Hooray!

SHORT

C O M PA N I E S

SUMMER 2015

Executive Offices Update ~ 25 Eagles

The 25th Annual Short Companies

Managers Meeting will be held on
July 31, 2015, at which time the
Eagle of the Year Award will be
presented. This award was inspired
by the speaker at the first Managers
Meeting in 1991, and was given for
the first time at the 1992 meeting,
to Larry Weisgram. It has been
given each year since, although in
both 2004 and 2008 two awards
were presented. Thus, in 2014 Tom
Anderson became the 25th person
to be recognized with this award.
Seventeen of the 25 awardees work
for the Short Companies today,
continuing to contribute their
leadership, dedication, integrity

and professionalism which earned

them their Eagle of the Year Award.
In addition, two Eagles of the
Year retired from the organization
after long careers with the Short
Companies.
In anticipation of the 25th Annual
Managers Meeting this summer,
Brian and Kathy Short hosted an
event for the currently employed
and retired Eagles and their spouses,
to celebrate those who have been
recognized with this award over
the past quarter century.
On Sunday, April 12, we attended
the Neil Diamond concert at the

(continued on page 4)

Back row, L to R: Doug Swanson, Cliff Boom, Andy Noll. Middle row,
L to R: Jim Bemis, Don Cashin, Nancy Novack, Becky Sorbel, Mike
Engesser, Larry Weisgram, Dave Lessard, Brian Short, Tom Anderson,
Dale Roemmich, Keith Maetzold. Front row, L to R: Tim Neid, Augusta
Kirk, Greg Wulf. (Not pictured: Marlene Trageser)

photo by ~ Kip Earney

Red Wing, MN 55066

Inside:

Brian P. Short.............................. 2
Austin Update............................. 4
Brownsdale Update...................... 5
Cannon Falls Update.................... 6
Fairmont Update.......................... 8
Goodhue Update......................... 9
Grand Meadow Update...............10
Le Sueur Update......................... 11
Luverne Update..........................13
Pipestone Update........................15
Red Wing Update.......................16
Stewartville Update..................... 17
White Rock Update.....................18
Admiral Merchants Update..........19
Benson Parking Update................ 21
Eagle Awards............................. 21
Calhoun Towers Update...............22
News.........................................23
Wellness.....................................24

Business Challenges

Brian P. Short
All of our businesses operate in
very competitive markets. The
laws of supply and demand control
and even the slightest operational
mistake can have disastrous
results. When times are good in the
industries we serve, we have more
opportunities to excel. Likewise,
when times are tough, we face
many more challenges. Our only
durable competitive advantage is
superior customer service.
2014 was one of the best years in
our history. Our banks, principally
serving the agricultural economy
of southern Minnesota, enjoyed
the same success that our farmer
customers enjoyed.
Land and
commodity prices were generally
high and input costs were under
control. Those engaged in livestock
production and dairy also saw
unprecedented strong prices. The
worlds demand for meat and dairy
products continued to grow and
this country remained the principal
world supplier. As the family
farms, which are the heart and soul
of the First Farmers & Merchants

customer base, prospered, the

resulting optimism led them to
expand and invest in their future.
They came to First Farmers &
Merchants bankers for the capital to
make those investments. However,
2015 has seen the continued
erosion of commodity prices and
the explosion of input costs. In
January 2013, producers received
$7.29 for a bushel of corn and
$14.57 for a bushel of soybeans in
southern Minnesota. By January
2015, the price paid had fallen to
$3.32 for corn and $8.96 for beans.
Over that same period, input costs
the prices paid for seed, fertilizer,
chemicals, machinery and land
exploded, crushing any margin the
producers might expect.
In a similar fashion, the demand for
the transportation services provided
by Admiral Merchants contractors
and agents was very strong in
2014. Admiral is a leading
indicator when our business is
good, the economy is about to take
off. We move the products used
in industrial production. When
a company wants to drill a well,
expand a factory, open a new mine
or expand or repair infrastructure,
they order stuff which is moved
on an Admiral Merchants truck.
Last year, oil exploration in North
America was booming. We provide
a lot of capacity to those engaged in
oil extraction in the US and Canada.
Coal mining, another large sector
for us, was very strong. Finally,
Admiral drivers moved a lot of
steel to fabricators in the Northeast
and Midwest. As the real economy
in the US has slowed, the demand
for transportation services in each
of those sectors has slowed. As the

number of shipments declines, the

prices paid for those transportation
services still provided also declines.
In June of 2014, Admiral moved
4,380 loads an average of 208.5
per day at an average price of
$2,175 per load. In June 2014, we
averaged $453,545 per day. For the
first 17 business days of June 2015,
we have moved 3,297 loads an
average of about 194 per day at
an average price of $1,984 per load.
Our average per day revenue for the
first 17 days of June this year was
$384,710. In June 2015, we moved
almost 7% fewer loads per day and
were paid almost 9% less for each
of those loads. The result of this
its simple arithmetic as our CFO
Jim Bemis would say is 15% less
revenue per day.
As we struggle with this slowing
of business, as we confront these
challenges, we have to remember
several things. First, we are not
alone. Our customers share these
challenges.
The
independent
contractors and agents who are
the backbone of Admiral are also
working harder for less money.
The trip that last year might have
paid $3.00 per mile to the truck now
pays less than $2.00 per mile. Often
our contractors are deadheading to
an area where they hope the supply
of freight will be plentiful.
The farm operators who are the
customers of First Farmers built
their long range plans around
$4.00 corn which is now selling for
$3.00, or less. They continue to do
an excellent job they work some
of the most productive ground in
the world with skill and dedication.
However, the short term economic
prospects are grim.

