The teams gathered for a photo at the kickoff at the gardens.

The dirt cake kit.

Branch managers, mortgage lenders, and the business banking team gathered to kick off the fiscal year 2019 on September 26 at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners. It was an appropriate meeting place, as 2019’s retail theme is “Deep Roots, Growing Stronger.”

Craig Witz, VP, branch sales, noted that the theme nodded to the bank’s recent 95th anniversary. “It also relates to our commitment to continue to grow stronger as employees, help our customers grow stronger in their financial lives, help our communities grow stronger, and help the bank continue to prosper,” he said.

At the gardens, branch managers each received a “meeting in a box” kit to help them kick off the new fiscal year with their employees. The kits included tools to track progress throughout the year — along with directions for making dirt cake, to reinforce the “growing” theme.

Menasha manager Deb Cumming is shown at left above, sharing the dirt cake she made with her team: teller Ashley White, teller supervisor Jill Heule, and traveling universal banker Dede Krause. Toy shovel in hand, Deb encouraged them to “dig into the new year.”

And Burlington manager Robin Callis held her branch’s kickoff on September 28 and presented each of her team with a “plant in a can,” along with their dirt cake. Pictured above are universal banker Jennifer Heacox, personal banker Justin Kasten, teller Bryana Stagg, teller supervisor Jayme Clarey, and Robin.