30 years ago, Muskavitch opted for banker’s hours
IRA specialist Martha Muskavitch joined the operations department at Badger Savings in October 1988. Later, it would become Badger Bank, which would merge with North Shore Bank in 1995. Through it all, Martha remained in operations. She talked to Shorelines about her life 30 years ago and her career since.

“I had worked in retail, at a bookstore, for eight years in Colorado and was so over working nights, weekends, and mandatory overtime from Thanksgiving through Christmas,” she recalls. “When I moved here, I thought, What kind of job would mean working Monday through Friday, nine to five? And the first thing that popped into my mind was ‘banker’s hours.'” Read more about Martha’s three decades on the job.

Benefits U: This flu season, don’t forget Teladoc
It’s fall — and that means flu season is back. Teladoc is already part of your benefits package from North Shore Bank, so make sure your account is set up and ready to go.

Cindy Lohrey has more information about when and how Teladoc can help, and how to access it. Check it out!

Shorewood invites realtors to see new branch

Our Shorewood branch held a mortgage open house for local real estate agents on September 20. The networking event gave attendees a chance to see the new office and chat with mortgage loan originator Greg Kroll.

“It was great to show off the new branch to so many of our local realtors,” Greg said. “I’m glad everyone had such a nice time.” Above, branch manager Shannon Weber talks to a couple of the guests, while vice president and consumer lending manager Chris Boland and mortgage loan production manager Leo Spanuello chat in the background. •••

Work begins on apartments near Union Grove branch

Groundbreaking on a 73-unit luxury apartment complex near our Union Grove branch took place September 25.

Sawall Development began work on the $13 million Granary Townhomes last month, after the original July start date was pushed back, according to the Journal Times.

“This is an exciting project for Union Grove, as we are preparing for the population boom anticipated in Racine County due to [Taiwanese electronics manufacturer] Foxconn’s new factory,” said branch manager Amy Sweet (above, lower right) who attended the groundbreaking with mortgage loan originator Pam Lanting (above, lower left). “This project is only two blocks from the branch, so we will definitely benefit from the additional households.” •••

Burlington ushers in fiscal year

The team at Burlington celebrated the new fiscal year 2019 with breakfast, teambuilding, and party paraphernalia on October 1. Pictured from left to right are branch manager Robin Callis, teller supervisor Jayme Clarey, and teller Bryana Stagg. •••

Kudos: New Berlin’s Swosinski shows she cares
We received a long and very gracious thank-you note from a customer who worked with New Berlin branch manager Sara Swosinski. Here’s what it says:

My husband and I went in to open a joint checking account. My husband has been with North Shore since he was a teenager, so he was happy to open the account there. I was leaning towards a credit union. Because we have our mortgage through North Shore, I agreed to opening our joint account there. We went in to meet with Sara, and I loved her from just her greeting. She was so sweet, and you could tell she truly cared about us and our decisions (huge for me — I don’t want to be just another number in a big company). She explained everything to us and all of the options in such a way that we both walked away confident we’d done everything right, and that if by chance our needs change or a problem arises, we know she’s the one to come to.

She made me feel like I really was in such good, caring hands that I decided a week later to move my own personal accounts and my son’s account over to North Shore as well. The three of us in my family all met with Sara. We all walked away happy, the transition was easy, and she even made us feel excited for our change in banking.

I was particularly happy with the way she spoke to my 15-year-old son about his new account. She told him to come into the branch and talk to her if he needs help with anything and that she would get him started with text alerts and online monitoring. He was impressed with how much she cared about him and his money even though he’s “just a kid.”

Sara is awesome! We all loved her, and we all commented on how cool and sweet she was with each of us. I am incredibly grateful for her.

“This really sums up the customer experience we want to deliver each and every day,” says vice president and branch sales manager Craig Witz. Excellent work, Sara! •••

Service Anniversaries for October 2018
The following employees celebrate a milestone anniversary with North Shore Bank this month.