We have to be a source of realistic

optimism and encouragement for
our customers. They know how
tough the economy is now; they
do not need any of our customer
service teams whether at First
Farmers or Admiral to remind
them of that.
Second, we have to provide more
than words of encouragement. We
deliver real value to our customers
if we provide a service which helps
them overcome some of these
challenges.
I challenged members of the
sales team at Admiral to do more
than hand out atta-boys to their
agent customers and they have
responded. One of our shippers
was having a billing problem. We
did not provide the information in
the right places on the bill according
to the shippers needs. The shipper
brought the problem to the attention
of the agent, a perennial Tom Seitz
Million Dollar Agent, who brought
it to the attention of Admiral.
Despite some work, we did not solve
the problem. It was much more
complicated than anyone imagined.
Admirals Rusty Parker, Regional
Sales Director, heard about the
problem and our failure to solve
it. He raised a little ruckus with a
number of people, including me.
Working with the Admiral team,
including Jen Hanley-Tuttle,
Billing/Processing Supervisor, Jeff
Johnson, Controller, and Kelsey
Rossow, Accounting Manager,
we came up with a plan which
solved the problem. We delivered
value to our agent customer. We
saved that shipper as a customer
for Admiral and our agent and
encouraged the agent to continue
to have confidence in us. The agent

continues to favor us with all of the

agencys business.
On my last trip visiting our larger
agents, one of our most productive
agents, a true transportation
professional, told me that he was
having a hard time getting his trucks
back from the destination most of
his loads took them. He was often
deadheading the trucks back to the
Midwest from the Southwest. He
asked me to help him find loads
which could help him with the
return. I turned the problem over
to Admiral SVP Walt Site and
Operations VP Penny Lynner,
who found recurring freight which
will help our agent get his trucks
home. The freight is not the highest
paying freight there is but it sure
beats a deadhead.
First Farmers & Merchants bankers
are delivering real value to our
customers every day. The financial
analysis from our experienced
lenders has helped many a farm
operator facing challenges in
todays environment.
Third, we have to attract more
customers. Not every one of our
competitors is providing value to
their customers. Some community
bankers are simply pulling in
their horns, emphasizing to their
customers how terrible the current
market is as their excuse for not
providing service. A small number
of bank regulators have been
saying for years that, for the Ag
economy, the end is nigh. They
are now saying, See, I told you
so. Many Ag bankers, especially
those in small community banks,
dont dare argue with their
regulators. In addition, there has
been some consolidation in the

community bank space. Large

banks continue to acquire some
small banks. We have picked up
some new customers whose former
bank could no longer work with
them because of real or perceived
regulatory pressure, or who did not
like the policies and procedures of
the acquirers.
Admiral Merchants is building
the infrastructure necessary to
rebound. Mike Griffin, Director
of Contractor Services, Wes Dyer,
Director of Driver Recruitment,
and the whole Contractor Services
team have signed up more new
contractors than at any other time
in our history. Thats a start. Now
we must add agents and shippers
who can keep those new drivers
busy. We are making progress, but
more must be done.
We can overcome the current
challenges we face by continuing
to focus on our customers.
Recognize that many of them are
facing unprecedented challenges.
Offer words of encouragement
which recognize the seriousness of
these challenges but also recognize
that the future is bright. Finally, we
must do more than that. We must
continue to find ways that help our
customers improve their business.
Only if we do that, can we hope
to keep the customers we have and
attract new customers which are
the key to our continued growth.
We have started to do that but we
must do more.
Thanks for all you do; thanks for
delivering real value to all of our
customers.
Brian P. Short

Updates

EXECUTIVE OFFICES
UPDATE
(continued from page 1)
Xcel Energy Center. We viewed
the concert from a suite where
we also had dinner, including the
famous dessert cart. The concert
was fantastic, and everyone had a
great time.
All but two of the invitees were
able to attend. Brian Pfarr was
at a leadership program in Texas,
and Walt Site had to cancel out
at the last minute because he was
suffering from back pain that
precluded traveling from Atlanta
that weekend. (Fortunately, he has
had surgery in the meantime and
is now on the go again.) Somehow
we missed Marlene Trageser in
the photo I guess she was sitting
down in the front row chatting with
Betty Cashin and didnt realize
the photo was being taken sorry
about that, Marlene!
Brian, thanks very much for this
wonderful event and the recognition
and celebration of the Eagles of the
Year.
*****
Marion Short was mentioned
in Burt Cohens column in the
June 2015 issue of Mpls.St.Paul
Magazine. He mentions that there
has been talk of replacing Andrew
Jackson on the $20 bill with a
woman. He says his nomination
would be Marion Short, gorgeous,
stately, great citizen, and mother
of seven outstanding community
leaders. Wow, what a tribute to
Mrs. Short!
*****
Many readers of this newsletter
will remember who Harold
Gifford is. He was one of the pilots

who made the Miracle Cornfield

Landing in Carroll, Iowa of the
airplane carrying the Minneapolis
Lakers basketball team during
a blizzard in January, 1960.
Following the 50th anniversary of
that unscheduled landing in 2010,
Harold has been asked to speak at
quite a few events, including our
2011 Short Companies Managers
Meeting. Attendees at that meeting
not only got the opportunity to
hear the story first-hand, but also
received a copy of Harolds book
commemorating the flight and
the landing. In April, Harold
received another great honor he
was the recipient of an Honorary
Doctorate in Humane Letters from
Dakota County Technical College
for his efforts to make it easier for
veterans to receive an education
following their military service.
Congratulations, Harold, on this
very well deserved honor!

Submitted by: Nancy Novack,

Executive Assistant

First Farmers & Merchants

Austin
Update
Steve Drennan, President and
CEO, completed an Olympic
Triathlon, which is comprised of a
one mile swim, a 25 mile bike ride
and a six mile run. Congratulations,
Steve, on placing 4th in your
division!

Peggy and Steve Drennan

Steve Drennan, Maria Navarro,
Teller, and Cindy Jensen, Vice
President, represented the bank on
June 20 for the Consulado Movil.
This event is held annually to allow
Mexican nationals living outside
Mexico to renew their passport and
Matrcula Consular card locally.
There were 220 people signed
up and many brought their whole
family. With the help of Maria,
we visited with many. Piggy banks
were handed out to all the children
as well as information packages
(continued on page 5)

Updates

AUSTIN UPDATE
(continued from page 4)
that included childrens savings
pointers, identity theft safety,
shredding of important information
as well as our personal banking
brochure.

