People's Leader

• Published in: BankBeat 2019-01, Vol.204 (1), p.11
• Main Author: Hilgert, Jacqueline Nasseff
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Awards & honors; Banking industry; Banks; Branch banking; Corporate presidents; Customer services; Customers; Employees; Innovations; Leadership; Learning curves; Presidents; Relationship banking; Skills; Success

Some of the new products the bank has unveiled include allowing customers to take a picture of a bill to have a remittance sent, an enhanced mobile platform, ability to get e-signatures to some areas of the bank, and to utilize the popular digital payment apps such as Apple Pay. "People tend to gravitate toward people," Bates said. Because Sioux Falls had never had live tellers in its drive-thru, it was the perfect test location for an ITM and the bank learned acceptance came easily. [...]it resonates with Suzi Kalsow, vice president of learning and development, who Bates recruited away from Mounr Marty College, based in Yankton, S.D. Kalsow, who has a doctorate :n education administration, oversees the company's Fierce initiative; she trains employees at all levels of the tank to communicate authentically, to be gracious with one another (and their customers), and to own up to their mistakes. Today, ag accounts for 42 percent of its loan mix, with another 33 percent in commercial, 16 percent tied to One Place Capital (the Des Moinesbased medical equipment finance division it launched in 2009), with the remaining a mix of consumer and mortgage loans. Bank Midwest has been in New Ulm, Minn., since 2005 when it acquired a TCF branch; now it has a new building and a new community bank president, Shannon Hillesheim, a New Ulm native who has driven 32 percent loan growth and 19 percent deposit growth through the third quarter of 2018.