WILKES-BARRE, Pa. -- Officials at the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce say M&T Bank will soon be moving to Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre.
"We are absolutely delighted that they are going to be now a permanent fixture of Public Square," said Wico van Genderen, President of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce
Leaders at M&T Bank say by the fall its regional headquarters will move to Public Square. Its current location is no longer an option.
"The landlords are going to do something different with the building and not renew our lease. So it created an opportunity for us to look for a new place to be," explained M&T Bank's Regional President Phil Johnson.
Johnson says staying downtown is important.
"We've been in the Wilkes-Barre community since the 1930s, so about 85 years, and we thought it was important to continue that tradition," added Johnson.
Business owners on the square tell Newswatch 16 they're happy M&T Bank has decided move here, especially because recently other companies have moved their offices off of Public Square.
"Between the two buildings, they dropped like 450 to 500 people. If you're expecting 10 to 20 percent of that on a daily basis coming in, that's a large chunk of money to lose," said Mark Bronsburg, owner of Mimmo's Pizza & Restaurant.
Bronsburg says any amount of daytime employees moving in next door is a big deal.
"It's a win for everybody all around. We've just needed a few more wins than just the one," adds Bronsburg.
Leaders at the chamber say more wins are on the way.
"We're starting to see again a nice influx of businesses coming to our downtown and into our Public Square," said van Genderen.
M&T Bank hopes to make the move by the end of summer.