Maria Navarro and Cindy Jensen

at the Consulado Movil
Many had questions for Maria
on requirements for opening
an account and minor savings
accounts. Laura Qualey, Director
of Marketing, worked closely
with Cindy to ensure we had all
information printed in Spanish.
Also on June 20, the Chamber
Downtown committee sponsored a
Teddy Bear and Art afternoon. The
afternoon started at the Historic
Hormel Home with the Teddy Bear
Band. From there children came
downtown for free ice cream and
chalk art drawing on the blocked
off street. Cindy Jensen helped
organize the event, and the bank
donated prizes for the coloring
contest. After all the rain in the
morning, the event still turned out
to be a success.

Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,

Customer Service Representative

First Farmers & Merchants

Brownsdale
Update
Please join us in welcoming a new
employee, Lender Kevin Welter.
Kevin grew up on a family farm
outside of Stewartville, Minnesota,
consisting of 550 acres of corn and
soybeans along with a 220 sow
farrow-to-finish hog operation. As
a youth, Kevin was involved with
the national FFA organization,
4-H and Business Professionals
of America. After high school,
Kevin attended the University of
Minnesota. Throughout college he
was involved in Greek Life, the
Agricultural Education Club, and
the Poultry Science Club. During
college he also served as the
Olmsted County Pork Ambassador
and the Minnesota Corn Growers
Agvocate. Kevin has had
multiple internships throughout

college, resulting in 19 months

of experience in Agricultural
Lending. Kevin graduated with a
Bachelors degree in Agricultural
and Food Business Management.
He previously worked at Iowa
State Bank as an agricultural loan
officer. Kevin is excited to assist
area farmers to provide food, fuel
and fiber for the world.
Claire Bliese, granddaughter
of Sherrie Carlson, Customer
Service Representative, is the
winner for her school in the 2015
Young Poet Contest sponsored by
the Richard Eberhart Foundation,
Austin Public Schools Gifted and
Talented Program, Austin Public
Education Foundation, and Friends
of the Austin Public Library. This
is Claires second year in a row to
compete and win this award. Each
of the eight schools in Austin selects
three students to compete for top
honors. Altogether, 315 students
submitted poems for consideration.
Of those 315, only 24 were selected
to be part of the competition. To
be one of only three from your
entire school to compete is quite an
honor all its own; to be selected to
win two years in a row is a great
accomplishment. Needless to say,
Sherrie is a proud grandma!
The City of Brownsdale had a
ribbon cutting ceremony for the
new playground equipment that
was installed last fall. Around 100
people attended the event along
with the Mower County Dairy
Princess who handed out ice cream
for Dairy Month.
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
Customer Service Representative

Kevin Welter

Updates
First Farmers & Merchants

Cannon Falls
Update
This spring has been busy in Cannon
Falls. It has been refreshing to
finally get outside, and get involved
with our community and our
customers. There have been events
to celebrate, money that has been
raised for good causes, and weve
even found some unique ways of
getting our brand and image out
there, too.

Living Amongst Wulfs

President Greg Wulf and his
family opened their home to host
a Rotary Exchange Student from
Zimbabwe for part of 2015. Liz
Banda, age 16, arrived in Cannon
Falls in January and has enjoyed
getting to know new people, trying
new foods and playing in the snow
for the first time in her life. She will
spend three months with each of
her host families and will be living
in Cannon Falls for nearly a year.
New Take on Mobile Banking
Earlier this year we let our billboard
contract expire and chose to go a
different route (pun intended).
In April, folks around the Cannon
Falls and Red Wing area started
seeing Mobile Banking in a new

way. The community transit bus

in each town started sporting our
logo and advertising for Wherever
you go. We go. Mobile Banking.
Its always good to be ahead
of the competition (yes, another
shameless pun).

Shred-it & Forget it

Customers and business owners
flocked to First Farmers &
Merchants the Saturday after
Tax Day to securely dispose of
sensitive documents and personal
files. A Shred-it truck and our
FF&M Shred-it crew kept up with
the customer flow. We even had
a business owner bring a flatbed
truck loaded with pallets of bankers
boxes dating back 15 years! We
had a lot of positive comments and
MANY grateful customers who
appreciated us taking this clutter
off their hands. Our FF&M team
worked hard that morning, but it
was worth it!

Cash for Class

Local 4th grade teacher Carrie
Schliep was the lucky winner of
the Heads or Tails game sponsored
by FF&M Bank at the Cannon
Falls Education Foundation Benefit
Auction in April. She was presented
with a gym bag full of FF&M swag
and $250 in cash by Laura Qualey,
Director of Marketing, who is also
on the CF Education Foundation.
We recently found out that Carrie
spent the money on books for
her classroom. Participants of
the game all paid $10 to play and
they were identified by wearing
FF&M medallions around their
neck before, during and after the
game concluded. The event raised
money for creative and innovative
programs and projects for the CF
Area Schools.

(continued on page 7)

Updates

CANNON FALLS UPDATE

(continued from page 6)
April Showers Bring May.
DOWNPOURS!?!
The summer months in Cannon
Falls are celebrated by enjoying
First Thursday Fun Fest in
downtown CF. In May, FF&M
Bank hired a caricature artist to
draw fun pictures of the many
kids and families in the streets
except IT RAINEDno
DOWNPOURED!! Determined to

Race for a Cure

Kris Bodette, CSR, and her family
would like to thank First Farmers
& Merchants Bank for their support
in the 8th Annual Du-Bar Dolls
Rack Race & Melon Meander
5-K breast cancer fund raiser. We
couldnt do this without you and
our communitys support. Please
pass on our gratitude! Together we
can make a difference!
Luke Cooreman and son Grayson

get our moneys worth, we thought

quickly on our feet, grabbed the
easel, paper and the artist, and
started looking for alternative
groups of people, inside! We found
ourselves at the local VFW where
the Wine & Beer Tasting Event was
in full swing! We set up and before
we knew it, 2 hours had passed
and the ladies were BEGGING him
to stay longer so they could all get
drawn! Every drawing was labelled
with a big FF&M sticker so they
will think of US every time they
see it.

John Wegmann
Consumer Loan Officer Luke
Cooreman and his son, Grayson,
Vice President John Wegmann,
and Mortgage Loan Officer Jessica
Lindholm (Goodhue) are captured
as they cross the finish line. Also
participating from FF&M Bank
were Brenda Jackson, Vice
President, and Kris Jacobsen,
Assistant Vice President. Thank
you to Steve Jacobsen (Kris
husband) for his great skill and
generosity in making the 2015
plaques.

