Employees spread cheer, goodwill on Candy Cane Lane
A MACC Fund representative stands at left as VP branch sales Craig Witz and Joline present the bank’s donation.
Here are a few more photos from the awesomely successful kickoff for this year’s Candy Cane Lane in West Allis.
Area manager Carolyn Lancour (formerly Lyrenmann) played Seymour Savings, and was assisted by husband Jeremy.
Employees from branches including Southwest, Southridge, and Forest Home turned out to help with the effort, collecting donations from drivers who came to check out the stunning annual holiday lights display. Funds collected go to the MACC Fund, to help fight childhood cancer. Southwest branch manager and AVP Joline Lazarski got opening-night volunteers organized and scheduled for what was a very fun and busy night. And as previously reported, North Shore Bank contributed $2,514 to bring Candy Cane Lane’s overall fundraising total to $3 million collected since 1985.
“We start planning in September, and I am honored to help out for such a great cause along with so many other wonderful volunteers,” says Joline, who also staffs the table at Candy Cane Lane on Wednesdays, collecting donations for counting. “We are just a small part of it, but it’s so worthwhile.”
Southwest personal banker Shannan Mahloch and teller Lorenzo Babbo looking warm and festive as they collect donations.
The bank will be back on Candy Cane Lane again tomorrow night for Mascot Night, where Seymour Savings will join other area organizations’ mascots to greet families and spread cheer. “Other characters also tend to be wandering around,” Joline notes. “In past years, we’ve had some from Frozen, Star Wars, Mulan, and many more stories. It is always exciting to see who shows up!” More information is here. •••
Bank on Kindness keeps joy alive, helps local businesses
Jayne and Erica with a sample of the treats.
Our Kindness Crew’s efforts continue apace! Germantown branch manager Erica Hughes partnered with Jayne Borst of the village’s school district to deliver treats from the Nutman Company to 405 educators. One teacher wrote to the bank: “Wanted to say thank you from Germantown High School for the pretzel snacks and kind words! It has been a challenging year, and we appreciate you recognizing our efforts. I love that you ‘shopped local’ using Nutman also! I am a resident of Richfield, have two children in the Germantown School District, and have been an educator at the high school in the social studies department for over 20 years. Partnerships and support in our community are paramount.”
Fresh Thyme gave away pies purchased by North End for the community.
And North End branch manager Ray Guardiola shared Bank on Kindness funds in a variety of fun ways: buying $110 worth of dog bones for Pets on Brady to give out to customers; prepaying $100 of coffee for customers of veteran-owned Dry Hooch Coffee; buying $120 worth of pies for Fresh Thyme market to give away to customers; buying $56 of bread for customers at Peter Sciortino Bakery; donating a $150 gift card to community food-sharing site Food Is Free MKE; and purchasing gift cards from Alderaan Coffee for the staff at Mandel Group property management. •••
Northside celebrates with holiday decor
Lisa, assistant branch manager Cathy Straka, and mortgage loan originator Susan Liedel show off the tree.
“Northside had fun decorating our Christmas tree with new colors to match our new decor after our remodel this year,” reports branch manager Lisa Brooks.
Ryan, with the garlands decorating the teller pod.
Lisa noted that while the year has of course been challenging, her team has stayed positive and is grateful to be healthy and working together. “We are so thankful to floating teller Ryan Alfaro,” she added, “who spent time fixing our tree that got squashed pretty badly during our remodel and restringing the lights. He did a great job.” •••
Milwaukee Capitol introduces ITM
Anthony, with video teller Nancy Salas on-screen on the ITM.
Milwaukee Capitol is the latest branch to offer video teller services through our interactive teller machines.
“I am pretty excited to have ITMs here,” universal banker Anthony Carvajal said. “It has been a big help, and I am finding customers are happy they do not have to rush here after work, because the video tellers are still here after we have gone home.”
Area branch manager Shannon Weber agreed, adding that she has enjoyed seeing the team work with customers to show them how the new ITM works and introducing them to the video teller team. •••
Mindful Minute: Introspection helps focus on positive
Your Zen minute: What is done is done. Energy spent worrying about things that have already happened is energy wasted. Learn what you can from the past and apply those lessons to the days and weeks to come — without looking back.
For Week 2 of our “Attitude for Gratitude” challenge, we’ll talk about mindful introspection and how it helps us grow. Pat Ingelse has more here!
Practice smart shopping online with tips from FTC
If you’re still doing your holiday shopping and planning to buy gifts online, you’ll want to incorporate these tips from the Federal Trade Commission on being safe and smart. The FTC advises that you:
- Take time to compare products. To get the best deal, compare products. Do research online, check product comparison sites, and read online reviews.
- Check out the seller. Confirm that the seller is legit. Look for reviews about their reputation and customer service, and be sure you can contact the seller if you have a dispute.
- Look for coupon codes. Search the store’s name with terms like “coupons,” “discounts,” or “free shipping.”
- Pay by credit card. Paying by credit card gives you added protections. Never mail cash or wire money to online sellers. If the seller asks you to pay this way, it could be a scam.
- Use secure checkout. Before you enter your credit card information online, check that the website address starts with “https.” The “s” stands for secure. If you don’t see the “s,” don’t enter your information.
- Keep records of online transactions until you get the goods, confirm you got what you ordered, and that you’re satisfied you won’t have to return the item.
Simple, right? More information here. Be careful and have fun buying! •••
Promotions for November 2020
The following employees were promoted in November:
- Bridget Anderson was promoted from Personal Banker to Assistant Branch Manager at Regency.
- Jailine Barbosa was promoted from Teller at El Rey to Customer Assistance Representative.
- Kelly Doucette was promoted from Teller at New Berlin to Teller Supervisor at Southridge.
- Kelsey Foertsch was promoted from Universal Banker at West Allis to Lending Quality Control Specialist.
- Lisa Gagliardi was promoted from Teller Supervisor at Westgate to Video Teller.
- Emily Johnson was promoted from Universal Banker at Sister Bay to Personal Banker at Sturgeon Bay East.
- Lynne Marus was promoted from Teller to Teller Supervisor at Greendale.
- Damaris Vargas was promoted from Personal Banker at Kenosha Main to Assistant Branch Manager at Kenosha South.
Leave a comment to congratulate them!
New Hires for December 10
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.
Customer assistance rep Alana Walton is from West Allis. She previously worked at a start-up specializing in aftermarket parts for Capacity yard trucks and LayMor sweepers. “They unfortunately closed their doors in October,” she said. “It feels good to be back in the financial field after almost two years.” In her off-hours, Alana enjoys acrylic pour painting and cooking and baking with her daughter. •••