35 years in, Mickey Adams is where she wants to be
Mickey Adams is different from a lot of people: When she began her banking career 35 years ago, she knew it was pretty much just what she wanted to do.

“I wanted to do something with money or numbers,” says Mickey, who started as the receptionist for our Allouez branch, back when it was the corporate office for Frontier Savings. She was told about the position by a friend she’d worked with at her first job, at Arby’s. “I really wanted to be in more of a teller role, handling money, but this was my in.”

Now, of course, Mickey is still at Allouez — as area branch manager, also overseeing our Green Bay East office. She remained there through Frontier’s transition to Sunrise Savings, and Sunrise’s acquisition by North Shore Bank, and has been named the bank’s Manager of the Year three times. Read on about her career and why she’s glad she’s stayed all this time.

Survey: Customers appreciate ease of banking with NSB
We continue to move in the right direction, in no small part because you make it easy for our customers to do business with North Shore Bank. That’s one of the big messages from the customer loyalty survey we deployed in April to 19,900 North Shore Bank and Illinois State Bank customers. It garnered responses from 1,500 people, and we saw positive traction in our loyalty and net promoter scores. Read on for more information about the latest survey.

From HR: Job shadows offer benefits
Molly Schissler recently reached out to some recent participants in our job shadow program to hear about their experiences — Sussex branch manager Anne Kagerah, district manager Cristen Baumann, and Brookfield Square assistant branch manager–sales Domingo Martinez. Here’s what they shared!

Top managers celebrate with fine dining, baseball

Earlier this summer, Sue Doyle, senior vice president, retail banking, and Craig Witz, vice president, branch sales, celebrated the success of our top-performing branch managers at a special annual event. Each year, two managers attend from each district, based on a combination of their branches’ sales and customer service results, along with the district managers and vice president and branch operations manager Tricia Cravillion.

The theme for this year’s event was “Race for the Pennant.” It featured a white-linen dining experience and a trip to see the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Kansas City Royals. “The fine-dining experience was supposed to take place as a tailgate at Miller Park, complete with tablecloths, real plates and silverware, and a menu consisting of steak and lobster,” Craig noted. “Rainy weather forced us to move it indoors, but the rest of it stayed the same.”

Attendees are pictured above. Front row: James Shook, McHenry. Second row: Becky Kolstad, Sister Bay; Christen Meyer, Grafton; Maria Baumer, Brookfield Capitol; Tricia; and district managers Kerri Collins and Lauri Lunde. Back row: district manager Brian Bozek; Danielle Hansen, Muskego; district manager Cristen Baumann; Robin Callis, Burlington; Mickey Adams, Green Bay East; and Craig. Not pictured are Sue and Joline Lazarski, Southwest. •••

HR has a (personalized) laugh

A day without laughter is a day wasted. —Charlie Chaplin

A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused. —Shirley MacLaine

The Human Resources department recently enjoyed some laughter at ComedySportz in Milwaukee, at a surprise private show for the team. Unbeknownst to her employees, senior vice president Molly Schissler had provided the ComedySportz players with some details on each of them, so that the players could incorporate a few customized zingers into the show.

Training and development manager Milene Below was shocked when one of the players mentioned working on Ask Seymour and reminded the other players to “be sure you update your content!” Much to the amusement of the team, Molly wasn’t spared from being spoofed either: One of the players pretended to have a broken arm and complained of multiple injuries. “I’m not saying I’m accident-prone, but I have had more than my fair share of injuries!” Molly admits. She adds: “It was all good-natured fun, and we had a great time with plenty of laughter. Remember to make time for laughter!”

Above are training specialists Nikki Shelton-Moss and Jaime Sagler, payroll and benefits specialist Bernita Hardiman, Molly, Milene, HR rep Cheryl Fregoso, talent acquisition manager Janet Rosenthal, and payroll and benefits manager Cindy Lohrey at ComedySportz. Pictured at right are the ComedySportz players. •••

Girls check out NSB’s Beastie

Greendale personal banker Samantha Damman and Franklin teller Valerie Kochanski brought their daughters to the Milwaukee County Zoo’s Kids’ Night to check out North Shore Bank’s contribution to the Beasties Safari. The girls loved the mac-n-cheese from one of the food trucks on site for the evening, and rode the zoo’s Safari Train, too. Above are Samantha’s daughter Layla, 3, and Valerie’s daughter Savannah, 9. More information on the Beasties Safari here. •••

North Shore sponsors kids’ race at Shorewood Criterium

This year’s Shorewood Criterium Cycling Classic took place June 28. The annual bike race is part of the Tour of America’s Dairyland, an 11-day competition taking place across southeast Wisconsin.

