By Thomas Sellers Jr.
MEMPHIS — November 16, 2020 was another landmark day in the history of the bank that started in Millington, Tenn., almost 20 years ago.
“Patriot Bank appreciates your support for this branch we’re calling Patriot Bank Raleigh Springs.” With those words on Nov. 18 in front of the newest 3535 Austin Peay Highway location, Patriot Bank Chairman and CEO Charles Ennis ushered in a new chapter fast growing business.
The Patriot Bank Raleigh Springs branch is the first location within the city limits of Memphis. The Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce was on hand for the official ribbon cutting on the third day of operation of the bank in the old Regions Bank location.
Back in July Patriot Bank made the purchase of the property and 100 days later the branch was open for business.
“This is an amazing day,” said Paul Young, director for City of Memphis Division of Housing and Community Development. “My role here today is to talk about the community vision. I wanted to do this in the context of thinking about what’s across the street. If we think back seven or eight years ago. If you looked across the street you would have seen old, vacant, blighted mall. That’s not the image that encourages investment around it.”
The new Patriot Bank location is literally in the middle of a once buzzing area in Raleigh. At the turn of the millennium the corner of Austin Peay and Yale Road was home to a full retailer center, grocery store, bank and full-access shopping mall called the Raleigh-Springs Mall.
Over the past 20 years there has been deconstruction of buildings, vacant retail shops and land for sale. The city of Memphis had a vision to revitalize that corner.
“We took on an ambitious effort to acquire the mall,” Young said. “It was not easy. It cost a lot of money. Had a few lawsuits and things to acquire it. But it was all worth it because what we wanted to do insure we had a space the community felt was all it’s own.”
Along with Patriot Bank the corner already has the Raleigh Spring Civic Center featuring a library, the traffic and Raleigh Police precincts and 20 acres of available land for redevelopment. Next door to Patriot Bank, a Starbucks is already under construction.
Patriot Bank has been investing in the communities it calls home since 2001. In October 2001, the bank opened in Millington and eventually spread from Shelby County to Tipton and Fayette counties. Patriot Bank was voted 2020 Millington Star Readers’ Choice Business of the Year. In addition CEO Charles Ennis was selected Man of the Year by the readers.
Now with multiple full service locations, Patriot Bank offers a wide range of consumer and commercial accounts and a mortgage division. To map out the bank, you can visit Patriot Bank in Millington, Collierville and Barretville in Shelby County. Up the road in Tipton County, there are locations in Covington and Atoka.
Patriot Bank also has many convenient services such as ATMs and debit cards, telephone banking and free online banking and bill pay. While offering a variety of competitive financial products, it’s Patriot Bank’s personalized and professional customer service that sets the bank apart. Complete customer satisfaction is the goal of both management and employees, and Patriot Bank. Patriot Bank’s slogan is “Down home Banking the Way It Should Be.”
Young and Ennis were just two participants in the Grand Opening/Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Patriot Bank CRA Officer Michelle Couch made a check presentation to the community of Frayser for $25,000 . Then Chief Operating Officer Tina Walker recognized all the renovation partners for the Raleigh Springs location.
Those partners are Aire Serv Heating & AC, Apex Flooring, Asphalt Paving Company, AT&T, Atlas Fixture & Cabinet Works, Inc., Bank Equipment Specialists, LLC, Bruce Hayes Communications, Cummins Allison, Diebold, English Garden, Federal Protection, Financial Products & Services Inc., Fiserv, Gayden Sings, JAN-PRO Cleaning Services, IBT Enterprises (Jennifer Pickler, architect/designer), IMEC/Memphis Engraving Company Inc., Kohn Painting & Consulting, Landscape Workshop, Makeda’s Cookies, Memphis Glass Works, LLC, MW Construction, Phelps Electric, Inc., Quality Commercial Cleaning, QSI, Inc., Retriever Payment Systems, Security Bank-Dyersburg Affiliate, Shelby County Code Enforcement, Wilburn Plumbing, Williams Sign Company, Inc., Workplace Furniture, Inc., XMC Office Solutions and valued consultants Malia Bryant, Craig Evans and Dorian Spears.
Like with other grand openings, Ennis called upon a prayer to help blessed the new venture. Golden Gate Cathedral’s Ed Stephens had the privilege of delivering the prayer. Then a celebratory song was powerfully presented by Ephie Ballard-Johnson of Neighborhood Christian Center.