Jessica Lindholm
Welcome Aboard!
The Operations Center in CF
was happy to welcome Michelle
Kreisler, a new Loan Processor, to
their team this past month. Michelle
lives in Kenyon, MN with her
husband and son, Devon, who is 8
years old. She came from Security
State Bank of Kenyon where she
was a CSR/Loan Assistant, and she
enjoys camping, fishing, skiing,
and being with her family.

(continued on page 8)

Updates

CANNON FALLS Update

(continued from page 7)

Michelle Kreisler
Hats off to you!
We had four employees with
children who graduated from high
school this spring. Traci Holts
(Operations/ Account Specialist)
son Tanner will be attending
MN State University of Mankato;
Loan Processor Anne Levertons
son Austin is joining the US Air
Force; Director of Marketing
Laura Qualeys daughter Mattie
has already started classes with
Bemidji State University; and
last but not least, Real Estate
Loan Processor Amy Furlongs
daughter Maria will be attending
River Falls Community College.
Congratulations to your students
and YOU as well!

Marketing Updates
from Laura Qualey

Facebook Frenzy
Well, folks, we reached our goal
of 500 Likes before the end of the
2nd Quarter! Facebook may not
have been created for the banking

industry, but it WAS created for

our customers. There has been a lot
of engagement from our audience
but there is always room for more.
Keep sending the photos, events
and ideas to me, and continue to
invite others to LIKE our page.
The next goal is to reach 1000
followers by the end of 2015; can
you help get us there?
FF&M Facelift
The second half of 2015 will be a
busy but exciting time for FF&M
Bank. The team that has been
assigned to re-design the website is
moving full speed ahead. Our new
website will be responsive across
all media devices (tablet, desktop,
mobile, etc.) and will be much easier
to navigate for our customers. Stay
tuned for updates and maybe even
some sneak peeks as we move
through the project.
Mobile App Makeover
Also, be on the lookout for a new
look to our Mobile Banking App.
The functions will remain the same,
but it will have a fresh new look
that EVERYONE will recognize.
Hablas espaol?
The demand for bilingual products
and services materials is increasing
at some of our locations. Therefore,
we have sought out resources to
have some important financial
educational materials, brochures
and also some kid banking activity
sheets translated into Spanish so
that we are prepared to assist our
Hispanic or Latino customers or
prospective customers. If your
location is interested, please contact
me anytime.
Submitted by: Laura Qualey,
Director of Marketing

First Farmers & Merchants

Fairmont
Update

Summer is here and families are

busy with ball games, swimming
lessons, and parades. The Interlaken
Heritage Day festivities took place
the weekend of June 12-13 with
plenty of events happening around
town to entertain us, including a
street dance, car show, cage hockey,
and a parade.
We wore blue jeans two Fridays
in May to raise money for the
#lincolnstrong-athon, an event
organized to help raise money for
a 9-year old Northrop boy who has
lymphoma. Teller Sara BeckerSokoloski is on the planning
committee. The main event will
be held in September in Sylvania
Park, and will feature a 5K walk/
ride/run along with a carnival.
We now have Hardees back in
Fairmont, along with a newly
remodeled Dairy Freeze which
will be adding the Dairy Freeze II
directly behind it and will be open
during the winter months for soup
and sandwich meals.
The crops are looking good in our
area and weve been getting rain in
good intervals and amounts so far.
The Early Morning Riser Kiwanis
Club sponsored a kids fishing
contest on June 6 this year and the
fish were biting! The crowd was
down some from last year, but
with lots of fish being caught and
everyone receiving prizes, a good
(continued on page 9)

Updates

FAIRMONT Update
(continued from page 8)
time was had by all. Assistant Vice
President Dennis Trushenski was
instrumental in obtaining prizes for
the day.
We served ice cream treats to our
customers on June 19 in celebration
of Dairy Month.
The weekend of June 28 found
Commercial Banking Officer
Adam Smith flipping pancakes
at the annual Lions Club Fly-in
Breakfast at the Fairmont airport.
This is always a well-attended
event with good food and lots of
unique planes flown in.
We welcome Ryan Noll and
Dustin Meyer back as our summer
tellers. Ryan and Assistant Vice
President Michael Laue are on
a ball team together, playing for
Troy Jensen Seed. Due to some
delays with the field and weather,
the team is just getting started for
the season. Dustin headed to the
State Trap Shoot in Prior Lake
on June 20 as the Fairmont High
School Trap Team took first place
in their conference and qualified to
go on to State for the first time in
the three years our school has been
participating in trap. Dustin is on
a squad of five boys who shot as a
team, and there are also two boys
who shot individually. These two
have consistently hit in the high 90s
(out of 100). The Fairmont team
took second place out of 31 teams,
and team member Bryan Grotte
took State Champion first place in
individual shooting, breaking all
100 targets! Great job!!

We have the celebration of the

150th Annual Martin County Fair
to look forward to this summer.
More details next time!
Submitted by: Joan Meyer,
Personal Banking Officer

First Farmers & Merchants

Goodhue
Update

If your community is a farming

one like here in Goodhue, you
know what I mean when I say the
springtime traffic in the bank ranges
from very busy to almost nonexistent! When the days are sunny
and warm, many of our customers
are in their fields or working outside
on the farm. When it rains, they
have to use that day to get all their
errands done including banking.
We enjoy hearing about the weather
and how it is affecting the planting
or growingeven if its the 10th
time that day we got asked or told
how much rain the town got over
night.Q We smile and listen to
their storiesand their struggles.
We listen, and care, because we
all know each story, each struggle,
means something different in the
life of the customer telling it.
Well, the area farmers arent the
only people keeping busy this
spring! Here at the Goodhue
branch, we have all had our share
of springtime busyness. We did so
well last time collecting money, by
wearing jeans on Fridays, for the
area Food Shelf that we decided
to open up the offer to help to our
customers. They came through with
flying colors, just like we thought
they would. We raised over $130

and several large boxes of food.

