Northwest Bank will expand its Columbus hub later this year and will establish headquarters for its holding company -- Northwest Bancshares, Inc. -- there. The Northwest Bank headquarters will remain at the Warren location at Liberty Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Photo by Brian Ferry

WARREN, Pa. — Northwest employees heard some big news on Tuesday.

During a weekly all-employees call, leadership announced an expansion of the company’s hub in Columbus, Ohio.

Leaders also stated that that expansion will not change the status of Warren as headquarters of Northwest Bank.

“Later this year, we will expand our hub in Columbus to take advantage of its central location within our current footprint of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Indiana, enhance our opportunity to recruit employees and better position ourselves as we look to develop new business and expand our western boundaries,” Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Shawn Walker said. “With this expansion, we will designate Columbus as our holding company headquarters — Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI).”

“Over time, some members of our executive team will relocate to Columbus,” Walker said. “Several already live outside of Warren — two in Ohio, one in central PA and we work very efficiently together through regular meetings and technology.”

“Regardless, our executive team will continue to manage our enterprise as we do today, sharing time between our headquarters in Warren and our other regional hubs in Buffalo, Cleveland, Columbus, Lancaster, Pittsburgh, Muncie, Erie and State College,” he said.

“Warren is and will remain home to our Northwest Bank Headquarters and will continue to play an instrumental role in our bank’s success,” Walker said. “We are proud to employ more than 650 local professionals across our administration, operations, and technology centers and as we grow, will continue to expand positions in Warren.”

The development in Columbus is a reflection of the company’s growth and expansion.

“Over the last ten years, in select cities across our footprint like Buffalo, Cleveland, Erie, Lancaster, Muncie, Pittsburgh and State College, we have successfully established regional hubs to support our growth and operations, including one already in Columbus, OH,” Walker said. “Columbus, which is one of the fastest growing cities in the Midwest, helps us fill a geographic gap between Pittsburgh and Muncie, IN and establishes a second foothold for our bank, allowing better access to areas where we may want to grow.”