Hooray!

SHORT

C O M PA N I E S

SPRING 2016

FF&M Red Wing named Business of

the Year 2 years in a row!
Drum Roll Please!
FF&M Bank was awarded
Business of the Year for the
2nd year in a row at the Red
Wing Area Chamber of Commerce
Annual Meeting and Awards
Banquet on February 1, 2016!
Out of 20 businesses nominated
in our category of Employment
Service, Financial, Insurance,
Legal and Real Estate Business of
the Year for 2015, FF&M Bank in
Red Wing was chosen as #1 by
our community! The nominator
comments say it all:

Service! Love, love, love this bank!

The best thing I ever did was switch
to First Farmers & Merchants, they
are awesome! I am amazed every
time I need some help or have a
question as to how helpful and
accommodating they are! You are
the best!!! Great service, friendly,
professional.
President Brett Elford and his
staff accepted the award on stage
in front of a record crowd of 475
community members. This was
a fantastic way to begin the New
Year! We were truly honored to be
recognized two years in a row.

(continued on page 4)

INSIDE:
Brian P. Short...........................2
Austin Update ..........................4
Brownsdale Update ...................5
Cannon Falls Update .................5
Fairmont Update .......................7
Goodhue Update ......................8
Grand Meadow Update .............9
Le Sueur Update ..................... 10
Luverne Update .......................11
Pipestone Update .................... 12
Stewartville Update ................. 14
White Rock Update ................. 15
Admiral Merchants Update ...... 16
Calhoun Towers Update ........... 17
Executive Offices Update ......... 17
Eagle Awards.......................... 18
Wellness .................................20
Customer Service Week............. 21
News ..................................... 22

Coming and Goings

Brian P. Short
I constantly remind myself, and
everyone else who works here,
that we are a Service Organization.
The primary stock in trade of
Admiral Merchants, First Farmers
& Merchants Banks, St. Paul
Flight Center, Calhoun Towers and
Benson Parking Service is high
quality service delivered to our
customers by dedicated members
of customer service teams. Our
service commitment is our secret
sauce. Some of the members of
our team have years of service
with our customers. They know
our customers well, understand our
commitment to them, and realize
how important the needs of every
customer are. Those who have
only recently joined our company
always bring enthusiasm and a fresh
perspective to solving problems for
our customers. That mixture is what
enables us to create great customer
experiences. As I was doing a little
research for this note, I found out
that we have almost 40 members
of the team who have worked here
for more than 25 years. Id like to
mention a few, at the risk of leaving

some out. At the top of the seniority

list is Sam Tims, whose anniversary
is recognized elsewhere in this
newsletter. Sam has worked here
for 50 years, and we celebrated
that with a Leamington Co. lunch
on April 6. During that lunch, it
was fascinating to listen to Sam
reminisce with Larry Weisgram,
Doug Swanson and Calhoun
Towers Tom Anderson about the
old days. Much to my chagrin, I
found that I remembered most of
the stories. Doug will complete 45
years of service later this year and
Tom will complete 41, whereas
Larry retired in 2011 shortly after
reaching 50 years of service.

Doug Swanson, Brian Short,

Sam Tims, Mrs. Short and
Larry Weisgram
In addition, Patty (Bostrom) Zilka
has been with Admiral Merchants
for almost 30 years if you do not
count the summers during high
school and the four years she had
with Admiral before she quit and
then later came back. Jan Muellner
has been with Admiral for 33 years.
St. Paul Flight Center has Dave
Lessard at 31 years and Pete
Brostrom at 27. Finally, Benson
Parking boasts Al Schroeder at 28
years.
There are 25 people who have been
with First Farmers & Merchants,
or one of its predecessors, for 25

Sam Tims
years or more. Linda Goehle
at First Farmers, Luverne, has
been providing great service
to our customers for almost 50
years. Elaine Hansen at the
Data Center, Sheryl Meyer and
Martha May in Le Sueur, and
Vicki Quist in Pipestone have
all provided dedicated service to
our customers for over 40 years.
Gayle Stegemann, Cliff Boom
and LaDonna Van Aartsen in
Luverne, Kathy Harrison in Le
Sueur, Marlene Trageser with the
Data Center, and Lina Wiebe in
Fairmont have all been serving our
customers for over 35 years.
The
knowledge
that
these
individuals and all of our other
senior associates bring to our
customer service proposition is
invaluable.
Relying so heavily on members
of our teams who have significant
years of service creates a dilemma.
From time to time, even without
my permission, members of our
teams retire. It seems that we have
been especially hard hit this year.
However, I think it is one of the
great strengths of our organization

that we deal with this and,

despite the loss, come out of each
retirement a stronger organization.
I would like to mention a couple of
the retirees here and introduce you
to those who have chosen to join
us or who have agreed to assume
additional responsibilities to take
care of the challenges presented by
those retirements.
First, Penny Lynner, our longtime VP of Operations at Admiral
Merchants, retired in January.
Penny joined Admiral when we
struggled to do anything right.
She was a valued member of the
leadership team which has brought
Admiral Merchants to its current
level of success.
Succeeding Penny as Operations
Vice President is Doug Milroy.
Doug joined us in January and is
off to a great start. He is an industry
veteran with experience ranging
from driving a truck to executive
leadership at one of the largest firms
in our industry.
Jeff Johnson is the long-time
Controller of Admiral Merchants
Motor Freight. He is a trucking
industry veteran, having worked
in a number of transportation
services providers before joining
Admiral Merchants in June of
2002. Jeff retired on April 1.
His transportation expertise and
knowledge will be missed by all of
us. However, Jeff began planning
for this event several years ago. We
are all pleased that Kelsey Rossow
has accepted the promotion to
Controller. Kelsey, armed with
a B.S. in business administration
and a minor in accounting from
Augustana College, joined Admiral
Merchants on July 21, 2005 as the

Billing and Processing Lead. In

August of 2006, she was promoted
to Billing Supervisor. She earned
a second bachelors degree, a B.S.
in accounting, from St. Catherines
University in December 2011.
In February 2013, she passed all
four sections of the CPA exam,
and was promoted to Accounting
Manager in June 2013. Thus,
when Jeff came to the end of his
career with Admiral, Kelsey was
the anticipated replacement. All
of us associated with Admiral are
confident that Kelsey will continue
to do a great job.
Keith Maetzold joined First Farmers
& Merchants National Bank, Le
Sueur as its president in January
2006. Over that time he reorganized
the Le Sueur bank, was a valued
member of the due diligence team
on the White Rock acquisition, and
served as president of both banks
following the acquisition. Working
with Marlene Trageser and many
others, Keith oversaw the merger
of those two banks and served as
the first president of First Farmers
& Merchants Bank, Cannon Falls.
Keith has announced his retirement
effective mid-May. Keiths steady
hand guiding that bank will be
missed by all. However, as part
of our long-range planning, we
have identified the leadership team
which will succeed Keith. Greg
Wulf, president of the Cannon
Falls branch of First Farmers &
Merchants Bank, will succeed
Keith as the charter president.
Greg first joined First Farmers
& Merchants as the Cannon Falls
branch president on October 20,
2003. During his tenure, he has
guided that branch to the point
where it is now the leading bank in
the Cannon Falls community.

