Red River Bank has bought a former credit union building at 2175 Gause Boulevard E. in Slidell, laying the groundwork for its first full-service banking center in the city. The purchase closed Thursday, October 22, and the Alexandria-based bank says it expects to open the new location in the first quarter of 2027, pending regulatory approvals.
The acquisition marks a new step in Red River Bank's push into the Northshore, according to globenewswire.com. The Slidell site will be the bank's first full-service location in that city and its second banking center in the broader Northshore market, per the same release. StreetInsider also reported the deal, which Red River Bank announced Friday, October 23.
Red River Bank President and CEO Blake Chatelain framed the purchase as part of a deliberate regional strategy. “We are excited to expand our service to the Northshore by opening Red River Bank's first banking center in Slidell,” Chatelain said, according to the release. He added that Doug Ferrer, the bank's Northshore region market president, is leading the expansion effort.
Local Leadership Already in Place
Ferrer was named Northshore region market president in September 2024, when the bank signaled its intent to keep growing in the area. At the time, the bank stated its goal was to continue expanding within the Northshore market, the same account notes. Those interested in the Slidell project can reach Ferrer directly at 985.875.5115, per the press release.
The bank has not disclosed the purchase price for the Gause Boulevard property, and the release does not detail staffing, hours, or services planned for the new location. The first-quarter 2027 opening remains an expectation tied to regulatory approvals, with no confirmation yet of where that process stands.
Part of a Statewide Growth Push
The Slidell purchase follows a pattern of expansion elsewhere in Louisiana. Red River Bank broke ground in January on its second Acadiana banking center at 1800 Camellia Boulevard in Lafayette, a project Biz New Orleans reported is expected to open in the first quarter of 2027 as the bank's 29th banking center statewide. Red River Bank currently operates 28 banking centers across Louisiana, along with two combined loan and deposit production offices in Lafayette and Shreveport, with locations spanning the Central, Northwest, Capital, Southwest, Northshore, Acadiana, and New Orleans markets.
Founded in Alexandria in 1999 as a Louisiana state-chartered bank, Red River Bank is a subsidiary of Red River Bancshares, Inc., which trades under the symbol RRBI on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The bank describes its offerings as banking products and services tailored to commercial and retail customers, according to redriverbank.net.
Other Louisiana banks are pursuing similar growth. Community Bank of Louisiana has announced plans to build a new two-story banking center in South Shreveport in 2027, which would become its fifth location in that city and 13th overall, according to KTAL News. Site preparation for that project is already underway, with construction expected to begin later this year, the station reports.
