ST. LOUIS — Local, main street businesses are the heart and soul of Midwest BankCentre. Welsch Heating & Cooling was a main street business before a main street existed. The family-owned business was founded in St. Louis in 1895, and they are proud to bank with Midwest BankCentre.
Butch Welsch is the president and CEO of Welsch Heating & Cooling.
"We get people who who say, 'I've been a customer for 40 years or 50 years and, been in five houses and you've done work at all five of them!' It gives you a really good feeling. That's why I come to work every day," he said.
Butch's great-grandfather founded Weslch Furnace Company over 125 years ago. Known for their excellent customer service and attention to detail, Welsch Heating & Cooling has a long, successful history, but over the years, like all businesses, they have experienced financial hardships.
"My dad went through the depression, so I can't really speak to what, how bad that was. But for us, 2010 and 11 were, pretty dark times," Welsch said.
The 2008 financial crisis and its impact on the home building industry was very difficult for the company. "At the time, we were with an out-of-town bank who didn't even give us a local loan officer to deal with, which was just unacceptable," Welsch said.
They needed a banker willing to trust how they were managing through these times and believed in the legacy and the future of Welsch Heating & Cooling.
"We were very fortunate that Midwest BankCentre stepped up to the plate, had faith in the fact that we could manage our way through these difficult times and be successful, and we've had a tremendous relationship with them," he said.
Kurt Andersen, a Senior Vice President with Midwest BankCentre says the bank prides itself on the relationships it has built in the St. Louis Community.
"I think I met Butch 15 years ago. I was a kid. Not too far out of college, and, at that time, they were banking with, a bank that did not have a local presence. A bank that, frankly, didn't, didn't take much time to understand, their unique needs and values and what they needed," Andersen said.
With the help of Midwest BankCentre, Butch lead Welsch Heating & Cooling through hard economic times and into a successful future.
"We have the best of both worlds. We have a local bank that we call and talk to, ask questions if we have questions or issues, and yet we have the technology to be as efficient as our company can be. And we've really grown tremendously over the last few years," Welsch said.
For more information about Welsch Heating & Cooling, click here.
For more information about Midwest BankCentre, click here.
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