Brian Pfarr, Vice President, Ag and

Commercial Lending in Le Sueur,
will succeed Keith as the Le Sueur
branch president. Brian has been
with First Farmers & Merchants,
Le Sueur, since September 2005.
Brian is a career National Guard
officer and was recognized as the
Short Companies Eagle of the Year
in 2008.
This is but a short summary of the
service those who are retiring have
provided and the skills of those who
will be succeeding them. All of our
teammates who are retiring have
made significant contributions to
our customers over the years. I will
always be grateful for what they
have done for all of us.
However, we are proving once
again the strength of our company
by the quality of the individuals
who are assuming new leadership
roles in our company. While we
will miss each of the individuals
who are retiring, I believe that our
customer service will continue to
be excellent, in part, because of
the leadership of those who are
assuming new roles here.
That remains one of the primary
challenges of any customer service
business. We have to continue to
improve our performance, because
all of our competitors are doing that.
We cannot simply pat ourselves on
the back and congratulate ourselves
for the good job we did yesterday.
We have to be concerned about
how we will face the challenges
of the future and continue to try to
improve.
Thanks for all you do.
Brian P. Short

Updates

FF&M RED WING

NAMED BUSINESS OF
THE YEAR
(continued from page 1)

making and participation with

community efforts. Head Teller
Colleen Phillips shared that one
of her favorite parts of the job is
establishing a great rapport with
our customers. They know they
have friends at the bank, and
theyre genuinely happy to be our
customers. Way to go, team!

We were proud to show our support

for the RWHS boys basketball
team, who brought home the 3rd
place title in the Class 3A State
Championship this season!

On
February
5,
everyone
participated in the Go Red for
Women campaign.

A nice article also ran in the local

newspaper on March 23, 2016,
highlighting what sets us apart from
the competition. Brett Elford was
quoted emphasizing the importance
of partnerships with small
businesses, localized decision-

First Farmers & Merchants

Austin
Update
Once again FF&M Austin was
decked out in pink for Austins
annual Paint the Town Pink event.
This event takes place in February
and has raised more than $825,000
for cancer research in the past six
years. This year alone, a record
$272,000 was raised. Various
events take place throughout the
month to raise money, which
is then donated to the Hormel
Institute for cancer research. The
event that everyone looks forward
to is the Austin Bruins Paint the

Colleen Phillips, Gayle Boldt,

Krystyna Bremer and
Missy Anderson
L to R: Melissa Jaenke,
Lisa MacRae, Colleen Phillips,
Deb Knowlton, Lynette Smerud,
Martha Hanson, Julie Eckstrom
and Krystyna Bremer (center)

Submitted by: Lisa MacRae,

Customer Service Representative

Rink Pink hockey game. The

Bruins are a junior hockey team in
the NAHL and they are a blast to
watch. Its great to see everyone in
the community coming together for
these events.

Throughout the month we paid

to wear jeans on Fridays and sold
many different items to support
cancer research. We also had a
cookie day with you guessed it
pink cookies. All together the bank
raised $568.

Patty Tewes is the new Operations

Manager for Brownsdale, Sargeant
and Austin. Welcome, Patty!
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
Customer Service Representative

Updates
First Farmers & Merchants

First Farmers & Merchants

Brownsdale Cannon Falls

Update
Update
The Brownsdale/Sargeant staff is
dressed all in red for Heart Month.
The staff also donated $132 to
the Grace Gillette Public Library
in Brownsdale. The money was
raised by wearing jeans on Friday
for a fee.

Happy 2016 to all of you from

Cannon Falls! It seems only fitting
that we focus on all of the new
additions to our FF&M family in
CF so lets start by welcoming our
new employees!
Fresh Faces to FF&M

Back row, L to R: Dale Larson,

Lisa Kuennen, Amanda Rhodes,
Kevin Welter. Front row, L to R:
Sherrie Carlson, Amy Johnson,
Gloria Richardson
February was also Paint the Town
Pink in Brownsdale. Lots of
activities took place throughout the
month. From bake sales, silent and
live auctions, to learning origami,
there was something for everyone.
We want to welcome our new
employee, Darcy Drake-Tapp.
Darcy is working in the loan area
of the bank as the administrative
assistant. Well learn more about
Darcy in our next newsletter.
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
CSR/Teller

Kelsey Reddel
Kelsey Reddel joined us in
February as a full-time CSR/Teller
at our Econo location. Kelsey is
originally from Riceville, IA. She
has four older brothers, and in
her free time she enjoys hunting,
fishing, and hanging out with
friends, family and her puppies.
She attended school for Massage
Therapy and Cosmetology. Her
past jobs have included being a
massage therapist, a cosmetologist,
a sales associate and also a staffing
specialist. Welcome, Kelsey!

Marlene Kokkeler
Marlene Kokkeler, part-time
Teller at the Econo Foods location,
has lived in Cannon Falls since
1977. She and her husband
have four daughters and three
grandchildren. Marlene worked
as a daycare provider for several
years, was employed at the CF
Beacon newspaper for 14 years, at
Gemini Inc. for nine years, and then
retired. She saw an opportunity to
work at First Farmers & Merchants
as a part-time teller in February and
she took it. In her spare time, she
loves to garden, camp, and spend
time with her family. Were happy
to have you, Marlene!
Jennifer Buck, full-time Teller,
rounded out the team in CF at
the main branch. She moved to
Cannon Falls about 10 years ago,
but is originally from North St.
Paul. She has been married for 18
years and has two daughters, Josie
(8) and Alison (12). Jennifer looks
VERY familiar to many of our
customers as she worked at Econo
Foods as a cashier for almost five
years. She loves spending time
with her family, and they love to
(continued on page 6)

Updates

CANNON FALLS UPDATE

(continued from page 5)

Lender, also has a new grandson.

Robert Alden Ranwick III was
born on February 8, 2016, to her
daughter Michaela. Shelly was
able to spend a lot of quality time
with her granddaughter, Robin,
while baby Robert (Robby) got
settled in at home.
Deb Graber, Loan Processing
Supervisor, was also blessed with
another little grandbaby in March.
Her daughter Krystle and her
husband celebrated the birth of their
daughter, Adelia Anne Eilen.
Proud Parents

Jennifer Buck
walk, watch movies and go out for
dinner. Were excited to have you
on our team, Jen!
We also welcome Mary Kriesel,
Training Coordinator, to Cannon
Falls. Mary is technically a Data
Center employee, but she offices
at the Operations Center in Cannon
Falls. Please see pages 11 and 12
for a photo and more information
about Mary.
The Future of First Farmers &
Merchants
Another group of new FF&M
family members are brand new to
the world! We have some VERY
happy grandparents in Cannon
Falls. Lets introduce the future
customers of FF&M.
Brenda
Jackson,
Consumer
Lender, became a grandma again!
Her daughter Tatum and family
welcomed a little boy named
Jackson Michael Ayres on New
Years Eve. Jackson joins his two
sisters at home.
Shelly Zimmerman, Mortgage

Anne Leverton, Loan Processor,

and her husband recently celebrated
the graduation of their son Austin
from Basic Training with the U.S.
Air Force on December 31. He has
enlisted for six years and is presently
in technical training for Aircraft
Armament. Airman Leverton will
be stationed at Whiteman AFB in
Missouri. Good luck, Austin, and
thank you for your commitment to
the U.S. and all of us!
Get to Steppin
The Fitness Challenge 2016 is in

full force in the 55009 zip code!

We have 29 of 39 employees
participating in this years Fitbit
Challenge, which is VERY
impressive! There have even been
some sub-groups formed that have
done some Weekend Warrior
Challenges. I hardly took a rest
during the two day challenge in fear
that someone else would pull ahead
of me. I finally had to surrender to
a young pup who eventually took
the crown. But had I not had this
wearable on my wrist there would
have been much more deep couch
sitting, I guarantee!
Kris Bodette, Head Teller, is the first
CF employee who has participated
in and completed a 5K so far this
year. This is the second year that
Kris has participated in the Clover
Dash in Cross Lake, MN over the
St. Pattys Day weekend alongside

Kris Bodette
(continued on page 7)

Updates

CANNON FALLS UPDATE

(continued from page 6)
her sister, husband and brother-inlaw! Kris took 4th place in her age
category and wants everyone to
know that there are 6,247 steps in a
5K and her time was 45:56. Way to
go, Kris, LOVE the leggings!

the group along with the robot they

created. Pretty impressive group of
young people!
Submitted by: Laura Qualey,
Director of Marketing
P.S. Late-breaking news out of
CF (thanks to Katie Overby,
Relationship Banker) Laura
Qualey celebrated in Grand
Fashion her 40th birthday on
Thursday, March 24. She spent the
morning at work and we didnt see
her again until Tuesday! Welcome
to the next decade, Laura. We
wish you much happiness and
celebration every year!

