Alliance Bank

Owners: Multiple shareholders

Locations: Cape Girardeau, Sikeston and Oran

Number of employees: 48

Hours of operation: 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday;

8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday

Website address: www.AllianceBanking.com

What products or services do you offer? Deposit products and loans

Phone number: 573-334-1010

What makes your business unique?

Cord Polen, President/CEO of Alliance Bank

Cord Polen, President/CEO: We are the only community owned, locally headquartered bank in Cape Girardeau. We are not owned by one family or headquartered in another town; we have about 120 shareholders, and our headquarters is located on Kingshighway.

Does your business support any community organizations or events in a special way?

CP: We are committed to improving the communities we serve and encourage all our employees to be active in volunteerism. As part of our commitment, most of our employees spend time each month outside the bank, during banking hours, to participate in things such as Backpacks for Kids, fundraisers as well as other activities. Backpacks for Kids is a favorite among our employees; it's also where we hope to expand our financial and volunteer contributions in the future.

What do you like about doing business in a small town?

CP: We know our customers and, more importantly, our customers know us. They know we take time to get to know them so that we can tailor our services for their individual need. That's also the flexibility of a community bank meeting the needs of its community.