Emprise Bank | Kansas

Size:
76,115 SF Total
Sector:
Specalized Assets
Service:
Property Disposition
Strategic Exit for Three Specialized Bank-Owned Assets
Emprise Bank engaged BellCornerstone to solve a series of highly complex disposition challenges involving three specialty-use properties in small Kansas markets. These were not traditional commercial assets. Each property presented unique physical, market, and buyer pool challenges that had prevented prior successful disposition.
The first assignment was an industrial manufacturing facility with integrated lab space and holding tanks located at the Newton Municipal Airport. The building totaled 20,125 SF on 2.2 acres. Two brokerage firms had previously attempted to sell the property without success before BellCornerstone was engaged. After successfully completing the Newton assignment, Emprise Bank re-engaged BellCornerstone to resolve two additional difficult assets:
A partially constructed medical and surgical campus in Hillsboro, Kansas, consisting of three separate buildings, each in different stages of completion. The objective was to structure and execute one transaction to a single buyer.
An abandoned community hospital in Herington, Kansas, totaling 44,741 SF on 13.3 acres, which had been vacant for years prior to assignment.
These assignments were particularly challenging due to:
Highly specialized building design limiting adaptive reuse
Construction projects abandoned mid-development
Long-term vacancy and deferred maintenance
Building sizes significantly larger than typical commercial inventory in their markets
Extremely limited buyer pools due to small local populations
Newton: ~18,000 population
Herington: ~2,100 population
Hillsboro: ~2,700 population
In each case, the Bank needed a credible path to move assets off its books efficiently while minimizing extended carry costs and ongoing asset management exposure.
The BellCornerstone Approach
BellCornerstone partnered with Ten-X to create a competitive national selling environment for all three assets, allowing for as-is property sales and guaranteed 30-day closings, which significantly reduced execution risk for the Bank.
For the Newton manufacturing facility, BellCornerstone repositioned the asset to reach both local industrial users and regional specialty operators who could utilize the lab and tank infrastructure. Through targeted outbound outreach combined with Ten-X’s national auction platform exposure, BellCornerstone secured a buyer and closed the transaction in less than 120 days, succeeding where two prior brokerage efforts had failed.
Following the Newton success, BellCornerstone immediately deployed a broader national marketing and outbound campaign for the Hillsboro and Herington assets. Given the complexity and limited local demand, BellCornerstone focused on identifying niche medical, specialty manufacturing, and adaptive reuse buyers across multiple states, while Ten-X created urgency and transparency through a competitive auction process.
For the Hillsboro medical campus, BellCornerstone structured marketing and negotiations around a single-buyer, three-building solution, reducing transactional risk and complexity for the Bank while creating scale opportunity for the buyer.
For the Herington hospital, BellCornerstone and Ten-X attracted buyers willing to evaluate redevelopment, institutional reuse, or specialized occupancy solutions — a critical shift from traditional local-market-only marketing strategies.
The Result
BellCornerstone, in partnership with Ten-X, successfully executed sales across all three bank-owned assignments, providing Emprise Bank with a clear and efficient exit strategy from three highly specialized, difficult-to-dispose assets.
Key outcomes included:
Competitive national buyer environment across all three properties
As-is sales structure across all assignments
Guaranteed 30-day closings on all three transactions
Successful sale of the Newton industrial manufacturing facility in under 120 days
Successful packaging and disposition strategy for the three-building Hillsboro medical campus
Successful sale of the 44,741 SF abandoned hospital in Herington
Removal of three specialty-use assets from the Bank’s balance sheet
Elimination of ongoing carry costs, maintenance exposure, and long-term marketing uncertainty
Reinforced client confidence, resulting in repeat engagement following initial success
Through disciplined outbound execution, national buyer exposure, and structured auction-driven urgency, BellCornerstone delivered solutions in markets and asset classes where traditional disposition methods had previously failed.
Real Feedback. Real Results.
What Our Clients Say About Working with BellCornerstone.
At BellCornerstone, we know that our success is built on the success of our clients. That’s why we listen first, act fast, and work smart — delivering measurable results that speak for themselves. With over 40 years of experience, service across all 50 states and Canada, and an 83% client retention rate, we’re proud to be the trusted partner for industry leaders nationwide. But don’t just take our word for it — hear what our clients have to say.

