Archive for category: Member News

Old National Bank celebrated its first Better Together Volunteer Days of service on September 28 and 29. The two-day event provided staff across Old National’s seven-state footprint the opportunity to volunteer together in the communities where they live and work.

Team members throughout our markets partnered with community organizations to serve food security organizations, seniors, community centers, and more.

There were virtual volunteer opportunities for those who could not participate in person. During the two days, 52% of employees from Wisconsin and the Quad Cities volunteered 511 hours with 10 non-profit organizations. Company-wide, 1,572 Old National team members were able to help 110 organizations, by volunteering 5,311 hours in seven states.

“As Old National grows geographically, serving in our communities really keeps us grounded in terms of our mission as a community bank,” said Kathy Schoettlin, chief brand and culture officer. “We’re excited for this opportunity to help strengthen our communities through volunteerism, and we’re proud of our team members for making service a real part of our company culture.”

Bank First is pleased to announce the promotion of Sharol Schroeder and Brad Lighthall.

Sharol Schroeder

Sharol Schroeder has been promoted to senior vice president – human resources. She joined Bank First in 1989 as a teller and began working in the bank’s human resources department in 1994.

In her new role, Schroeder will be responsible for the direction of the human resources department which includes employee development and relations, performance reviews, recruitment, compensation, wellness, and benefits.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in human resources from UW–Green Bay.

She serves on the board of the Manitowoc/Two Rivers YMCA and the Manitowoc Public School District Foundation. Schroeder is a lifelong Manitowoc resident and is a part of the Lakeshore Human Resources Association, along with 100 Women Who Care of Manitowoc County. Schroeder and her husband have three grown children and eagerly await grandchildren to spoil.

Brad Lighthall

Brad Lighthall has been promoted to retail banking officer. Lighthall joined Bank First in December 2019. Before becoming a member of the Bank First lending team, Lighthall gained extensive experience in the entire home-buying process while managing a title company in Manitowoc for three years. He takes great pride in helping individuals and families reach their personal financial goals through purchasing, refinancing, or building a home.

With his promotion, Lighthall has transferred from the bank’s Eighth Street office to its Valders location and will serve the greater Valders area.

He earned his dual master of business administration degrees with emphases in finance and management from Concordia University Wisconsin and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Capitol Civic Centre. Lighthall resides in Manitowoc with his wife and daughter and enjoys spending time downtown, going to Milwaukee Bucks games, and traveling north to spend time on the lake.

Heather Martell

Peoples State Bank announced that Heather Martell has been named the branch manager of the bank’s Weston location. Martell moves from the bank’s treasury management department, where she most recently served as a treasury management officer.

“Heather brings a vast array of banking knowledge with her to the Weston branch,” said Kari Solomonson, Peoples State Bank vice president, retail team leader. “Throughout her career in banking, Heather has excelled at demonstrating her digital banking expertise to our customers as well as other team members.”

Martell will manage the bank’s retail staff at their Weston location, which is located at 7205 Stone Ridge Drive, near Marshfield Medical Center – Weston.

“I am excited to expand my work with the staff and customers at our Weston branch,” said Martell. “A key strength of Peoples is the relationships we build between our employees and customers. With our community banking touch, and digital banking capabilities, I look forward to providing key resources to our customers — and supporting our branch employees as they grow and excel in their roles.”

Martell holds a mastery level certification in leadership and teams and a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management. She serves on the board of directors for the Blue Hearts organization; is a co-founder of The SAM Foundation, supporting perinatal grief programs; and is the gala chair for the Aspirus Health Foundation’s Festival of Trees. Martell is also a co-founder of the newly launched Peoples State Bank women’s leadership coalition, a self-directed, grassroots council open to all employees, and designed to support, empower, and inspire the growth of all women as leaders within Peoples State Bank and throughout their community. Martell resides in Weston with her family.

Lindsay Spitzer

Scott Kopp, chairman of the board of directors for Bluff View Bank has announced the promotion of Lindsay Spitzer to president and chief executive officer. The announcement accompanies Kopp’s retirement of the positions effective October 1, 2022.

“On behalf of the board and myself, I am pleased to congratulate Lindsay on her promotion. In the 10 years that I have worked with her, she has shown herself to be an exemplary leader and co-worker. Her attitude, vision, and skill set are exactly what is needed to lead the bank into the future and we look forward to supporting her,” said Kopp. Kopp will remain in the office on a part-time basis while fulfilling his duties as chairman.

Spitzer began her career at Bluff View Bank in 2012 as operations officer. She holds an associate degree in accounting from Minnesota State College Southeast.

As part of her new role, Spitzer will be responsible for providing strategic leadership of the bank by working with the board of directors and the executive management team to establish long-term goals, strategies, plans, and policies.

“I am so fortunate to be able to work with such a great group of people and I look forward to coming to work each day. The bank isn’t just an employer or a job for me, it’s part of who I am,” says Spitzer.

Recently, Spitzer has served as president of the Trempealeau Jackson County Bankers Association, currently serves as board member and treasurer of The Edge Church, and has held previous board member and treasurer positions for the Galesville Chamber of Commerce.

S.B.C.P. Bancorp, Inc. (“SBCP”), the parent bank holding company for State Bank of Cross Plains, and Monona Bankshares, Inc. (“Monona”), the parent bank holding company for Monona Bank, jointly announced on October 3, 2022 the successful completion of the all-stock merger of equals transaction between SBCP and Monona. The merged bank holding company has been renamed Lake Ridge Bancorp, Inc. (“Lake Ridge”).

Monona Bank and State Bank of Cross Plains will continue to operate as separate banks until the core processing systems are converted in February 2023. After the conversions, the combined bank will be named Lake Ridge Bank and will be the largest community bank headquartered in Dane County, and the eighth largest bank headquartered in the State of Wisconsin, with almost $3 billion in combined assets. The combined bank will have an expanded footprint of 22 branch locations and employ more than 400 associates across 16 communities throughout South Central Wisconsin. With more than 90% of our approximately 1,400 shareholders living in Wisconsin, Lake Ridge is proud to be both widely held and locally owned.

“Lake Ridge brings together two community banks with combined strengths and capabilities that make us uniquely equipped to support our clients in Wisconsin,” said Jim Tubbs, chief executive officer of Lake Ridge. “As we move forward together, Lake Ridge will continue our shared focus on providing quality service, supporting our associates, investing in our communities, and maximizing our financial and operational strength to create long-term value for our customers and shareholders.”

Paul Hoffmann, president of Lake Ridge shared, “This strategic merger of equals made sense for many reasons, especially since both banks are locally owned and share a similar set of core values and leadership philosophies. Our new bank demonstrates a continued dedication to promoting opportunity and prosperity within our communities throughout south central Wisconsin.” Hoffmann added, “When we invest in our neighbors, we help our communities to be stronger, more stable, and truly vibrant places to live and work.”

Lake Ridge’s board of directors consists of 14 members with seven directors from SBCP and seven directors from Monona, as well as a joint executive management team.

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP acted as legal advisor and The Bank Advisory Group acted as financial advisor to SBCP. Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C. acted as legal advisor and Piper Sandler & Co. acted as financial advisor to Monona.