LET’S DO THIS

Share your stories by May 1: We want to hear from you!

Every day, North Shore Bank employees make a difference, whether it’s helping a customer Bank Their Best Life, supporting a fellow employee, or spreading kindness in our communities. These moments define who we are, and we want to celebrate them!

Marketing is collecting stories that showcase these moments, big or small. Sharing your stories is quick and easy—it takes less than five minutes!

Please use the link below to share your stories by next Thursday, May 1. Plus, as a thank you, we’ll randomly select three employees who participate to receive Bucketlist points!

Click HERE to share your stories! 

 

NEW HIRES

Welcome to our new hires for March 2025!

Meet your new coworkers, all hired in March 2025! Welcome to all. 

Gequise Bates, Assistant Branch Manager at Milwaukee Capitol

Alexandria Dumas, Associate Banker at Green Bay East

I started working in banking in high school. I took a job as a teller at Capital Credit Union. Outside of work, I am involved with a family friend’s farm business and assisted living in Wayside, WI. They are looking to incorporate homegrown foods for people at the assisted living, and I am taking the lead on the garden. My husband is the kitchen manager at Hagemeister Park. We are huge foodies and love trying new places, especially in Door County (where my husband is from). We have four children, ranging in age from 3 to 10. We love visiting new parks and hiking, and we garden and enjoy homegrown food. I love teaching our kids how to grow and take care of our plants as they nourish our bodies. 

Samuel Lavota, Wauwatosa Branch Manager

Before coming to North Shore Bank, I worked at Waukesha State Bank as a team supervisor and personal banker. I have been in banking for seven years. I love the community involvement and structure of the bank, as well as being able to help our customers with their financial situations. I live in Wauwatosa, and I am an avid sports fan of pretty much every sport. I enjoy hanging out with my friends and family and making different cocktails for everyone. I also like to read and play games in my spare time. 

Yessenia Reyes, Associate Banker at Jackson Park

Prior to North Shore Bank, I was at Educators Credit Union. I was intrigued by how long North Shore Bank has been in business and the fact that they are still community based, regardless of size. I live in Milwaukee. I am interested in anything with farm animals, from chickens to goats and anything in-between. I love gardening, scary movies, and making lists/doodling.   

Elora Schulte, Teller at Muskego

Before coming to North Shore, I worked at a third-party-owned Amazon delivery service as a delivery driver and dispatcher. This is my first job in the banking industry. I was attracted to working at North Shore Bank because I wanted a career where I can reliably grow. This industry has a lot of very valuable things to teach people like myself about some of the toughest hurdles life has to offer. I am currently working with a nonprofit organization, Leading Ladies of Illinois, on a children’s book that celebrates lawmakers as superheroes and showcases what they do for our community. I’m also excited to see the opportunities to get involved in the community with North Shore Bank. I graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design in 2020. In my free time, I love to draw and sew. I make and wear cosplay costumes at anime and comic conventions. Comic Con is where I met my partner, Brookfield Square Assistant Branch Manager Matthew Cieslak, 7 years ago. Now I make costumes for both of us! 

 

OFF THE CLOCK

Presser hits the lanes with family at national bowling tournament

This spring, Community Engagement Manager Katie Presser continued a cherished family tradition by traveling to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to compete in the 2025 United States Bowling Congress Open Championships at the Raising Cane’s River Center. 

The national tournament, which rotates locations each year, attracts more than 58,000 bowlers from around the country between March and July. 01254 Competitors test their skills in team, doubles, and singles events on lanes with notoriously challenging conditions.

For Katie, the tournament is more than just a competition—it’s a strong connection to her family. Her parents owned a bowling alley growing up, and she’s been knocking down pins for as long as she can remember. She participated in the tournament alongside her father, Chuck, and sister, Kelli, continuing what has become an annual tradition for the trio. Last year’s tournament in Las Vegas was particularly special, as Chuck was honored with a ceremony recognizing his impressive 50 years of participation. 

“It is a super cool experience to be part of this tournament, and it definitely tests our bowling skills on very challenging lane conditions,” Katie said. The lanes are oiled with a “challenge pattern” different from a typical league setup, and competitors don’t get to practice on the pattern ahead of time.

Katie now lives in the Green Bay area, but the tournament gives her a chance to reconnect with the same group of 10 bowlers each year, many from her hometown of Racine. While Katie’s team didn’t bring home top honors this year, the experience itself made it worthwhile. “It’s special because I shared it with my dad and my sister,” she said. 

