Community Advocate Spotlight: Lake Ridge Bank CEO Jim Tubbs

The following is a brief interview between WBA President and CEO Rose Oswald Poels and CEO of Lake Ridge Bank Jim Tubbs.

Rose: How did you first get into the banking industry?
Jim: As they say, it was “in the blood.” My father, Tom Tubbs, my grandfather, Monroe Tubbs, and my uncle, Bill Morrisey, were all bankers. In addition, by the time I was in college, I had three brothers who were bankers. Ironically, my dad had a strict nepotism rule, so none of us worked for him at the Bank of Sun Prairie.

As I was growing up, I saw the love and passion my dad had for the bank he worked for and more importantly, how his bank truly was making a difference in the City of Sun Prairie. I witnessed his commitment to the civic organizations and the lifestyle of a true community banker – being actively involved and engaged!

What is your favorite aspect of your role at the bank?

I enjoy working with our Executive Team in order to set the “Tone at the Top” and motivating others so we can be as successful as possible. (BTW – in my opinion, success is not only measured by your Income Statement, but there is also so much more, such as, providing a great place to work for all of our associates, creating a great client experience, and truly making a difference in the communities we serve … ) Selfishly, since my career path brought me up through the “lending side” of the bank, one of my passions still is getting out and meeting with our clients.

What do you wish the general public understood about the banking industry?

Probably the regulatory burden we are governed by. All of us in the industry want our clients to enjoy their experience while interacting with us. Unfortunately, as we abide by the regulations, I can appreciate why customers get frustrated about the magnitude of paperwork. (Do you remember what you personally went through the last time you applied for a mortgage or refinanced?) All of us aren’t trying to make if difficult, we are just abiding by the rules. Obviously, this is just one of many different examples…

Where do you believe the industry’s greatest challenges are in the next three to five years?

Probably not a big surprise, but I believe the greatest challenge will be fraud and cyber-risk. Already the stories are endless where we hear of clients being hacked by washing of checks, wire fraud, debit card hacked, elderly abuse … and then theylook to us to either compensate them for their loss or fix their problem. These are merely examples of “exterior” things we need to address, much less, making sure we are keeping our own data and associates from being hacked.
The concern lies in the level of sophistication that we have already witnessed over the last two to three years. Now with artificial intelligence in the mix, I think this problem will only become more of a burden on our industry.

Please describe your current role at your bank and share with us one of your more rewarding experiences (e.g., A time you had to go above and beyond to help a customer, a memorable customer interaction, stepping in to help the local community after a disaster, or something more personal, etc.).

My role at Lake Ridge Bank is CEO. As a quick reminder, back in 2023, I was President/CEO of the State Bank of Cross Plains and my good friend, Paul Hoffmann, was President/CEO of Monona Bank. We merged the banks together to create Lake Ridge Bank. (Paul is our President.) Probably one of my most rewarding experiences as a community banker was in August 2018, when the Cross Plains region received a record amount of rain in an overnight storm which caused the Black Earth Creek to rise to record levels. Besides our bank lobby having three inches of water flowing through it, the region was devastated with homes and businesses completely flooded. After walking around the community, in my knee-high rubber boots, surveying the damage, a team of us started to formulate a plan on “how can we help.”

In a short period of time, the plan which included:
• Setting up an account where donations could come in and how families impacted could apply for disbursement.
• Establishing a 0% loan arrangement.
• Actively working side-by-side with other organizations, such as United Way and Team Rubicon, so we had an organized effort.

It was incredibly rewarding to see how a community and region can come together in a time of crisis and need. Certainly, a proud moment witnessing how our community bank was making a positive impact!

 

Do you know a banker who should be recognized as a Community Advocate for the work that they do? Nominate them today by emailing Rose at ropoels@wisbank.com!