First Farmers & Merchants

Fairmont
Update

On January 29 we bid AVP Dennis

Trushenski farewell after a 35year career here in Fairmont. He
is looking forward to years of
traveling with his wife Karen. His
first adventure this spring will be
to Alaska to spend some time with
his daughters family and tour the
state. We wish him all the best!

Where Did the Money Go?

In December, the Advisory Board
in CF made a donation to the CF
Robotics Team which was featured
in the last issue of Hooray!. Well,
the Robotics Team designed, built
and programmed their robot and
competed in their first competition
in early March. Here is a photo of
Dennis Trushenski

Laura Qualey
Go RED!
We were seeing red on Friday, February 5 in CF as most of the teams wore
their red to show support for Womens Heart Health Awareness Day. Its
tough to get all of us together for a photo shoot, but this gives you an idea
of our team effort and group participation.

On February 13 Fairmont hosted its

eighth annual Kids Against Hunger
food pack. 104,868 fully-nutritional
meals were packaged and boxed
to be shipped. Many of the meals
will be shipped to Haiti and other
needy areas, although some will
stay in Martin County for the local
food shelves. FF&M sponsored a
table again this year and our crew
included Tellers Tami Whitman
and her granddaughter Macey,
Jan Nelson, and Becky Holland
and her son Anthony, Commercial
Loan Officer Adam Smith and his
wife Amanda, Loan Assistant Lina
(continued on page 8)

Updates

FAIRMONT UPDATE
(continued from page 7)
Wiebe, Receptionist Naomi Koch,
retired AVP Dennis Trushenski
and his wife Karen, and Personal
Banking Officer Joan Meyer.
Teller Sara Becker-Sokoloski
and daughter Emily were also on
a team for their Girl Scout troop.
This years pack involved over 450
volunteers and raised $29,708.

During the month of March our

employees were allowed to wear
blue jeans on Fridays in exchange
for a food or monetary donation
to the Minnesota Food Share
promotion. At this point we have a
table full of food and a nice cash
donation to be given to our local
Salvation Army and/or Heavens
Table Food Shelf.

Submitted by: Joan Meyer,

Personal Banking Officer
FF&M Fairmont Team in Red

First Farmers & Merchants

Papa Murphys Pizza opened their

doors in January and it wont be
long before our newest yogurt/
coffee shop will be opening up.

Goodhue
Update

Joan Meyer spent a portion of

five mornings in March back
in Kindergarten, teaching the
Jr. Achievement program. The
kindergarteners
program
is
called Ourselves, and teaches
the children how to earn and save
money, and how to share with
others.

Here we are againfirst quarter

Hooray! articles are due!! Our lives
are so busy, the years just seem to
fly by. Some of our busyness is not
welcomed, but for the most part, we
here in Goodhue fill our lives with
things that better our own lives or
the lives of those around us. That
kind of busy is always nice.

Teller Ona Springer spent many

evenings this winter attending her
granddaughter Kenlie Pytleksis
basketball games. The GHEC
Jaguars had an excellent season
and post-season, losing in the
Sub-State game. Kenlie, who is a
junior this year, was recognized
in the Fairmont Sentinel for her
outstanding efforts.

We started out the year with a big

surpriseHolly Roschen, our
head teller and bank employee of
almost 30 years, announced she
would be trying something new
with her career! She put in her twoweek notice in February and started
working in the office at our local
elevator, Ag Partners of Goodhue.
She will be greatly missed, as she

has been a big part of our team for

many, many years. Im sure it will
take her awhile to get the banking
out of her system... I hear she has
been known to answer the phone
over there, Good morning, First
Farmers & Merchants.q
This brings us to our next item
three new tellers! First, we have
Miranda Osterberg. Miranda is
married to Chad and they have two
children, William, 3, and Caden,
11. Miranda is very busy as she
also works part-time for her mom
at the Corner Bar and Grill here
in Goodhue. When she does have
spare time, though, she enjoys
boating, camping, four-wheeling,
snowboarding, hiking and spending
time with her family. Miranda is
pictured later in this article.
Our next new teller is Dianne Pank.
Dianne moved here about six years
ago from South Dakota. She has a
son who lives in Brussels, Belgium
and a daughter in South Dakota.
She loves horses and has raised
all kinds, from minis to Belgiums.

Dianne Pank
(continued on page 9)

Updates

GOODHUE UPDATE
(continued from page 8)
In her free time she loves to ride
horses and motorcycles and loves
the outdoors. She used to raise
cattle, sheep, goats and bison. After
getting to know Dianne, it doesnt
take long to realizeshe is still a
cowgirl at heart!
Last but not leastwe have Katie
Brinkman. Katie and her husband,
Andy, live in Goodhue. She is the
oldest of four kids and has lived
here since her family moved to
Goodhue her senior year of high
school. When Katie has free
time, she enjoys doing just about
anything outside and hanging out
with friends and family. Katie is
also pictured later in this article.

Customer Appreciation Day. We

had a great turnout as usual! We
had drawings for prizes for adults
as well as children. Our two child
winners were Max Loos and Emily
Majerus.

L to R: Paul Althoff, Holly

Roschen, Miranda Osterberg,
Sheri Nurnberg, Mary Majerus,
Jessica Lindholm and
Corrine Stehr
Later in the month, we once
again had our Goodhue city-wide

We rounded out March with a food

drive to benefit the local Food
Shelf. Customers and employees
were encouraged to bring in bags
of groceries (we supplied the bags,
donated by a local grocery store)
to be donated to the food shelf.
Everyone has been very generous,
as we have several bags to take
over!

In March, our girls and boys

basketball teams both went to State!
Pictured are some of the Goodhue
employees showing their support
and pride for our Wildcats.

We are enjoying having these ladies

become part of our family here in
Goodhue!
As I mentioned earlier, we have
been so busy here in Goodhue that
I will just briefly tell you about it
all! Back in February, we helped
bring awareness to heart disease by
wearing red.

customers of the bank!

One of these days, Spring will

comeand stick around for
a while.q
HAPPY SPRING,
EVERYONE!
Submitted by:
Teller
Mary Majerus, Miranda
Osterberg, Katie Brinkman and
Corrine Stehr
The boys ended up getting second
in State, and our girls came home
with a State Championship trophy!
This is the first
time in Goodhue
history that the
girls have won
State! Personally,
I think it all has
to do with where
they
bank
all but a few of
the kids on both
the boys and
girls teams are

Lara Ramthun,

First Farmers & Merchants

Grand
Meadow
Update

Change brings opportunity

opportunity to grow and be
successful.
The first quarter of 2016 has seen a
few changes for our charter:
Tabitha Hoffman has accepted
the position of Assistant Manager(continued on page 10)

Updates

GRAND MEADOW
UPDATE
(continued from page 9)
Racine/Operations Assistant;
Dawn Tart has accepted the
new position of Special Projects
Administrator/CSR;
Dayna Stier has joined the
FF&M team as Loan Assistant in
Grand Meadow.

