It’s hard to believe that we are already through a good portion of the winter, and it won’t be long until spring is upon us. One of the first signs of spring is when the trees begin to bud and blossom. Fruit trees offer some of the most beautiful blossoms. Something I have always been amazed with is the technique of grafting. Grafting is the art of putting together different parts of trees to propagate new varieties, or repair an injured or damaged tree. There are two main advantages of grafting over other alternatives. First, most seeds will not grow true to the variety of fruit they are from. Second, cuttings of trees will not easily root. The best time of year to graft fruit trees is late winter or early spring.

Bruning Bank is grafting a new location in Grand Island. The planning for this new location began this past fall when I reached out to John Boehler, President of the Holdrege location to inquire if Bruning Bank had ever thought about adding a location in Grand Island. John and I worked together at United Nebraska Bank, and I have always followed and admired the growth Bruning Bank has experienced over the past two decades. Through John, we were able to meet Fred, Jerry, and the management team of Bruning Bank. As we discussed culture, philosophy, and people, things fell quickly and smoothly into place. In November the decision was made to move forward with the Grand Island location.

There are several reasons why we chose to “graft” to Bruning Bank. The most important being that Bruning Bank has deep, strong roots in Nebraska and a track record of building and growing customer relationships. The roots have enough strength (capital) and capacity (liquidity) to support growth of a sixth location. Bruning Bank has also had success in grafting other locations. Hebron, Broken Bow, Holdrege, and Kearney have all been locations that were grafted in a similar manner. These locations have blossomed into pillars of their communities.

Why did Bruning choose to proceed with Grand Island? For a new location to be successful, you must have the right team of people. The team we’ve assembled in Grand Island has over 125 years of experience in community banking with more than a dozen great financial institutions. We’re passionate about building customer relationships and helping them achieve financial success. Our team also has a diverse background beyond banking in agriculture, small business ownership, education, and retail sales. We love to serve others and volunteer in our community.

We will soon be opening our full-service location at 3032 West Stolley Park Road. This spring construction will bring a drive thru and ATM lanes to the south end of the building, enhancing customer service. The staff has met some existing customers of Bruning Bank and we invite you to stop by to meet the new team and see our new location. The highest compliment we can ever receive is a referral of your family and friends. If you have someone in the Grand Island region we can assist, it would be an honor and privilege to do so. Lastly, to those we have worked with in the past, we are very grateful for the relationships that have been developed and we look forward to continuing to serve you in the future.

- Dave Richardson, President- Grand Island