TS Bank grand opening honors veterans
November 2, 2016 | TS Bank
Council Bluffs, IA Oct. 21, 2016 – Not one of the 200+ attendees that surrounded the new four-story TS Bank office building at 43 Scott Street could say they expected the grand opening to be one full of surprises and emotion. While the focus of the grand opening and ribbon cutting was to celebrate the new Council Bluffs office, CEO Joshua M. Guttau shared that the celebration was also an opportunity to honor a few employees of TS Bank who helped set the foundation and culture of the company.
One such employee Guttau choose to honor was Gene Young, a man who has worn many hats throughout his past 35 years at TS Bank, serving as the Executive Vice President for many of those years and currently serves on the board of directors. The first floor boardroom will be dedicated to Gene Young as the "Young Boardroom".
“Gene was one that chose to embrace my vision of turning a small community bank in Treynor, Iowa into something none of us, at the time, could have imagined,” said Guttau.
(Pictured: Joshua Guttau (left) honors Gene Young (right) with a board room in the new building named after him)
The second surprise incorporated the reveal of a large sculpture that depicts a few meaningful forms such as a globe, an eagle, a cobra snake and the America flag. The feature was a project that Guttau hired a local artist to create in order to represent what his father and mother, current Chairmen of the TS Bank Board, and former CEO Michael “Mick” Guttau, and Board Secretary, and former Marketing Director Judy Guttau; had experienced during the Vietnam War era. These experiences became the foundation and cornerstone of the company culture.
Unbeknownst to Mick Guttau, his wife Judy Guttau, and the majority of TS Bank employees, the feature was installed a few days before the grand opening ceremony.
Mick Guttau served in the Vietnam War as a Cobra Attack Helicopter pilot, and upon returning home to Treynor, Iowa, eventually bought Treynor State Bank. While each portion of the feature was unveiled, Joshua Guttau shared stories of the trials and tribulations that his father, mother and his father’s fellow soldiers went through as a result of the war in relation to the feature. The main story Joshua Guttau told was of Operation Lam Son 719, in which there is little acknowledgment of in history books today, but has been recorded as one of the largest US Military operation to have occurred since the infamous D-Day of WWII.
"We spend a lot of time talking about those guys that didn’t make it home,” said Mick Guttau. “They are still as alive today as they ever were in our hearts and in our minds.”
(Pictured left to right: Harold Bearden, Judy Guttau, Mick Guttau, and Joshua Guttau)
The 5,000-pound feature was created by artist Duane Weirick of Lewis, Iowa, who worked with Joshua Guttau for five months to create the custom piece of art.
“This really is a great representation of our country,” said Weirick. “It’s even better when you have a veteran directly involved.”
It turned out there was more than one veteran connection in the assembled group. As the Council Bluffs Chamber introduced themselves, they would mention the name of husbands, sons, and others who served in the U.S. Miltary; as well as Harold Bearden, who was Mick Guttua’s roommate while they both served their one-year tour in the Vietnam War.
After Joshua Guttau’s speech, the attendees heard from Market President, Chris Blum and President of Community Banking, Neil Stanley.
“What’s neat about TS Bank is that we provide private banking like services, but we are not exclusive, offering the new banking technology such as Video ATMs to clients,” said President of Community Banking, Neil Stanley. “We are excited about the opportunity to better help and serve the Council Bluffs Community in having this new office.”
Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, guests enjoyed lunch and tours of the building. For more information visit TS Bank’s website at tsbank.com or stop by the new office at 43 Scott Street.