30 years
Martha Muskavitch, IRA Specialist

15 years
Michele Padavano, Assistant Branch Manager–Sales, Fox Point

10 years
Nathan Dekker, Retail Banking Information Manager
Priscilla Hartling, Senior Commercial Loan Specialist
Carmen Maurer, Universal Banker, Brookfield Capitol
Hali Thompson, Assistant Branch Manager–Sales, Green Bay West

Leave a comment to congratulate them!

New Hires for October 11
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Cudahy teller Sherita King is from Milwaukee and previously worked for JCPenney. She is attending MATC and working toward becoming an accountant, and has a background working in banking before joining North Shore Bank, as well. Sherita moved back to Wisconsin from Arizona about two years ago and says she is a very family-oriented person.

Fox Point teller Dylan Weickardt is from Whitefish Bay and previously worked as a salesman for Vector Marketing. Dylan notes, “An interesting fact about me is that I’m actually 25 percent Taiwanese. My grandma immigrated here from Taiwan when she met my grandpa there during the Vietnam War, while he was being treated for an injury.” •••

Teammates surprise Habighorst with baby shower

The Loan Administration department threw a surprise baby shower for senior residential loan specialist Laura Habighorst on September 25. Laura and her husband, commercial real estate portfolio manager Jon Habighorst, are expecting their first child, a son, in November.

“I was 100 percent surprised!” Laura says. “What I thought was going to be a meeting to discuss my maternity-leave plans turned into a full-blown baby shower, complete with a beautiful cake, lots of gifts, and even more well-wishes for our little guy. It was fun opening the gifts and seeing all of the cute little outfits that he will someday day fit into. Jon and I are completely overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of all of our amazing coworkers, and we cannot wait for everyone to meet him.” •••

North Shore Shape Up: To change, focus on values
When we’re trying to live more healthfully, the problem usually isn’t a lack of knowledge — most of us have a good idea of what choices will move us in the right direction. It’s making those choices that can be so tough.

Moreover, Cleveland Clinic Wellness notes that having the right knowledge can actually make things harder, because we’re apt to beat ourselves up for not abiding by it. But:

a new study points to a novel way to make changes if you’re feeling stuck. Simply being told what to do or being reminded of long-term health consequences can conjure up emotional defenses and even feelings of low self-worth, which can be discouraging rather than motivating. One way to feel more encouraged to practice healthy habits is to step back, so to speak, and focus on something bigger than yourself. Researchers followed more than 200 adults who were sedentary and overweight and had some of them reflect on their “self-transcendent” values — that is, values that were bigger than themselves, such as love for their families or spirituality.

Members of a control group were told to focus on their least important values instead. The study participants were tracked for a month, and at the end, those who had focused on the values that mattered most to them had been much more physically active than the others. It sounds simplistic, but thinking about what you want your life to mean, rather than getting anxious about what you should be doing, puts you into a mind-set where it’s easier to achieve more. •••

Upcoming Events
The 12th Annual Sussex Fall Celebration takes place this Saturday, October 13. Kids can get a free pumpkin to decorate while supplies last, and enjoy refreshments, a bouncy house, and more. More upcoming events here.

Internal Job Postings •••

Closing Friday, October 12

• Personal Banker, Southwest, full time, 40 hours/week. Pay grade: N05. Referral bonus: $500.
• Teller, Fox Point, part time, 20 hours/week. Pay grade: N02. Referral bonus: $300.
• Universal Banker, Menasha, full time, 40 hours/week. Pay grade: N03. Referral bonus: $400.

Closing Tuesday, October 16

• Teller, Union Grove, part time, 32 hours/week. Pay grade: N02. Referral bonus: $300.

Ongoing

• Customer Assistance Rep, Corporate, part time, 20 hours/week. Pay grade: N12. Referral bonus: $400.
• Video Teller, Brookfield Square, full or part time, 40 or 20 hours/week. Pay grade: N03. Referral bonus: $400.

For complete information regarding internal job postings, application procedures, and our referral program, click on the Job Postings tile found on the home page in Ask Seymour.