November 17, 2006

Bank of Granite celebrated the grand opening of its new office in the Viewmont area of Hickory with a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday. More than 75 people were in attendance for the event.

Directly across from Wike's Cleaners, the new office is at 1420 2nd Street NE, at the corner of Highway 127 and 14th Avenue NE. The former location, at 281 14th Avenue NE, just one block east of the new office, was recently demolished to make way for construction of a new Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse.

"We're so pleased with our great new Viewmont location," stated Charles M. Snipes, the bank's chairman and chief executive officer. "While just a block away from our former location, we think our customers will find this office more convenient and even more pleasant to visit."

Corky Upchurch, Bank of Granite senior vice president and office administrator, along with Pam Harwell, vice president and Viewmont office manager, serviced as masters of ceremony. Speakers included Danny Hearn, president of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce; Mick Berry, Hickory city manager; Bank of Granite's Chief Operating Officer, Scott Anderson, Marshall Wheeler, of the North Carolina Bankers Association, and Snipes. Dr. Rev Thomas Gibson of St. Luke's United Methodist Church offered the dedication.

"We couldn't be happier with the great turnout we had for the ribbon cutting," stated Harwell. "We're all looking forward to providing our customers with an even better experience when they bank at our office."