We then donated it to the Zumbrota
Food Shelf, a small neighboring
town. In May, our high school has
an Arts and Academics Banquet to
honor students who have achieved
success either academically or in
the arts of some kind. Every year,
the bank gives two scholarships to

Madison Schafer
students who have applied, and are
attending college for something Ag
or Ag/business related. This years
recipients were Madison Schafer,
daughter of Brandon and Monica

Michael Poncelet
(continued on page 10)

Updates

GOODHUE Update
(continued from page 9)
Schafer, and Michael Poncelet,
son of Peter and Regina Poncelet,
all customers of the bank.
It seems that our student customers
are dominating the news lately!
Besides the scholarship winners
mentioned, we have Samantha
Keller, daughter of Ted and Lora
Keller, who was chosen as a top
12 finalist for the Princess Kay of
the Milky Way contest! Samantha
competed against almost 70 county
Dairy Princesses to make the top
12! The winner will be crowned
on the evening before opening day
of the State Fair. Well keep you
posted in next quarters Hooray!.
Next up is Cass Ramthun,
daughter of Lara (Teller) and
Brandon Ramthun. She ran for
Miss Goodhue during our Volksfest
festival this past weekend and came
out with a Princess crown! She will

Princesses Chelsea Voth and Cass

Ramthun, Miss Goodhue, Taylor
Larson, and Miss Congeniality,
Laura Ringeisen

10

participate in parades and activities

over the next year, along with
Miss Goodhue, Taylor Larson,
Princess, Chelsea Voth, and Miss
Congeniality, Laura Ringeisen.
All four girls and their parents are
customers! Well try not to let the
fact that we are surrounded by so
much royalty go to our heads!
We always kick off Volksfest
weekend with our Customer
Appreciation night on Thursday
of that week. It is usually a huge
success with us grilling hot dogs
and the Dairy Princesses on hand to
hand out ice cream. Well, this year
we got rained out and had to hold
it indoors, but it was still a huge
success!
Speaking of Volksfest, our own
Calvin Ryan, Loan Officer, is
a very big part of the Jaycees in
Goodhue. The Jaycees are the
driving force behind our awesome
entertainment for Volksfest! This
year we had Blackhawk, which
brought in over 1,500 people; and
Saturday nights
Montgomery
Gentry brought over 2,700 people
to Goodhue! Keep in mind, our little
City of Goodhue sign outside of
town says our population just went
over 1,000 a couple of years ago.
This organization also volunteers
their time and donates money they
have raised to help out all over the
area.
The new pool construction in
Goodhue is an ongoing project,
with fundraising being done all
over the place. Every couple
months the bank donates its Friday
jean money to the pool. This last
month we decided to go a little
bigger. The bank presented the city

with a check for $10,000 to be used

on its project.

Lori Agre, City Clerk; Jess

Ferguson, Mortgage Loan Officer;
Calvin Ryan, Loan Officer; and
Stacy Thuman, Goodhue Pool
Board Chairperson
We didnt have any new babies or
weddings this quarterbut we cant
forget that we celebrated Veronica
Mickelsons (Teller) birthday!!
Submitted by: Lara Ramthun,
Teller

First Farmers & Merchants

Grand
Meadow
Update

We welcome Kathy Nagel, Vice

President and Assistant Branch
Manager, to the First Farmers
& Merchants team. Kathy has
lived in the Spring Valley, MN
area her entire life. She will be
celebrating 30 years of marriage
later this year to her husband,
Gary. She has one son, Levi, two
granddaughters, Keeli and Kindra,
and a grandson on the way. Kathy
enjoys snowmobiling in the winter
and spending time with family and
grandkids is always special. She has
been in the banking business for 24
(continued on page 11)

Updates
First Farmers & Merchants

GRAND MEADOW Update

Le Sueur
Update

(continued from page 10)

years; she is a previous member,
board member and president of
the Spring Valley Kiwanis, and
a founding board member of the
Spring Valley Area Community
Foundation. She will be a great
asset to our team.

Donna Bakken and Brian Short

Speaking of Racine, Kelly
Wytaske, CSR, will be the new
Assistant Branch Manager of the
Racine location. Congratulations
to Kelly; this promotion is welldeserved!!

Kathy Nagel
Congratulations
to
Nancy
Scrabeck, Teller, on her 15 years
of service! We all hope there are
many more to come.

Brian Short, Nancy Scrabeck

and Dave Feddersen
Congratulations to Donna Bakken,
Racine Teller, on her June 30
retirement after 31 years of service
and dedication.

Racine also welcomes a new

business to town. Mama Ds
opened directly across from the
FF&M Racine branch and is doing
well. Good food and good service
is good for the community.
We recently received a Certificate of
Appreciation from Grand Meadow
Independent School District for
going ABOVE AND BEYOND
with regards to the GM construction
consortium and for the overall
relationship and level of customer
service the bank has provided to
the school . Dave Feddersen,
President and CEO, sits on the
committee steering the construction
funding. We are taking donations
at the bank and school for the new
addition project.
Best wishes for the summer to
everyone!
Submitted by: Kelly Wytaske,
Customer Service Representative

Martha May, Customer Service

Officer, organized the 5th annual
Shred It Day, which was held on
May 2. The weather was perfect and
we had many customers drop off
their shredding. There were about
2,600 pounds of paper shredded,
which is about double from last
year. The customers are already
asking us for the date next year. It
was a great success.

The Le Sueur Park Elementary

and St. Annes 2nd grade students
visited the bank in May. The
students toured the bank which
included the vault and drive up.
Martha May and Avis Jacobus,
Teller, demonstrated how a teller
runs her cash box and our currency
counter and coin machine. The
students were all given an FF&M
(continued on page 12)

11

Updates
by participating in the $5.00 Jean
Fridays. The beams will be used in
the framework of the next Habitat
for Humanity home.

LE SUEUR Update
(continued from page 11)
Activity Book, quarter saver with
a quarter to start them saving as
well as an FF&M pencil. They
were treated with lemonade and
warm cookies before walking back
to school. Each year we have the
opportunity to give tours to the
second grade classes and we enjoy
seeing how excited the students are
when they get to tour the bank. The
thank you notes and pictures the
students draw for us are priceless.

