Erika Milosevich marks 20 years with the bank this year.

When she joined North Shore Bank in 2000, VP and investment sales manager Erika Milosevich was the first manager for the bank’s brand-new Investment Services department, charged with getting the new division up and running while also serving as sales representative for all of Milwaukee. Before that, she’d been a wholesaler for the in-house mutual funds managed by M&I Trust Corporation. She would not have expected that she’d still be here 20 years later, she says. “It’s rare these days to have such a long tenure somewhere.”

But it makes sense, since she’s been critical to our success. “Erika’s knowledge of the investment service industry serves the bank well,” SVP retail banking Sue Doyle says. “She has grown our investment area from a start-up, is a great resource for her team, and is always willing to help her colleagues improve their understanding of the industry and work with them to identify referral opportunities for all of our products.” Erika talked with Shorelines about her career so far.

How has your job changed over the last 20 years?
When I started, we had to build up our book of business from scratch. We had upwards of 60 bankers who were selling fixed annuities for us, as well as three investment reps. Now we have transitioned to having all full-time investment reps, with a department of nine managing $350 million.

What have been the big changes in your life otherwise in that time?
When I started, I was a new homeowner and a brand-new mother with a 6-month-old. Now my daughter is almost 21! Time sure flies.

What’s one big thing you’ve learned?
Personnel means everything. If you hire the right people, everything else falls into place. It is imperative that there is mutual trust and reliance on each other to get done what needs doing.

And what do you have planned next?
No major changes for me in the near future. Someday I am hoping to be a snowbird and get out of Wisconsin during the colder weather.