Wood & Huston Bank in Cape to have new building, touts next-gen technology

Wood & Huston Bank is building a new 6,400-square-foot structure behind its current location at 111 S. Broadview St. in Cape Girardeau, which will feature two interactive teller machines (ITM) the company has been using in other Missouri cities.

Clint Karnes, the bank's market president for Cape Girardeau and Jackson, said he is hopeful the new structure will be complete by April.

On Oct. 18, Cape Girardeau City Council gave final approval to the resubdivision of two of the bank's lots along Broadview into one, the final step allowing construction to begin.

"The ITMs will feature a live video teller, one who operates out of Cape and the other in Marshall, Missouri — and the latter is where the bank was founded in 1874," Karnes said.

"These video tellers will be available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and can do everything a teller can do through a traditional drive-through setup except cashier's checks, money orders and providing rolled coin," he said, adding a lot of a bank's transactions are typically deposits, withdrawals and cashing checks.

"A customer hits a button and the face of a live human being pops up on the screen who can take care of the customer's need. (ITMs) provide another option to take care of business, particularly when the branch office is closed," Karnes explained.

Grading for the new structure, approximately the same size as the current bank building, began early in October.

"Our existing bank venue has been added onto multiple times over the last 40 years. Our new building will have a very similar footprint but will be better laid out and more functional," he said. "It's really cool to work for a bank almost 150 years old that is utilizing the latest in technology."

Wood & Huston has Missouri branch offices in seven Show Me State communities: Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Higginsville, Marshall, Sedalia, Springfield and West Plains.

Looking for more business news? Check out B Magazine, and the B Magazine email newsletter. Go to www.semissourian.com/newsletters to find out more.