KSB purchases bank downtown, plans to move in patient services

DIXON – KSB Hospital is buying the Midland States Bank building downtown to house its community wellness center and financial departments, company officials announced Friday.

Midland Market President Jan Woodward said traffic has slowed considerably at the branch on 101 W. First St., which the bank has owned for more than 7 decades.

"Technology has changed the way banking is done," she said. "Lots of our clients are opting for online options, thus, we had to make the decision to close this lobby, which was not an easy decision to make."

Midland will continue to operate on the second and third floors, and KSB will occupy the basement along with the first, fourth and fifth floors.

KSB President/CEO Dave Schreiner said the space will house a community wellness center with health and lifestyle improvement classes, along with the hospital's accounting, patient financial services, registration, and strategic planning departments.

“We’re hoping in the coming months that we’ll be able to use this area for patient education to talk about ways to live healthier and feel better," Schreiner said.

The main floor will have customer services, including billing and records.

It also will be a way to unify the financial departments under one roof – right now, they are scattered throughout the hospital, Commerce Towers and Town Square Centre, so the move will free up space for potential new services in those buildings, Schreiner said.

The bank contacted KSB about buying the building in December; the $450,000 purchase should be finalized in the next 30 days.

Services should be up and running by July or August, and 70 to 100 of the hospital's 950 employees will be moved into the space.

It will be renamed the KSB Lovett Center in honor of the Lovett family, which has longstanding ties to the bank, the hospital and a variety of community boards and organizations.

The historic corner building opened as Dixon National Bank in 1914, and was purchased by H.O. Lovett and his son, Donald R. Lovett, about 70 years ago.

The bank was sold to Amcore in 1992, then to Midland States Bank in 2010.

Donald was the first man on KSB's Board of Directors in 1972.

His son, Jeff, was a regional market president for Midland. He died in July after an 11-month battle with bladder cancer.

"Don and Jeff Lovett worked tirelessly on behalf of the Dixon community, and their efforts will long be remembered," Leon Holschbach, president and CEO of Midland States Bancorp, Inc., said in a news release. "KSB dedicating this building to the Lovetts is a terrific way to honor everything the Lovett family has stood for, and Midland is proud to be involved in this effort."

Mayor Li Arellano Jr. said changes in the economy and with technology are bringing a "natural turnover of growth" to communities, that when one business downsizes or moves, another is there to expand to fill the gap.

"I think what’s important for any community is that you embrace that change that comes and you find a way to keep progressing, keep growing, and that’s something you see consistently in the Dixon community."

MORE INFO

Call 815-288-5531, go to ksbhospital.com or find KSB Hospital on Facebook for more information.

Call 855-696-4352, go to midlandsb.com or find Midland States Bank on Facebook for more information.