Jody Moore celebrates 40 years in banking this month.

Forty years ago, Jody Moore was waiting tables at a family-owned pizza restaurant — but ready for something else. “At 18, I wanted a more professional job, so I began hitting the pavement and applied at a number of financial institutions over the course of a few days,” she recalls. “I was hoping to find an employer who cared about its employees and made me feel like I was part of a family. I happened to know someone at Layton State Bank, who put in a good word for me, and thankfully I was hired.”

Jody started at Layton as a teller. “My first day I was extremely nervous, and then I learned we stayed open on Fridays until 8 p.m.” she says. “Oy — that came as a shock to my Friday night social calendar!”

Over the next 30 years, she worked in a number of roles, including as a loan processor and personal banker, until she was made executive assistant to the president and board. She held that job until North Shore Bank acquired Layton in 2016. Now her title is lending sales specialist.

“Originally, I expressed interest in HR, as one of my roles at Layton had been processing payroll and working with employee benefits, which I enjoyed,” Jody says of the transition to North Shore. HR had no openings at the time, but commercial banking manager SVP Margaret Capper was looking for someone to assist the business banking team.

“I love assisting, and my passion truly is trying to make someone else’s day better,” says Jody who was adamant in her first meeting with Margaret that she didn’t want a sales position. “I said if I were to make a sale, it would be purely by accident.” That earned her the fond nickname “Accidental Sales.” Margaret also calls her “Mother Earth.”

“I do my best to maintain a calm, positive attitude during the craziness a workday can bring,” Jody explains. She adds that at first she felt a bit unsure about working with such a big team, after a decade and a half at Layton working largely one-on-one with the bank president. “But Margaret expressed her confidence in me, and I leaned into my faith, which never fails, and I agreed to take the position.”

The leap of faith paid off. “Being part of the North Shore Bank family is incredible. The people here shine!” she says. “The family atmosphere I initially craved as an 18-year-old is so very strong here.” She is grateful, too, for the opportunity to work closely with chairman and CEO Jim McKenna. “I never imagined stepping into this role.”

“It has been my pleasure to know and work with Jody the past 40 years, both at Layton Bank and now here at North Shore. I consider her not only a co-worker but also a great friend,” says mortgage servicing specialist Diane Bahringer, who celebrated her own milestone anniversary this year. “Over the years Jody has always accomplished every challenge presented to her with the same cheerful outlook and positive can-do attitude. She was a wonderful asset at Layton, and I know the same is true here.”

Jody notes that she never got a college degree, but that it has not prevented her from having a successful career.

“I didn’t think I’d stay in banking as long as I have. My initial plan was to work for one year, and then pursue college or become a flight attendant,” she says. “Well, I enjoyed my co-workers and the job so much that I just kept at it.”

That stick-to-itiveness might have been inherited from her parents, who were married for 50 years, and whom Jody calls great role models. “I’m also the youngest of six children and learned a lot from my siblings, most of it good — the mistakes I blame on them,” she jokes. She gives credit to family, including husband Mike and son Zach — who got married in July to Jody’s beautiful daughter-in-law, Courtney — for “a life I thank God for, every day.”

And, she says, it’s also just about seizing opportunities when they present themselves.

“I have been incredibly blessed in my career to have had many opportunities to pursue, and in every role I’ve had amazing mentors, managers, and co-workers. Through hard work and a curiosity to learn, I’ve gained an enormous amount of experience, which has served me well,” Jody says. “North Shore Bank offers so much growth opportunity. Take advantage of this great environment. Be eager, be curious, be kind, be respectful, and you will definitely go places here, if you choose to!”