Randy and wife Lisa in New Glarus a couple years ago.

“They took a chance on me,” says VP internal audit Randy Kutz of getting hired 20 years ago. “I had no banking experience at all.”

In 2001, Randy was working for a family-owned arts-and-crafts supply store. He’d been there 23 years. “I got hired as a bookkeeper and ended up basically running the place at the end,” he says. Faced with too much competition from larger big-box stores, he made the call to close up shop. It was the right decision, but would obviously leave him without a job.

“We were banking with North Shore at the time, so I asked our rep here if he would send my résumé around. I’d always wanted to try banking,” Randy says. “And just at that time, a staff auditor position opened up. I was in my mid-40s, and that’s kind of late in life for a career change, but it worked out perfectly.”

He credits Ron Drabowicz, who led the auditing team before retiring in 2011, as being crucial to his success in a new field. “It was a little bit overwhelming at first, but Ron was very patient and just an excellent mentor and teacher,” Randy says.

Of course, he adds, he did work hard too. But it was a pleasure, because he loves the work.

“Auditing is a fascinating way to spend your career,” Randy says. “It’s like peeling an onion: You take away one layer, and there’s a whole new layer underneath it. It’s a real challenge working through those layers.”

Unlike many employees celebrating big anniversaries at North Shore Bank, he says he fully expected to be here two decades years later.

“I don’t change much,” Randy says. “I’m not one of those people that keeps my eye on the door. When I’m happy, I stay — and I’m very happy here.”

Besides enjoying the work he does, that happiness is largely about his colleagues, he says. “I genuinely love coming to work every day. This is a tremendous place — everybody is so considerate of each other. I can’t say enough about the people who work here.” He’s also always been impressed with North Shore Bank’s commitment to staying current with technology and business strategies.

“Randy has been an integral part of the North Shore team since he was hired as an assistant auditor 20 years ago,” president Jay McKenna says. “He learned and absorbed quickly and effectively from Ron, and when Ron retired, Randy was ready to assume leadership of the department. His integrity, diligence, and skill make him a great a resource at North Shore Bank in a very important and often unappreciated role.”

When he isn’t at work, Randy plays racquetball and bowls; he and his wife have a large social network as well, just had their first grandchild, and enjoy traveling. He’s also a history buff.

“The Titanic is my biggest historical passion,” he says. “I’ve got every book, every movie — it’s been a fascination of mine since I was a little kid. That they were able to manufacture something like that, with no email, no CAD (computer-aided design) systems, nothing. They built something that had never been built, and they gathered the richest people on the planet on the ship, and it gets 3,000 miles on its first trip — and it’s gone.”

Randy, however, has no plans to be gone.

“I don’t plan on retiring any time soon,” he says. “I never thought I would find another job that had this kind of family atmosphere to it. I have always believed very strongly that when God closes a door, He opens a window. I am very, very blessed to have had this opportunity.”