A Note from our CEO, Scott Soderberg

 

Of course, Thanksgiving is a time when many of us take stock of all the good things in our lives. Our family and close friends are often high on the list, as those connections form the core of what is most important in our lives. We are all better and stronger together, in whatever we do.

I think the same holds true for interactions outside of our inner circle. Positive contacts with employers, co-workers, business associates, teachers, etc. enhance our sense of well-being and security. The best relationships are those that feature mutual trust and concern for each other’s welfare.

As my grandfather would always say (and I never miss a chance to quote him), true community banking is “a two-way street”. Bona fide community banks are partners with their customers, not simply places where money is stored and loans are obtained. The acid test for determining if a bank is truly a partner in the community is whether its people meet their business and personal banking customers where they are, seek to understand every situation, and know for certain that the bank’s success is wholly dependent on the success of their partner-customers. Simply put, a genuine community bank is a hometown business that depends on its relationships with its fellow local business and personal customers and knows it literally would not survive without them. If your deposits and loans don’t stay in the community where they multiply the financial benefits exclusively in the towns where they do business, then they are not being handled by a community bank.   

I’m taking this opportunity on behalf of my personal and banking families to express my sincere gratitude to each one of you for trusting us to be that partner and community citizen who works alongside you every day to invest in our hometowns. We are privileged to be able to serve you where you live, with our headquarters and branches all located here in Western Wisconsin. Thank you for your partnership, and for investing in all of us!