Chip Reeves, the new CEO of MidWestOne Bank, in Iowa City on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Reeves succeeds Charlie Funk, who announced in February he would retire after a long career with the bank headquartered in Iowa, but having branches in five states. Reeves most recently moved from Florida, but he is from Cincinnati. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
IOWA CITY — MidWestOne, a bank founded in 1934 in Iowa City, will open its first Cedar Rapids branch in 2023, its new leader said.
“We’re the largest bank in Iowa, but we have not had a physical brick-and-mortar presence in Cedar Rapids,” said Chip Reeves, who became MidwestOne’s chief executive officer Nov. 1. “That will change in the first quarter of 2023.”
Reeves, 55, talked with The Gazette about his connection with former CEO Charlie Funk, the role of a community bank and the ways the industry is evolving.
Q: You were CEO of Beach Bancorp Inc., based in Florida, and before that worked in the Pacific Northwest. Iowa has no mountains or oceans. What drew you here?
A: “It’s really a return to Midwestern roots and values. I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and went to Miami of Ohio. My wife, Michelle, grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago and also went to Miami. I worked 22 years with Fifth Third Bank, which is primarily based…
