By Jay McKenna, President and COO

As most of you know, North Shore Bank recently wrapped up our fiscal year, on September 30. As such, allow me to wish you all a belated happy new year!

I have spent the last two evenings attending branch wrap-up celebrations. I love these events because they give us a chance to get together (in person!), connect, and acknowledge the past year’s great work and accomplishments. I have really missed these events the last two years and am so glad I’ve been able to celebrate with the teams.

The year was unusual and interesting, given all the changes in the interest rate environment and the world around us. We were very well positioned for what transpired, and most departments, branches, and teams did quite well relative to their respective goals — thus, we enjoyed a very successful year. Such success does not occur by accident. Great results happen when our highly engaged teams are laser-focused on execution — especially sales, customer service, and operational excellence. So thank you for the hard work, dedication, and commitment you bring every day to your team, to your customers, and to the bank.

This year we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of North Shore Bank. To have survived and thrived for a century in a very competitive, fast-changing industry is a testament to the hard work, vision, and dedication shown by all of you and the many who came before us. We are all part of something very special here. Did you know that 30 years ago, there were 502 banks in Wisconsin, and now there are only 174? Our industry continues to rapidly consolidate, but we continue to thrive as an independent community bank focused on our customers and communities.

So in the coming year, there will be many occasions, events, and activities to commemorate the past 100 years. The bedrock foundation that has been laid over the years leaves us in a very strong position to manage the inevitable challenges ahead of us. While we look back and celebrate our past, we also toast to our future!