20 years in, Patty Muehl stays busy at Pewaukee
Branch manager Patty Muehl is busier than ever at our Pewaukee office, where she began her North Shore Bank career 20 years ago this month. But while that may be par for the course, she says, some things have changed.

“When I first started, they had a position called ‘PB-2,’ and it was really just doing consumer loans,” she says. That was her first job title here. “And we were doing a lot more loans back then. I remember there was one month when I only had 10 loans, and that was the worst month I ever had. Now if we have 10 loans in a month, phew!” Read more about Patty’s two decades at the bank now!

Boo at the Zoo draws around 4,000 for trick-or-treating

An estimated 4,000 people showed up for trick-or-treating and more fun at the Racine Zoo’s Boo at the Zoo last Saturday, October 27.

“It was great!” said Regency teller supervisor Mandy Crain. “We saw a number of fantastic costumed kids who were eager to participate with us. We all had a great time helping them budget their $10 limit with the money game — which, if budgeted correctly, earned them a sweet treat. We also made ghost pops that — if they got too scary — the kids could devour later in the day.” We have a bunch of excellent photos from the day — check ’em out!

Unicorn spotted at NEW Zoo Boo

Area manager Katie Presser brought her niece Alaina to North Shore Bank’s Zoo Boo at the NEW Zoo in Green Bay last weekend. “She’s 6 months old and was the cutest unicorn there!” Katie says. •••

Bank rolls out Snapchat filters for autumn events

Are you on Snapchat? North Shore Bank is. “We recently ran a few Snapchat filter campaigns at select fall events — the Zoo Boo at the NEW Zoo, Racine’s Boo at the Zoo, and the Pumpkin Chuckin’ Fest — to help build brand awareness and provide a fun way for eventgoers to share their photos,” reports digital solutions and emerging media manager Tim Gluth.

Tim says our filters were used 143 times and viewed over 4,000 times by Snapchat users. Keep an eye out for more North Shore Bank Snapchat filters at future events we put on or sponsor! Above are woodland critters Regency teller supervisor Mandy Crain and her niece Kennedy putting social media to excellent use. •••

Wellness event uses old Shorewood branch

Shorewood branch manager Shannon Weber opened the old branch on October 13 for the Shorewood Business Improvement District’s Health and Wellness Open Doors event. Local wellness vendors promoted their services downtown during the event. “From what I understand, many residents stopped in to take advantage of this exciting first-time event,” Shannon said. •••

Kudos: Christen Meyer helps an anxious customer

District manager Cristen Baumann got a great email from a customer about Fox Point branch manager Christen Meyer:

Christen Meyer

This morning I had a concern regarding automatic withdrawals from my checking account. I called the Fox Point branch where we usually bank and expected to be transferred to a teller. I was greeted by Christen, who was immediately professional, friendly, and helpful. In the course of the conversation, I asked a question about our home equity loan as well. She again shared some excellent strategies and suggestions to make me feel more comfortable and to perhaps even save some money in converting our loan so that it had a fixed rate rather than variable, and also checked to see if we could increase our line of credit to provide us with some peace of mind for upcoming expenses. We talked about 401k plans, retirement strategies, saving, home equity, and most of all, just about how scary money management can seem when you aren’t an expert.

Christen was not just professional, friendly, and helpful, she was therapeutic. My anxiety level decreased measurably after the conversation, and I feel like it opened avenues I had never thought to explore. I wanted to share how helpful Christen was for me, and I wanted to thank you for hiring and supporting employees that are still able to provide that one-on-one relationship that barely exists in banking today. It honestly made a world of difference to me today.

Christen says she just listened to understand. “By sitting back and letting the customer talk, I was able to identify the cues and clues she gave me throughout our conversation and understand what her true concerns were by listening to the pitch in her voice. I was able to pick up on things like ‘My husband just retired,’ ‘We are living off of one income,’ and ‘I am trying to organize my finances.’ After identifying these cues, knowing the products and services we offer allowed me to land in the life of the customer.”

She also shared this update: “I have spoken to the customers and confirmed they will be coming in to increase their HELOC. This will give them peace of mind should an extreme emergency arise; they will not have to leverage their liquid cash or investments. They will also be meeting with investment consultant Jeff Eichel to discuss their retirement goals.” •••

New Hires for November 1
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Sister Bay teller Emily Johnson is from Ellison Bay — a “born-and-bred Door County native,” as she puts it. She previously worked as a cook at Thyme Cuisine in Baileys Harbor. Emily loves reading. “I purchase actual books because I love the smell of paper and need to hold one in my hand!” she says. Right now, she is rereading one of her favorites: The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson. “I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a thrilling suspense murder story based on true events. I enjoy historically relevant and accurate novels!”

Sister Bay teller Mary Jo Krajenka is from Bay View and was previously an administrative assistant at Aurora Health Care. Mary Jo is in the process of opening a guest house in Door County. “We have been working on getting it open since August,” she says. “Unfortunately, a pipe burst and flooded the lower level after just a month, so we have been working to repair the damage and hope to have it up and running first thing when 2019 rolls around. We’ll have four rooms available for rental in the heart of Door County!”

Mortgage loan originator Todd Novotny lives in Sussex and was previously a mortgage loan officer at BMO Harris Bank for 17 years. He and his wife have a 3-year-old daughter and another child on the way next month. “I spend a lot of free time with family and friends and have also coached high school track and field for over 10 years,” Todd says. “I used to be a fairly active runner myself; however, my body doesn’t quite respond the way it used to!” •••

North Shore Shape Up: Be aware of lung cancer
November is Lung Cancer Awareness month, so this year, let’s take time to show support for everyone impacted by this disease. Cancer touches so many of us, whether it’s as a personal diagnosis or because you’re a caregiver to a family member or friend.

Mark November 15 on your calendar now! It’s the Great American Smokeout, so it’s a perfect day for us all to wear something white to promote awareness of lung cancer. Who says you can’t wear white after Labor Day? It’s for a great cause! Watch for additional reminders closer to that date.

Also, check out the Wellness/Body pages for information and links to a variety of helpful sites and resources. The Wellness/Spirit page has some great ideas for Random Acts of Kindness to share with families touched by cancer. And what other ideas do you have that can be added to the calendar? Just email Pat Ingelse at pingelse@northshorebank.com and she will make sure they are added.

November 15 is, of course, a great day to commit to quitting smoking. Make a plan to stop and stick with it. It is not an easy thing to do, but you are so worth it!

Finally, this is also a great time to be a superhero! If you have been touched by cancer in some way and are willing to help a co-worker through that journey, please take a moment and have your name added to the Superhero Volunteer List. Just stop by the “Be a Superhero” page and submit the form. •••

Upcoming Events
The 2018 Racine/Kenosha Money Conference takes place this Saturday, November 3, at Knapp Elementary. Get affordable, high-quality financial education at low cost. There are age-appropriate classes for students and classes in Spanish, and child care is included in the admission price. More upcoming events here.

Internal Job Postings •••

Ongoing

• Customer Assistance Rep, Corporate, part time, 20 hours/week. Pay grade: N12. Referral bonus: $400.
• Video Teller, Brookfield Square, full or part time, 40 or 20 hours/week. Pay grade: N03. Referral bonus: $400.

For complete information regarding internal job postings, application procedures, and our referral program, click on the Job Postings tile found on the home page in Ask Seymour.