The winning class received a pizza

party and their choice of activities
during phys ed class.
First Farmers & Merchants
participated in a benefit for one of

Dayna was born and raised in

Tucson, Arizona. She moved to
Stewartville after meeting her
husband Jake and now resides in
Racine (I wonder how she feels
about that when its -15 degrees?).
They have three energetic boys who
love to ride dirt bikes. In their free
time they hunt, ride motorcycles
and travel. Before coming to work
at First Farmers & Merchants,
Dayna worked at Merchants Bank
of Rochester for seven years.
Welcome, Dayna!

Dayna Stier
Second graders from the Grand
Meadow School visited the bank in
February, celebrating Pennies for
Pages with all the change they had
collected. Preschoolers through
sixth graders raised money to buy
books for the library and exceeded
their $800 goal, collecting $985.52!!

10

everything while I was in Racine.

The team effort was incredible.
Last but not least, I am sad to say
this will be my last Hooray!. My
husband and I will be leaving
the great state of Minnesota in
May, heading north to Alaska.
My last day with First Farmers &
Merchants will be April 29. It has
been a pleasure putting together
the Hooray! for our location and a
pleasure working with all of you.
Submitted by: Kelly Wytaske,
Customer Service Representative
and Assistant Branch Manager,
Racine

First Farmers & Merchants

Le Sueur
Update

our long-time business customers

and friends. Hope for Georgena
was held on February 7. Dawn
Tart and I helped to organize and
worked at the event and Dave
Feddersen, President and CEO,
was in attendance. The benefit was
a huge success. Food was donated
by FF&M, Odeys Meats and the
Meadow Market. Silent and live
auction items were provided by
local merchants, vendors, and even
professional sports teams. Thanks
to everyone at the bank for their
help, with me bringing in deposits
and the girls keeping track of

The Fitbit Challenge is in its second

month and has gotten staff more
aware of getting up and moving
during the day. We are also finding
out whos more competitive. If you
look and listen throughout the bank,
you will see groups of employees
looking at their wrists and saying,
How many steps do you have?
Ive got 10,000 steps. Ive
made it on the first page.
Laura Qualey, Director of
Marketing, asked the staff to
support the National Wear Red

(continued on page 11)

Updates

LE SUEUR UPDATE
(continued from page 10)
Day-Go Red for Women by
sporting our Red on February 5.
As you see by the picture, we had
great staff participation.

and the next phase of his life. Keith

will be able to spend more time
woodworking, fishing and golfing.
With Keiths retirement, Greg
Wulf will be promoted to President
and CEO of First Farmers &
Merchants Bank. Brian Pfarr,
currently Senior Vice President,
will be promoted to President,
First Farmers & Merchants Bank,
Le Sueur, effective with Keiths
retirement on May 13, 2016.
Submitted by: Linda Grack, Retail
Operations Manager

First Farmers & Merchants

Luverne
Update
Keith Maetzold
It is with sadness but certainly
with great appreciation that we
announce that Keith Maetzold
has decided to retire from his
position as President and CEO of
First Farmers & Merchants Bank,
Cannon Falls effective May 13,
2016. Ten years ago, Keith joined
the First Farmers & Merchants
organization as President and
CEO of First Farmers, Le Sueur.
We are hosting a reception for our
customers and the community to
express our appreciation to Keith
for his 10 years of service on May
10, between 11:00 a.m.3:00 p.m.
in our Valley Room. This will be
followed by a Chamber Business
After Hours at the Le Sueur
Country Club from 5:30 p.m.7:30
p.m. We would like to congratulate
Keith on his upcoming retirement

time with friends and family in her

spare time. She is also active with
the GEMS Girls Club with her
church.
Welcome also to Brian Mitchell
and Mary Kriesel, our two newest
Data Center employees. Brian
is Vice President of Information
Systems and is located at the Data
Center in Luverne. Brian lives in
Sioux Falls with his wife Amy and
three children, Jena (15), Lauren
(13) and Brycen (10). Most of their
time is spent following the kids
sporting events. Jena is a soccer
player, Lauren is a gymnast, and
Brycen plays football, baseball and
basketball. Brian enjoys golf and
coaching the sports his children are
involved in.

Welcome to Michelle Jansma, our

newest employee who started in
February as a teller. Michelle and
her husband Bill live on a cattle
farm outside Ellsworth and have
three children Amber, Grant,
and Joshua. Michelle enjoys card
making, shopping and spending

Brian Mitchell
Mary is our Training Coordinator
(a brand new position to the
company) and offices at the
Operations Center in Cannon
Falls. She lives in Randolph with
her husband and two boys; Ruben
is 10 and Hunter is 9. Mary and
her family also have two yellow
labs, Bella and Marley. Her boys
Michelle Jansma

(continued on page 12)

11

Updates

LUVERNE UPDATE
(continued from page 11)
keep their schedule very busy with
Boy Scouts, football, basketball
and baseball. Marys family has a
permanent camping site in Cannon
Falls and enjoys spending weekends
at the camper. In her free time she
likes to scrapbook, work on jigsaw
puzzles, and also loves to read.
Mary is very excited to be working
for First Farmers & Merchants, and
were excited to have her!

Mary Kriesel
A big shout out to the Data Center
in Luverne! The Data Center team
has 100% participation in the
Short Companies Fitbit Challenge
for 2016. They are committed,
motivated, and driven to reach
their step goals every day! Great
job, team!
Congratulations to Carol Foster,
Customer Service Representative,
who celebrated 25 years with the
bank this quarter.

12

FF&M Luverne Team on February 5

Submitted by: Tara Zewiske,
Auditor, FF&M Luverne and
Elaine Hansen, Data Center

First Farmers & Merchants

Carol Foster and Mike Engesser
The staff volunteered once again
to pack backpacks for the local
students during the month of
February. Four different volunteers
packed 100 bags each week for the
kids who are a part of the local
program through the school. This
program provides food for the kids,
ages preschool through middle
school, that they can prepare over
the weekend.
The bank will be participating
in the Relay for Life for the
American Cancer Society with a
bank team. A bake sale was held
on Valentines Day as a fund raiser
and $430 was raised. They also
held a baked potato bar over lunch
for employees and guests in March
for an additional fund raiser for the
FF&M team.

Pipestone
Update

Pipestone was host to the only

one of its kind (as far as we could
tell) Christmas Valentines Eve
Party on February 13. Luverne
and Pipestone employees gathered
at the Pipestone Country Club
for dinner and afterwards were
treated to Duelly Noted, a
premier dueling piano event at the
Pipestone Performing Arts Center.
Dale Roemmich, President, and
Tammy Ogdahl, Chief Operations
Officer, organized the event that
celebrated not only Christmas, but
threw in another bonus holiday,
Valentines Day!

The Luverne High School Mock

Trial team placed 8th at state. This
was their second consecutive year
appearance and they improved their
performance from the previous
year.

FF&M Pipestone Team in their

Red

Congratulations to the Luverne

girls hockey team for being Section
3A champs and first time state
tournament qualifiers.

The Pipestone spring Home &

Health Show and Employment
Fair was held Saturday, March 19,
(continued on page 13)

Updates

PIPESTONE UPDATE
(continued from page 12)
with 54 businesses participating.
FF&M highlighted its home
purchasing and home improvement
loans. The event featured homerelated businesses as well as an
opportunity for area employers to
recruit prospective employees by
answering questions and accepting
applications. The Pipestone County
Hospital participated, and provided
health screenings and testing.
Rhonda Smith, Personal Banker,
is a key member of the organizing
committee and reports that the show
was another success. Rhonda,
Vicki Quist, Vice President, and
Tim Paulson, Vice President,
collaborated to provide FF&Ms
presence at the event.

