From left, CWB Branch Manager Derek Dougherty, President and CEO Chris Fowler, Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall – photos 250News

Prince George, B.C. – It was all smiles at the Canadian Western Bank (CWB) at 3rd and Victoria this morning.

This as officials there celebrated the decision to expand its operations to include full-service banking and wealth management services for business and individual clients.

A special ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the occasion, which included a special appearance from Edmonton based president and CEO Chris Fowler.

“This is a great event because as we continue to grow the bank we’ve got into new markets by opening, typically an equipment finance branch, which we did in Prince George,” he said.

From left, Matthew Dawes and Kelly Sharp of Friends of Children and Greg Sprung, CWB’s Executive Vice President of Banking

“And then as we build sort of a cohort of clients then we move into full service which is what this business is now.”

He said the expansion means they’ve also tripled their workforce at the branch to employ nine workers.

Fowler also mentioned he sees great economic growth potential for Prince George.

“What we’re seeing here with the economy is lots of positive opportunities going forward. The Site C operation and potentially LNG.”

The company also showed its commitment to social causes by presenting a cheque worth $3,000 to the group Northern BC Friends of Children Society.

That money will help support families who are travelling for medical reasons to cover such costs as accommodations, food and medical equipment.