Peach State Bank & Trust is moving its downtown Gainesville operations into the old SunTrust Bank building off E.E. Butler Parkway.
Not only will Peach State be picking up about twice the space it has now, “we think this new location has a lot more visibility and is easier to get in and out of,” bank president and CEO Ron Quinn said Tuesday, May 17.
Peach State is now at 325 Washington St., off West Academy Street. The old SunTrust bank is at 121 E.E. Butler Parkway, next to The National, a $75 million planned development featuring a 157-unit apartment complex with one- and two-bedroom apartments and a seven-story Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
Peach State had outgrown its Washington Street offices, where it has been for 17 years. Needing more space, it had set up offices in a converted, former gas station at the corner of Spring and West Academy streets, as well as a floor in the Pinnacle Bank building off E.E. Butler and Jesse Jewell parkways.
All services and operations will now move to the 31,000-square-foot SunTrust building and should be up and running there by the end of this year.
“With everything together under one roof, it will also be more convenient for customers,” Quinn said.
Renovations are underway, as passersby may see the building getting pressure-washed or the roof replaced. Interior renovations, as well as more lighting and updated landscaping are planned.
Peach State plans to add parking and ATMs and expand the drive-thru teller area.
“In the coming months, we will work to make the transition to our new building as seamless as possible for customers,” Quinn said. “They should not experience any interruptions in service.”
The bank has more than 60 management and staff members, and could do more hiring once the consolidation of offices is complete, Quinn said.
“We could start expanding our staff again and offer more products and services,” he said.
Also, as part of the move, Peach State plans to sell its Washington and Spring street properties.
“We’ve already got two other, non-bank prospects looking at them right now,” Quinn said.
The SunTrust bank, built in 1996, was caught up in a 2019 merger between SunTrust and BB&T to create Truist. The E.E. Butler branch closed Feb. 18, along with BB&T branches at 2895 Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville and 3453 Mundy Mill Road in Oakwood.
Business at the SunTrust on E.E. Butler Parkway was moved to BB&T’s main branch at 455 Jesse Jewell Parkway SW, Gainesville. Business at the BB&T in Gainesville was moved to the SunTrust at 355 Shallowford Road, Gainesville. And business at the Oakwood BB&T was moved to the SunTrust at 3725 Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood.
Truist couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday about the status of the closed BB&T branches.
