Recent engagement survey shows lots to celebrate
Thank you to everyone who completed North Shore Bank’s engagement survey back in November — we had a 76 percent response rate, which is very good.

Molly Schissler shares some of the overall results from that survey, which is used each year by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to determine who makes it onto the paper’s list of Top Workplaces in southeast Wisconsin. Take a look and see what she has to say!

Consumer loan originator: Grow your career in new role
Are you looking for an opportunity to evolve your career and grow North Shore Bank’s lending business? The new Consumer Loan Originator position offers you that chance.

The newly created position will involve cross-servicing clients by originating both mortgage and consumer lending products. Consumer loan originators will work with direct consumer applications, call on and develop deeper relationships with the bank’s indirect customer base, and increase awareness of North Shore Bank by participating in associations and other external groups.

This position can take you to the next level in your lending career, while you grow a branch’s or region’s existing lending business in new directions. The right candidate will have strength and experience in the lending space and be good at thinking on their feet while presenting options across lines of business. Candidates will be involved in building the vision and outlook for this position, and will be held to the highest of standards for production, documentation, compliance, application delivery, and branch responsibility. We are excited about this new position and the opportunity it offers to deliver on and exceed our customer promises.

Interested? Apply online by clicking on the Job Postings tile on the home page in Ask Seymour. If you have questions, you can contact Chris Boland, VP and consumer lending manager, at extension 4212 or cboland@northshorebank.com; or Craig Witz, VP and branch sales manager, at extension 3361 or cwitz@northshorebank.com. •••

Mindful Minute: Take time to enjoy your food
In March, we’re focusing on healthy eating. That includes not only eating all the right foods, but also slowing down and really being aware of what you consume.

As you eat, ask yourself: What does this food really taste like? What do I notice when I eat it? With the crazy pace of life, so often we eat on the run, just to quiet the hunger pangs. Or it’s way too easy to stress eat … and eat … and eat. We may have no idea what we consumed, but wow, are we full.

Take a moment to try something called mindful eating. Turn off your social media and screens. Slow down and observe the food on your plate. Really look at it. Notice the smells, the shapes, the textures. Place a small bite in your mouth and see how your taste buds come alive. Notice how much more flavor there is when you chew it. It’s all about slowing down and savoring your food. You become more aware of true flavor (and maybe stop adding so much salt?), become aware when you are satisfied sooner (and possibly stop binge eating?).

Give it a try! Truly appreciate the food in front of you and the healthy benefits it brings. (Except with Brussels sprouts. Can’t do this with Brussels sprouts. 😁) —Pat Ingelse, Assistant Vice President, PMP •••

Enjoy National Nutrition Month with intranet page

March means a few things: It’s almost spring, college basketball is dominating our TV screens, and … National Nutrition Month is here! No time like the present to start getting ready for warmer weather with a change in eating habits — and you can start by checking out all the information on the bank’s new Wellness/Body intranet page.

Are you looking for local walks or runs in your area? There is a list of some coming up, along with links to the registration pages. We also have a few healthy recipes to get you started creating yummy treats. And you can check back every week for updates!

What changes are you making as spring begins? Share what you are doing and be a motivation to others. It’s never too late to make a change in lifestyle. Remember, each step is an important one — one you will be glad you made. —Pat Ingelse •••

Branches keep Bank on Kindness initiative going

Our branches’ Bank on Kindness initiative efforts continue apace! At Forest Home, area branch manager Carolyn Lyrenmann and assistant branch manager Marge Stai donated healthy snacks and school supplies to help 26 homeless elementary students at Manitoba School in Milwaukee.

And at Southridge, Carolyn and staff put up a display recognizing Dr. Anita Frew, executive director of Muskego’s Transformation Ministries, who leads mission trips to Haiti. Dr. Frew, her organization, and host church Faith Christian all bank at the branch.

Finally, the Muskego branch employees demonstrated their kindness by matching coins brought in to count by young customer Natalie. She told the staff she was saving up for an animation mask and was excited to purchase it. “She was beyond grateful, as you can see by the smile on her face,” branch manager Stephanie Bluemel said. •••

Commercial bankers delight clients with pączki

The Commercial Banking team delivered pączki for our business clients to enjoy on Fat Tuesday, on February 25. The bankers delivered 35 dozen — or 420 individual pastries — to 28 customers.

“The customers were thrilled!” lending sales specialist Jody Moore said. “Many of them sent thank-you emails expressing their delight and appreciation. This simple act of kindness went a long way in expressing the heart of North Shore Bank and gratitude for our customers.” •••

Mantooth returns to NSB as Grafton branch manager

New Grafton branch manager Jennifer Mantooth is a familiar face to some of you — she was a personal banker at Shorewood before leaving North Shore Bank in 2012. Now she’s back and ready to lead the Grafton team to new heights of success.

What brought you back to North Shore Bank?
It really came down to aligning more to the mission and values of North Shore Bank. I enjoyed my time at Shorewood — I felt valued. When I learned of the opening in Grafton, I decided to seize the opportunity, and I am so very glad that I did.

How would you describe your management style?
A cross between visionary and coaching. I feel that it is so beneficial to have a vision, a plan, and to include everyone on the team in that plan, so they know where we are headed and what it is going to take to get there.

What are your plans for Grafton?
My initial plans are to help in building a strong and knowledgeable team while building and strengthening our customer relationships. Community involvement and outreach are also important to me. I am currently involved with both the Cedarburg and Grafton chambers of commerce and enjoy making new connections, as well as building up the relationships that I already have.

What do you do when you’re not at work?
Socializing with friends every chance I get. My husband and I also enjoy going to concerts and traveling whenever we can. •••

Promotions for February 2020
The following employees were promoted in February:

• Sara Carter was promoted from Customer Assistance Specialist to Customer Care Supervisor.
• Jon Habighorst was promoted from Commercial Real Estate Portfolio Manager to Commercial Real Estate Loan Originator.
• Maria Mejia-Gatica was promoted from Teller at Southwest to BSA/AML Specialist.

Leave a comment to congratulate them!

New Hires for March 5
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Shorewood teller Kevin Pereira was born in Milwaukee and raised in Brazil. He previously worked at Target. “I have dual citizenship, since my family is from Brazil. I spent seven years there before I moved back to the U.S. and permanently stayed here,” he says. “My parents decided to come back for better opportunities and to get away from all the issues Brazil was facing. I go back from time to time to visit relatives. My most recent visit was last year, when I spent five months visiting my grandparents, aunt, and uncle. I spent a majority of my time with my uncle, because he owns a restaurant where he gets a lot of foreign customers who speak English — so I worked for him as his bilingual waiter.” •••

Co-workers throw baby shower for video teller Vang

Colleagues surprised video teller Dee Vang with a baby shower last week. The celebration featured food, including cake, as well as decorations and games.

“I was shocked!” Dee said of the surprise party. “I am thankful to have such great managers and co-workers who took time to throw me a wonderful shower. My husband and I definitely appreciated everything we got.” •••

What’s going on: Get kids to make motivational posters!
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.

Stairwell Motivational Gallery
Through March 19, Corporate Office
Employee family members under the age of 17 are invited to create motivational posters that will be hung in the main stairwell at Corporate. Why? For one, it’s fun to see your kid’s artwork cheering you on, and for two, prizes are involved! Employees will be asked to walk the stairs — healthy! — on March 19 and vote for their favorite poster. The grand prize winner will be announced on March 20. •••