[KEC]Nodaway Valley Bank continues commitment to University, community through support of Hughes Fieldhouse/노스웨스트미주리주립대(Northwest Missouri State University)[미국주립대입학,미국장학프로그램]
[KEC]Nodaway Valley Bank continues commitment to University, community through support of Hughes Fieldhouse
/노스웨스트미주리주립대(Northwest Missouri State University)
Construction has begun on Northwest's Hughes Fieldhouse, shown here in a rendering depicting the view from its south elevation at College Avenue. Nodaway Valley Bank is supporting the project with a seven-figure gift.
For almost 150 years, Nodaway Valley Bank has been an institution focused not only on providing superior financial services to local residents but on creating lasting relationships with the people and organizations that power the region it serves. Now, Northwest Missouri State University is benefitting from that relationship and the venerable bank’s support of the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Fieldhouse.
“This University is very important to the city, to our area, to the people that live here,” James G. Robinson, Nodaway Valley Bank’s chief executive officer, said. “Without things like this progressing, you would see a different population. Without the University in Nodaway County, this would be a lot different economic situation, and it’s always been a part of the bank.”
While donors have committed $13 million to the Hughes Fieldhouse through gifts and pledges secured by the Northwest Foundation, Nodaway Valley Bank is among the leading supporters of the project. The bank has joined the Carl and Cheryl Hughes Family, the Mel and Valorie Booth Family, and the city of Maryville as “team captains” of the Founding 50, a group representing donors giving $50,000 and greater.
Northwest broke ground June 15 for the Hughes Fieldhouse, a 137,250 square-foot, $20 million facility designed to serve a multitude of social, recreational and economic needs for the University and region.
Northwest – a coeducational, primarily residential four-year university offering a broad range of undergraduate and selected graduate programs – has been a centerpiece of education in the region since its founding in 1905. Nodaway Valley Bank has been an important part of that history since before Northwest’s founding when the bank’s then-president, James B. Robinson, helped make sure state officials looking at locations for a new state college came to Maryville.
Nodaway Valley Bank’s history dates back to 1868 when it was established in Maryville as George S. Baker and Company. Just five years later, James B. Prather and Theodore L. Robinson purchased the bank, and the Robinson family has been at the helm since that time.
James G. Robinson was elected in 2015 to serve as CEO and chairman of the board at Nodaway Valley Bank, replacing his father, Theodore G. Robinson, who assumed the role of chairman emeritus. In addition to Maryville, the bank maintains locations in Savannah and St. Joseph.
Through the years, Nodaway Valley Bank has given to Northwest in support of scholarships and academic programing. In 2012, the bank provided a large cash gift that resulted in Northwest’s state-of-the-art video board at Bearcat Stadium.
“It’s been a part of my father’s vision to help the University when we can, and we’ve done it every time they’ve had a big project,” James Robinson said. “People always ask me, ‘Are you spending our money local, or is it going somewhere else?’ This is local money. We did it in St. Joseph. We’re doing it here. It’s important to the University.”
Additional sources, including the University and students, are contributing to the Hughes Fieldhouse, but a remaining $600,000 gap must be raised to complete the facility prior to its summer 2018 dedication.
Alumni and friends are encouraged to contribute to the construction and future needs of the Hughes Fieldhouse by purchasing commemorative bricks, pavers, trees or benches, as well as through traditional monetary donations.
When complete, the Hughes Fieldhouse is expected to enhance student engagement and create more opportunities for intramurals and recreation on campus as well as large University events such as commencement ceremonies, concerts or Career Day. Student organizations and performance groups, such as the Bearcat Marching Band, will use the facility for activities when inclement weather sets in. Bearcat athletics teams are expected benefit from the facility’s indoor flooring system, 90-yard practice turf and 300-meter indoor competition track.
In addition to its recreational features, the facility will be Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certified and designed and constructed according to modern sustainability standards. It is expected to include recreation and exhibition space, spectator seating and tiered meeting rooms.
While funding for the project is coming from multiple sources, including a significant percentage from donors, Maryville voters approved a transient guest tax last November to help support the operation of the facility. The city has since formed a tourism committee charged with developing ways to use revenues from the tax and maximize the center for community events such as trade shows, conferences, school functions and recreational activities.
The facility is expected to provide an additional economic impact of $23.8 million, the equivalent of creating 946 new jobs, for the region. That comes as an addition to the $617.5 million Northwest generates in added regional income.
“It will have a lot of uses as a facility, and I think that’s a plus for the public,” James Robinson said. “I think it will be a great revenue generator for our area.”
