Nancy Knapp retires, ready to enjoy life beyond banking
It’s hard to argue with senior lending quality control specialist Nancy Knapp when she explains why she’s retiring as of tomorrow, Friday, June 7. “My husband, Michael, has been retired for 17 years already — he was lucky to retire at 49!” she says. “And I mean, I’ve worked for 47 years, and 45 of them have been in banking. It’s time to enjoy something else now.”

Nancy shared a few thoughts with Shorelines on her career, her plans, and what she’d tell someone starting a career in her area of banking. Read more here!

Photo of the Week: Green & Gold

Traveling universal banker DeDe Krause and son Sam, 14, attended the Green & Gold Charity Softball Game at Fox Cities Stadium on June 1. The charity event pits the Green Bay Packers offense against the defense to raise funds for Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, and youth sports organizations. “It was fun,” DeDe reported. “The offense beat the defense!” •••

Cristo Rey graduates make history

The 85 members of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School’s class of 2019, who graduated last week, are, to a one, the first generation in their families to go to college, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last week. Read more about this accomplishment and the students at Cristo Rey, whose acclaimed work-study program we participate in.

Looking for a great present? Don’t forget our gift cards
Gift cards are just one of the great products and services North Shore Bank offers to both customers and employees. Gift cards are perfect for newlyweds, housewarmings, baby showers, and especially for seniors who are about to graduate!

The gift cards can be easily purchased at any North Shore Bank branch, and bank employees pay only a $2 fee for each gift card, rather than the standard $4.95. By purchasing a gift card they can use almost anywhere, you’re showing the recipient that you really care. •••

Kenosha branches volunteer, helping Boys & Girls Club

Last month, Kenosha Main and Festival Foods branch employees helped the Boys & Girls Club of Kenosha by volunteering at two after-school sessions at Jefferson Elementary. The employees helped with homework and got to do some fun stuff, too.

“I have volunteered before at Forest Park Elementary and this really brought back good memories,” said Festival universal banker Kelsey Foertsch, pictured up top with one of the kids. “I really enjoyed working with the kids and helping the other adults. The younger kids are really great because of their imagination when coming up with ways to play and keep themselves entertained.”

Above, Kenosha Main teller supervisor Wanda Pillizzi played some bingo in the classroom with the kids. The Kenosha branches support the Boys & Girls Club regularly throughout the year, area branch manager Julie Goebel noted. •••

Kudos: Golden Rule nets gift card for Holada
Shorewood teller supervisor David Holada won the drawing for this quarter’s Customer Service Gift Card award. Employees are entered in each quarterly drawing one time for each positive customer comment they receive.

“It’s no surprise he won, given the kind of feedback he receives from customers, like this comment: ‘Dave at the North Shore office in Shorewood is a consistent professional and greets me by name,'” said branch manager Shannon Weber. “Customers look for him daily, and we hear positive feedback like this often.”

Asked what pushes him to take care of customers so well, David said, “I’d say my biggest motivator is my belief in the Golden Rule. I treat people the way I would want to be treated. If you want to be successful working with people, you need to be able to practice empathy. You have to recognize if someone’s stressed, or in a rush, or having a bad day and put yourself in their place. Then treat them accordingly. If you do that, then it’s pretty easy.” •••

Promotions for May 2019
The following employees were promoted in May:

• Guadalupe Barbosa-Bobadilla was promoted from Teller at El Rey to Teller Supervisor.
• Larrisa Gilbert was promoted from Consumer Loan Specialist to Commercial Loan Specialist.
• Kristin Hoch was promoted from Deposit Operations Team Lead to Deposit Operations Supervisor.
• Lori Staniszewski was promoted from Residential Loan Workout Representative to Residential Processing Team Leader.
• Mariella Zarb was promoted from Personal Banker at Sussex to Assistant Branch Manager–Sales at Brookfield Square.

Leave a comment to congratulate them!

Coleman graduates from Alverno College

Internal auditor Ashley Coleman graduated from Milwaukee’s Alverno College last month with a bachelor’s degree in business and management.

Ashley, pictured above in cap and gown with 16-month-old daughter Maggie, noted that she didn’t “take the conventional college route,” first attending UW-Milwaukee and then taking a break after a few semesters, and coming to work at North Shore Bank’s former East office. “I really enjoyed the business world and decided that this would be a good career choice,” she says.

In December 2016, she completed her associate’s degree in business management after two years at Milwaukee Area Technical College. She also got to study in Germany and France for two weeks during her time at MATC. “That was definitely an amazing experience,” she says. In January 2017, she started at Alverno.

“I am especially proud of being able to balance school while working full time and becoming a new mother,” Ashley says. “I had a lot of great role models and amazing managers who helped me. I owe a lot of credit to Craig Witz for helping me develop in my former supervisor role and encouraging me to continue with my education. I also am so grateful for the support of my former manager Tricia Cravillion and my current manager, Randy Kutz. And finally — a big shout-out to North Shore Bank and the tuition reimbursement program!” •••

Brookfield Capitol’s Nogalski weds

Brookfield Capitol teller Casey Nogalski got married last month. “I’m now Mrs. Kopacz!” she says. Casey is pictured above at right with her friend Pewaukee teller supervisor Sonnee Lozano.

“Casey has been my friend for nearly 20 years, since our early childhood days, and it was so amazing to see her on her wedding day!” Sonnee said. “The ceremony was held for close friends and family, and the reception was held in a beautiful space. I could not get over how amazing the food was at the reception; I could not eat another bite! And it made me so happy to see Casey marry her best friend.” •••

Greendale throws baby shower for Kochanski

Earlier this week, the Greendale branch threw a surprise baby shower for teller supervisor Valerie Kochanski, pictured above. Valerie is due in early August. She and her fiancé, Matthew, will also get married on August 31. “Congratulations to Valerie and Matthew from all of us at Greendale!” said personal banker Samantha Damman. •••

North Shore Shape Up: Happy marriage, longer life
There are a lot of reasons to keep your spouse happy, but you may not have heard this one before. As Cleveland Clinic Wellness reports:

A new study suggests that your spouse’s happiness may affect your longevity, too. Among the study participants, those with a happy partner were less likely to die during the eight-year study than those with an unhappy partner. … We know that there’s a link between being satisfied with your life, experiencing less perceived stress, and engaging in healthy habits like exercising regularly and eating well — and we also know that spouses’ lifestyle choices tend to mirror each other. And you may know from experience that moods can be contagious in close quarters.

What to do if you and your better half aren’t in a great place? The clinic recommends doing simple things like taking more walks together or taking a class together. “Continuous learning and mastering skills can increase happiness, so support each other in pursuing interests and dreams,” the clinic says. “Together, you can create an upward spiral of happiness and good health.” •••

Upcoming Events
The Downtown Appleton 2019 Flag Day Parade takes place this Saturday, June 8. The parade will feature military units and military marching bands from throughout the nation. American flags will be handed out along the parade route about one hour before it starts. More upcoming events here.

Internal Job Postings •••

Closing TODAY

• Universal Banker, Sussex, full time (40 hrs/wk). Pay grade: N03. Referral bonus: $400.

Closing Friday, June 7

• Customer Assistance Representative, Corporate, full time (40 hrs/wk). Pay grade: N12. Referral bonus: $400.

Ongoing

• Video Teller and Video Teller Supervisor, Brookfield Square, full (40 hrs/wk) or part time (20). 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.