First Farmers & Merchants

in Pipestone dedicated their
community outreach efforts in
the month of March to help fight
hunger in the community. Along
with the ongoing staff collection
efforts for local non-profits, the
employees challenged customers

with taking up the torch for the

Pipestone County Food Shelf. Dale
Roemmich provided beneficial
information regarding the needs
in our community and county
by hosting Roger Raschke, Food
Shelf Chairperson, to present at a
staff meeting. Between bank and
staff donations, coupled with the
generosity of FF&Ms customers,
we were able to raise over $1,000
for the local food pantry. Jamie
Cordell, Teller/Customer Service
Representative, Brooke Legler,
Customer Service Representative,
and Pam Kuyper, Information
Systems Assistant, organized the
banks participation in March
Hunger Awareness Month.
Dale Roemmich is pictured with
Brooke Einck, local Girl Scout, and
the dozens of boxes of delicious
cookies that FF&M employees will
be hand delivering during the month
of April. We will send a report of
how the confections are distributed
and the customer response in
the next issue!

Whitney Norberg, Teller, was

selected for the high honor of
participating in the Minnesota AllState Band, held February 11-13.
Whitney plays the alto saxophone
and was selected for her outstanding
proficiency with the instrument and
the leadership qualities that she
exhibits in her role as senior band
member. Whitney shared that it
was the best band experience that I
have had in my life so far.
Friday, March 4, was National
Employee Appreciation Day. Dale
Roemmich and Tammy Ogdahl
hosted the entire staff to a kickoff breakfast of subs from Subway
to start the day, and then treated
the staff to fresh baked pies from
Langes Caf in the afternoon.
First Farmers & Merchants in
Pipestone hosted a customer open
house in honor of National Cherry
Pie Month on Thursday, February
25. Vicki Quist arranged for fresh,
home-baked cherry bars that were
served. Simultaneously, Marjean
Ossefoort with Invest Financial
Services hosted a meet and greet for
her new financial service customers.
First Farmers in Pipestone no
longer has an investment office,
as we transferred our business to
Marjean.
Dale Roemmich was the MC for
the Pipestone Hospices 18th annual
benefit that raised over $27,000 for
updates and improvements to the
local Hospice House. A five-day,
four-night stay in the Black Hills of
South Dakota sold for over $2,000,
garnering the bid for the highest
selling live auction item. In addition
to the normal auction items, we also
auctioned off the right to be the
(continued on page 14)

13

Updates

PIPESTONE UPDATE
(continued from page 13)
first table to go through the dinner
line with Prime Rib and Walleye as
the main course. The first table bid
was $200. Dale also sold his script
of jokes for the evening for $300 so
he would stop telling them.
The annual Ag Awareness Breakfast
was held on Wednesday, March
16, with many FF&M employees
attending the 55 cent meal hosted
by the Pipestone County Farm
Bureau. The cost is reflective of the
amount that a farmer earns from a
typical breakfast. Organizers of the
event state that the purpose is to
bring awareness to the public that
only around 15.8 cents out of every
dollar a consumer spends on food
goes to the farmer. Tim Paulson
helped to serve the breakfast that
hosted over 700 people.

degree in accounting at American

Military University. She and her
husband, Justin, have been married
for eight years. They recently
relocated to a home in Cresco,
IA from Fort Hood, TX. Justin
recently separated from active
duty army and is now in the army
reserves. Sabrina and Justin enjoy
deer and duck hunting together,
horseback riding, and anything else
that gets them outdoors. Sabrina
is looking forward to a long and
rewarding career with First Farmers
& Merchants! We enjoy working
with her and welcome her to the
team.

Submitted by: Linda Erickson,

Customer Service Representative

First Farmers & Merchants

Stewartville
Update

HOORAY!.spring is here! We
are all looking forward to more
sun and warmer temperatures, and
wishing our farming customers a
successful planting season.
Sabrina Kingery, Teller/CSR,
began her employment with
FF&M on December 28, 2015. She
attended AIB College of Business,
graduating with associate and
bachelor degrees in accounting.
She then went on to get her masters

14

Sabrina Kingery
All of our local service clubs and
organizations are gearing up for
their spring and summer events.
We welcome the opportunity to
participate, enjoy and attend, and
end our cabin fever.
We thank all of their members for
their service and dedication, and
for making Stewartville such a nice
place to live!
We are looking forward to the Lions
Club Meal-With-A-Peel (formerly
known as the Baked Potato Supper)

on Monday, April 11. The food

they provide is delicious and the
fund raiser provides many benefits
in Stewartville and the surrounding
area.
The 2016 40th Annual Rochester
Woodcarvers Show was held at the
Olmsted County Fairgrounds 4H
building on March 19-20. One of
our customers, Terry Johnson of
Racine, has shared photos of the
beautiful and intricate carvings.
The detail on these pieces is
amazing! The club produces an
annual woodcarving show to offer
the public an opportunity to see
the wide variety of carving styles
performed by club members. Each
year admission is free and the club
offers classes, carvings, wood, and
tools for sale. I would recommend
this show to all!
Our Kiwanis Club has received
approximately $7,500 in Food
for Kidz pledges. Every spring,
Stewartville reaches out to feed the
hungry. The annual tradition will
continue once again this year when
local and area residents gather at
the Stewartville Civic Center on
Saturday, April 9 to donate their
time and contributions. The workers
will package meals to be distributed
in many countries, and some will
also stay in Olmsted County. Last
year they surpassed their goal and
packaged 1,246,928 meals for the
hungry. Job well done!
The Stewartville Area Community
Foundation is busy preparing
the 1st Annual Southeastern
Minnesota Toast & Taste at the
Rochester Event Center on April 1.
All proceeds will go to the future
Bear Park Outdoor Community
(continued on page 15)

Updates

STEWARTVILLE UPDATE
(continued from page 14)
Amphitheater. This venue will
be a great addition to our town
for concerts, family gatherings,
weddings and other social events.
Have a wonderful spring!
Submitted by: Jan Cowan, Teller

First Farmers & Merchants

White Rock
Update

As I sit at my computer wondering

what to write, nibbling on treats the
Easter Bunny left, and hoping and
praying the weather man is wrong
and the two feet of snow will fall
on Iowa and not here, I realize there
isnt a whole lot to write about. We
have had the farmers continuing to
review their financing plans with
Paul Drackley, President, and
Calvin Ryan, Jr Ag Lender, making
sure they are set for the planting
season. We have all been going to
the multitude of athletic events that
flood the winter season so that we
dont get too sedentary. The Fitbit
program is helping out in that area
also; it is amazing how many steps
you can acquire just by clapping
and whaling your arms around in
excitement. We congratulate all the
young athletes who have done so
very well this year and express our
gratitude for giving us something
to look forward to and talk about.
Speaking of things to talk about,
how is your bracket looking? What
a crazy year this is looking to be.
It just keeps us coming back for
more.

Our bank Holiday Party that

was held in January at Treasure
Island Resort & Casino was very
enjoyable, with a good meal and
bowling like you have never seen
before. Thanks to Laura Qualey,
Director of Marketing, for all
the preparation to make it a night
full of fun and laughter for a very
large group of people. Not bad for
an almost 40 year old. Happy
birthday, Laura, on the 24th of
March.
We are in the midst of the Food
Share campaign, and hopefully we
will be able to boost the area food
shelves as the demand seems to
keep growing.

alert went out that the squirrels had

struck again. This squirrels life
was spared as it was just the tree
branch he had been jumping on
that fell on the lines and put us out
of commission. That is my take on
the story as I wasnt here. This team
had to do some creative thinking to
get the daily work done. Thanks to
Goodhue for the use of the branch
capture at their office. Maybe it
was a blessing in disguise, as when
Carna Visagie, WR Teller, got
to Goodhue to run WRs work it
was a little hectic and Carna was
able to assist the new trainees in a
couple of processes they were not
very familiar with. It all worked
out with a little team work.

