Germantown library kickoff draws crowd of hundreds
Erika and her 8-year-old son Uriel work the bank’s table with Erica and husband Shamar.
Around 400 people attended the Germantown Community Library’s summer reading challenge kickoff party on June 11. North Shore Bank sponsored the event.
“There were a lot of young families that attended the event, and I did not recognize anyone,” AVP community engagement manager Erica Hughes said. “This means we were positioned in front of hundreds of new people in the community.”
For the party, the library was transformed into Camp Dewey Reed, a summer camp offering activities like miniature golf, a make-your-own–trail mix booth, and searching for Bigfoot.
Uriel and Erica’s son Royce, 5, pose with Bigfoot at the kickoff party.
Along with Erica, video teller Erika Garcia helped out at the party, as did members of both of their families. At the North Shore Bank table, they handed out goodie bags, s’mores word searches, and Seymour Savings bookmarks.
The 2022 summer reading challenge runs through August 13. The library will wrap up the challenge with a concert by the Germantown High School band on August 20. •••
More than 200 kids race at Shorewood Criterium Classic
Kids could decorate their bikes at our station before racing.
The Shorewood Criterium Cycling Classic returned on June 24, and North Shore Bank once again sponsored the kids’ bike race at the 18th annual event.
“Kids came to see us to register for the bike race,” AVP area branch manager Shannon Weber said. The bank table also offered activities, goodies, and bike decorations. “I love that we can participate and do this, because it is an opportunity for us to talk and interact with the community.”
Shannon’s daughter Izzy finally crossed the finish line after waiting a whole year since the last Criterium Classic to participate in the kids’ race. “Dad took her to the starting line, and she was so nervous,” Shannon said. “Pretty happy and proud face, though, when she crossed that finish line.”
More than 200 kids rode in the race and got to enjoy a treat from Culver’s afterward.
Audrey, Erika, Micki, and Shannon.
Employees who helped out at the classic were Shorewood teller Audrey Elliott and universal banker Micki Usama, as well as video teller Erika Garcia and Shannon.
“We had great weather, and loved meeting with people and businesses in the community and watching the little ones cross that finish line,” Shannon said. “We could not have asked for a better day.” •••
Muskego puts spotlight on bank at city hall
The table at Muskego city hall.
North Shore Bank is one of the first participants to take advantage of the new Business Spotlight table at Muskego’s city hall. Each month, two local businesses get to use the space to promote their services. Our Muskego branch and coffee shop Vintage Grounds — whose owner has partnered with the branch before — are leading the way.
“Marketing manager Mary Ott made us a very nice community poster board for the table, and VP consumer lending manager Mike Murphy provided the mortgage banner,” community engagement manager Stephanie Ruiz said. “I included some information about HSAs, as well as swag, business cards, and candy.” Looks great! •••
Corporate employees get patriotic ahead of Fourth
Shamika and Dennis.
Loss prevention rep Shamika Harris and investment consultant Dennis White helped get their colleagues at Corporate into a patriotic spirit last week, before the Fourth of July holiday. Shamika’s American flag shawl was the highlight of her red, white, and blue outfit, and Dennis’s shirt featured exploding fireworks. “The branch team said the pair was a walking party!” Brookfield Square area manager Maria Baumer said. •••
Mortgage lenders, other bankers earn praise
“Great service — highly recommend,” says the customer feedback card above, which we received in late June.
Customer survey
Treasury solutions and commercial lending specialist Mary Fleischman and Bayshore universal banker Maria Ferretti received some nice compliments from a customer who filled out a survey. “Mary is by far the best employee — she knows the business and always finds a way to solve problems,” he wrote. “Also, Maria is always friendly, efficient, and helpful. Definitely a star!” We have to agree.
Mortgage lenders
And we received a number of great comments about our mortgage lenders:
“Robin Tegel was with me every step of the way in the mortgage loan process. From preapproval to attending the closing, she was there. I highly recommend Robin to all current and future customers of North Shore Bank.”
“We bought our second home and use North Shore Bank because we have heard nothing but great things, especially about Susan Liedel. She was always right on top of everything and always answered our questions right away. We will definitely be recommending her.”
