Julie Nelson retires from the Northside branch tomorrow.

Northside teller supervisor Julie Nelson has only been at North Shore Bank for two and a half years, but her decision to retire felt big nonetheless.

“It’s really hard to leave, because I love my job so much,” says Julie, who is moving with her husband to Missouri on Saturday, to be closer to their son. “This decision wasn’t taken lightly. We talked about it for six or eight weeks.”

To be sure, she’s very excited about the move. “But you don’t realize how you affect people until you tell them you’re leaving,” she says. “It’s been really heartwarming to hear that I’ve helped people.”

Before she joined the Northside team in January 2016, Julie had worked at Walmart for 18 years. “I just needed a change,” she says. “It was a very physical job, and I worked holidays, nights.”

And banking has proven to be a great fit. She was named top teller for Q3 of 2016, and top teller supervisor for Q3 in 2017, after a promotion. She also won Teller Supervisor of the Year that year.

“The biggest difference between this job and Walmart is not having so much on my plate here that I couldn’t get it accomplished,” Julie says. “The bank isn’t as fast-paced, but you get a lot of customer interaction. There were over 400 associates at Walmart, so it was hard to get to know customers. When customers at the branch started calling me by my name, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool!'”

Her relationships have borne fruit, as well. Julie says she’s “not a product pusher,” but focuses on listening to customers and finding out their needs. That’s led to many successful referrals, including one recent investment of $235,000 and another that’s pending but that will be around $250,000.

She credits area branch manager Lisa Brooks and assistant branch manager–sales Cathy Straka with helping her find success here. “Lisa is really good when she does our one-on-ones. She always asks what she can do to help us,” Julie says. “And Cathy has so much knowledge — it’s like she’s always worked here. I’ll give her a HELOC or a whole loan profile, and she looks at, and it usually turns into a conversion, credit card, or all of that.”

“Julie came to North Shore Bank with a desire to learn, and she leaves a great legacy behind,” Lisa says. “She has simply been one of those amazing employees that just ‘gets it.’ She has been a leader, an example, a joy to teach and coach, and a blessing to her clients. She gets just as excited today about her referrals as she did her first week, and she has always done things out of the right motivation: being passionate about her customers and proud when she has helped make their lives better.”

Lisa adds: “I will never forget when she won Teller Supervisor of the Year at last year’s Wrap-Up Rally. She was so surprised and excited. She kept saying, ‘I never planned for this. I just did my job to the best of my ability and did what was right for my customers.’ Julie will be missed so much, but she has left her mark here and won’t be forgotten.”

Julie and her husband, Bill, hadn’t planned to move to Missouri, but after a recent visit, they made the decision. Bill, who’s been retired since 2009, loves the fishing and other opportunities down there. “And the weather is so different from here,” Julie says, chuckling. “For the last two months, it’s been in the nineties.”

There will be challenges. They’re moving — with Bill’s mother, Shirley, whom they care for — to the tiny town of Tightwad, population 68. The closest larger town will be 40 minutes away.

“That’s going to be a big adjustment, because I’m so used to just stopping somewhere to pick up something for dinner,” Julie says.

And no matter how much they’re looking forward to the move, she’ll miss her short but profitable time at North Shore Bank.

“I understand why this is one of the best companies to work for, because the people here are so genuine,” Julie says. “They really help you. They really want you to succeed.”