Client Feature: Richter Company and the Value of Community

A multi-faceted family business enjoys finding a bank that proactively reaches out with solutions

Overview

Richter Company is a family business driven by one thing: community. This passion for supporting their community means that they have their hands in several different industries, from property management to storage facilities, plus commercial buildout construction, coffee roasting, and cafes. With so many initiatives under one parent company, they are happy to have found a bank like First Financial Bank that proactively reaches out with solutions for optimization, growth, and stability.

The Problem

Rusty Richter started out in brokerage, working for a large apartment developer. After about twenty years, in 2004, he and his son Andy started their own initiative — what would eventually become Richter Company. Every single one of Rusty’s six kids is involved or has been involved in the company in some way, working together to nurture the company’s steady growth. Joe Long, the current CFO and Richter’s son-in-law, described his first role in the family business as “building IKEA furniture and cleaning.”

Property management, brokerage, and buildouts are somewhat connected. Coffee entered the picture when they purchased the space next to their office that became available. The team wanted to have a community gathering space in the neighborhood, and they realized that there was nothing like a café in Grandville. Wildroast Coffee opened in 2021, and they began roasting their own coffee in 2022.

From there, Richter Company dove more deeply into real estate development, real estate holdings, and then storage facilities. In May of 2026, a second Wildroast opened in Grand Rapids.

With such vast and varied business expansion, they needed a bank that would entertain a line of credit for several years and keep pace with their needs as they continued to grow. But what bank would take a chance on such a unique business structure?

Banking with First Financial Bank

Joe Long came to First Financial Bank the same way Richter Company comes to many of its solutions: through community. He’d developed a strong working relationship with the banker who had helped them with the first Wildroast location. But she was no longer with the same institution — she had moved to First Financial Bank, which had opened a commercial lending office in Grand Rapids just the year before. With her help, First Financial Bank was the first bank to solidify a plan for the desired line of credit.

“A lot of other banks, their first answer is ‘no,’ and you have to convince them,” explained Joe. “With First Financial Bank, it was ‘Yes, let’s figure out how to do this.’ They’re willing to think outside the box instead of being confined by it.”

Since opening the original line of credit, Joe has found working with First Financial Bank to be collaborative and supportive. In addition to Richter Company’s needs, he works with the local Private Banker for personal banking, expressing gratitude for the forward-thinking follow-up from the team.

“I probably would have sat for the next ten years and not done anything about my personal finances,” he laughed. “Their proactive engagement is helpful.”

Feeling confident in this banking relationship, Joe is excited for the future. Wildroast will be opening its third location soon—an endeavor made possible thanks to lending from First Financial Bank. He appreciates the way the team is invested in the neighborhood, just like the Richter family and Richter Company.

“Most banks wait for you to come to them with ideas,” he continues. “It seems like First Financial is bringing ideas to us. That’s huge.”