 

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK

Photos of the Week for April 24, 2025

Community Engagement Manager Stephanie Ruiz and her family took a field trip to the Milwaukee Public Museum, courtesy of free tickets made available by North Shore Bank. Stephanie, her husband, Rafael, and daughter Liliana had a great day together, along with other family members who joined. Lili was all smiles for the entire visit!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SERVICE ANNIVERSARIES

Congratulations to our service anniversaries for April 2025!

Congratulations to employees who are celebrating service anniversaries this month! 

30 years

• Kim Konieczny, Senior Checking Services Representative

25 years

• Mary Ott, Product Manager

 

FINANCIAL EDUCATION & LITERACY

Promote smart money habits with Teach Children to Save Day

Today is National Teach Children to Save Day, which just happens to align in the same week as Seymour Savings’ birthday (April 22)! It’s the perfect time to get kids started with saving, and a Seymour Savings account is the best place to begin.

The Seymour Savings account page on our website has all the information you need to get your kids, a customer’s children, or a grandchild started on their savings journey. With no minimum deposit required and no monthly maintenance fee for children under 21, a Seymour Savings account is a great way to teach financial literacy at home. 

The Seymour Savings page on the site also includes some great resources you and your kids can use to help them understand the benefits of saving money, including the Banzai Junior Interactive Course on saving for kids 8-12.

Teaching kids to save early can have a lasting impact on their financial security as they grow, so get the children in your life started today!

 

HEALTHY YOU

Focus on mental health, raising resilient children

This month’s issue of “Helping You” focuses on the importance of paying attention to your mental health and the mental health of others in your family. Talking about mental health concerns can be difficult, but opening up an honest conversation with your health care provider is always a safe place to start. 

If you’re noticing signs of sadness, hopelessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, or loss of interest in hobbies or activities in yourself or other family members, it might be a good time to check in with a medical professional. There are many options for getting help, so don’t feel like you have to suffer alone.

To learn more about common mental health concerns and ways to identify if you or someone you love might need help, check out the helpful links in this month’s “Helping You.” 

Assist children in developing resilience when life gets hard

We all experience difficult times in life, and children are no exception. The American Psychological Association offers useful tips to help kids rebound when the going gets rough, including:

• Maintaining daily routines
• Practicing self-care
• Keeping things in perspective and maintaining a hopeful outlook
• Accepting change

For more ideas on how to encourage children and teens to remain positive as they face adversity, click here. 

 

FYI

Stay safe: Think before you click or call!

We’ve all received them—puzzling text messages claiming to be from Amazon, UPS, or a bank and claiming that we need to respond right away. These messages can be alarming, especially when they state that something fraudulent is happening with your account. Even if you haven’t experienced the panic these texts can elicit, your customers certainly have. 

These texts urge you to click a link or respond in some way immediately. When you see these, it’s likely a scammer is at the other end, hoping to get you or your customer to share financial information. The Federal Trade Commission has clear advice on how to handle these unwanted messages: don’t reply, never click the links, and never assume the text is legitimate.

If you need to check an account, call your bank or credit card company directly; do not use any means of communication suggested in the text. “And remember, your bank will never call or text you and ask for your card number, account number, or log-in credentials,” said Nikki Shelton-Moss, CFCI, Assistant Vice President, Loss Prevention Manager. 

A recent FTC article on this topic lists many of the most common text scams consumers are experiencing right now:

• Suspicious charges to an account
• Problems with deliveries
• Unpaid tolls
• Fake job opportunities
• “Wrong number” texts

So be wary when these pop up in your texts, and follow the FTC’s advice. For more tips on how to deal with fake texts, click here. 

 

FINANCIAL EDUCATION & LITERACY

Saving for your goals can start with five simple steps

Did you know there are a few simple steps you can take to save yourself $500 (or more) this year? Elevate Wisconsin, a free financial resource for all North Shore Bank employees, has a great infographic with five easy things anyone can do to start saving money now. 

The insightful savings ideas are just one part of Elevate’s Saving for Goals series, which offers great tips for taking steps now to work toward something you really want, like a fantastic vacation or a new car. So get started today by visiting Elevate!

 

Customer Loyalty Tip of the Week

Don’t allow one customer to ruin your day or the quality of service you provide for the rest of your customers.

 

COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Discover events and activities in and around your community

• Top Ten Financial Security Tips Seminar | Saturday, May 17 (11:00 AM) | North Shore Bank – Community Room | 4230 W. Oklahoma Ave., Milwaukee, WI