When Bank VI opened in a leased office in December 2005, Tom Wilbur said the goal was to build a permanent home within three years.

Mission accomplished.

The bank plans a ground-breaking ceremony at 9:30 a.m. Friday at 1900 S. Ohio to celebrate the upcoming construction of the $3.5 million Bank VI headquarters.

"We hope to see contractors out there starting to move dirt pretty darn soon," said Wilbur, the Bank VI chairman. He shares the chief executive officer tag with Bank VI President Alan Eichelberger.

Within a year, weather permitting, the bank will move into the new building at 1900 S. Ohio, 1/2 block north of its present location at 2020 S. Ohio, in the Dillons Southgate complex.

The decision to build close by was made by customers who enjoyed the convenience of the South Ohio area, Wilbur said.

Bank VI, currently with 17 employees, will move from 5,000 square feet to 16,000 square feet of office space. The larger building will allow the bank to offer new services, such as drive-through banking, full vault services including safe deposit boxes and a drive-up ATM.