Mountain Brewed.

• Author: LIMBO, LESLIE
• Position: Bank serves coffee - Brief Article

WOULD YOU LIKE A LATTE WITH YOUR LOAN? THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE ASKING CUSTOMERS at Alpine Bank in Steamboat Springs.

When the Steamboat Springs branch of Alpine Bank opened its new building in the fall of 1999, it added a new twist to banking amenities.

Here, customers can sip an espresso or check out Web sites at the Internet kiosk of the Alpine Bank Bean Counter, a 10-foot by 15-foot coffee bar staffed by bank employees.

Scott Gordon, bank president, said, "When we were building our new building, John Cooper, our executive vice president for marketing, suggested we offer customers additional amenities like coffee. Then Dave Scruby, our vice chairman, suggested we give the profits of the coffee bar back to the community. We didn't have any specific expectations per se when we opened it, but we've been pleasantly surprised by the community response," said Gordon.

The concept now is spreading throughout the Western Slope branches of the Alpine Bank chain, which this year was named a top company in the financial services category of the ColoradoBiz annual best-companies competition (see pages 23, 30).

Local coffee vendor, Steamboat Coffee Roasters, taught bank employees how...