A Legacy of Service and Trust

Brad Bichler started working at his grandmother’s café when he was 13 years old. He didn’t know then that 30 years later, he would carry on his grandmother’s legacy as an owner of Brigitte’s Café.

With a team of almost 25 employees, Brigitte’s Café has become a staple in the St. Cloud community. The café serves homemade food, often cooked by Bichler himself, and they pride themselves on the relationships they have with their regulars.

Values like Grandma Brigitte.

When Bichler’s mother and uncles owned Brigitte’s, he managed the financial side of the business, working regularly with the café’s bank—Deerwood Bank. He enjoyed the banking relationship so much that when he purchased the café last year, he saw no need to change banks.

“My grandmother was such a charming lady,” said Bichler. “She treated her customers and employees like family and she was so respectful of everyone. Deerwood Bank aligns with those same values. I always feel like family when I go into the bank. They respect me and really understand my business.”

Next-generation banking.Bichler has worked closely with Jacki Templin, his business banker at Deerwood Bank, to secure a new business loan as he and his brother have transitioned into ownership of the family business. “The whole process has been quite seamless,” said Bichler. “We’ve experienced big banks before and felt like we were treated like a number. We were nickel-and-dimed with fees that didn’t make sense and we could never reach the right person at the right time.”

At Deerwood, Bichler knows that he has a personal line to his business banker or to anyone else he needs to contact for his banking needs. “They make everything super simple. Any questions I have are addressed the very same day. The relationship couldn’t be smoother.”

Small Business Minded.

Bichler feels that Deerwood Bank really understands small business.

“Deerwood is more than capable of managing my business banking needs and providing what I need as a small business owner,” he said. “They look at more than just the numbers—they care about my story. They make the process simple, their team is incredibly personable, and they really care about my business.”

How Deerwood Bank is different, in Brad’s words:

1. You’re treated like family.

“When I walk into Deerwood Bank, I’m greeted by name and they treat me like family. I never got that at other banks.”

2. They don’t nickel-and-dime you.

“Deerwood understands my needs and my pains as a small business. They don’t nickel-and-dime us or charge us random business fees.”

3. They make it a seamless process.

“Everything I’ve done with Deerwood Bank has been seamless. Jacki and her team really take care of me and made buying the business a seamless transition from the banking side.”