District manager Kerri Collins marks 30 years with North Shore Bank this month.

North region district manager Kerri Collins grew up thinking she’d be a teacher or a nurse. Instead, this month she is celebrating 30 years at North Shore Bank.

“When I became a teller, I realized that I really enjoyed the professional environment, the contact with people,” she says. “And I realized banking was something I could do to help people too.”

And indeed, in her time here, Kerri has been laser-focused on helping both customers and the employees she’s led as a branch manager and a DM. “I’ve stayed here because I believe the bank is very forward-thinking — very good at recognizing the needs of our customers and also the resources that are necessary for employees to grow. And I just want to continue to be forward-thinking about those things as well.”

“Kerri and I have worked together for many years — I consider her not only my co-worker but also my friend,” VP and branch operations manager Tricia Cravillion said. “She impresses me every day with her willingness to grow in her position, her attention to detail, and her advocacy for her employees and customers.”

“Kerri rocks!” said Craig Witz, VP, branch sales. “She brings so much energy to work every day. It amazes me how she can do it, whether she is coaching a team member, working with a customer, or even working the teller pod. She is always looking out for what is in the best interest of the customer, the best interest of the bank, and the best interest of the employee. I also appreciate her commitment to community involvement. She attends so many events and represents the bank so well. She is the spokesperson for the bank in her region, and her TV and radio appearances all showcase her personality and make a great impression of the bank.”

Kerri talked to Shorelines about her career, her favorite challenges, and her legacy.

When our Cub Foods branch first opened in Appleton, Kerri says, “they had a cutout of me advertising the bank — you know, like Brett Favre. Everywhere I went — Kohl’s, church, etc. — people looked at me and said, ‘How do I know you? Oh! You’re the girl in Cub Foods!’ It was a riot. We keep it in our sump pump room now.”

How did you end up coming to North Shore Bank?
I’d been a teller in Ithaca, New York, working at a bank at Cornell University. It was a super cool opportunity, because I worked with students. And we were massively busy, because everybody actually went to the bank back then. When I moved back to Green Bay, I knew I wanted to stay in banking. So I originally worked at North Shore Bank as an administrative assistant in the investment area — I worked for someone who sold annuities. And then I went to work for Home Savings & Loan, which North Shore Bank would end up buying.

Then when North Shore moved into the Appleton area, they called me and wanted me to come back. I also got married in 1990, so it’s been 30 years for both my career and my marriage. So I opened the Cub Foods branch in Appleton as branch manager. The difficult part was, it was seven-day-a-week banking; the good part was, it gave me flexibility when I was raising my three girls. The work-life balance here was really what kept me in banking and at North Shore.

How did you transition from branch manager to district manager?
I was a branch manager for about 19 years. Then my DM at the time, Steve Arps, said, “I have a new opportunity for you.” And I said, “Really? Because I’m extremely happy with what I’m doing.” But he believed I was ready to move into the DM role. My biggest concern was work-life balance, because I really felt like I had that. But he and the bank continued to give me that, 100 percent. The mentorship I’ve had here is another big reason I’ve stayed. I’ve worked for a lot of very different personalities, but they’ve always allowed me to be creative and utilize my own personality in managing my team.

What are the good challenges of your job?
Inspiring people to do their best and challenge themselves. Maybe the most challenging thing is helping employees make a decision about whether to grow in their role and move up or to move on to another workplace. I truly believe that everyone deserves to be happy at work, and if this isn’t the right fit, I want them to find the place that is.

And unhappy customer situations are never fun, but it’s fun for me to work with our managers and find solutions. Can we find solutions to make their banking easier? Can we provide additional resources for them? When they start out madder than a wet hen, and by the time we’ve worked through some solutions they’re saying, “Thank you, I’m so glad you’re my bank” — that feels really good.

My kids always joke about, “Mom! Don’t talk to us like we’re your employees!” Because I’ve always used language with them like “Can you help me understand the problem?” But guess what? Now they do that too! And they’re all in customer service.

What do you still want to accomplish at North Shore Bank?
Four out of the six branch managers in the district and I are all the same age, and we kind of joke about it, but we’re also serious: We believe we have a legacy. We believe we have an opportunity to strengthen the district and really “career” people up, so that when we get to enjoy retirement, we’ve left it in good hands. Which, it’s still going to be quite awhile, but I want employees who are challenged but also content, to find that balance. And we seem to have that, which I think goes back to the culture of the bank.

What would you tell Kerri from 30 years ago if you could talk to her?
I would probably say “Believe in yourself,” because I really didn’t believe in myself 30 years ago. If I hadn’t had the mentors that I had, I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.

And I’d also say “Believe in others”! We get so many young people who come here to work, and helping them grow — that’s probably the thing I love absolutely the most.