35 years with North Shore Bank: Dennis Christoffel says he was in the right place at the right time
A former teacher, Dennis was hired to develop and launch North Shore Bank’s Retirement Program Services Department. He says he enjoys his role helping people plan for retirement every bit as much today as he did when he started. And he is grateful that North Shore Savings and Loan Association ran a blind ad and that he responded. Read more here about our VP of Investment Program Services.
Around the Bank
Many thanks to Wellness Coordinator Lynn Jack, VP Mike Kellman, and Mailroom Assistant Colleen Moore for serving as North Shore Bank’s campaign coordinators in our drive to help Milwaukee’s United Performing Arts Fund. Lynn didn’t have numbers on hand, but she said this year’s campaign was a success. “It went well,” she says. Our UPAF campaign kicked off with an orchestra performance at the Northside branch, and in connection with the campaign, the In Tandem Theatre troupe wrote and recited a poem in honor of SVP Steve Steiner’s retirement. We also fielded a team for the UPAF Ride for the Arts in June.
• Blood drive at Corporate on Monday. Reminder for Corporate employees: BloodCenter of Wisconsin will be here on Monday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you’d like to donate, slots are still open — sign up at bcw.edu/NorthShoreBank.
• Preble High fire fundraiser. Our branches are holding a fundraiser to help the Green Bay Preble High School Quarterback Club after a fire earlier this month damaged the building’s gym. We will match up $1,000 of the donations made through August 31. The money collected will go to the cleaning and purchase of new sports equipment and other needs.
Shorelines Shout-Outs!
As proven in our Customer Pulse Surveys, you are the heartbeat of the bank’s success. Here’s a sampling of what customers have to say about banking with us.
MLO Stewart Hoyer was highlighted in this recent note from some grateful customers going through a challenging home-buying experience:
In May 2013, my husband and I moved from the UP of Michigan to the Fox Valley of Wisconsin and initially set up accounts with one of the local credit unions. Our plan was to also secure a local, small-town bank to handle some of our personal and business accounts once we were settled in the area. Approximately six months ago — after we’d sold our home — we started looking at houses and talked with the credit union mortgage person and were very disturbed with the outcome. We frequent Festival Foods in the Northland Mall in Appleton, and the North Shore Bank staff had always been courteous to us. We had been instructed by a relative in the banking industry to look at a local bank. So we came into the North Shore Bank and met with Kelly [Kading] regarding setting up some accounts, who introduced us to Stewart Hoyer regarding a potential home mortgage. After owning businesses for over 35 years, we were immediately impressed with the North Shore Bank staff and their commitment to customer service!!! We had numerous small “hiccups” with our accounts, but your staff ALWAYS made it right.Stewart Hoyer
However, the North Shore Bank staff person who exemplifies customer service is Stewart!!! He has helped us every step of the way. We had some very unusual irregularities in what should have been a straightforward home sale, related to the seller’s real estate agent. Stewart was willing to do whatever he could to help us, even after-hours phone calls and extra work to help to rectify our problems. At the closing, when an issue came up with the seller not vacating the property as per the normal process, Stewart worked with our Century 21 agent, Stacy Hennessey, to ensure that our interests were not being compromised. Our agent was EXTREMELY impressed with North Shore Bank, and after 15 years of being a very successful real estate agent in the Fox Valley, she told us that North Shore was one of the easiest banks in the area to work with!!!
I know that our home mortgage had some very unusual issues. But Stewart handled them with professionalism and genuine sincerity. We can never repay his kindness and assistance. It is rare as a business to find an employee like Stewart, and we felt it imperative that he be recognized for his commitment and dedication.Stewart, Kelly, Krissy [Bowe] and the rest of your staff have earned our loyalty as customers. We have NO reason to look anywhere else for any of our banking/financial services! We CHOSE to stay with North Shore Bank — with people that we know we can count on!
David and Carol H.
Stewart is quick to stress that the buyers’ problems were a result of issues on the seller’s side. “On our end, it was very smooth,” he says. The issues popped up the morning of the closing on the house, which resulted in a three-hour meeting for the closing. He credits the buyers’ agent and the title company for their hard work and patience, as well, and says the buyers were “wonderful,” too. “It’s about staying calm, keeping a clear head, and not getting caught up in the moment,” he says. “Stay calm for the customer, and work through it one issue at a time.” Since getting upset or frustrated doesn’t do any good, Stewart says, your best bet is just to focus on doing your job properly. And it pays off, he notes: “The owner of the title company — after the meeting, he said to me, ‘I was glad to see you were so professional in there.'”
Service Anniversaries This Week
“It’s exciting to have been with the bank for five years, and to have been in so many different positions here,” says Shorewood ABMS Stefanie Sykora. “I’ve met so many people along the way who have taught me so much.”
Stephanie with her prize.
North Shore Shape Up held a “water challenge” in July, asking employees to drink at least four 8-ounce servings of water every day and track their water consumption for 15 days. In all, 41 employees participated.
“I decided to do it because I knew I needed to drink more water,” said Deposit Operations Rep Stephanie Hallgren, who was one of four employees to win a prize in the challenge. “Tracking it on a piece of paper made it easier to actually do. It was more of a conscious effort. Our department, as a group, we were all making sure we were drinking water more often.” Stephanie won some tea mix and, appropriately, a water bottle. “It’s nice because it measures how much liquid you drink,” she says. The other challenge winners were: Green Bay East Teller Jill Conklin, Senior Commercial Loan Specialist Priscilla Hartling, and Marketing Communications Manager Kate Knox.
With 41 employees participating, drinking at least 32 ounces of water per day, for 15 days…that means the water challenge participants drank at least 19,680 ounces — or more than 150 gallons! — of water. Great work staying hydrated, all!
Internal Job Postings
Traveling Universal Banker, Central/South Region, full time. 40 hours/week. $400 referral bonus. Internal closing date: August 22.
Video Teller Specialist, Brookfield, full time. 40 hours/week. Internal closing date: August 22.
For a complete list of internal job postings and to apply for one, go to nsbcareersforyou.silkroad.com and click on “Internal Openings” at the top. To refer an external person to an opening, go to our intranet page. You can earn cash and prizes for a successful referral!
Shorelines is published on Thursdays. We love to hear about your professional milestones and the important moments in your life outside of work, too. Send news, questions, story ideas, suggestions, and fun photos to shorelines@northshorebank.com, or share your message using the comment form below.