Volunteers needed for Wagfest

North Shore Bank will once again be a sponsor of Wagfest, an annual fundraiser for the Elmbrook Humane Society. This year is the 10th annual event, and it takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 9, at Mitchell Park in Brookfield. There will be food, music, lure coursing, and more at this family-friendly event.

Area branch manager Margie Brusa is also looking for volunteers to help work our booth and take down our tent. Shifts are:

10:45 a.m. – 1 p.m.
12:45 p.m. – 3 p.m.
2:45 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Tear-down: 5 – 5:30 p.m.

Contact Margie at mbrusa@northshorebank.com if you’re interested in helping out! •••

Green Bay West sponsors soccer team

Our Green Bay West branch sponsored the Green Bay Kickers this summer, part of the Soccer Association for Youth rec league on the city’s west side. The team stopped in on July 18 for a quick photo.

“They did make it to the Tony Litt Tournament, but didn’t win,” reports area branch manager Sharon Hack. “Their regular season ended in fourth place.”

The branch sponsored the team after a customer inquired about the possibility. When the girls came in, they also got some neat goodies and promotional items, Sharon said. •••

New Hires for August 10
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Kenosha Main teller Eugene Fox was born and raised in Kenosha and previously worked for Amazon. Besides settling into his new position at North Shore Bank, he is teaching himself about investing and trading stocks and bonds. “I’ve always been interested in investing and don’t want to rely on only a job for income,” Eugene says. “I’m mostly investing for the long term and not doing a whole lot of trading yet.”

Payroll and benefits specialist Bernita Hardiman was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, but grew up in Milwaukee. “My mom moved here when I was 10 months old,” she says. She worked for nearly 20 years at Manpower, spending most of that time in payroll. “I am a #FootballChick,” Bernita says. “I love it — high school, college, and especially the NFL. Of course my favorite team is the Packers.” She is not a fan of the Bears or the Dallas Cowboys.

Bayshore universal banker Lauren LeVeque is from Anderson, Indiana. She and her husband moved to Milwaukee in September — “and I am loving it!” she says. Lauren was previously a full-time shift supervisor at Starbucks and is still there on weekends right now. She can play the piano and the flute. “I’ve been playing the piano since I was in elementary school — my grandpa taught me and my siblings,” she says. “I haven’t practiced in a while, because we didn’t move our piano up with us. I don’t keep up on the flute that much since junior high band.”

Sister Bay teller Marlese McEvoy is from the Madison area, but moved to Door County with her husband about a year ago. She previously worked at M&I Bank, which was bought by BMO Harris. She likes “all things fast — boating, motorcycling, snowmobiling.” The Eagle River/Three Lakes area is a favorite spot for snowmobiling, and Marlese and her husband often boat from Sister Bay to Chambers Island and then to Menominee, Michigan, for dinner at Dexter’s Bar and Grill. “We get the sunset cruise on the way back!”

Mortgage loan production manager Leo Spanuello is originally from Wauwatosa and previously worked for GSF Mortgage in Brookfield. He notes: “When my kids balk at doing their chores, I start singing to them. It works every time!” In fact, the threat itself is usually enough now. Back when vocals were actually necessary, Leo says, “My favorite choice of music was the ‘Thermos Song’ from the Steve Martin movie The Jerk.”

Brookfield Square teller Darlynee Vang is from Milwaukee and previously worked as a bingo floor clerk at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. She had her first child — a daughter, Natalie — in April. They head out for a family camping trip this week. “Not too excited about all the mosquitos,” Darlynee says, “but I heard it is supposed to be good weather, which is a good thing!” •••

IS surprises Schreiber with wedding shower

The IS department surprised senior systems analyst Kinnon Schreiber with a wedding shower on July 27. “Everybody brought in food, and some friends from eBanking brought in wedding cupcakes,” application development manager Katie Nadler reports. The group played games and gave the groom some gifts. Katie adds: “A long-running IS tradition is to make the groom or bride a beautiful, homemade veil to wear during the party. Kinnon was a great sport.”

“It was definitely an unexpected surprise,” Kinnon says. “I am grateful to have such nice coworkers, and they certainly did not have to get me anything. I was just happy to see everyone get together for some food and games.” Kinnon and his fiancée, Edna, are getting married next week in West Bend. Congratulations to both of them! •••

Photo of the Week: Give that dog a bone

Allouez universal banker Olivia Vechart is proud to announce her new puppy Bindi’s graduation from a six-week class at PetSmart. Bindi is a 5-month-old Australian shepherd mix rescue who came from the Fox Valley Humane Society. Congratulations to both owner and pet!

Got a photo you’d like to share? We welcome pictures from work and “real life.” Share your meaningful, funny, and interesting moments with your colleagues by sending photos to shorelines@northshorebank.com.

Bank offering HELOC deal to Burlington flood victims
In case you missed it: North Shore Bank is offering special assistance to people who were displaced or otherwise affected by this summer’s flooding in Burlington. Those people can receive a special 1.99 percent APR home equity line of credit for four months.

The promotion will help homeowners who need extra funds to rebuild or for other reasons in the wake of the disaster. If you know someone who might be interested, they can get more details at any of our branches. •••

North Shore Shape Up: Off or on, phones affect focus
You probably don’t need a study to tell you that smartphones have made it harder to concentrate. But the Harvard Health Blog cites some interesting findings on that topic: “According to a new study, the mere presence of your smartphone, even if it isn’t ringing and even if you aren’t looking at it, can hurt your performance on certain cognitive tasks.”

College students were asked to complete a set of focus-intensive tasks. One group left their phones in a different room, one group held on to their phones, and one kept their phones out on their desks. The results:

Scores were highest when the smartphone was in the next room.

Scores were lowest when the phone was on the desk.

The impact of the smartphone’s location was most dramatic among those who reported being most reliant on their phones.

The effect of the smartphone was not altered by having the phone powered off (vs. set to silent mode) or placed face down (vs. face up).

Next time you’re trying to concentrate, ask if your phone is making it difficult. You might want to put it in another room! •••

Upcoming Events
North Shore Bank and the Shorewood Business Improvement District will present “Business Fraud: Don’t Be a Victim” next Wednesday, August 16, at the Three Lions Pub. Commercial treasury manager Penny Foust will be part of the free event’s panel of experts, who will discuss current scams and how businesses can minimize their risk. RSVP by tomorrow, August 11. More upcoming events here.

Internal Job Postings •••

• Electronic Banking Specialist, Corporate, full time, 40 hours/week. Referral bonus: $400. Internal closing date: TODAY.
• Loss Prevention Associate, Corporate, full time, 40 hours/week. Referral bonus: $400. Internal closing date: TODAY.
• Teller Supervisor, El Rey, full time, 40 hours/week. Referral bonus: $400. Internal closing date: TODAY.
• Teller, Green Bay East and Allouez, full time, 40 hours/week. Referral bonus: $300. Internal closing date: August 11.
• Teller, Wawautosa, full time, 40 hours/week. Referral bonus: $300. Internal closing date: August 11.
• Teller, Forest Home, part time, 25 hours/week. Referral bonus: $300. Internal closing date: August 14.
• Teller, Green Bay West, part time, 30 hours/week. Referral bonus: $300. Internal closing date: August 14.
• Customer Assistance Rep, CSC, full time, 40 hours/week. Referral bonus: $400. Internal closing date: Ongoing.

For a complete list of internal job postings and to apply for one, go to nsbcareersforyou.silkroad.com and click on “Internal Openings” at the top. To refer an external person to an opening, go to our intranet page. You can earn cash and prizes for a successful referral!