AIM Credit Union readying for late fall move into former Coal Haus 337
The AIM Credit Union soon will relocate its Burlington branch from 3001 Sylvania Drive to 337 N. Roosevelt Ave. near the intersection of East Agency Street.
The move into the former Coal Haus 337 building now under renovation on Burlington's busiest thoroughfare is expected to be complete by late fall, according to John Sutter, senior director of marketing for the credit union.
AIM purchased the commercial building from Coal Haus owner Chase Gibb in February.
"AIM currently employs five people in Burlington. Staff may be added as needed," said Sutter.
The change from restaurant to credit union involved using special equipment to remove a nearly 12,000-pound, 10- by nine-foot ceramic brick coal-fired oven from the site to storage in a warehouse and office building Gibb owns.
"I don't have any interest in selling it. I may put it back into service sometime, you never know," said Gibb, a real estate investor who also owns and operates Burlington's The Buffalo Tavern and Buffalo61 Bar & Grille in Fort Madison.
Workers had installed the heavy oven manufactured in Seattle using a crane, but "we did not need one to take it out," Gibb said of Jason Samples of Dingus Transport in Danville did the work.
Instead, "We had to cut a hole into the side of the building to take it out and Jason did the removal and the hauling," he said. Workers covered the hole with a tarp before putting up a temporary wall.
According to Sutter, the new AIM Burlington site is "roughly the same size (as the current one), but the new location has more usable space and will be more conducive to member transactions."
Credit union officials tout the Burlington branch's move as a way to add more services, like safe-deposit boxes, at a convenient location.
"We are relocating to add features that are not possible at our current location including a drive-up ATM and double drive-up teller lines," said Sutter. "It will also allow for a conference room for meeting with members outside of staff offices. The new location is also more visible and easier to reach for our members."
After more than 20 years doing business under the Alliant banner, the credit union rebranded itself as AIM Credit Union as it seeks to attract new members and to avoid confusion with another, much larger Alliant Credit Union.
AIM, formerly known as Alliant Credit Union, is based in Dubuque and came to the Burlington area through a partnership merger with Three I Credit Union in 2015.
Alliant changed its name to AIM on Jan. 1.
With the move, AIM intends to make the branch more visible and accessible to its members and the community, and to grow its membership in the Greater Burlington area.
AIM is the 20th largest credit union in Iowa with assets totaling $165.62 million and providing banking services to more than 11,000 members as of June 2022.
AIM has two branches in Dubuque, one in Cedar Rapids and one in Burlington.
“This relocation allows for future growth in all the segments we serve including Alliant Energy, industries, medical professionals, labor unions, educators, and many other employee groups," said Mike Moroney, president and CEO.
The 337 N. Roosevelt location for many years was Sarducci’s, which served Italian dishes in a fast-food style, and closed in late October 2016.
Then Alfano’s Ristorante Italiano moved in before Coal Haus 337 opened there in 2019.
Although Coal Haus 337 indoor dining and carryout on Roosevelt Street is no longer an option, people can enjoy pizzas and jumbo wings cooked in two, 7,000-pound portable wood-fired ovens hauled by trailer and operated by Gibb's Fork Catering Co. at local events, catering services and pizza pop-ups.
Gibb said he has no plans to open additional brick and mortar restaurants, instead, focusing on offering his unmatched culinary opportunities to locals through catering.
A high demand for the catering services is keeping him and employees busy.
"We're just very particular about the catering and how we take care of people. There's a need for catering and if we do something, we go into it and we give it our full attention," he said.
This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: AIM Credit Union hopes move to Roosevelt Avenue will attract customers