We have also been talking garden

and getting the itch to dig in the
ground and see that miracle of
growth, and the promise of an
abundant harvest. That will take
some cooperation from the weather
man also. I hope he is listening.
Employees are almost done using
up their carry over vacation days
and it sounds like there have been
some very warm and relaxing places
visited. It is good to get away, but
there is no place like home!!!
Reviews are done and it sounds like
this team is doing a good job. Like
most teams experience, however,
there is inevitable change; it is just
a matter of time. Congratulations to
Keith Maetzold on his retirement
and, subsequently, to Greg
Wulf and Brian Pfarr on their
promotions.

Carna Visagie, Julie Benrud

Luhman, Kenzie Visagie and Babe
Nelson wore red on February 5
It seems that I have rambled enough,
so Ill sign off with a Happy Easter,
Happy April Fools Day, Contento
Cinco de Mayo Day, and lastly, an
enjoyable Memorial Day.
Submitted by:
Babe Nelson,
Customer Service Representative

It has been pretty much the status

quo here in beautiful downtown
White Rock, except for the other
day when WR lost power and the

15

Updates

Admiral
Merchants
Update

time fishing and working on his

golf game. Congratulations on a
well-deserved retirement, Jeff!

Congratulations to Traf c
Manager Jim Mallinger, who
retired in March after 33 years
with Admiral. Jim was a dedicated
employee who was always focused
and professional, and he will be
missed around the office!

Admiral rang in the New Year with

lots of changes in the Minneapolis
office.
Kim Krause joined the Admiral
team as our newest Freight
Coordinator in January. Kim
previously worked at T-Chek and
has been enjoying being back in the
transportation industry.
Congratulations to Penny
Lynner, who retired in January after
15 years with Admiral. As the VP
of Operations, we are grateful she
devoted such a significant part of
her career to our success, and wish
her the best of luck in retirement.
Doug Milroy joined the Admiral
team in January as the new VP of
Operations. He is a transportation
professional, with over 22 years of
experience that will help him in his
new role. Doug has made a great
addition to the company already
and we are lucky to have him.
Jeff
Johnson,
Admirals
Financial Controller, announced
his retirement, effective April 1.
Jeff has been with the team for
14 years, and has contributed to
many of the valuable changes
implemented within the Processing
and Settlements departments. He is
looking forward to spending more

16

Jeff Johnson
Kelsey Rossow, Admirals
Accounting Manager, has accepted
the position of Financial Controller
with a start date of April 4. She has
been with Admiral for 11 years,
and her experience will serve her
well in this new role overseeing the
Accounting, Billing/Processing,
and Settlements departments.
Congratulations and good luck,
Kelsey!
Congratulations to Legalization
Specialist Karen Hedtke, who
announced her retirement effective
April 15. Karen joined the Admiral
team two years ago, and was able
to quickly adapt to the intricate
details that come with licensing
and border crossing. She is looking
forward to spending more time
with her already retired husband
and her busy grandkids. We are
thankful for her time here and wish
her well.
Karen Preusser just joined
Admiral on April 1, as the new
Legalization Specialist. She came
to us with an extensive background
in transportation and licensing that
will help make her transition into
Admiral a smooth one.

Brian Short and Jim Mallinger

Along with all the exciting office
changes, Admiral was also lucky
enough to receive a few treats from
some of our wonderful drivers!
Driver Joe Spears, unit 6017, was
nice enough to order Dominos
pizza for the employees at the
Minneapolis office on March 18.
What a great Friday treat to start
the weekend with!
Drivers Steve Bennett, unit 5811,
and Bob Norris, Unit 4221, also
were generous enough to have Fat
Lorenzos pizza delivered to the
office on Tuesday, March 22. They
were able to stop by that day to visit

The wearing of the red at 215 S.

11th Street
(continued on page 17)

Updates

ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
UPDATE
(continued from page 16)
with all of the employees (and enjoy
a slice for themselves!) as well.
Everyone was very appreciative
of the delicious lunch, and it was
so nice to be able to catch up with
them at the office!
Submitted by: Claire Gregory,
Receptionist

Calhoun
Towers
Update
Calhoun Towers wishes to
dedicate this issue of the Hooray!
to our longest term resident, Tyne
Kauma. Tyne has called Calhoun
Towers her home for the last
31 years, having come here in
1985. She has been known as an
extremely generous person with a
kind heart and has always been one
of the bright spots here with her
smile. She will be starting the next
chapter in her life by going to live
with her son and daughter-in-law.
We wish you the best, Tyne you
will be missed.
In other news, we are now using
energy-saving LED bulbs. A
company named Apadana Lighting
went through the building and
changed out the old incandescent
and fluorescent bulbs to the new
energy-saving LED bulbs. It is nice
to see a project that actually ends up
saving us money. We also installed
these in the few apartments for

which we pay the electricity. They

have already saved us several
hundred dollars.
With this project, we were also
able to greatly increase the light in
our hallways without incurring the
expense of buying all new lights.
This was a nice improvement that
many residents enjoy.
Rental-wise, we are doing better
so far this year. We are 100% full
until at least the first of June; this
despite the rent increases caused
by our property taxes for the
building increasing a staggering
44%. Nevertheless, we are looking
forward to a good summer.
Submitted by: Steve Ocvirek,
Manager

Executive
Offices/
215 Update
Hunt Gildner, our long-time
relationship manager at U.S.
Bank, his wife Barb, and his
son Jared had the opportunity to
attend the January 10, 2016 NFC
wild card playoff game between
the Minnesota Vikings and the
Seattle Seahawks, using some of
Leamington Co.s tickets. TCF
Stadium was filled to capacity
that day, although I believe the
high temperature was 0! Hunt is a
very enthusiastic sports spectator,
though, and the cold did not stop
him from enjoying the game,
despite the 10-9 loss. He sent this
photo to Doug Swanson, along
with the following comments:

This photo was taken before I

lost my voice and another field
goal was missed to lose a playoff
game. We were all wondering if
the cell phone would work in those
temps... Seattle was completely
overwhelmed by the cold and
crowd it should have been a
shut-out. Arrrrghh. A big highlight
was when Bud Grant came out on
the field in a short-sleeved shirt.
Thanks for the opportunity to go to
this historic game, Doug!
A few weeks later, we learned that
Hunt had decided to retire at the
end of February. He orchestrated
a smooth transition to our new
relationship
manager,
Bill
Doran, by hosting a lunch with
Doug Swanson and Jim Tuttle
(Leamington Co.), Jim Bemis and
Jeff Johnson (Admiral Merchants),
and Becky Sorbel and Dawn Gast
(215 Holding Co.), so they could
meet Bill. Hunt also met with Brian
and Bill over breakfast, where they
discovered that Brian and Bill had a
couple of connections, one of them
being Notre Dame. Bill was able to
attend part of our bank presidents
meeting in March, and he arranged
for a speaker from U.S. Bank for
our meeting as well.
We truly appreciated working with
Hunt over the years, and while we
will miss him, we wish him the very
(continued on page 18)