“Rick Woldt was very approachable and professional. We had a wonderful rapport during my loan process. He never left me hanging or wondering what was happening next, and was always one step ahead of me, which I really appreciated. I loved how he kept me notified of every step of the process (what was next to be done) and treated me with great respect. He was patient and never once thought any of my questions were ‘dumb.’ He was friendly, with a good sense of humor, and just such a breath of fresh air. He had so many re-fi plans to offer and worked very hard with me to find the most workable mortgage program that fit my difficult needs. He is a great asset to North Shore Bank. Thanks for everything, Rick.”
“I am extremely grateful for all the help I received, and the kindness and the knowledge from Nancy Arciga! She was amazing to work with — I will definitely be recommending her to my friends and family.” •••
Use discount code to save big on Brewers tickets
As a Wisconsin Timber Rattlers ticket holder, North Shore Bank can offer employees discounted tickets to select Milwaukee Brewers games as well. You can receive up to 50 percent off the retail rate. Discounts and locations vary by game, and seats are based on availability.
To unlock your discounted ticket offers, enter the special offer code TRATSMB22. Click here to see games listings and purchase tickets. •••
Look at your thoughts. Are you leaving room for hope?
To have genuine hope in our lives, we must first open the door to it, invite it in, and then give it room to have a seat and prop up its feet for a while. When there is no place for hope, there is no room for anything else. For something new to arrive, we must first become hospitable to the new and different in our lives. We need to make room, and discard what no longer serves us.
Try this meditation for one minute today, or longer if you wish:
PAY ATTENTION to your recurring thoughts. Would they make an interesting read — or be more like a scary novel? Take some time to edit that transcript into something more positive, and see the difference it makes.
When an answer doesn’t occur to us right away, we often get uncomfortable with this emptiness. We fill these gaps with thoughts from our memory bank, destroying the mental silence that could have brought us something fresh. As we shed this vexation and learn to be at ease with the unknown, we increase exponentially the likelihood of experiencing an insight.
—Charles Kiefer, The Art of Insight
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.” •••
Promotions for June 2022
The following employees were promoted in June:
- Mike Murphy was promoted from Mortgage Regional Savings Manager to VP Consumer Lending Manager
- Nicolle Pullos was promoted from Teller to Universal Banker at Westgate.
- Shannon Quinn was promoted from Universal Banker at North End to Personal Banker at Brookfield Capitol.
- Staci Ryan was promoted from Teller to Universal Banker at Union Grove.
Leave a comment to congratulate them!
New Hires for July 7
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.
Fox Point personal banker Andrew Barca is originally from Chicago and just returned to the Upper Midwest after living in Venice, Florida. “We are so glad to escape the heat this summer!” he says. He was previously a relationship banker at Wells Fargo in Sarasota, Florida, and has also worked in health care and employment services. “My family and I are so glad to be back in Wisconsin to enjoy our family and friends,” Andrew says. “Some of the things I missed most are the pontoon boats, cheese whips from the dairy, and being able to go swimming in the lake without worrying about alligators. Also, I can’t wait for my little ones to see snow for the first time.”
Video teller Chelsea Bivens is from Milwaukee and recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with a degree in business management, with a concentration in finance and a minor in global management. “I still love watching cartoons, and my favorite show is Bob’s Burgers,” she says. “I also enjoy going to concerts, so I’m excited for the opportunity to go back to venues. One of my favorite artists is Canadian R&B singer-songwriter PartyNextDoor.” •••
Get ready for You Can happy hour
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:
Our next You Can happy hour will be next Thursday, July 14, at the Old Germantown restaurant. This casual event will feature light bites and a sampling of craft beer tastings — and with each new sample, the North Shore Bank team will share a tip or trick to help attendees craft their financial plans for the future. Featured speakers will be Germantown community engagement manager Erica Hughes, investment consultant Andrew Eichel, and mortgage loan originator Rick Woldt, as well as real estate agent Jennifer Zoeller. Nonalcoholic beverages will also be available. More info here. •••