Orvin Kimbrough, chair and CEO of Midwest BankCentre, said the bank’s new Bevo branch reflects its plan to continue investing in the neighborhood.
In November 2020, Midwest BankCentre donated its Bevo branch, sitting on 1.9 acres and valued at $1.63 million, to the Tower Grove Community Development Corporation. Construction of the $10 million, four-story Crossroads Senior Living at Bevo Mill followed, creating 64 affordable and market-rate apartments for older adults.
Midwest BankCentre has opened its Bevo branch at 4612 Gravois Ave., less than a half-mile north of its former branch on Gravois.
“We have invested here not only by providing financial services but by creating opportunities,” Kimbrough said. “Donating our branch property made space for affordable housing, and our new location reflects our continued commitment to the people and businesses that make this community strong.”
The new Bevo branch includes drive-thru service, expanded parking, “and the same trusted team that has served Bevo Mill families and businesses for many years,” said Kimbrough.
He said the relationship with the Bosnian American community remains a central part of its South St. Louis presence.
The bank employs Bosnian-speaking staff at the Bevo branch and nearby locations to provide service in customers’ preferred language. It also supports homeownership, business lending and credit-building programs that expand access and opportunity for families and entrepreneurs.
“At Midwest BankCentre, we believe in investing in people and places,” Kimbrough said. “From affordable housing and small business support to financial education and local employment, our work in Bevo Mill shows what it means to be a true community bank that serves and grows with its neighborhoods.”