17

Eagle Awards

EXECUTIVE OFFICES/215
UPDATE
(continued from page 17)
best in his retirement. We also look
forward to working with Bill in the
future. Thanks, Hunt and Bill!
Congratulations to Sam Tims, our
building engineer, who reached
his 50th anniversary with the
Short Companies this quarter!
On March 7, 1966, Sam started
at the Leamington Motor Inn and
the Leamington Hotel, working
for Ralph Meyer, who had a staff
of about eight at that time. As the
Short Companies holdings grew,
Sam also worked at numerous
other hotels, restaurants and
apartment buildings. In addition
to maintaining and servicing these
buildings, he also helped with
whatever was needed to keep all
of these operations functioning,
including checking people in,

serving as a bellhop, hauling

liquor from the warehouse to
the Leamington Hotel, etc. By
the time the Leamington Hotel
closed in 1987, though, many of
the other hotels and properties
were also gone. Ralph Meyer was
still working part-time, mornings
until noon, when he passed away
in 1993. Nowadays, Sam (no
staff, just Sam!), is the engineer
in charge of our building here at
215 S. 11th Street and the Francis
Drake Hotel, which is operated
by a third party who leases the
building from us. He also helps out
at Calhoun Towers as needed. He
picks up our mail in the morning
and takes the outgoing mail to the
post office in the afternoon, does
other deliveries and errands, as well
as anything else necessary to keep
the various businesses operating.
He picks out the best Christmas
trees ever! Sam is a huge sports
fan, watching virtually all sports,
and enjoys discussing sports,
current events and politics with
others in the lunchroom. He and
his wife Clara enjoy vacationing
in warm places; they visit family in
North Carolina, and theyve been
to Florida and on several cruises.
Again, congratulations, Sam!
Finally, our last bit of news for this
quarter is that Brians daughter
Kathryn is engaged! She and
her fianc Sam are planning an
October wedding. Congratulations,
Kathryn and Sam!
Submitted by: Nancy Novack,
Executive Assistant

Eagle Awards
Admiral Merchants
Wes Dyer
Director of Driver Recruitment
Submitted by: Admiral Team

It is our pleasure to announce Wes

Dyer as Admirals 2nd Quarter
Eagle Award recipient.
Wes joined Admiral Merchants
on July 12, 2011, as our Director
of Driver Recruitment. He came
to us with over 40 years of handson experience in the trucking
industry,
including
driving,
operations management, and driver
recruiting.
Those of you who have worked
with Wes know that he works
tirelessly from early morning to
late at night, continually having
to re-charge his cell phone during
his work day. Even after dealing
with a leg injury, he did not lose a
step (no pun intended).
Those who have worked a Louisville
Truck Show with him have seen
that Wes is one of the most popular
individuals in the entire, massive
expo hall. It is not unusual to see
(continued on page 19)

18

Eagle Awards

EAGLE AWARDS

(continued from page 18)

two or three potential contractor

recruits standing in line waiting to
talk to him as he asks about their
wives, kids and the trucks that they
drive. Wes never stops recruiting,
knowing that eventually he will get
the person he is after.
While at Admiral Merchants just a
relatively few years, Wes has been
directly or indirectly responsible
for recruiting several hundred
contractors. If that werent enough,
he has been directly involved
in bringing numerous agents to
Admiral Merchants who have
contributed to our continued
success.
Congratulations, Wes!

FF&M Pipestone
Kristin Mulder
Teller
Submitted by: Linda Erickson,
Customer Service Representative

Kristin Mulder is a shining

example of the impact that an Eagle
who soars has on those around them.

Kristins work product and, most

importantly, the leadership she has
cultivated in her department have
made her an example of the traits
that are embodied by those who
receive this award. Kristin has
been responsible as Vault Teller
for years in a high traffic, bustling
environment. She is committed to
keeping the area running smoothly
and effectively, always mindful
of how her foresight and insight
affect the company to keep risk at a
minimum. In 2015, there was a major
process change in a report for which
Kristin was directly responsible,
and Kristin answered the call
wonderfully. This weekly report
was diligently completed, ahead
of schedule at times, and directly
affected both her department and
the Customer Service Department.
In turn, Kristins efforts resulted
in a noticeable improvement in the
processing of closed accounts for
Pipestone.
Kristin can be counted on to
know bank procedures and put
this knowledge into practice for
the good of the organization.
Recently, she was presented with
documents on a busy Saturday from
individuals wishing to take action
on a deceased customers account.
Due to Kristins exceptional
knowledge of bank procedures, she
was able to interpret the documents
and save the bank from potential
loss or negative action. She also
resolved the situation with tact
and diplomacy, resulting in the
customer gaining understanding
without contention.
Looking beyond her work product,
Kristins leadership within her
department has been stellar. She
has become the go-to person for
her team, quick with a common

sense,
judgment-based,
and
knowledgeable answer to those
around her who seek her guidance.
She does a great job of identifying
challenging situations that present
themselves to her teammates and
steps in when necessary. Kristin
has become a mentor to new hires
with her training style that couples
a calm and respectful presentation
with a vast knowledge base,
empowering those individuals
with confidence. She is relied on to
solve problems quickly, showing
initiative without direction. During
a blizzard this winter, Kristins
quick thinking regarding staffing
issues caused by the weather
ensured that needed coverage was
established while allowing her
out-of-town team members to get
home safely. The result of this
outstanding leadership has been a
team that relies on each other and
trusts each other.
Congratulations, Kristin!

FF&M St. Paul

Jessica McGee
Vice President and Commercial
Lender
Submitted by: Pete LaNasa,
President
Jessica McGee has been a great
addition to the staff of First
Farmers & Merchants Bank, St.
Paul, since joining us in January
of 2011. Brian Short and Andy
Noll will attest to the difficulty of
convincing me to add an employee
to what has been for many years a
two-person office. The anxiety of
(continued on page 20)

19

Eagle Awards / Wellness

EAGLE AWARDS
(continued from page 19)

adding a new personality was an

obstacle to overcome, but from
day one, Jessies ability to train me
minimized those issues. Jessies
dedication to the company and our
customers has been second to none.
She understands the importance of
good quality loan growth, while

at the same time managing the

details of some very complicated
credits and the personalities of
our customers. Jessie has stepped
in on many occasions to suggest
different pricing strategies from
others within our organization
that, frankly, resulted in a more
profitable opportunity for the bank.
Her attention to file management
is an important strength, as file
management becomes increasingly
more difficult when handling some
of the larger participations our
organization is involved in.
Jessie has adapted very well to
the St. Paul offices tradition of
high quality customer service. She
is not afraid to go the extra mile
for customers, puts in hours to get
things done on a timely basis, and
looks for solutions when problems
arise. Jessie has developed a very
positive relationship with the St.
Paul offices customers, many
of whom have had a very close
relationship with me for many

years. There is not one customer

who hasnt been comfortable
dealing with Jessie in my absence,
which frankly had been a big
concern of mine. Her professional
approach has been very positive.
The respect she shows to others
has allowed her to develop her
own relationship with customers
of mine.
Although we expect every one
of our employees to be honest
and trustworthy, it is all the more
important in an office with only
three employees. We are constantly
being pushed on the issue of
separation of duties, coverage for
hours, etc. Jessies commitment
and understanding of these issues
is positive, and she frequently
reminds Gina Davis and me to
make sure these issues are taken
care of.
Thanks, Jessie, for all of your
contributions to FF&M, and
congratulations on this Eagle
Award!

