25 years in, Hoch likes her job and her colleagues
Deposit operations team lead Kristin Hoch loves getting things in order and tackling big challenges — which is one reason she’s been with the bank for 25 years.

“I am very operational and love problem solving. I enjoy learning new things and working in a fast-paced environment, and I do especially well under pressure. So my current position fits me well!” Kristin says.

Her last position — imaging team lead — did too. In fact, when that job was created in 2006, Corporate leadership specifically asked Kristin to take it. Read more about why Kristin has stayed with North Shore Bank for so long!

Metro South branches SOAR with internal customers
This month, internal customers were invited to take the SOAR Together survey and rate their satisfaction with the level of service they’ve received from the Metro South District branches. Lauri Lunde has the good news about how the district performed — read it here!

Retirement team introductions lead to new investments

Here’s a great example of how together, North Shore Bank employees achieve more:

In the last six months, Becky Reinhardt and Vikki Dolezal in our retirement services department have made nine successful introductions of their clients to investment consultant Jeff Eichel.

Jeff notes that his relationship with Becky goes back over a decade, to when she was branch manager at Shorewood. “Becky referred hundreds of her customers to me in Investment Services, including herself and her parents,” Jeff says. “We have had a lot of years working together, understanding our styles, and having a mutual trust and respect for each other.” When Vikki joined Becky’s team, she was quick to see the value in collaborating with Jeff, too.

Part of their ongoing success stems from just recognizing worthwhile opportunities, as well. “These clients have many needs for other products and services, including financial planning,” he says. It just makes sense to provide them with ways to invest their retirement funds, along with advice on growing their money.

Even more important? “What happens is twofold,” Jeff recently told Becky and Vikki. “You two have really good relationships with your clients. I can tell this by how they relate to you. And you also have a lot of information when we meet. The more information you have helps advance my conversation. Both of you also have a tendency to introduce me as an expert. Your relationship plus a great introduction equals instant credibility.”

“Vikki and I find joint appointments have been key to our success,” Becky says. “We show the trust that we have in Jeff’s expertise, and with our established relationships, it is a perfect fit! We hope to help our customers achieve all of their retirement needs with our successful collaboration.”

Now, Jeff says, they’re working on making virtual meetings a regular part of business, because we have retirement services clients all over the state. New technology will make it easy to share vital information with clients in real time. •••

Southridge’s James surprised with proposal

Southridge’s new assistant branch manager–sales, Cassandra James, traveled to Jamaica earlier this month with her boyfriend, Edgar — where he surprised her by proposing!

The couple arrived in the middle of the day and enjoyed dinner while watching the sun set over the ocean. “After dinner, we went for a walk along the beach. It had been a busy first day, so we didn’t get a chance to feel the water!” Cassandra reports. “I kicked off my shoes and ran to test it out — and when I turned around, Edgar was on one knee with the ring box open! He asked me to marry him, and I nearly screamed, ‘Yes, of course!'”

Cassandra and Edgar — pictured above the morning after the big event — have been together for three years, so the proposal didn’t come out of nowhere, but was a great surprise nonetheless, she says. “I had no idea that this was going to happen, but Edgar made sure everyone back home knew about it well before we went on vacation! They all kept such a good secret!” Congratulations to the happily engaged couple! •••

New Hires for April 26
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Video teller Erika Garcia was born in California, raised in Milwaukee, and now lives in Menomonee Falls. Before coming to North Shore Bank, she was a shift leader for a Germantown business. Erika reads a lot. “I prefer fiction,” she says. “I’m currently reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, and one of my all-time favorites is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.”

Sturgeon Bay teller Melody Langrick grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula; she lived in Denver for over 20 years before moving back to this part of the country a couple of years ago. She worked at FedEx Office for 14 years and was most recently the winery manager at Door 44 Winery near Sturgeon Bay. Melody practices the martial arts — she specializes in tae kwon do and also has a background in jiujitsu and hapkido. “I started in my twenties and then stopped practicing for several years, and started back up with my kids when they started at an early age,” she says. •••

North Shore Shape Up: For healthy fats, turn to plants
“Eat more fats!” That’s been the message from many proponents of healthful eating over the past few years, as research has shown that low-fat diets keep people from getting a lot of crucial nutrients. As Cleveland Clinic Wellness explains:

We know that manufactured “trans” fats are extremely harmful — so much so that they’re finally on their way out of the packaged-food supply. We know, too, that the low-fat movement, begun in the 1970s, was largely misguided and came with tremendous costs — namely, an increased intake of refined carbohydrates, including a dizzying array of snack foods and sugar-laden junk. And we also know that both mono- and polyunsaturated fats, when eaten in moderation and used to replace saturated or trans fats, can help lower inflammation levels and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, memory loss, and cancer.

But this doesn’t mean bacon lovers are in the clear: “In a large population study, eating a diet high in fats from plant foods like avocados and nuts was linked to a lower risk of death from heart disease or other causes compared with a diet high in fats from animal sources, such as full-fat dairy products, chicken, beef, and eggs. People with a high intake of plant-sourced monounsaturated fats had a 16 percent lower risk of death from any cause over the course of the 22-year study compared with those who had a low intake. Those who ate a lot of animal-based monounsaturated fats, on the other hand, had a 21 percent higher risk of death than those who ate lower amounts.”

Substituting olive oil for butter when possible and adding more avocado and nuts to your menu are good examples of changes in the right direction. Happy eating! •••

Upcoming Events
North Shore Bank Family Day at the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers will take place this Saturday, April 28. It’s Yooper Day and you can meet Caillou. More upcoming events here.

Internal Job Postings •••

• Universal Banker, Brookfield Square, full time, 40 hours/week. Pay grade: N03. Referral bonus: $400. Internal closing date: TODAY.

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!