The traditional 20th anniversary gift is china. If she could serve a celebratory meal for the occasion, Maria says, “My husband and I love seafood, so lobster and scallops would definitely be on the menu.”
Although she officially celebrates 20 years with North Shore Bank this month, Brookfield Square area manager and VP Maria Baumer has been involved with the company even longer. She started as a teller at the Pewaukee branch in 1998, as a high school student in a co-op program, and then stayed on after graduating and beginning her studies at UW-Milwaukee, where she majored in finance. Needing more time during the day to focus on her studies, she left the bank and took a part-time job working nights and weekends at Home Depot.
“I received a call from the district manager at the time — Lyneen Fischer — asking if I would be willing to help out for a bit at our MLK Drive office, which wasn’t far from campus,” Maria says. “What was meant to be a couple of weeks turned into 20 more years!”
Since coming back in 2002, Maria has worked at seven different branches and held five different titles. In that time, countless managers have encouraged her and helped her grow here.
She has done her best to return the favors, noting that it’s her co-workers who have kept her at North Shore Bank for so long. “I have been blessed to have worked with so many wonderful people, whom I have learned from and whom I have had to opportunity to mentor as well,” she says.
One thing she has had to learn is that her employees will not all necessarily share her passion for this field — and that that’s OK.
“Not everyone’s goal is to stay in banking,” she says. But that doesn’t mean their experience won’t be valuable. “You have to make sure your team members make the most of the time they have here. At some point in their life, everyone is going to buy a car or a home or start to build towards a fruitful retirement.”
“Maria is an outstanding manager and team member,” says her boss, district manager and VP Lauri Lunde. “She strives to help her teams be the best, while having fun. It is amazing to see how her employees respond to her direction. This leads to an outstanding customer experience and the ability to help their customers reach their financial goals. It has been a pleasure and honor working with Maria over the past few years, and I’m sure she will be having fun working with her teams and customers for another 20.”
Her secret is simple, Maria says: “Getting to know my employees’ goals and finding a way to incorporate those goals into their time here has allowed me to have successful teams. Keeping your people happy is what it is all about!”