MENOMINEE -- Nicolet National Bank of Green Bay, which opened a branch office in Marinette two years ago, now has a Menominee office.

On Monday, Nicolet opened for business at 1015 10th Ave., in the former Republic Bank. Nicolet purchased the bank and its local deposits from Republic Bancorp. Republic's loans were not included in the sale.

Robert Atwell, Nicolet president and CEO, called the opening "a natural extension" of the bank's commitment to the Marinette-Menominee market. Nicolet, established in 2000, now has two local offices.

"Nicolet only owns two pieces or real estate, both in Marinette and Menominee," said Kim Van Osdol, community bank president for both local branches. "They lease space in Green Bay."

The purchase includes $11 million in deposits and about 1,600 accounts, said Van Osdol.

"Our local assets have exceeded over $33 million before Republic and continue to grow at over $1 million per month," said Van Osdol, a 20-year veteran of the local banking scene.

Van Osdol noted that growth rate of Nicolet has averaged more than 50 percent per year, reaching more than $309 million after its third year of existence.

Peggy Jenkins will serve as Menominee branch manager and Jason Thoune, as retail lender, will be responsible for mortgage and consumer lending. Van Osdol, Jenkins and Thoune will join the former Republic Bank staff in the Menominee location.

Van Osdol said local bank customers have definite preferences for the kind of service they expect.

"I think people want local decision makers who can make a determination on whether they are going to do a loan or fix a problem," he said. "They want a human being who will look them in the eye and say 'I will take care of you cand get it done.' The difference is really the people."

Local customers also seek timeliness -- fast turnarounds on loans -- and good pricing, said Van Osdol.

Nicolet customers can bank online, by accessing the bank Web site at www.nicoletbank.com/.

"You can go on line and click on your check number and an image of your check will come up front and back and you can print it out at home," Van Osdol said.

Van Osdol said Republic accounts were converted to Nicolet at the end of the day on Friday. The purchase is unuual, he said, in that it involves a small bank buying an office from a larger bank.

"The problems that you might have going from a small bank to a big bank are actually diminished," Van Osdol said.

Nicolet National Bank is a subsidiary of Nicolet Bankshares, Inc., and is headquartered in Green Bay. As of Sept. 30, the company reported assets of $309 million.