El Rey and Jackson Park community engagement manager Alfredo Martin celebrates 20 years with North Shore Bank this month.

“I started my financial career with a lot of enthusiasm, and knowing that it was going to be for the long run,” says community engagement manager Alfredo Martin, who leads our El Rey and Jackson Park branches. That has proven absolutely true — he has 36 years in the industry under his belt, and celebrates his 20th anniversary with North Shore Bank this month.

“Alfredo has been a leader in the area’s Latino community, and his involvement has been instrumental in getting North Shore’s name top-of-mind for members of that community who need financial help,” says his boss, district manager Lauri Lunde. “He brings energy to his teams and is very passionate about living North Shore Bank’s mission and vision. It really is a joy to work with him.”

Alfredo, who managed a branch for another financial institution and was a mortgage loan officer before joining our company in 2003, spoke to Shorelines about his career and what motivated him to work in banking.

What made you apply for a job in banking?
Since I was a kid, I always felt attracted by numbers, and when I went to college, my focus of study was economics. One thing led to another. When I was working for Walker’s Point Development Corporation as a financial advisor, it became more and more clear to me the importance of getting involved in the overall process of assisting someone who was getting a mortgage, a car loan, or any other banking product. To me, being a banker allows you to assist someone to prepare themselves to make sound financial decisions for themselves and their families.

Alfredo at Jackson Park, c. 2003.

What has kept you in the industry for so long?
When I joined North Shore Bank, I had over 16 years of mortgage, retail, and insurance background, and I wanted to make sure my personal goals coincided with those of the bank. And as time has passed by, I’ve been a branch manager, mortgage loan officer, business banker, and now community engagement manager. Being exposed to different areas of banking has made it very enjoyable and allowed me to become a very well-rounded banker.

What are the biggest changes in your personal life over the last 20 years?
I have been able to grow my family — to a total of six children — and I’ve learned to look at life in a more relaxed way.

You’ve done a lot of work for Milwaukee’s Latino community. What kind of change or growth have you seen in that area over the last 20 years?
I have seen a lot of growth and understanding within the financial industry in addressing financial literacy challenges within the Latino community. We are not there yet, but we are going in the right direction.

What would you hope to see in that direction over the next 20 years?
Since I feel so attached to the financial literacy efforts, it would be ideal to see, within our educational system, a curriculum to teach teenagers basics of finance, so that they can get prepared to do proper planning and thus make sound financial decisions.