Chase’s newest Alabama branch is open in Foley, but the bank’s connection to the city goes back years.
The branch on South McKenzie Street celebrated its opening Tuesday, Aug. 18. The office is the 16th Chase branch to open in Alabama and the first in the coastal area. The company plans to increase the number of Chase locations in Alabama to 35 by 2030. Plans for new branches include locations in Daphne, Mobile, Montgomery, Decatur and Huntsville.
At the opening ceremony, Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich said that while the South Baldwin branch is new, Chase has a connection with the city that goes back for years. J.P. Morgan Chase worked with the city of Foley to arrange the financing for the city’s Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermens Market.
“When we started in 2017 and we engaged through this public-private partnership that was created by Chase at the local level, I and the City Council did not envision how impactful that would be on our community,” Hellmich said. “We thought it would be nice to have a farmers market, but the ability by Chase to partner with a local community and finance that to make it happen and keep it moving forward has been incredible. If you go down there on a Saturday now, it is a community center with people from all over.”
As part of the Chase opening, Coastal Alabama Farmers and Fishermens Market provided items from market vendors, including homemade jellies and hot sauces as well as locally produced honey.
The mayor said public-private partnerships, such as the effort between Foley and Chase, help communities and companies move forward.
“It is an incredible public-private partnership, and it’s exactly what we need to do in this country,” Hellmich said. “Government can’t do things alone and sometimes industry can’t either, but in partnership, we can. So I applaud Chase for what they’re doing to be community oriented.”