As 2020 nears its end, here’s what we’re thankful for
“I’m calling it three turkeys, a ham, and a pear tree,” Emily says of the food she collected to help three families in need with help from her community.
“A few days ago, I was scrolling through Facebook and overwhelmed by all the negativity I saw,” says Sturgeon Bay personal banker Emily Johnson. “This year has been especially hard on some families, and I think we have a tendency to forget that our situations are so much better than many other people’s — I’m thankful I have a job, a roof over my head, and food in my belly. I decided it was time to do something positive.” Emily reached out over social media asking about families that might need extra help this holiday season and was deluged with responses. Three families had faced especially big challenges in 2020.
Within two days, Emily had collected over $2,500 from people who wanted to pitch in for those families. She bought food for all three, along with gift cards for groceries and holiday shopping. “Our community never ceases to amaze me,” she says, “and it’s really nice to see a little ray of sunshine reminding me that we can help each other if we just try!” See what else your colleagues are grateful for this year!
Howard branch trims holiday tree for railroad museum
For the second year, the Howard-Suamico branch sponsored a tree for the National Railroad Museum’s Festival of Trees in Green Bay. “We decorated our tree with handmade paper money ornaments, mini piggy banks, and North Shore Bank antlers,” branch manager Katie Presser reported. “There are even a few stuffed Seymour Savings perched in the branches.” The festival features more than 40 trees decorated by local business and nonprofit organizations. •••
Mindful challenge Week 4: Can you just pause and be?
Your Zen minute: For many of us, tomorrow’s holiday will not be like the Thanksgivings of past years. What will be the same, though, is the opportunity it offers to notice what you can feel grateful for. We cannot control the world and all the things that happen to us, but we can determine how we respond. And taking part in this week’s mindful challenge will help with that!
Mortgage team SOARs through fiscal year, per survey
Results are in from our SOAR survey of the mortgage department’s internal customers. We received valuable feedback about what the mortgage team is doing well and where we can improve. I’m happy to say we scored 6.45 out of 7 overall and received many wonderful comments about our work. We had a great fiscal year and appreciate everyone’s continued efforts to identify customers who can benefit from a solid North Shore Bank preapproval or save some money refinancing.
Whatever the reason — new construction, purchase, refinance, debt consolidation — we had the opportunity to help a lot of people this year, and we want to make sure we are doing that while keeping our internal customer promises. There was some helpful feedback on communication items that we will address this year. Feedback is so important to our growth. Together we can achieve more, so please never hesitate to reach out with positive or negative input, as it is what makes us better! —Chris Boland, VP, Consumer Lending Manager •••
Get a no-cost appraisal with a HELOC this week
We have a Black Friday offer going on all this week for our home equity lines of credit. Apply for a HELOC this week and enjoy a no-cost appraisal, as well as our special 10-year promotional rates or other options. Share this with friends, family, and customers, too. Details are here. •••
Social media winners of the week!
Here are this week’s winners of our social media sharing giveaway: Allouez universal banker Aubrey Abrahamson and Kenosha Central universal banker Joshua Stewart each helped promote North Shore Bank content and won $75 to spend at Fanatics. Congratulations to both of them!
There’s one more week to be part of our social media contest! All you need to do for a chance to win is like or share North Shore Bank content on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn. More details here. •••
New Hires for November 25
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.
Video teller Yazmin Evangelista is from Racine and previously worked as a branch supervisor at TCF Bank. “I love the winter season,” she says. “Some people hate it, but not me. I enjoy playing out in the snow, building a snowman and whatever else with my daughters — and my favorite part is taking pictures in the snow.”
Grafton teller Brooklynn Marti grew up in Oconomowoc and lives in Germantown now. She previously worked as a music store manager. “Music is my true passion,” she says. “My main instrument is acoustic guitar. However, I also play electric guitar, ukulele, and piano. I currently play guitar and sing in a duo with my fiancé, who plays sax.” •••