One Hundred and Forty Six

That is right;
we have 146
employees
participating
in the Short Companies Fitbit
Challenge 2016! I am excited that
so many of you signed up and are
participating in the program. It is
too early to share Marchs results,
but Februarys were absolutely
amazing. All but seven participants
made the minimum requirement
and 84 achieved the 300,000 step
goal.
From numerous conversations I

20

have had, it sounds like getting

our steps in is definitely on our
minds. For example, while the
bank presidents were attending a
Wild hockey game, some of the
attendees were spotted walking
the arena during the intermissions.
I know for a fact there are a few
individuals in the Minneapolis
office who take a lot of pride when
they can outstep their co-worker(s),
and Im guessing that is happening
everywhere. Im imagining with
the 100% participation in Luverne,
Pipestone and the Data Center,
there is a lot of competition. If you

didnt initially sign up but want to

join, just let me know.
With this program, many of us are
chasing after that elusive top spot
on the leaderboard and wondering
who Becky C is. Is she unbeatable?
Blaming writers block, I convinced
Becky C to share her daily routine
that has her averaging 13 miles a
day and a total of 810,858 steps in
February, and as I write this, over
850,000 steps in March.
(continued on page 21)

Customer Service Week

ONE HUNDRED
AND FORTY SIX
(continued from page 20)

10:00 a.m.: walks a mile during

her morning 15 minute break
12:00 p.m.: walks at least 2
miles during part of her lunch
break
3:00 p.m.: walks a mile during
her afternoon 15 minute break
9:00 p.m.: 30 minutes of
weighted hula hoop
9:30 p.m.: 15-30 minutes of
weight lifting
Here is Becky C, on the right,
before a 5k race which she ran in
under 23 minutes.
Now that we know Becky Cs
routine, I wonder who will top the
leaderboard in April? Good luck
and happy stepping!
Submitted by: Augusta Kirk, HR
Director

Customer Service

Becky C is known to us at Admiral

as Becky Cao. She just celebrated
18 years of service working fulltime in the Billing and Processing
Department and is the mother of
two very active kids, ages 11 and
7.
Her daily workout routine is as
follows:
4:50 a.m.: 50 minutes treadmill
running
5:40 a.m.: 35 minutes weighted
hula hoop
6:15 a.m.: 15 minutes ab work

As 2016 progresses, our Customer

Service Superhero Powers and
Commitment have continued to
evolve by each one of us servicing
our customers to the highest
level. We acknowledge the fact
that we are indeed in the service
industry and we are willing and
able to exhibit Customer Service
Super-Human Superhero Powers
constantly without fail.
Reflections
Powers:

of

our

Superhero

We are mere mortals exhibiting

super-human customer service
characteristics.
Super Fast Service
Super Postive Attitude
Super Customer Relations
Super Listening Abilities
Super Flexible
We are dedicated to serving
our customers.
I plan on achieving a great
attendance record and making sure
every day my balancing report is
right on! Im always going to try
and take my time counting money
back to my wonderful customers
and Im going to prove to myself
and my wonderful co-workers what
Im capable of and show them all
what I have to offer! This is only the
beginning and Im so excited to start
(over) with my new adventure!
We are sincere do-gooders
working undercover to solve our
customers problems.
I feel like a super do-gooder when
I am able to help a customer with
their daily banking needs or assist
with finding a solution to their
problems.
We work above and beyond to
help perfect strangers.
After noticing on the Closed
Accounts Report this morning that
a customer's savings account was
closed, I did some investigating and
called the customer. I did not recall
this customer coming in recently
to close this account. I found Mark
had an automatic OD transfer set
up which caused a zero balance
in his SAV, which in turn caused
his SAV to close automatically. I
called Mark, informed him what
happened and asked if he wanted
me to transfer from his CKG to
(continued on page 22)

21

News

EVERYDAY
HEROES

BIRTH
ANNOUNCEMENTS

(continued from page 21)

FF&M AUSTIN

re-open the SAV. He authorized

this transfer, and I ran the tickets
with the tran code to reopen his
account. The customer thanked me
for catching this and for contacting
him to correct it.
We are doing our jobs with
rewarding customer results.
I go out of my way to cheer up
and calm drivers, make them
laugh, or just let them vent when
they have had a bad day, bad trip or
are stressed out. A sympathetic ear,
kind words, and a little humor can
make a big difference in turning
a bad day around, and it takes so
little effort on our part to make it
happen!
We exhibit and observe superheroes in action every day.
I am constantly reminded of the
importance for customer service
with drivers, agents, customers and
team members. Most recently I have
been working closely with agents
to execute the online dispatch.
This has been a big endeavor for
the company and a result requiring
learning for many of our agents.

Connie Sprung and husband

Wendel have welcomed another
grandchild. Claire Marie was
born January 15 to Ben and Kayla
Sprung.

FF&M CANNON FALLS

Please see the Cannon Falls
Update on page 6 for several baby
announcements.

FF&M LUVERNE
Peg Gacke proudly announces the
birth of her first granddaughter.
Adalynn Jewell Peterson was
born February 22 and weighed
7lbs. 8 oz. Congratulations, Peg
and Vince!

Go Red for
Women
National
Wear Red
Day
is
sponsored
by the American Heart Association.
Held on the first Friday in February
each year, 2016 was the 13th
anniversary of this event to raise
awareness about heart disease being
the No. 1 killer of women. Heart
disease and stroke cause one in
three deaths among women, killing
approximately one woman every 80
seconds. Fortunately, 80% of cardiac
and stroke events may be prevented
with education and action. National
Wear Red Day encourages awareness
and education, while donations
to Go Red for Women support
cardiovascular health research.
As you can see throughout this
newsletter, the teams at most of our
locations wore red on February 5.
Brian was out of town that day, but
he sent this selfie to show us that
he was wearing red as well.
Thanks to all of the teams who
participated, helping to raise
awareness in the communities we
serve.

Why Because we are Everyday

Heroes.
Submitted by: Pat Gegner, Credit
Manager, Admiral Merchants, and
CSW Chair

Brian Short in red

22

News

ANNIVERSARIES
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS

FF&M Fairmont

Mike Fielding
Jim Mallinger
Jan Muellner
Lisa Hofer
Becky Cao
Mark Wothe
Tyra James
Brent Layton
Nate Sarchet
Suzanne Keller
Rhonda Anderson
Mike Griffin

Joan Meyer

33 years
33 years
33 years
19 years
18 years
18 years
16 years
12 years
9 years
5 years
2 years
2 years

FF&M CANNON FALLS

Brenda Jackson
Amy Furlong
Deanna Hochmuth
Cathy Thumann

24 years
13 years
11 years
11 years

FF&M RED WING

20 years

Lynette Smerud
Debbie Knowlton
Martha Hanson

16 years
11 years
2 years

FF&M STEWARTVILLE

FF&M LE SUEUR
Sue Kahle
Tom Obele
Christina Bauman

FF&M LUVERNE
Carol Foster
Paulette Richters

13 years
13 years
9 years

Jan Cowan

6 years

LEAMINGTON CO.
25 years
10 years

Sam Tims
Robert Smith

50 years
38 years

FF&M PIPESTONE
Rhonda Smith

30 years

NEW EMPLOYEES
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS

FF&M CANNON FALLS

Kim Krause Freight Coordinator

Doug Milroy
VP Operations
Karen Preusser
Legalization
Specialist

Kelsey Reddel

FF&M AUSTIN/
BROWNSDALE/SARGEANT
Patty Tewes Operations Manager

FF&M BROWNSDALE
Darcy Drake-Tapp
Loan
Administrative Assistant

CSR/Teller
(Econo)
Marlene Kokkeler
Part-time
Teller (Econo)
Jennifer Buck
Teller (Main
Branch)

FF&M GOODHUE
Katie Brinkman
Miranda Osterberg
Dianne Pank

Teller
Teller
Teller

FF&M LUVERNE
DATA CENTER
Brian Mitchell VP of Information
Systems
Mary Kriesel
Training
Coordinator

(offices in Cannon Falls
Operations Center)

FF&M STEWARTVILLE
Sabrina Kingery

Teller/CSR

FF&M GRAND MEADOW

Dayna Stier

Loan Assistant

23

24

Hooray!
SHORT COMPANIES

215 South 11th Street

Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 332-4732
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED