Wendy Gyles celebrates her 20th service anniversary with the bank this week.

Electronic banking AVP Wendy Gyles has played a major role in North Shore Bank’s evolution over the course of her career here, which hits the 20-year mark this week. A pivotal figure in developing our debit channel, she notes that most people have no idea how complex that system is, even as debit cards have become an essential part of everyday life.

“People depend more and more on their debit cards nowadays,” says Wendy, who also spent a year at the New Berlin branch and six years in our Checking department. “They don’t realize what goes on behind the scenes. A lot of our call center calls are debit calls — a customer lost their card or can’t activate their PIN — so it’s a lot of work.”

With two decades under her belt, Wendy is now preparing for retirement at the end of September. She talked to Shorelines about her career and what’s next. There’s no doubt she’ll be missed.

“Where did the time go?” asks VP and security/payments manager Lyneen Fischer. “Wendy has been a staple in our ebanking department, taking on projects over the years from conversions to implementing chip cards. I have been fortunate to work closely with her over the past seven years, and have so enjoyed getting to know this multifaceted woman. Her garden could be in Better Homes and Gardens! We’re grateful she planted her talent and experience and smiles with our CSC team!”

What has kept you at North Shore Bank for 20 years?
I have been very fortunate to have great mentors in Lyneen and [VP, deposit operations] Jude Lengell. We have worked together to build the debit channel for North Shore Bank. We not only work hard on all the initiatives, but also find time to have a few laughs during the process. I feel I have been working with friends, not only my supervisors.

If you could go back in time to your interview or first day at the bank, what would you tell yourself?
“You are not going to believe how many projects you will be involved in!” When I started in ebanking in 2005, we had an ATM card and one debit card. During the last 14 years, we have brought up several additional debit cards — platinum, business, health savings accounts, and even separate BINS for Illinois State Bank. We also initiated the rewards program, instant issue, debit alerts, deploying chip cards to all customers, and acquisitions of other financials, to name a few things.

What’s an interesting thing you’ve learned about banking that people might be surprised to know?
How complex the debit world is. People just take out their card and it works, but there are so many points of interaction for a debit card transaction — our PIN network, First Data, Fiserv. If there’s a little glitch anywhere along the way, our cards might not work. Fortunately, we have a fantastic team and they’re good at problem solving.

What’s a part of your job you really enjoy?
I’m responsible for the embossing inventory at Corporate and First Data — plastics, card carriers, inserts, and other supplies. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I really enjoy it! I worked in retail for almost 30 years — a grocery store for 25 years and a pharmacy for four. I handled ordering and inventory, and I liked keeping everything straight and in order. So taking over the embossing inventory was like home to me.

Why does experience matter at a company like North Shore Bank?
Experience from a prior project can be of great help to resolve wrinkles in future projects. In addition, working with the same team on projects can provide expertise that is very valuable — you can brainstorm and come up with ideas or solutions.

What are your plans for the future?
The plan is to retire at the end of September. Ericka Juskiewicz has been hired as the new manager, and I’ll work with her for a while. It will take some time to go through all of the stuff I’ve accumulated over the last 20 years!

And then, I don’t know! I’ll spend some time with my family and get my house in order — when you’re working, there are so many things you can’t keep up with. If you looked at my desk you’d never believe it, but I am an organized person! I also really like cooking and canning, and working in my gardens will keep me busy. But it’s a bit scary — it’s a whole different world. I’ve been working since I was 15!