20 years in, Bruce Craker has been “incredible hire”
Indirect sales team leader Bruce Craker celebrated 20 years with North Shore Bank earlier this month. He started with us in 2002 after working as the general sales manager for a Madison-area Ford dealership.

“I worked with Kip Lang from North Shore Bank on leasing vehicles through the bank’s indirect program,” Bruce says. When Kip mentioned that he was retiring, Bruce asked him how he liked working for North Shore. “Three weeks later, I had met with Mike Kellman twice and was offered a position as a regional account manager for western Wisconsin.”

“Bruce has turned out to be an incredible hire for me,” Mike says. “He has led his team to amazing growth, with incredible credit quality and dealer loyalty. He is a great leader, and I congratulate him on two decades with North Shore Bank.”

It’s been easy to stick around, Bruce says. “I have enjoyed the people at North Shore Bank and the people in the dealerships I call on for business.”

The most important lesson he’s learned, he says, is the value of building relationships.

“I want to have multiple relationships inside the businesses I work with,” he says. “Employees come and go, so you always benefit from having more than one advocate inside a customer’s business.” •••

Shorewood “You Can” happy hour draws crowd

We had a full house for our “You Can” happy hour in Shorewood on March 14, with over 40 people (not including employees) sitting down at Buttermint Finer Dining & Cocktails for food, drink, and financial education.

“It turned out even better than I planned!” community engagement manager Shannon Weber said. Featured topics included budgeting, planning for the future, and the homebuying process. “When we finished our topics, we had a Q&A session and had great questions from the crowd. It showed me people were really engaged, and it created great conversation between the panel and our guests.”

The conversations continued after the happy hour, when Shannon and other panel members stopped at guests’ tables to thank them. “It was a nice opportunity to talk one-on-one.”

Buttermint’s chef also got to speak to the crowd. “We thought that was important,” Shannon said. “He came out and talked about the pairings for that night, and took some time to discuss the restaurant and its involvement in the Shorewood community.”

Employees who served as panelists were Shannon, investment consultant Jeff Eichel, and mortgage loan officer Greg Kroll. Other employees who helped out include video teller Erika Garcia and senior secondary market specialist Rachel Rasmussen, along with the Marketing department. Employees who attended the happy hour include district manager Cristen Baumann, Shorewood assistant branch manager Enrik Braho, personal banker Laura DeBruin, teller Audrey Elliott, community engagement managers Erica Hughes and Katie Longsine, and VP branch sales and administration Craig Witz. Our previous “You Can” happy hour was in November. •••

Muskego business owners gather for chamber gala

Community engagement manager Stephanie Ruiz and universal banker Sara Speich attended the Muskego Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2022 Awards Gala on March 10.

“This was my third year attending and Sara’s first,” said Stephanie, who has volunteered with the chamber since 2019, and is currently involved with the group’s Education & Mentoring committee and Small Business Council. “The gala had great turnout this year. It was amazing to see how many local businesses in attendance we knew personally through the bank, as well.”

North Shore Bank business customer Erin Zielinski of Vintage Grounds coffeehouse won an award that night, Stephanie added. “That was exciting to see! She also partnered with us to collect money for the Schmitt family house fire.” •••

Dress-down day raises over $5,000 for Ukraine

Last Thursday, employees who donated in support of Ukraine got to dress down in green for St. Patrick’s Day, or blue and yellow (the colors of the Ukrainian flag).

While we didn’t get many photos, we know plenty of you did step up, because the bank collected a total $5,287, to be split between Americares and World Central Kitchen to help the Ukrainian people.

And four employees each won a $100 gas card in our drawing: Ashwaubenon teller Samuel Hall, Greendale teller Alexia Negrete, and universal banker Nazirah Tate and teller supervisor Aisha Young of MLK Drive. Congratulations to these winners, and many thanks to everyone who donated. •••

Let customers know we can help with retirement assets
Our experts can help customers get the most from their money. “During this ‘Great Resignation,’ a lot of folks are switching jobs or retiring,” notes VP and investment services manager Erika Milosevich. “So we should be asking everyone if they need guidance on their retirement funds and rolling over those assets into their own account, which can then be invested according to their personal needs, versus just keeping whatever their former employer offered.”

With around $450 million in assets under management, the Investment Services team can offer guidance on what kind of retirement goals are feasible, and how much to save to meet those goals.”We also help clients stay the course in volatile times, and can provide alternatives that match their tolerance for risk,” Erika says.

Rolling over retirement assets is generally neither time-consuming nor costly, she adds. Be sure you’re looking for opportunities to mention this service to customers, and refer those who are interested to your assigned investment consultant. •••

How can we spread kindness?
Small gestures can make a big difference. This month, send your examples of little things you’ve done or can do to spread kindness to shorelines@northshorebank.com! •••

A bit of effort, repeated, amounts to something big

A few drops of oil can keep a wrench from rusting. A tablespoon of lemon juice stops apple slices from turning brown. Just a little effort — and then a little more and a little more — starts you on a freeing path. One day all those little efforts amount to something: an indomitable will, a tranquil frame of mind, and a joyful heart.

Try this meditation for one minute every day, or longer if you want to:

FIND WORDS such as “peace” or “focus” or “centered” that mean something to you and repeat them to yourself throughout the day. See if you notice a change in your attitude.

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. —Heraclitus

“This Tuesday’s Zen Minute really resonated with me,” writes customer assistance rep Raquel Urbina. “I’m new to the NSB family and very happy to be here. But even when you’re busy with a new job, that doesn’t stop the things that go on outside of work. This Zen Minute helped me take a step back from all the worries I have on a daily basis and just be. I realized a lot of the things I have going on are ‘temporary problems’ that just ‘seem like permanent features of reality,’ as the message said. Thank you for that. I really needed it.”

How did this meditation go for you? Share your experience at shorelines@northshorebank.com and you’ll be entered to win a copy of A Mindful Day: 365 Ways to Live Life With Peace, Clarity, and an Open Heart, by David Dillard-Wright.

If you’d like a daily email reminder to practice one minute of mindfulness, email us with the subject “Mindfulness reminder.” •••

“Unsummit” aims to help Latino entrepreneurs
Looking for something to do? Here are suggestions from the bank’s event calendar.

The Tri-County Latino Economic Unsummit takes place Thursday, March 31, at Delta Hotels by Marriott Racine. Focused on creating meaningful change for Latino entrepreneurs in Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth counties, the event will feature speakers including North Shore Bank SVP commercial lending Margaret Capper. More information and a link to register here.

And our Muskego branch’s fundraiser for firefighter Mike Schmitt and his family, who lost their home in a fire last month, continues through the end of the month. Donations are being accepted online, and the branch is also offering free coin counting and accepting donations, and is matching up to $500 of donations received. •••