Simmons Bank and the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis Inc. (ULSTL) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony in early October for the new full-service branch on the first floor at the civil rights group’s headquarters. Located at 1408 North King- shighway, construction on the branch began in early 2022 and was completed in 2023. The nearly 2,600-square-foot branch will provide customers access to a full range of banking prod- ucts and services, including a drive-thru banking lane and ATM with deposit capabilities.

“Simmons Bank has been a strong partner of the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis and the new branch located at our headquarters will provide much-needed access to impor- tant financial services to the members of our community,” said Michael McMillian, president and CEO of ULSTL. “Through this partnership, Simmons Bank is helping to support our mission of providing economic stability and social equality for African Americans and others throughout St. Louis.”

The new branch represents a continued partnership between Simmons Bank and the ULSTL which began in 2019 with a $10,000 donation to support programming at civil rights organization. Simmons Bank is the operating subsidiary of Simmons First National Corp., the publicly traded regional bank headquartered in Pine Bluff. Simmons operates 231 branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.

In 2020, the ULSTL purchased its headquarters building and Simmons Bank provided financing for the transaction. As part of the ceremony, ULSTL received a $50,000 donation from Simmons in conjunction with their Restoring Hope Capital Campaign.

“Simmons Bank is proud to partner with the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis to provide access to financial resources which we believe will empower individuals and create economic opportunity in our community,” said Tom Lally, Missouri metro division president for Simmons. “The redevelopment underway in this area is an important renaissance project in our city and we believe this new branch will serve as a catalyst for additional investment and transformation along the Kingshighway cor- ridor.”

The new branch was designed and built by minority-owned businesses Grice Group Architects and KWAME Building Group. The Grice Group Architects also designed the Centene Ferguson Training Facility in collaboration with The Urban League and Centene Corporation. KWAME Building Group also constructed the 13,500 square-foot Community Empowerment Center
of Ferguson in partnership with the Urban League in 2017. Simmons provided financing for this project and also has an ATM located in the building.