Tell us what you’re thankful for!

It’s that time of year again: With Thanksgiving coming up, will you take a moment and tell us what parts of 2022 you’re thankful for? It could be a person or people, an experience, gift, or purchase — just let us know what it is and why you’re so glad it was part of your life.

“I feel grateful for such a great team at the Menasha branch and winning Teller of the Year two years in a row,” teller Jennifer Isenhower wrote earlier this fall. “Without my team, I could have never done it. We sometimes spend more time at work than we do at home and to be supported by my co-workers is amazing. I’m grateful every day!”

To share what you’re thankful for, use the submissions form or email us at shorelines@northshorebank.com — share a photo if you have one! (You can also text us at 608-318-3348.) Make sure to include your name. We’ll publish submissions next week and on Wednesday, November 23, right before Thanksgiving. •••

South District earns top honors as 2022 wraps up

Our branches marked the end of fiscal year 2022 on October 25 and 26 with in-person Wrap-Up Rallies for the first time since 2019. Gathering together was a welcome and appreciated change, after two years of remote celebrations.

In 2022, we asked branch employees to “Take the Next Step” and bring their game up to a new level. They nailed it — meaning the competition to be a top performer was fierce. Combined, branch teams exceeded many of the goals we set for both gross production and quality measures. Notably, we had world-record performance in investment sales and payment protection.

For the first time ever, all three of our Branches of the Year — Burlington, Kenosha South, and McHenry — were from the same district. No surprise that the South region’s Brian Bozek was also named District Manager of the Year. Read more about this year’s results, courtesy of Craig Witz.

CrimeBusters break $1 million in saves in 2022
2022 was another great year — bankwide, we broke $1 million in saves! Thank you for being alert and helping our customers to not become victims. Keep up the good work in 2023 — you are all doing a great job!

Congratulations to all of our 2022 Peggy Theisen CrimeBusters — see who they are!

New icon denotes 100th anniversary
In 2023, North Shore Bank will celebrate our 100th anniversary. It’s a time to shine, and we’re excited to recognize our past accomplishments, strength, and resilience while looking toward an even bigger and better future for our company, communities, and employees. To kick things off, today we’re sharing the icon designed for our centennial year.

You’ll see this new design later this month on our customer holiday cards, and in January we’ll roll it out on our website and social media, and also incorporate it on money orders, cashier’s checks, and gift cards.

Various employee groups have spent the past year discussing the most meaningful and creative ways to celebrate this momentous anniversary. Throughout our history, North Shore Bank’s strengths have been our stability, the loyalty of our employees, and the confidence of the customers and communities we serve, and it makes sense to build on those strengths as we observe the success they’ve brought us. In particular, we’re going to use this big event to do even more through our Bank on Kindness® campaign.

We’ve got special activities planned for the whole year, especially May and June, and there will also be unique opportunities for employees to collaborate and celebrate our 100 years of history together. Stay tuned, and thank you for being with us as we cap off a century of achievements. •••

Reminder: Cast your vote for NSB!
Don’t forget: North Shore Bank is a finalist in the Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee 2022 readers’ choice contest. Vote for the bank, and ask your friends and family to vote too!

Vote at shepherdexpress.com/best-of-milwaukee/2022 — scroll down to the “Services Rendered” category, and then select “Bank.” After you’ve voted, click the share button to tell others about the contest on Facebook and Twitter, or via email.

Voting runs through Thursday, December 1, 2022. Thanks for helping the bank be recognized among the Best of Milwaukee! •••

Henry wins Burlington pumpkin contest

The results from Burlington’s pumpkin decorating contest are in: Teller Emily Henry took first prize with her haunted house pumpkin, and personal banker Jolene Cedeno’s spider was the runner-up.

“I got my inspiration from just scrolling painted pumpkin ideas on Pinterest,” Emily said. “It took me four or five hours to complete over a few evenings, after my kids went to bed.”

“We even had some customers vote on Facebook,” branch manager Robin Callis noted, adding that the team will be showing off their confectionary building skills next month with a gingerbread house contest. •••

Cudahy’s White is “wonderful,” says customer

“Been with North Shore for a long time. Awesome bank,” a customer wrote recently. (Don’t worry — somebody’s letting them know we do offer free checking.) Another had a compliment for Cudahy’s branch manager: “Kathleen White is wonderful.” We couldn’t agree more! •••

Service Anniversaries for November 2022
The following employees celebrate a milestone anniversary with North Shore Bank this month.

15 years
Arlen Tsao, Help Desk Technician
Teresa Wojciechowski, Teller, McHenry

10 years
Vicki Blasy, Teller, McHenry

5 years
Tamara Drinkwine, Paraplanner
Tony Larke, System Admin – Residential/Consumer Lending
Bryana Stagg, Universal Banker, Burlington

Leave a comment to congratulate them!

New Hires for November 10
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

Kenosha Main assistant branch manager Yoli Garcia is from Beach Park, Illinois, and formerly worked as a patient care specialist at Northwestern Medicine. Before that, she had been a branch manager and assistant VP at North Chicago Community Bank, until her branch was closed in 2021 because of COVID-19. “After being gone for so long from banking, I realized how much I missed it! That reignited my passion,” she says. “I guess if something good came from covid for me, it was that.” Yoli also loves sports and collecting memorabilia, as well as meeting professional athletes and celebrities — including Mike Tyson, Dennis Rodman, and Hulk Hogan.

Green Bay West teller Roxanne Gaul is from La Crosse and previously worked at Fresh Thyme Market as a produce clerk. Before that, she worked in interior design for close to ten years. “I just finished my first novel, and am completing edits to try to get it published,” she says. “It’s a mystery about a guy who inherits an abandoned mining town full of surprises.” She has two kids — a 2-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. “I also have a small craft business selling handmade handbags at local craft fairs.”

Customer assistance rep Juanita Norris was born and raised in Milwaukee. She previously worked for Anthem as a remote customer care specialist, and has experience in the financial industry from her time at Capital One. “I’ve also lived in Louisiana, Arkansas, and California. Though I’ve experienced a lot of interesting culture, food, good weather, and people, I came to realize there is no place like home,” says Juanita, who returned in September. “I am NOT ready for winter. I do love the snow — just not when it sticks! But I get excited like a child when it first comes down.”

Kenosha Main teller Rashel Torrez was born and raised in Kenosha, and previously worked as customer service lead at Kohl’s, where she also worked the cash office. “Spending time with family and friends is always important to me,” she says. “I am also a firm believer in retail therapy. So whenever I have the chance, I love to go to the mall. It’s always a good time when I get to add a new purse to my collection!” •••

Power Breakfast features Q&A with Fiserv head
What’s going on with you? If you or someone in your family has a special event — a concert, show, sporting or charity event, or another important moment — send the details to shorelines@northshorebank.com. We’ll include information about select events to let your colleagues know about all the cool stuff happening with the North Shore Bank team.

Looking for more to do? Here are suggestions from the bank’s event calendar:

The next Milwaukee Business Journal Power Breakfast will be next Thursday, November 17, at Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel. Presented by North Shore Bank, the breakfast and networking event will feature an exclusive Q&A with Fiserv president and CEO Frank Bisignano and Journal editor-in-chief Mark Kass. More info and link to register here. •••