MADISON — Bank Independent officials joined with friends, family and chamber members Nov. 13 to celebrate the grand opening of their second office in Madison County.

According to Bank Independent CEO Rick Wardlaw, the new Madison office is the bank’s 28th location overall.

Bank Independent President Macke Mauldin said plans for the Madison office have been in the works for about 10 years.

“We had big plans for this,” Mauldin said. The recession came along and changed our plans … but thank goodness because we have a whole different type of facility here today than we would have built 10 years ago. This is a 21st-century office that’s here for a 21st-century town.”

Tim Singleton, Bank Independent’s Madison County area president, said the new office will combine their services in the “high-touch” business with new technology.

“If you notice in this particular branch, we have a lot of high tech,” Singleton said. “The merger of high tech and high touch is right here in this space.”

Bank Independent began about 70 years ago after the local bank in Leighton, Alabama, suddenly closed. A group of farmers in the area banded together to form a new bank to continue meeting the needs of the community. One of those men was Mauldin’s grandfather.

Since its inception, Bank Independent has grown from a state-chartered bank to a national bank

“We wouldn’t be here today without the vision and the leadership of the Mauldin family,” Wardlaw said.

Mauldin said he and the rest of the Bank Independent team are thrilled to join the Madison community and add another office to the Madison County area.

“Madison County is growing like no other community in the country, and we’re excited to be a part of that,” he said.

Angelina Pettway, vice president sales officer, echoed Mauldin’s sentiments. For her, the bank’s value of making a positive difference in the lives of others is one she holds dear.

“I’m just so excited most of all about that—expounding on relationships I have and building new ones,” she said.

To learn more about Bank Independent, visit bibank.com.

Bank Independent’s new Madison office is located at 7564 Highway 72 West next to Aspen Dental.