Santa Fe New Mexican
Patrick Dorsey
Publisher
“I have worked with BellCornerstone on many projects since first meeting them in 2013. In those 10 plus years they have earned my total trust in assisting me with various real estate transactions across the country in many different markets. I came to think of them as my in-house real estate partner as we worked together to find space to lease, lease out existing space to third parties, repurpose space to maximize rental income or save expense, sell buildings and many other building and real estate related transactions. They have been great in not only executing on our needs, but becoming a trusted consultant in providing suggestions and alternatives to more efficiently manage our space and generate positive economic impact.”

Namekagon Newspaper Services
John Mathew
President
“BellCornerstone has been and continues to be, an outstanding partner for my clients and me. BellCornerstone is a no-nonsense, down-to-earth firm with a unique understanding of the commercial real estate market especially as it relates to the newspaper industry. Bell works only for its client in a specific market and does not represent competing interests. Our relationship over the past four years has been very mutually beneficial.”

Southern Newspapers
Leonard Woolsey
President
“BellCornerstone should be everyone’s first stop when making decisions about building inventory. Professional, knowledgeable and highly effective. Make the call.”

GateHouse Media
Steve McCauley
Facility Manager
"GateHouse engaged BellCornerstone as a vendor for the review of a single transaction in Florida. BellCornerstone's recommendation & creative solutions directly resulted in saving millions of dollars, reducing term, and right sizing our operation. BellCornerstone now represents our portfolio nationwide and is considered among our most trusted advisors."

TCGplayer
Rod Mayette
VP of Finance
"BellCornerstone's knowledge of the market and thorough analysis of our options, along with their expertise and guidance, enabled us to achieve all of our goals. They found us a property that wasn’t officially on the market in a building where space was not initially vacant. The cost-benefit analysis that BellCornerstone's unique approach provided to our company was tremendously valuable. As a result of BellCornerstone's work, we were able to commit more of our time and resources to growing our business and brand."

Knoxville News Sentinel
Joel Christopher
Executive Editor
“This is an ideal relationship for everyone. [The Buyer] gets a great location to expand his rapidly growing, locally based businesses, Knox News locks in a long-term deal for its production and office needs, and other businesses get an opportunity to lease in a location with tremendous access to downtown, the airport and the interstate system.”

ConServe
Mark Davitt
CEO & President
"It is a pleasure to deal with true professionals who deliver value, and Mark Bethmann is such a professional."

EO Media Group
Heidi Wright
CEO
“BellCornerstone is uniquely positioned to assess, market and sell under-utilized facilities in the newspaper industry. Their strategic approach and market analysis ensured that our property received maximum exposure and attracted serious interest. Such was the case with our Pendleton property which Bell sold at full value in less than 120 days. Brian and Aidan offered invaluable advice that guided us through the complexities of the real estate transaction. Their expertise was evident in their ability to navigate negotiations, legal considerations and logistical challenges with ease.”

News Media Corporation
JJ Tompkins
President
“When I assumed leadership at NMC a few years ago, my primary goal was to optimize our resources. Partnering with the BellCornerstone team, led by Aiden Cleghorn and Brian Rossi, we developed a comprehensive plan to address our underutilized real estate. The execution of this plan, guided by their expertise and dedication, has allowed us to wipe out almost all of our debt and focus on what we do best, media operations, serving our communities with quality journalism and growing advertising. I would highly recommend setting up a call with BellCornerstone.”

Lakway Publishers, Inc
Michael Fishman
President
BellCornerstone has been a wonderful partner in helping right-size our business. Their experience working with others in the industry has provided a unique perspective in our strategic initiatives. Their attention to detail and sincere concern have been paramount.

Pharos
Kevin Pickhardt
CEO
“The level of commitment that was made to create this unique technology campus experience, combined with a focus on employee wellness and community sustainability, is the perfect fit for Pharos as we further our development as a benefit corporation and solidify our foundation for growth.”

Rust Communications
Jon K. Rust
President
“We’ve ‘right-sized’ several of our operations into smaller buildings and sold old press plants. BellCornerstone has been a pleasure to work with: straightforward, responsive, creative and successful. We’ve worked with other firms, but the BellCornerstone team is the absolute best in keeping us up to date on all aspects of the process. They’re also fun to work with!”