The staff made a contribution of

$335.00 to the Le Sueur-Henderson
School Backpack Program that
provides needy local children
with healthy snacks to take home
for the weekend. Sue Kahle,
Customer Service Representative,
Sheryl Meyer, Operations Officer,
Gail Nelson, Senior Accountant,
Martha May, Customer Service
Officer, Terry Mattson, VP/Ag
& Commercial Loan Officer, and
Linda Grack, Retail Operations
Manager, helped fill 94 bags to be
distributed to elementary students
in the three local schools.
Habitat for Humanity asked us
to participate in the 17th annual
Get on the Beam campaign by
displaying an eight-foot 2 X 4 in
our lobby. There was a section of
downspout attached to the beam
where donations could be placed
and the banks name was written
on the beam as well as individuals

12

making a donation could sign the

beam. Our staff decided we wanted
to dress up our beam while it was
being displayed in our lobby. As
you see, the staff was very creative,
thanks to many who brought in a
hard hat, work clothes and even
official State vest and cones. Kathy
Harrison, Administrative Lending
Assistant, and Gail Nelson, Senior
Accountant, helped get his arms
in place. Our beam has received
much attention. The staff is donating

Le Sueur-Henderson High School

senior Henry (Hank) Pfarr, son
of Brian and Kristan Pfarr, was
the recipient of the First Farmers &
Merchants $1,500 scholarship. The
scholarship criteria are: student
must graduate with a 2.0 or above;
preference is given to a student
who is a customer or related to a
customer of FF&M. Emphasis is
given to a student pursuing a career
in Business or Agriculture. Hank
will be attending Labovitz School
of Business at the University
of Minnesota Duluth. Brian
Pfarr, Senior Vice President/
Ag & Commercial Loan Officer,
presented the scholarship at the
School Awards Ceremony.
Congratulations to Jahna Fick,
daughter of Joy Manthey,
Mortgage Operations, and Tracy
Fick, on her graduation from West
Lutheran High School, Plymouth,
Minnesota. Jahna has participated
in a number of activities, and in each
one she has used her own experience
to serve as a strong role model for
others. She is a fourth-degree black
belt and instructor of Tae Kwon
Do, a middle school group leader
(continued on page 13)

Updates

LE SUEUR Update
(continued from page 12)

June is Dairy Month and we are

recognizing our dairy farmers
by treating our customers to ice
cream treats every Friday in June.
The Scott-Le Sueur County Dairy
Princess will be at the bank on
June 26 to help hand out ice cream
treats.

Brian Short, Linda Grack, Martha

May and Keith Maetzold
at her church, and a guitar player
in the student ministries band, and
she has been a counselor at a rock
and roll camp for girls that offers
music instruction to help develop
leadership skills and foster selfconfidence. Jahna plans to attend
Bethel University in the fall.
Beverly Stueber retired on May
29 after 44 years with the bank. A
retirement lunch was held at the
bank for her and her family and coworkers. Her grandchildren made a
retirement banner to decorate our
Valley Room. Bev looks forward
to spending more time with her
family and four
grandchildren
as well as more
time at the lake
and helping her
husband with
their 2.5 acre
garden.

Martha May and Linda Grack

were recognized by Brian Short
for their years of service at the
bank. Martha has worked a total
of 40 years and Linda a total of
15 years. Martha and Linda both
agree that there have been many
changes in the banking world, but
customer service is still the most
important part of their jobs.
Submitted by: Linda Grack, Retail
Operations Manager

First Farmers & Merchants

Luverne
Update

Welcome to Raevette Loonan,

our newest employee who started
in April as a Teller. Raevette and
her husband Bill live in Lismore,
MN and have three daughters
Christina, Brittney and Briana.
Raevette enjoys reading and
traveling in her spare time.

Raevette Loonan
Congratulations to the 2015 high
school graduate of our employee!
Spencer Schacht (son of Mike,
Loan Officer) plans to attend St.
Cloud State in St. Cloud, MN for
Mass Communication Broadcast
Journalism.
Congratulations to the 2015
college graduate of our employee!
Kim Miller (daughter of Bonnie,
Teller and Proof) graduated
from Southwest Minnesota State
University in Marshall, MN with a
Masters degree in Early Childhood
Special Education.
Spencer Schacht participated with
the high school speech team in the
category of Storytelling and had an
outstanding season. He received
1st place at Fulda, Luverne,
Worthington
and
Southwest
Minnesota Section Competition;
2nd place at the Adrian Invitational;
3rd at the Southwest Minnesota
Conference Meet; and 4th place at
the SMSU Invitational. To complete
his season, Spencer competed at
(continued on page 14)

13

Updates

LUVERNE Update
(continued from page 13)

Mike ran into some friends at the

Pizza Ranch.

were saved. Ryan DeBates had to

kiss the pig.

Mike Engesser

Nate Golla holding the pig

with McKenzie and Michaela
VanGrootheest (Marylns
daughters)

the State Speech Competition at

Lakeville North and placed 6th out
of 24 different Storytellers from all
over the state. Congratulations on
a great season!
Erik Wohnoutka (son of Karen,
Data Center), along with the
Luverne High School tennis
team, recently participated in the
State tennis competition. They
had an excellent season, winning
the Section team title. This led
to their participation in the State
competition which was held in
Minneapolis the first week in June.
Congratulations, Erik, on a great
season!
The annual Hospice dinner in April
raised over $75,000 this year, which
is a record for this event, and had
nearly 400 people in attendance.
100% of the proceeds remain
local to support Sanford Luvernes
Hospice program and the needs
of terminally ill patients and their
families. The bank donated four
Twins tickets by the dugout which
raised $525 on the live auction.
May brought the 60th birthday
celebration of Mike Engesser,
President and CEO. It was quite
the day! Along with cake in the
lobby and a very decorated office,

14

The bank participated in the Buffalo

Day parade in June by passing out
candy to the crowd. Those who
participated included Mike Schacht
(Loan Officer), Ryan Wynia (Loan
Officer), Cris Oeltjenbruns (Loan
Officer), Jill Buss (Teller), Paulette
Richters (Teller) and Paulettes
daughter Jessica.

