippi and reinforcements will be on their way?
This comforting bit of information was shared by Police Chief Ricky Watson as he presented a proclamation and plaque given to the city from its counterpart in Picayune, Miss. Nineteen of Brentwood's finest went to help out there immediately after Hurricane Katrina.
Watson said the area had looting, assaults and no services after the storm.
"It's just undescribable what you could see as you flew over," he said of his visit to check on his crew while they were there.
Greg Mitchell, Picayune's mayor, called his proclamation a "pay it forward" one, Watson said. Let's hope we never have to cash it in.

Saying goodbye to the Judge
There was a reception Tuesday for retiring City Judge Thomas Schlater who served all but two of the past 40 years on the city's bench. Haven't heard, but I hope all of the teenagers he has taken licenses from over the years didin't catch wind of it. It could have gotten ugly.
Seriously though, I bet more than a few of them would love to shake his hand and say thanks now that a little bit of time, or in Judge Schlater's case, a lot, has passed.

What else? Well, Comcast is suing the city but apparently we don't have to worry about it ... yet.

Have BrentWord worthy news to share? Email me at brentword@comcast.net.