Illinois bank uses prefabricated materials to construct branch

The construction of National Bank and Trust's new branch in Sandwich, Ill., gave rise to much interest in town — interest that may have resulted in new accounts..The branch opened in this town of 7,000 people last month. In just the first three days, the branch opened 32 new accounts bringing in $1.7 million in deposits. "That was from the soft opening," said Brad Brown, vice president for retail banking at the $590 million bank. "We haven't begun to market the branch yet.".The exterior pieces of the branch were built at PG Architecture Design/Build in Rockford, Ill., and were hauled into town on trucks. A crane hoisted the bank's walls into place.."When a new branch is built in a town this size, it can create quite a stir. In a nine-month construction period, the stir can die down but when you are up and running in five months, that momentum is still there," Brown said.."It's great free publicity for your new branch," said Rod Gustafson, partner at PG Architecture. "You get a lot people who come in and say, 'I saw them haul in those big pieces. I just wanted to see what it looks like in here.' That person is a potential customer.".PG Architecture combines design and construction. "A lot of time and money is saved from removing inefficiencies between an architect's design and the building process," Gustafson said.