When Jim Thorpe National Bank moved it's Panther Valley branch from Coaldale to neighboring Lansford, it did so with its customers' best interests in mind.

The short move from 100 East Phillips St., Coaldale, to its new location at 430 W. Patterson St., Lansford, was a good one, officials said at a recent ribbon-cutting ceremony."I think it's a great opportunity for us to expand our services to the greater Panther Valley region. When this building became available, it afforded us the opportunity to not only expand our services, but extend our presence in Lansford," said bank President Craig Zurn.The new accommodations include a drive-through window, which customers appreciate."It gives our customers more convenient banking opportunities," he said. "And it's only a stone's through from where we were."The April 18 move was less than a mile down East Phillip Street and around the corner to its new location by the Panther Valley football stadium."We have a lot of customers both in Coaldale and Lansford, so we thought maybe a little bit in between would be a little bit better for the community," said branch manager Monica A. Marshall."A lot of traffic comes through this area. and we didn't have a drive-through in Coaldale. We just thought it would be a little more beneficial. It's great. we love it here."Recently, Zurn and Marshall, along with branch staff Sandra Smell, Mary Hart, Jennifer Matsinko and Jennifer Kosciolek, joined board of directors members Bill Gardiner, Charles Getz, Dennis Gallagher and Ron Sheehan, and Lansford Alive president Mark Sverchek and Chris Ondrus in celebrating the new location."We are just thrilled that Jim Thorpe National Bank took over a former bank building that was vacant," said Sverchek.He also mentioned two more new businesses coming to the borough, Silver's Oreck Sales & Service at 38 W. Ridge Street, and Holistic Therapeutic Outreach Services at 255 E. Ridge Street."We're having a wonderful time welcoming new businesses, which hasn't happened in quite a while in Lansford, so we're very, very happy," he said.