“This race lasted all day, with many different categories,” said Shorewood branch manager Shannon Weber, whose branch closed at noon because of the event. “We helped sponsor the Kids Race and greeted the racers at the finish line. We also gave out fun items to the kids all day long.” Above, the kids finishing the race begin lining up to get free ice cream. At right, assistant branch manager–sales Maddie Gramling, Shannon, and universal banker Tianna Lee get a picture in during a long day at the race. •••

New Managers
Ray Guardiola, personal banker at Wauwatosa, will take over as branch manager at Cudahy. “I am very excited to join the great team at Cudahy,” he says. “I look forward to the challenges ahead of us and collaborating as a team to overcome them. I feel prepared from my time working with both Lisa Brooks and Mary Rose Balzer. They provided me with tools to help me grow and prepare for upcoming opportunities.” •••

Service Anniversaries for July 2018
The following employees celebrate a milestone anniversary with North Shore Bank this month.

35 years
Mickey Adams, Area Branch Manager, Allouez and Green Bay East

10 years
Nicole Daniels, Vice President, Loan Administration
Sara Speich, Teller, Muskego

Leave a comment to congratulate them!

New Hires for July 19
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Mike Krause, vice president, business banking, was born and raised and still resides in Racine. He was previously vice president, commercial banking, at First American Bank in Kenosha. “For those who are old enough to remember Bozo’s Circus, I made it to bucket number four in the Grand Prize Game,” Mike says. “I don’t remember much — I was in third or fourth grade. But my parents tell me my competitive spirit was showing back then: Apparently, when I missed bucket four, I immediately grabbed the ping-pong balls from the other three buckets and started tossing them back at it. I wanted my chance at that bike in bucket number five!” •••

North Shore Shape Up: Caregivers, take care too
Harvard Health notes that around 66 million Americans serve as caregivers for older parents or other individuals, and that to be effective, those caregivers must take care of themselves as well: “Studies of men and women responsible for the long-term care of relatives show higher rates of illness, suppressed immune response, slower healing, and even earlier death among caregivers. Additionally, research reveals that ongoing stress endured by older adults caring for spouses with Alzheimer’s disease has a negative impact on the caregiver’s own mental functioning.”

The post offers several recommendations for caregivers who need relief of their own, including searching for help at eldercare.gov, prioritizing their own health needs, being clear and assertive about the help you need from others, and also being sure to accept help when it’s offered.

Joining a caregiver support group can be very worthwhile, too. North Shore Bank’s Caregiver Support Group is back and meets the third Wednesday of each month in Lower Level C at Corporate from noon to 1pm. If you cannot attend in person, call 262-787-6858 and use access code 997025286#. Find out more here or contact Pat Ingelse at pingelse@northshorebank.com.

If you are interested in helping a co-worker who needs support, check out the new “Be a Superhero” program or contact Pat for more information. Also note that the bank’s caregiver program has been expanded to include grief management. On Mondays, there will be resources, journal prompts, and small meditations available at Corporate for those dealing with the loss of a loved one. •••

Upcoming Events
North Shore Bank Taste of Lake Country on Pewaukee’s Lakefront takes place Friday, July 27, and Saturday, July 28. Enjoy local food, music, and art. More upcoming events here.

Internal Job Postings •••

• Teller, Oak Creek, full time, 40 hours/week. Pay grade: N02. Referral bonus: $300. Internal closing date: TODAY.
• Teller, Milwaukee Capitol, full time, 40 hours/week. Pay grade: N02. Referral bonus: $300. Internal closing date: July 23.
• Customer Assistance Rep, Corporate, full time, 40 hours/week. Pay grade: N12. Referral bonus: $400. Internal closing date: Ongoing.

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!