New bank branch, restaurant celebrated

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

Monday was a day of new beginnings for a local bank and a downtown Van Wert establishment.

Officials with First Federal of Van Wert, the Van Wert Chamber of Commerce and others gathered to cut the ribbon at the bank’s new location at 820 N. Washington St., on the city’s north side. Later in the morning, there was a gathering to cut the ribbon and celebrate the grand opening of Saisaki, a new restaurant on E. Main St.

The new First Federal branch, at 820 N. Washington St., is the bank’s second location.

“If you told me five years ago that we would have needed another branch I wouldn’t have agreed with you, First Federal of Van Wert President/CEO Brian Renner said. “We saw an opportunity here and we believe Van Wert needs that local banking presence, somebody that’s looking out for the community, helping the community thrive and prosper. We did quite a bit of research and we believe that the north was a good opportunity for us to expand our services and our banking knowledge.”

The new branch offers the same banking products and services currently offered at First Federal’s Fox Rd. location, plus some new technology to better serve customers, including ITMs – Interactive Teller Machines.

“Those are our smart ATMs and during the day, a customer can come up and if they want an ATM transaction they hit the screen and it’s an ATM, or if they want to talk to a live teller, they hit the button and it’s a live teller,” Renner explained. “There are no tubes so everything is within the unit itself but it can basically all the same transactions that a tube system or drive-through system can do – all deposits, loan payments, it can dispense coins and cash, but the only thing it can’t do is collect coins.”

The rest of the new location includes a sizable lobby, a communications room, and offices. There are no safety deposit boxes at the new location.

Construction of the new branch took just under a year and it includes extending Bonnewitz Ave.

“Everything went very well,” Renner said. “We were pleased with everything. The city extending Bonnewitz to Market St is a great addition. The traffic light at the intersection gives good ingress and egress to our customers.

Later in the morning, the ribbon was cut on downtown Van Wert’s newest eating establishment – Saisaki, an Asian fusion restaurant at the corner of E. Main St. and N. Washington St. The ribbon cutting was part of a grand opening ceremony, which was well attended. The new eatery is a result of the ongoing Van Wert Forward project. Van Wert County Foundation CEO Seth Baker made brief remarks during the short ceremony. Saisaki had a soft opening last week.

Owned and operated by Andri and Leonora Purwanto, Saisaki brings a blend of flavors and hospitality to downtown Van Wert. The menu is full of fresh, handcrafted Asian fusion dishes, including sushi, fried rice and noodles, bento boxes, teriyaki, Japanese-style burgers and more. The family-friendly restaurant features a full-service bar, sushi bar, and flexible dining space.

For menus and hours, follow Saisaki on Facebook.