Donna Brietchaft had spent almost 25 years in North Shore Bank branches before she accepted a position as deposit services representative at our Brookfield headquarters. As a person who loves to learn, grow and be challenged, Donna decided to make the change last May.

“Just when I thought I had a pretty good handle on what I was doing at the branch level, I became the ‘newbie’ in a new setting,“ she says. “I had developed relationships with people in this area at Corporate, so when the position became available, I talked to them to find out more about what the job entailed. As a teller and personal banker, I always enjoyed the feeling of helping people. I’m still helping them, but in an indirect way.”

She now spends her days on a variety of back-office tasks such as reviewing signature cards, making address changes and indexing documents for Nautilus, the software that replaces paper with electronic records.

Multiple branch roles laid groundwork for lifetime career
Donna began her banking career as a part-time teller when our Regency branch opened, and then she moved to Westgate. “The part-time positions helped make ends meet when my kids were small,” she says.

She moved on to the Kenosha office when it opened, where she became a personal banker. She left briefly in 2011 to help a friend start a business, but returned to Westgate when her former co-workers let her know there was an opening there and they would love to have her back.

“I returned to a part-time teller position at Westgate, then went back to Regency, but returned to Westgate for a full-time service banker position. It felt good to be back at North Shore Bank,” she says. “It felt like home.”

Relationships have always been important to Donna. “Lauri Lunde [now a district manger] was a personal banker at Regency when I started, and I always appreciated her support and friendship. [Westgate Teller] Jessica Cranley became a dear friend, someone I often looked to for help and support.”

She expects to see the trend continue toward more electronic banking. “People are busy, and online banking services add so much convenience,” she says.

Spring takes her from desk to backyard
Donna is looking forward to spring. Anyone who hasn’t seen her yard in the growing season should expect well-groomed hedges and colorful flowers. “I enjoy being outside. If I hadn’t gone into banking, I might have found work that involved my passion for gardening and landscaping.”

But she has no regrets about taking that part-time teller position 25 years ago and following a path of greater responsibility and reward. “It’s hard to believe how quickly time flies by when you love what you’re doing. I’ve stayed in banking because of the good people and at North Shore Bank because it’s a good company. Why would I consider going anywhere else?”