Johnson Financial Group Investing in Dane County Bank Branches

In the digital age, most banking can be done without the help of a teller. Checks can be deposited using a smartphone, and money can be transferred with Venmo or Zelle.

Johnson Financial Group isn’t giving up on the idea of brick-and-mortar banks in Wisconsin. It opened a new branch in Sun Prairie, and this week is moving staff back into the renovated bank offices at 10 E. Doty St. in Downtown Madison.

The 3,333-square-foot Sun Prairie branch is at 186 South City Station Drive. The office opened this month, but there is an open house to celebrate the opening from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 10, according to the Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce.

The 33,000 square-foot renovation in Downtown Madison includes the first, second, seventh and eighth floors of the Block 89 building, according to the Redmond Company, which also led the design of Johnson Financial’s flagship offices in Milwaukee, among other branches. Staff is moving back into the bank Friday.

Improvements to the branch and administrative offices include adding community spaces for events and offices set apart from the perimeter walls to maintain historical character of the building, the Redmond Company said on its website.

Last year, Johnson Financial closed its West Madison branch on Junction Road and moved the business to a newly renovated branch near West Towne Mall at 448 S. Gammon Road.

Johnson Financial Group CEO Jim Popp said customers still see value in face-to-face banking. But while the branches remain, they look different than when long lines formed at teller windows.

While some people still visit branches to deposit checks or withdraw cash, more customers come for more personal banking, such as meeting with a wealth investor or talking about a loan. These meetings can be done in smaller branches. There are fewer tellers, but other employees are there to help with personal or commercial banking needs.

Bank branches are always evolving. Popp said Johnson Financial initially set up an area in branches where customers could use technology for banking - in earshot of a human who could walk them through it if needed.

“Nobody touched them,” he said. “We turned them into coffee bars.”

Popp said branches are being moved because they were established decades ago “and the population moves.” Older banks were set up to focus on areas where customers could visit tellers. “Today, that’s not what they look like anymore,” he said. “We still think they’re a Popp JOHNSON FINANCIAL valuable part of banking. People still like seeing people face to face from time to time.” Popp said other banks in the industry are also investing in branches set up for client meetings and help.

Johnson Financial, based in Racine, is the largest family-owned bank in Wisconsin, and most of its business comes from the state.

Popp said Johnson Financial is investing in Madison and its growing community with its bank branches, but also with community donations and volunteerism in organizations like the Salvation Army, Forward Madison and the Sun Prairie Corn Festival.

“We love the state of Wisconsin. It’s where our roots are, it’s where we were founded,” he said.

As seen in Wisconsin State Journal.