Rooney tests mettle against other painters at Art 64

Last month, North End assistant branch manager Breanna Rooney took part in Wauwatosa’s Art 64 tournament — a two-day, public, bracket-style live speed-painting competition in which artists competed against one another to produce paintings based on a pre-selected theme within a time limit.

“It was a great experience! I met some amazing artists and had some inspiring conversations,” Breanna said. Read more about her creative career and this cool competition.

Popsicles, toys, and more make Dog Days “paw-some”

Last Saturday’s Dog Days of Summer event at North End was full of furry festivities for humans and pooches alike.

“We had amazing turnout, and it was so much fun,” branch manager Heather Somers said. “We had North Shore Bank dog toys and tennis balls, with pools of toys and water for the pets to play in. Pete’s Pops was there giving away popsicles for humans and dogs, and they were a big hit. My dog went crazy for the cold treat when I brought one home to her.”

Representatives from the Wisconsin Humane Society were there as well, answering questions about how to adopt a dog. They showed off photos of dogs adopted from WHS. Many attendees were also interested to hear more about the forthcoming downtown Milwaukee dog park, planned for an area under the I-794 underpass along the Milwaukee river.

“It was great all around for the dogs and for socializing with people in the neighborhood. We kept calling it a dog party,” Heather said. “I had a blast getting to know people.”

Along with Heather, assistant branch manager Breanna Rooney and district manager Cristen Baumann helped out. Cristen’s daughter Brianna and her friend Alex pitched in too. •••

Happy hour pairs food, financial tips in Germantown

Our latest “You Can” happy hour brought together food, drink, and financial education in Germantown on Thursday, July 14. Almost 60 people registered for the event at Old Germantown restaurant.

The evening’s featured speakers were Germantown branch manager AVP Erica Hughes, investment consultant Andy Eichel, and mortgage loan originator Rick Woldt, as well as Jennifer Zoeller of Zoeller Realty.

“We had a lovely time, with a lot of delicious appetizers and excellent local craft beers to accompany our financial tips,” Erica said. “The weather was perfect too.”

Other North Shore Bank employees who came out for the happy hour included district manager Cristen Baumann, teller supervisor Tracee Born, video teller Erika Garcia, Germantown teller supervisor Tarvinder Kaur, senior secondary market specialist Rachel Rasmussen, and Muskego branch manager Stephanie Ruiz. •••

Baumann kids hit the road to play in tourneys

Metro North district manager Cristen Baumann and husband Jason spent almost two weeks traveling in June for their kids’ sports.

Daughter Brianna, 14, had a five-day Amateur Athletic Union volleyball tournament in Orlando, Florida, while 12-year-old son Alexander competed in a weeklong Cal Ripken Experience baseball tournament in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Both competitions were firsts for the kids.

“Brianna delivered consistent serves throughout the tournament, and also had some killer blocks,” Cristen said. “And Alex pitched four innings without any runs against a tough team. He also had some great outs at first base, shortstop, and catcher.”

The whole family drove to Tennessee, and then partway through the baseball tournament, Brianna and Jason — who used to play competitive volleyball and is her coach — flew to Florida. Cristen and Alexander drove to meet them later. The trip also included stops at Topgolf, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, and the Disney Springs shopping and entertainment complex. •••

New checking customers get up to $300, $50 gas rebate
For new customers feeling the pinch at the pump, we’ve sweetened our summer checking promotion with a $50 gas rebate, in addition to a bonus of up to $300 for opening a new checking account through August 31.

And those extra bucks are on top of all the fabulous benefits that come with a North Shore Bank checking account, like: free online bill pay and mobile deposit, 7-day-a-week video tellers, access to Zelle, complimentary coin counting, and 33,000 free ATMs, and My Cash Back Rewards. New customers can visit a branch or open their new checking accounts online, using promo code SUMMER300BONUS. There’s more information at northshorebank.com/get300. •••

Gift card promo hits big numbers
North Shore Bank offered no purchase fee on gift cards bought between May 1 and June 30 — promoting the offer on our website, in social media, and in the branches. The result? We sold 555 cards with a combined value of $59,000.

That’s a lot of happy moms, dads, and grads — oh, and newlyweds, too! Nice work, everybody. And even when there is a small purchase fee, our gift cards are perfect for those special people and events in your lives and your customers’. Make sure they know! •••

Remember, each moment is a chance to start anew

Perhaps you are feeling sad — maybe you did something you regret or feel you have not done enough. Just remember: Change characterizes everything under the sun; whatever is bothering you will pass. If you are patient, everything can change for you, as old patterns are overwritten with new.

Try this meditation for one minute today, or longer if you wish:

ARE YOU FEELING REGRET? Remember: Each moment is new and absolutely unique in the history of the universe. You can start again — again and again.

Those skilled in war subdue the enemy’s army without battle.
—Sun Tzu, The Art of War

How did this meditation go for you? Share your experience with your fellow North Shore Bank employees at shorelines@northshorebank.com and you’ll be entered to win a copy of Mindfulness in Plain English, by Bhante Gunaratana.

If you’d like a daily email reminder to practice one minute of mindfulness, email us with the subject “Mindfulness reminder.” •••

New Hires for July 21
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Traveling teller James O’Brien is from Waukesha and previously worked as an administrative assistant at Choice Advisors/Focused Tax Solutions. He says, “I can land a backside 540 on a snowboard, I’m intrigued by the stock market, and I can solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 60 seconds.” (If you’re wondering, a backside 540 involves spinning a full 360 degrees — and then another 180 on top of that, for 540 degrees total.) “It didn’t take me long to learn to solve the Rubik’s Cube, and within a week I could do it in under a minute. But my personal best is 22 seconds, which took me much more time and meant learning different algorithms and methods.” •••

Bank sponsors East Stage at Brady Street Festival
What’s going on with you? If you or someone in your family has a special event — a concert, show, sporting or charity event, or another important moment — send the details to shorelines@northshorebank.com. We’ll include information about select events to let your colleagues know about all the cool stuff happening with the North Shore Bank team.

Looking for more to do? Here are suggestions from the bank’s event calendar:

The Kenosha Kingfish host Mascot Mania this Sunday, July 24, at Historic Simmons Field. Mascots from locals businesses and organizations will be there for the whole family to meet and get photos with. Come see everybody — including North Shore Bank’s very own Seymour Savings! More info here.

The Racine County Fair marks its 100th year this summer from Wednesday, July 27, through Sunday, July 31. The event at the fairgrounds in Union Grove brings urban and rural together for a week that is both fun and educational. North Shore Bank is inviting families to stop by at our Kids Booth and get creative with crafts during Children’s Day on Thursday, July 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. More info here.

North Shore Bank is sponsoring the East Stage at this year’s Brady Street Festival on Saturday, July 30. The fun kicks off at 11:30 a.m. with a “doga” session — that’s yoga for humans and their dogs — run by MKE Yoga Social and Off Leash MKE. Starting at 1 p.m., there will be musical acts including Karmon Blu, negative/positive, Mark Waldoch and the Hallelujah Ward, the Cactus Bros, De La Buena, and Vincent VanGreat, Ninja Sauce, and Amanda Huff. More info here. •••