By Molly Schissler, SVP, Human Resources & Compliance

Our inaugural annual SOAR Together Awards were presented on Friday, April 7, to our three outstanding winners. The award selection committee was pleased to review 31 nominations this year, and it was great to learn about the many ways North Shore Bank employees are demonstrating the SOAR Together principles.

Our SOAR Together winners were each nominated by their co-workers in one of three categories: Outstanding Customer Service, Legacy Leader, and Community Involvement. The inaugural winners truly exemplify the best in living out our customer promises and have gone above and beyond, based on their nominations.

Kerri Collins, DeDe Krause, Patt, Kelly Kading, and Lacee Kalepp.

Outstanding Customer Service: Patt Kox
For her Outstanding Customer Service, we are pleased to recognize Patt Kox. This category recognizes the employee who excels in three key areas of outstanding service: customer service, teamwork, and going above and beyond. (Patt was also nominated for the Legacy Leader category by co-worker Sally Kim.) As Patt’s manager, Heather Starr, explains in her nomination of Patt:

Patt is always willing to go out of her way to help her customers and peers. As a branch trainer, she is committed to creating a positive learning environment for new hires and acts as a mentor well beyond the initial training. Customers really trust the advice that Patt gives and have been known to proactively solicit her advice because she is so genuine and knowledgeable. She recently stepped up with enthusiasm when given the opportunity to take on a split role as a video teller. When we realized that we needed a magnetic wall surface to hang our new video teller signage, Patt volunteered to come in on her day off and spend the entire day painting the office wall with magnetic paint. When faced with adverse weather, she offers to stay later to allow co-workers who commute to leave early. The job title of universal banker is very fitting for Patt because she fills such a universal role in doing whatever needs to be done to assist her internal and external customers.

Craig Witz, president and COO Jay McKenna, Merry, Sue Doyle, and Margie Brusa.

Legacy Leader: Merry Justin
Our Legacy Leader category recognizes an employee with more than five years of service with North Shore Bank who also exemplifies outstanding customer service. This year’s winner, Merry Justin, was nominated by her supervisor, Ashley Endres. Here is what Ashley wrote about Merry for this well-deserved recognition:

Merry has been with North Shore Bank about seven years, and I have had the pleasure of being her supervisor for the last two in the video teller area. Merry goes above and beyond for our customers, always with a friendly smile. She remembers not only the names of the customers, but also their pets and their kids when they come through our branch. In a department like ours, where we have over 6,000 transactions a month, Merry does a great job of keeping the personal touch North Shore values. Merry is a HUGE asset to the VT team — she not only helped train me when I began, but also continues to help train and mentor new video tellers as they come onboard. Merry does a great job of being a team player if someone is ill or something changes with staffing; she steps up to help cover the department because she truly wants this department to not only succeed but grow.

Sue, Darrel, and Jay.

Community Involvement: Darrel Eisenhardt
Darrel Eisenhardt was nominated by Sue Doyle for his exemplary community involvement, particularly in Burlington. Sue’s nomination summed up why the award committee chose Darrel as this year’s winner:

Darrel Eisenhardt, VP, Branch Administration, is well known in the Burlington community and been recognized for his service and leadership commitment. For 40 years, he has proudly dedicated his time and talents to several organizations to make Burlington a better place to live. His involvement has been instrumental in shaping the future of the community.

Darrel is a 40-year member and past president of the Burlington Lions Club. He has held all office positions including serving on the board of directors, and has chaired and served on other committees. He is a two-time recipient of the club’s 100% Achievement Award.

Darrel has been on the Burlington Park Board for 20 years, serving for the past 11 years as president. He has been a catalyst for the development of programs including Baseball 2000, the dog park, Little League, and Bike Burlington. As president of the Park Board, Darrel has been a member of the Burlington Planning Commission for nine years. As a member of the planning commission, Darrel was asked by the mayor to serve on the Historic Preservation Committee, where he is actively involved in approval and granting of funds to restore buildings in downtown Burlington. Darrel is in his eighth year as president of the Burlington Community Pool. In 2016, a referendum was passed to construct a new community pool in 2017. One summer evening in 2016, one could have witnessed Darrel and other community leaders jumping from the high dive to raise money for the pool.

If you are driving past Cross Lutheran Church, you may find Darrel mowing the lawn there. As a facility member, Darrel is in the rotation to maintain the grounds. He has also served as a church treasurer and usher.

Darrel recently joined Bike Burlington. He will play an active role in planning fundraising, bike trips, and promoting biking in Burlington. He was instrumental in getting organizations, including the bank, to sponsor bike racks designed by local artists.

While no longer involved, Darrel was a board member of the Burlington Youth Soccer Club for 23 years. He was club registrar for 20 years and vice president, and supported 300-plus players and teams ranging from U5 to U14. In addition, he coached for six years, co-chaired the 3v3 tournament for three years, and was a member of the scholarship selection committee. It is no surprise this level of commitment led to Darrel receiving a Volunteer of the Year award.

In his more than 40 years of employment, Darrel has actively promoted North Shore Bank as a community partner regardless of his role. The presence of his smile and warm personality is a given in the Racine and Kenosha area as an annual volunteer in Shred Days, grand openings, bank events, and Kenosha Boys and Girls Club activities. The extent of Darrel’s involvement in Burlington is evidence of his belief in the duty of citizens and employees to participate in and lead the interests of a community. His involvement has positively impacted communities in which he lives and works. Darrel is an excellent representative of our mission and deserving of the Community Involvement award.

We congratulate this year’s winners, and look forward to next year’s nominations!