Julia Peters celebrates 25 years at North Shore Bank this month.

When we last checked in with accounting supervisor Julia Peters, in 2017, she was “absolutely amazed” she’d stayed at North Shore Bank for two decades, having spent so long before that constantly relocating. As she marks 25 years here this month, she also has a different job title, after moving from Leasing/Loan Servicing to Accounting in May 2018.

“Julia’s drive to automate processes in our department reflects a quality she has possessed throughout her career, and her knowledge of the loan systems has been indispensable,” says her boss, assistant controller Ann Marie Krecak. “Those are just two of the many reasons we feel grateful to have her on our team.”

Julia talked to Shorelines about her move and other changes over the past five years.

You were a process analyst last time we spoke. How did your career move come about, and what has it involved?
As my career starts to wind down, I wanted to try something new and hopefully help make a few more positive changes before I retire. I have worked with the Accounting staff to update our accounts payable system, so that we can process ACH payments to our vendors instead of sending checks.

I have also worked with Branch Admin to assist with the bank’s transition from Craden printed checks to Laser checks. There are a couple of benefits, the first being that the blank check stock does not have to be tracked or locked up — which is a huge time-saver for Accounting. Craden checks were pre-numbered and already had the magnetic ink character recognition lines printed at the bottom. This meant they had to be locked up at the branches, and Accounting was tasked with keeping track of the numbers and monitoring the sequences for each branch every day. The blank Laser checks are also less expensive. Lastly, Laser check numbers are populated by the system and not the employee cutting the check, so there are fewer errors with data entry.

What have you learned in the last five years?
The biggest learning experience has been the pandemic and the changes it has brought. Flexibility in both my professional and personal life is extremely important. The fluidity of the pandemic situation created many challenges for the Accounting department and the bank as a whole. You have to be able to “roll with the changes” and make changes on the fly when necessary. From a personal standpoint: Make sure you tell the people closest to you just how important they are to you. Every day with your loved ones is a gift that should not be taken lightly.

Twenty-five years is traditionally the silver anniversary. What’s one thing you think is crucial for a leader to understand?
Perception of a situation can vary dramatically from one person to another; a person’s perception can and will color their responses and behavior. So as a leader, the ability to “see” things from another’s point of view can make life easier for all involved. It’s not necessary to change your perception or view of something, but you should always try to understand that the other person’s take on things is important. Give them a voice and recognize that they want to be heard, even if it doesn’t or can’t change things.

And what kind of excitement has there been in your personal life?
The most exciting thing is that my husband retired last year and we have been making plans for my retirement and a move from Wisconsin to southern Tennessee for our golden years. We want to be able to garden year-round and ride our motorcycles for more than four or five months out of the year.