30 years in, Collins helps customers, employees grow
North region district manager Kerri Collins grew up thinking she’d be a teacher or a nurse. Instead, this month she is celebrating 30 years at North Shore Bank.

“When I became a teller, I realized that I really enjoyed the professional environment, the contact with people,” she says. “And I realized banking was something I could do to help people too.”

And indeed, in her time here, Kerri has been laser-focused on helping both customers and the employees she’s led as a branch manager and a DM. “I’ve stayed here because I believe the bank is very forward-thinking — very good at recognizing the needs of our customers and also the resources that are necessary for employees to grow. And I just want to continue to be forward-thinking about those things as well.” Read more about Kerri’s career now!

SOAR Together Tributes: January 2020
Last month’s winners of our Seymour Salutes awards are Mila Larson, Melissa Sanchez, Marna Thilleman, Megan Wick, and Rising Star Angela Byrd. Read more about their achievements here!

Annual SOAR Together award nominations now open!
Have a colleague who’s done a truly outstanding job of making our customer promises a reality, or who does outstanding work in their community? Recognize them with a nomination for North Shore Bank’s annual SOAR Together awards.

Go here for details on the three award nomination categories. Winners will each receive $500 and a SOAR Together recognition plaque. You can see our past winners at the link under “Annual Awards Overview.”

All employees are eligible to win these awards, so nominate someone today! The nomination period will close Friday, March 13. A nominating committee will then review the entries and select one winner for each award. Winners will be announced in April.

Submissions must clearly and completely describe why the nominee is deserving of this recognition. Please be sure your comments provide the committee with a full and accurate understanding of the reasons for your nomination. We look forward to reading your submissions! —Molly Schissler, SVP, Human Resources & Compliance •••

Enjoy free Boingo Wi-Fi with Platinum debit card
Your North Shore Bank Platinum debit Mastercard keeps you connected to what matters the most, with access to more than one million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world through Boingo Wi-Fi.

You can:

• Enjoy fast, premium quality Wi-Fi at more than one million hotspots worldwide
• Stay connected on up to four devices including mobile phones, tablets, and laptops
• Save time and hassle with the Boingo Wi-Finder mobile app — it helps you locate nearby hotspots and gets you connected in just a few clicks
• Access 24/7 customer support via email, phone, chat, and social media

Visit redeem.boingo.com/mcsi to register and activate your complimentary Boingo account today and learn how you can get connected. •••

Jackson Park to hold bilingual talks on financial goals
The Jackson Park branch is holding a series of free seminars on financial goals between now and November. Six seminars will be presented in both English and Spanish, and four will be presented only in Spanish.

Here’s the schedule:

• February 22: Home Buying Resources — Learn about grants, loans, home ownership and more.
• March 28: Real Estate Basics — Information presented by Virgil Maldonado of Blue Arrow Realty, LLC and the Latino Entrepreneurial Network.
• April 25: Home Lending — North Shore Bank’s mortgage loan professionals will share home lending options and insights.
• May 23: Understanding & Managing Personal Credit — Join us and the Latino Entrepreneurial Network to learn the basics of personal credit and what it means to you. Spanish-only seminar.
• June 27: Credit and Budgeting – Discover easy ways to establish credit and which budgeting tools are available to you.
• July 25: How to Apply for a Loan & Credit Cards — We will be joined by the Latino Entrepreneurial Network to find out what you need to know to make applying easy.
• August 22: Introduction to Electronic Banking — See how the latest tools can help make your banking transactions even easier and save you time. Spanish-only seminar.
• September 26: Managing Your Bank Accounts — We will take a closer look at your accounts and offer you tips to help you better manage your money. Spanish-only seminar.
• October 24: Financial Goals — Let’s talk about the steps you can take to meet your goals.
• November 14: The Importance of Saving — We will be joined by the Latino Entrepreneurial Network to learn why it’s important to set aside money in a savings account. Spanish-only seminar.

All seminars take place on Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. Attendees can RSVP by calling branch manager Alfredo Martin at 414-327-2000 or filling out the form here. •••

Save on expenses with tips on creating a food budget
Over on the North Shore Bank blog, there’s a great, very useful post on how to create a food budget.

If you’d like to reduce your food spending, here’s a quick summary:

• Track your food expenses for one month, including how much you spend on eating out
• Compare your monthly expenses to the average for your area using the USDA’s cost of food reports
• For more help estimating the right budget, use a grocery budget calculator like this one
• Explore money-saving apps like Food on the Table, which allows you to plan your meals for the week based on sales at a local grocery store

There are more tips in the blog post! Now go forth and save, while eating well! •••

Burlington’s Callis, grandson both heroes this fiscal year

Burlington branch manager Robin Callis sent in this fun photo of grandson Chase, who turns 4 this week, dressed up for Superhero Day at preschool. “Since this fit with our ‘HERO’ theme for the fiscal year, and since I donned the Superman cape for our kickoff rally, I thought I would share,” Robin said. “When he visits this summer, we can be heroes together!” You can see much younger photos of Chase here and here. •••

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

Kenosha Central teller Tia Williams comes to us from NorStates Bank in Illinois, recently acquired by First Midwest Bank. She spent 17 years there, holding many positions, the last of which was consumer banking representative. She is now enrolled in the nursing program at Gateway Technical College. “I love spending time with my family, and I love a great movie — really a fan of action movies like John Wick,” she says. “Prince is one of my favorite musical artists.” •••

What’s going on: Roller derby in Racine
What’s going on with you? If you or someone in your family has a special event — a concert, show, sporting or charity event, or another important moment — send the details to shorelines@northshorebank.com. We’ll include information about select events to let your colleagues know about all the cool stuff happening with the North Shore Bank team.

Anti-Valentine’s Day Roller Derby Bout
February 22, doors open 6pm, Memorial Hall, Racine
The Root River Rollers — featuring deposit services rep Mila Larson — take on the Brew City Bruisers. Tickets to this family-friendly event are $13 for adults, $10 for seniors and kids 10 and under, and free for kids 2 and under. More information here. •••