Eric M. Freeman acts as North Shore Bank’s Senior Vice President and Commercial Real Estate Lending Manager, and he took a few minutes to share some thoughts with Shorelines about his fifteen-year anniversary with the bank.
What led you into this industry? Are the same things that interested you then still interesting to you now?
My first job out of college was as a courier for a local title company. I moved up the proverbial ladder with various positions over 8 years, ending as manager of the closing department, which had 17 people at the time. One of our regular customers was a private lending company from Minneapolis that specialized in commercial construction, including multifamily condo projects and single/multi subdivisions. After one of our closings, they pulled me aside and told me they were expanding into this area and asked if I would be interested in starting up a satellite location for them in Brookfield. Our office was just a mile or so from North Shore Bank’s corporate headquarters, so I’ve been working in this same general area for almost 30 years, and I often joke that I’ve spent at least a year of my life waiting at Brookfield stoplights!
For each of Eric’s 15 years, he has put together at least one or two all-day hunting events that typically are attended by customers and bank employees.
I hired a few people and ran the operation for 14 years, until the recession took its toll on the construction industry. I then asked a mutual customer if he knew of any commercial lending opportunities, and he referred me to Jim McKenna. Jim may not recall our conversation over 15 years ago, but when I called his number, he picked up the phone and said of course they’d be interested in talking to me! About 5 minutes later, I got a call from HR and the rest is history!
I have always enjoyed working with investment real estate and have been involved in it my whole career in one form or another. I especially enjoy watching construction projects progress from an empty plot of land to a mature, living and breathing project, with associated benefits of providing housing and commercial amenities to the local community.
Eric attends a Packers game with a customer
What would you say is your motivation or guiding principle? Has it changed over the years?
As my staff have probably heard me say many times, there is no such thing as a professional salesperson. If you are honest and straightforward, down-to-earth and genuine, positive and enthusiastic, your customers will see that and business development will be easy—and very often it will come looking for you!
What has kept you at North Shore Bank?
Over my 15 years I have had a great working dynamic with senior management. They are very supportive and have always promoted a fun working environment. With the help of many talented people in all of the various supporting departments, our commercial loan portfolio has grown nicely over the years and we are proud of that!
Customer groundbreaking
What have you learned over your time here?
We analyze potential commercial real estate deals almost on a daily basis, so we’ve learned to be nimble and quickly determine what will be a good fit for the bank or not—sometimes it requires a thick skin to let deals go. We are continually negotiating the best possible terms for both the bank and the customer and doing our best to match the bank’s appetites with customer expectations. We’ve learned to keep our focus on only the highest-quality opportunities.
Eric and customers at a Brewers game
What do you think the next 100 years will be like for North Shore Bank?
I would not be surprised at all if there was a 200-year anniversary, as from the start, senior management has established a culture of strength and stability through conservative growth. As a “right-sized” community bank, we are an invaluable asset to the communities we serve!
Eric with Gilbert Brown at a Packers game
Eric at Packers game with a customer