The bank participated in the 15th

annual Relay for Life in June which
raises funds for the American
Cancer Society. The banks team
raised a total of $4,400, which
includes the $2,571.07 raised in
the Kiss the Pig contest which
was held between Ryan Wynia
and Ryan DeBates from Exchange
State Bank. The bank that raised
the most money would require the
loan officer from the other bank
to kiss the pig. Ryan Wynias lips

Pictured below is the Relay for

Life Team Row 1: McKenzie
VanGrootheest (daughter of
Maryln), Cris Oeltjenbruns (Loan
Officer), Nancy Versteeg (Retired
CSR),
Mike VanGrootheest
(husband of Maryln), and
Michaela
VanGrootheest
(daughter of Maryln); Row 2:
Cornie VanGrootheest (Mikes
uncle), Maryln VanGrootheest
(CSR), Gayle Stegemann (Loan
Secretary), Jo Buss (Teller), and
Sadie VanGrootheest (Mikes
mom); Row 3: Geraldine
Haraldson (Marylns mom),
Jim Haraldson (Marylns dad),
Carol Foster (CSR), Revina
Filipek (Mikes aunt), Tony
VanGrootheest (Mikes dad) and
Peg Gacke (CSR).

(continued on page 15)

Updates

LUVERNE Update
(continued from page 14)
The bank also participated in the
Chamber Golf Tournament in
June. This is a fund raiser for the
Chamber of Commerce. The team
representing the bank included Tara
Zewiske (Auditor), Cliff Boom
(Loan Officer), Mike Schacht
(Loan Officer) and Ryan Wynia
(Loan Officer).
Submitted by: Tara Zewiske,
Auditor, and Elaine Hansen, Data
Center

First Farmers & Merchants

Pipestone
Update

Dawn Carson, Loan Assistant,

was proactive and saved a customer
from a large scam. The customer
had received email direction from
two officers of his organization to
wire a large sum of money. Upon
reviewing the transaction, Dawn
did a standard review of the routing
number and noticed that the routing
number was incorrect for the
institution that it was going to. She
discussed this with the customer
and they decided that he should
call to confirm these emails and the
instructions for the wire. The emails
had been sent fraudulently and the
scam was halted before any money
was sent. The customer sent his
appreciation via email later that day,
stating, Please give recognition
and our thanks to Dawn Carson
for catching a scam that could have
cost (us) a large amount of money.
First Farmers & Merchants can be
very proud to have Dawn employed
at the Pipestone office. It is sad that

we must be so vigilant and wary

of scams that occur within the
business world, but we are thankful
for individuals like Dawn who take
their job seriously and check out the
facts before initiating a transfer.
First Farmers & Merchants was the
key sponsor at the first Pipestone
Car Cruizin Night for 2015. The
bank provided dash plaques for
the participants and assisted in the
execution of the event. Natalie
Sorenson, Teller, Vicki Quist,
Vice President, Tim Paulson, Vice
President, and Dale Roemmich,
President, helped to make the
evening a success. Dale also assists
with the event that is held the first
Thursday of each month during the
summer.

Tim Paulson is currently serving

on the Pipestone Chamber of
Commerce Board of Directors. Tim
has been pivotal in representing the
bank in one of the largest fundsustainers for the Chamber.
The Chamber participates in the
newspaper recycling project and
garners funds from keeping the
paper truck clean and organized.
Tim arranges staff to help organize
the paper weekly, with a fair amount
of times stepping up himself to get
the job done.
Bank staff in Pipestone hand
delivered appreciation gifts to over

110 customers in the month of

March. The bank decided to express
this appreciation while supporting
our community. The bank purchased
Girl Scout cookies and 4-H candy,
proceeds which will go toward
funding their organizations and
their efforts. The staff broke into
teams and everyone participated in
the appreciation event. Customers
were surprised to receive their
treats with a personal touch and the
feedback was positive.
Pipestone Forward, a local
community
leadership
team,
has undergone restructuring in
2015.
Dale Roemmich, Tim
Paulson and Linda Erickson,
Customer Service Representative,
participate in the organization and
aided in the restructuring process.
The organization is made up of a
Core Committee which seats 17
individuals from a cross-section
of business leaders. There is a
larger General Membership which
meets quarterly and involves a
greater number of individuals.
The Core Committee rolled out
its restructuring efforts at the May
meeting of the General Membership.
Pipestone Forward has identified
through strategic planning and other
efforts over the past few years that
there are four critical areas of focus
for a healthy community: Quality of
Life, Community Image, Economic
Development, and Finance (to fund
the projects identified by the other
areas of focus). Committees have
been formed for each of the areas.
The hope of the restructuring at this
time is to generate new, fresh and
innovative ideas from individuals
and then put those ideas into
motion.
(continued on page 16)

15

Updates

PIPESTONE Update
(continued from page 15)
Employee News
Alicia Dollarhide, daughter of
Tony and Cindy Koenders, Card
Services & Fraud Prevention
Specialist, was united in marriage
to John Davis of Bloomington,
Minnesota on May 2, 2015.
Congratulations!
Kelsey Weinkauf, Teller, graduated
from Pipestone Area High School
on May 24, 2015. Kelsey will
continue to work at FF&M until
she begins college this fall pursuing
a nursing degree. Congratulations,
Kelsey!

Mortgage Loan Officer Debbie

Knowlton, Head Teller Colleen
Phillips and Credit Analyst Missy
Anderson were the lucky ladies
sent to enjoy this fun-filled event!

BEST TEAM CHANT!! A huge

shout out goes to our Captain,
Missy Anderson, for organizing
the events and rallying our team
to sweet victory!!!! The Red

Congratulations to CSR Krystyna

Bremer and her husband Eric who
welcomed their new baby girl,
Leah Kay Bremer, on April 20,
2015 at 8:15 a.m. Leah was 7 lbs.
11 oz. and 19 inches. Big brother
Maxwell was very excited to play
with his new sister and the family is
enjoying springtime with their new
arrival. What a cutie pie!

Mindy Johnson, Loan Assistant,

and Pam Kuyper, Information
Systems Assistant, were recognized
for their years of service in
June. Mindy was recognized for
15 years and Pam for 5 years.
Congratulations, Mindy and Pam!
Submitted by: Linda Erickson,
Customer Service Representative

First Farmers & Merchants

Red Wing
Update

The Red Wing Branch has had a

fun-filled, busy start to the summer
with lots to celebrate and report
on!
On April 15, the Womens
Professional Leadership Event
took place, held annually at
Treasure Island Resort & Casino.
Vice President Lynette Smerud,

16

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!

