Tricia marks 35 years with the bank this month.

When VP branch operations manager Tricia Cravillion applied for a teller position at North Shore Bank in 1987, she was working at a factory and just looking for a change of pace. She didn’t really expect to start a lifelong career. But 35 years later, she reflects on how many titles she’s held here.

“Honestly, I joke that from the branch perspective, I have held all of them, with the exception of teller supervisor and assistant branch manager,” she says. She’s also been a mortgage loan officer, mortgage process and closing specialist, “dabbled” in business banking, and been a district manager. “I was also an assistant to the district manager — yes, we had those at one point.”

“Tricia has spearheaded countless initiatives that have helped the bank become a leader in our industry and deliver return on investment,” says Kerri Collins, who succeeded her as district manager for the North region. “When I took over for her, I knew I had big shoes to fill. Her influence will outlast her time with the bank, and she’s been a co-worker, mentor, and friend to me and many others.”

“We’ve worked together on many bank-wide initiatives and smaller projects, and I have always appreciated Tricia’s teamwork and can-do attitude,” VP customer support Jude Lengell agrees.

And VP security/payments manager Lyneen Fischer says: “Tricia and I go so far back that we know each other’s vacation trends! We’ve also gone through so many conversions and projects together that we know what the other one will say before we get it out. There’s always laughter when I’m working with Tricia — she brings levity and joy to everything she touches.”

Tricia talked to Shorelines about her 35 years here.

What were you doing before you came on board with North Shore Bank?
I had graduated from high school with the intent of becoming a cosmetologist, but I needed to raise money for school. So I worked in a factory making plastic bottles for a year before applying for a teller position.

Tricia at work as a mortgage loan processor around 1990. “We had to wear uniforms, so we spiced them up with accessories,” she says.

What drew you to apply for that teller job?
Factory work was not my long-term goal — it just did not afford me the opportunity to use my talent for talking to people. But it did inspire me to figure out ways I could leave my machine for a period of time to talk to people without slowing down production.

What was it like when you started here?
When I applied, it was for part time, and I was nervous about the ability to go full time soon after. I also had no idea about what banking was like, so I was nervous to learn all the new skills.

How long did you think you’d be here — and what has made you stay for 35 years?
Once I got into banking, I think I knew I had found my calling. I was hungry for growth and learning every aspect of banking that I could. And that’s what has kept me here: I have very few days that I don’t learn something new or a new way to do things more efficiently.

How has your life changed over the last 35 years?
Of course all of the technology is a big one, and overall how banking has changed. But the most important thing is all of the people I have worked with and what each of them has taught me. They helped me change my career several times over the years by believing in me.

And then, in my personal life, I got married to my husband, Joe, 28 years ago. We have two fantastic boys who have always kept me — and will always keep me — busy and smiling: Ben, who’s 25, and Josh, 21.