Minneapolis, Minn. – On Tuesday, civic and business leaders gathered with Bremer Bank employees for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new, full-service Bremer branch in the East Lake Street neighborhood. 

“We are excited that Bremer Bank is a newly visible financial partner in the resilient and vibrant Lake Street community of Minneapolis,” said Jeanne Crain, president and CEO of Bremer Bank. “This new branch provides us with an increased opportunity to provide our capabilities as a community bank to our Lake Street customers. Bremer looks forward to being a committed and trustworthy partner to the residents and businesses in this area through our work as a relationship and solution-oriented financial institution.”

Located at 2130 East Lake St., the modern space spans approximately 3,000 square feet and employs six team members. The branch features an open floor plan with partner tables instead of traditional teller lines, promoting excellent service and stronger banker-customer relationships. It also includes a community room, available for local organizations to use free of charge both during and outside of bank hours.

“To build lasting economic success for all Minneapolis residents, we need financial partners who are willing to challenge historic discriminatory lending and banking practices,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “Bremer Bank is taking that call to action seriously – and their new branch along the Lake Street corridor will create direct access to financial services and resources for our residents.”

Opening a branch on East Lake Street is part of Bremer’s efforts to establish a greater presence to serve the Black, Indigenous, Latino, Asian, and other businesses and communities of color, an effort that was defined in the bank’s first iteration of its racial equity action plan, developed in June 2020. In 2021, Bremer hired Stephen Spears to lead these efforts; over the last several months, Spears’ team has worked closely with community leaders to ensure Bremer is bringing in staff with the right kind of expertise to serve this community in the best way possible.

In celebration of the new full-service branch, and to demonstrate its commitment to the East Lake Street and Phillips neighborhoods, Bremer Bank today announced a donation of $50,000 to area nonprofit Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC). Bremer Bank’s donation will help further the bank’s partnership with LEDC by providing business development and technical assistance services to Latino and BIPOC-owned small businesses in the area. With this support, these businesses will obtain the tools and resources they need to stay viable, create and sustain jobs, and build wealth for generations.

Bremer has locations throughout Minnesota, western Wisconsin and North Dakota. For more information about Bremer Bank, visit bremer.com.