Mickey Adams

As she reflects on 30 years in banking, Allouez Branch Manager Mickey Adams feels gratitude for the caring culture of North Shore Bank. She greatly values her North Region network. “We have a really, really strong branch manager peer group in this area. We lean on each other and draw on our collective training and experience to work through problems,” she says.

She credits North Shore as a whole for the value it places on its employees. “The bank does a good job of listening, of being supportive of employee needs, of changing with the times.”

Mickey has worked primarily in Allouez, but the institution name has evolved from Frontier Savings, to Sunrise Savings, and then to North Shore Bank. Her first position — that was 1983 — as a receptionist opened the door to becoming a teller, and then to a role in the Mortgage Department.

She served as head teller in Ashwaubenon for a time, returning to the Allouez office in 1987. She has twice earned the distinction of being named branch manager of the year.

Change has brought highs and lows
Change has brought positives and negatives. Low interest rates have meant smaller returns for savers, at the same time translating into refinancing opportunities for many. “When people restructure their debt, they have money to use elsewhere — to enjoy month-to-month or to build their retirement savings, for example,” Mickey says.

The emergence of technology that makes the conveniences of electronic banking possible means less branch traffic. “I miss that personal connection and face time with customers, but we are reaching out to them by phone and email,” she says.

The travel program North Shore developed for Mickey’s area about a year ago helps bring together people she has not seen for a while. “We are in a mature market with a lot of older clients. They appreciate the travel opportunities, and it helps us strengthen our relationship with them. We know they pass the word and share their fun experiences with others.”

Past provides clues to the future
Mickey bases her view of the future on trends of the past: more personalized service and specialized help for customers. The teller lines of years ago will continue to be replaced by individual customers interacting privately with bank staff.

Sales experience and skills are now almost a prerequisite for new hires. “We’re not order-takers any more; we look for people who are comfortable in a selling role.”

Although Mickey has always enjoyed math and working with numbers, and she thrives on the challenges of learning and moving with the times, she never imagined she would have been with one organization for 30 years. Aren’t we lucky she decided to stick around!