Happy holidays — see you in the new year!
There will be no Shorelines next Thursday. We’ll be back with more news on January 3!

Customer Loyalty Survey: It’s easy to bank with NSB
North Shore Bank remains easy to do business with, according to the results of our latest Customer Loyalty Survey, released in November. That translates into customers referring their family and friends to us.

“Like everyone today, our customers are busy — they’re interested in business relationships that value their time. So when we provide services that make it fast and easy for them to do their banking, they appreciate that. And then they tell other people, who come to us for the same convenience,” said Craig Witz, VP, branch sales. Read more about why customers like banking with us and how to keep it that way!

Some of your favorite presents

We received a few responses to our Question of the Month. See what Kel Doucette, Ashley Coleman, Daniel Baglien, and Erica Kuik say their favorite holiday presents have been!

Corporate holiday event draws donations for homeless

Corporate’s 2018 charitable holiday celebration on December 12 brought in $2,156 in donations to Milwaukee Rescue Mission, along with over 185 donated winter clothing items. The nonprofit provides food, clothing, shelter, and assistance to the city’s homeless and ailing families. Take a look at some of the holiday fun!

Community warms up at Jackson Park after tree lighting

The Jackson Park branch invited attendees of the neighborhood’s annual Christmas tree lighting on December 7 to stop in afterward for hot cocoa and other treats. Santa Claus was there for pictures, and kids got gift bags containing Christmas candy and cookies, stickers, pencils, and the like. Volunteers from the Jackson Park Community Association also performed Christmas carols.

About 100 people came for the tree lighting and stopped into the branch. Pictured above with Santa are area manager Alfredo Martin, teller supervisor Josephina Reyes, personal banker Karen Alvarado, teller Diana Villanueva, mortgage specialist Nancy Arciga, teller Dulce Lopez-Barroso, and universal banker Silvia Reyes. Assistant branch manager–sales Claudia Romo and senior center specialist Nancy Kaye also helped with the event. •••

‘Street Santa’ stops by Southridge

Santa stopped in to see the Southridge branch team on December 15! A longtime customer named Robert has been a “Street Santa” for 14 years, dressing up and waving to cars and taking photos with passersby.

“Robert says he’s the only official Street Santa in Wisconsin,” reports area branch manager Carolyn Lyrenmann. “He does it because he likes to see people smile, and he encourages the people who take pictures with him to go online and donate to the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin or the Humane Society.” She says he’s been known to stand outside for as long as 12 hours at a time, usually near College Avenue and 21st Street.

He visits Southridge about once a month as regular old Robert, but this was his first visit as Santa; he snapped the pic above with teller Kayde Czarnecki and teller supervisor Tiffany Dettmann. “It meant a lot to him to come by here, and customers got a huge kick out of seeing him,” Carolyn says. •••

New Hires for December 20
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Brookfield Square teller Ryan Halloran is from West Allis and previously worked at Big Deal Burgers & Custard there. “Being able to dress formally and not smell like fries at the end of the day is nice,” he jokes. “But coming from a one-location small business where good customer interaction was very important to growth has already helped me a lot here, as I get to know North Shore Bank customers personally and chat with them when they come in.” Ryan is working toward his pastoral degree from Baptist College of Ministry in Menomonee Falls. He plays Ultimate Frisbee, dabbles in graphic design, and is a loyal Packers fan. •••

A visit to Santa

Oak Creek bank teller Marie Hamilton’s new great-grandbabies Presley and Elliott visited Santa the other day. Hope everyone else’s little ones are getting excited for the big day too! •••

North Shore Shape Up: Remain calm during the holidays
Christmas, New Year’s, and the holiday season in general have a reputation for being almost as stressful as they are enjoyable. If you need help staying calm this year, the Harvard Health Blog has some advice: Take a breath.

When your emotions run high, breathing speeds up, too. Deliberately slowing your breathing relaxes tense muscles, bringing shoulders down from ears, calms roiling emotions, and helps disarm the hormonal cascade within the body that feeds anxiety.

Try this: close your eyes and breathe in deeply through your nose while counting upward. Hold for a few seconds. Breathe out slowly through your nose while counting downward. Make each out-breath a few counts longer than each in-breath. Repeat for five minutes.

The blog notes that mindfulness apps and exercise may also help manage anxiety – during the holidays and the rest of the year as well. Stay calm and merry out there! •••

Upcoming Events
Green Bay game day event parking will be available Sunday, December 30, at our Oneida Street office for $10. All money collected goes to Boy Scout Troop 1139. More upcoming events here.

Internal Job Postings •••

Closing Monday, December 24

• Customer Assistance Rep, Corporate, full time (40 hrs/wk). Pay grade: N12. Referral bonus: $400.
• Training Specialist, Corporate, full time (40 hrs/wk). Pay grade: E09. Referral bonus: $500.

Ongoing

• Customer Assistance Rep, Corporate, part time (20 hrs/wk). Pay grade: N12. Referral bonus: $400.
• Video Teller, Brookfield Square, full (40 hrs/wk) or part time (20). 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.