The new branch is located at 7551 Middleton Drive. It is the 17th location to open in the tri-county area.
By Summer Jarro Ι Daily Sun Senior Writer Ι June 11, 2024
The first business in downtown Middleton is now open.
Citizens First Bank officially opened its doors in the family neighborhood located near the The Villages Charter School’s new campus, which is designed to draw and retain the workforce that supports retirees in The Villages. The new branch held a soft opening June 3 and a grand opening with a ribbon cutting Monday.
The bank, at 7551 Middleton Drive, is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and closed Saturday and Sunday. The drive-thru is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday.
“As we see in other locations as The Villages expands, a banking presence is important,” said Jay Bartholomew, CEO and president of
Citizens First Bank. “We want to be able to serve the community.”
The new branch includes all of the same features as other Citizens First Bank locations, such as an ATM, a drive-thru and a coin machine. Wealth management services also will be available from Citizens First wealth advisers and made available through Osaic Institutions Inc.
The Middleton branch will serve as a hub for students at The Villages High School in the Business & Banking Academy and offer services
catered to those who are part of the Buffalo family, including the bank’s Buffalo Charity Checking account, which supports the Buffalo
Scholarship Foundation.
“I just think as things continue to evolve here and school gets back in session, there’s going to be a lot more oriented with this location
toward the school and the community,” Bartholomew said. “We have the Business & Banking Academy now, we’re very close to the school. That’ll be great for the students to be able to come over and have their branch experience and learn what bankers do in close
proximity to the school.”
The branch also will offer youth savings and youth checking accounts, among other services.
“We’re really focused on being a family-oriented branch, so we love people coming in with their families with their children and kind of get the children to learn about banking as well at an early age,” said Peter Biscardi, assistant branch manager at the Middleton Citizens First Bank location.
So far, business is going well at the branch.
“We’re starting to see people coming in,” Biscardi said. “We’re really excited to help this community grow. Being the first business in here, it’s really, really exciting. We’re watching progress made, so it’s really cool.”
Monday, dozens of people attended the ribbon cutting, including residents from Middleton and nearby villages, to commemorate the
opening.
Linda Penrod stopped in to support her daughter, who is a personal banker at the new branch, and also to show appreciation for the bank, which she has done business with for many years.
“We were all hoping that the bank would come, everyone that you would talk to,” Penrod said. “That’s a plus for the whole area.”
Citizens First Bank staff is excited about it being the first business to open in the Middleton downtown area and what is still to come.
“This is a wonderful community that is being built and we’re able to provide a service for them, and that is great,” Biscardi said.
There is anticipation for several other businesses’ arrival in Middleton, including Victory Family Sports Grill, the newest addition from FMK Restaurant Group; 4 Rivers Smokehouse; and Mustard Seed Decor and Gifts.
Other businesses announced as coming to the area include a grocery store, a pharmacy, a gas station/convenience store, a coffee shop, an ice cream shop, an Italian restaurant, a pizzeria, a sub shop, a sushi restaurant and a breakfast and lunch restaurant.