The support center, at 4400 Lewis St. in Middletown, has 160 employees, all of whom will move to Springdale. In total, about 250 positions from across First Financial will be moved into the Spring dale office, at 225 Pictoria Drive, the company said.
First Financial signed a 10-year lease for almost 96,000 square feet of office space in Springdale, near Interstate 275, and will occupy part of the first and eighth floors and all of the sixth and seventh floors, officials said.
“Our goal to strengthen our presence in the Greater Cincinnati area continues to be a focus and moving our administrative support center to Springdale will provide us with major interstate visibility,” said Claude Davis, president and CEO of First Financial.
The bank experienced rapid growth last year following the acquisition of three banking companies, adding 36 branches and $3.8 billion to its assets.
Mike Robinette, economic development director for Middletown, said the city had offered four proposals to First Financial to keep the support center in Middletown.
“If a business decides they want to be in a certain geographic area, it puts you at a disadvantage in terms of trying to be competitive,” Robinette said. “We would have liked a different decision, but this one just didn’t appear to be in the cards for us.”
The move will take place during the next 12 months and will include associates within the Ohio call center, deposit and check processing services, loan operations, information technology and other support functions. First Financial officials also said they will add 35 positions.
During the transition, Robinette said the city will be working with the Lewis Street building owner to find a new tenant, as the space was leased to First Financial.
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