Its official! First Farmers &
Merchants Bank came in first place
at the 2015 YMCA Corporate
Challenge Games! This years team
lineup included employees from
Red Wing, Cannon Falls, Goodhue
and White Rock along with Dave
Muelken from our Advisory
Board. In addition to winning our
division, we were also awarded

(continued on page 17)

Updates

RED WING Update

(continued from page 16)
Wing Branch would like to thank
everyone who participated and
cheered us on.

recipient of Red Wing High

Schools All Star Drama award!
Lucas will be attending Mankato
State University in the fall with a
double major in I.T. and Theatre.

In May we hosted three days

of bank tours for the Sunnyside
kindergarteners.
Head
Teller
Colleen Phillips reported that
over 225 kids, teachers and parent
volunteers were on hand to tour
the lobby and drive thru. Back by
popular demand, we handed out
a roll of pennies to each child, a
sticker through the drive thru tubes,
and a coloring contest for each of
the nine classes. Colleen and the
tellers were able to award nine
kids with a $5.00 Target gift card.
A special thank you came from a
mom who called the bank to report
that her son was raving about the
roll of pennies and how our Bank
was his favorite stop on the town
tour! WAY TO GO LADIES!
CONGRATS to the 2015 Red
Wing High School Graduates!!
Lucas Phillips, son of Colleen
and Dana Phillips, was this years

Sumner Boldt, son of Gayle and

Ben Boldt, plans on attending
Dakota County Technical College
this fall. Sumner has a passion for
motor sports and is excited to pursue
a career in Auto Mechanics!
Submitted by: Lisa MacRae,
Customer Service Representative

First Farmers & Merchants

Stewartville
Update

We welcome Shari Davidson,

Teller/CSR, to our Stewartville
branch. Shari lives in Spring Valley
with her husband of 32 years, Roger.
She has three grown children, two
daughters and one son, and seven
grandchildren.

Shari Davidson
Prior to joining the First Farmers
& Merchants team, Shari was
employed by Security State Bank of
Lewiston. She worked in the Spring
Valley location as a part-time teller
before moving to the Wykoff branch
as head teller.
She enjoys spending time with her
family and friends. Her hobbies
are gardening and going to garage
sales and auctions. We have enjoyed
getting to know her and working
with her since she started on March
30, 2015.
Community Activities
Stewartville Area Community
Foundation
First Farmers & Merchants, First
American
Insurance,
Halcon
Corporation and Wieser Precast
Steps, Inc. partnered with the
Stewartville Area Community
Foundation during its 2015
Fundraising Campaign. These
community sponsors generously
offered to match $1 for every $2
gifted. In the past, $475,000 has
been received and used for the
(continued on page 18)

17

Updates

STEWARTVILLE Update
(continued from page 17)
betterment of the Stewartville
area. Congratulations go out to
the Foundation and its fundraising
partners on surpassing the goal for
2015.
The Stewartville Area Community
Foundation was established in 2000
as a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity.
The purpose of the organization is to
create a permanent entity within the
community to receive and distribute
funds for the benefit of the greater
Stewartville area. The foundation has
received and distributed funds from
many individuals, organizations
and businesses to support the tennis
courts project at Bear Cave Park, help
with the establishment of a number
of park trails, and provide amenities
for the new swimming pool.
Movies in the Park
Hundreds of local and area residents
gathered for a movie under the
night sky at Bear Cave Park on
June 5. About 350 people attended
the first-ever Movies in the Park
event by the Stewartville Parks
Events Committee. First Farmers &
Merchants, Caseys General Store,
Sunshine Sanitation and Hilltop
Repair & Services contributed
donations to support the event. The
movie is free to attend, but event
organizers will accept freewill
offerings to support park projects. It
was said that children showed up in
droves and it was a huge success!
Dog Days of Summer
Appreciation Night
The planning meetings have begun for
the Stewartville annual Dog Days of

18

Summer event to be held in August.

Merchants on the NE corner of
Stewartville, including First Farmers
& Merchants, Fareway Stores,
Bobcat of Rochester, Advanced
Body Chiropractic, Family Dental,
Anytime Fitness and Riverview
Greens have participated for the last
two years. We look forward to this
years event and the opportunity to
visit with members of Stewartville
and the surrounding communities.
In the past, participants have treated
attendees to thousands of hot dogs,
prepared in diverse ways and served
with a variety of sides.

First Farmers & Merchants

White Rock
Update

Stewartvilles Summerfest
The 4th of July is rapidly
approaching and on that weekend
the
annual
Summerfest
celebration is held in Stewartville.
Many of our residents and people
from the surrounding areas
attend the street dance and other
entertainment in the park, including
arts and crafts, run/walk events, a
parade and fireworks.
It looks like we are off to a successful
growing season.already the corn
crops are more than knee-high!
We wish everyone a great summer
and safe and happy 4th of July
holiday.
Submitted by: Jan Cowan, Lead
Teller

Mark Your Calendar:

Customer
Service Week
October 5-9, 2015

The village of White Rock came

about in 1871 due to a group of
farmers who had organized the
Farmers Commercial Union
and built a store which formed
a township line between Vasa
Township and Belle Creek
Township. The name came from
the prominent rock formation that
was nearby, White Rock. The coop style store flourished as did
the little community that grew up
around it. With its location being
about 15 miles from any other
town, two local gentlemen, Per
A. Peterson and Gustov O. Miller,
decided that banking services were
needed. A new law had been passed
allowing a bank to be formed with
$10,000 capital, so the planning
began. By February 3, 1915, the
first stockholders meeting was held
at which the first five directors were
elected, and plans were set to open
for business on June 1, 1915 or as
soon as the stone building could
be completed. The charter for the
newly formed bank was signed on
June 21, 1915, and the bank opened
(continued on page 19)

Updates

WHITE ROCK Update

This is our time for birthdays, as we

celebrated for Paul D.s (May 26),
Babe Nelsons (June 8) and Calvin
Ryans (June 14) with a cookout
here in our own little park.

(continued from page 18)

for business on December 20,
1915. Now in 2015, the bank in its
original stone building is thriving
long after the other businesses of
White Rock have faded away.
Our anniversary plans to celebrate
the achievement are well underway.
We have been busy sprucing up the
park-like area we have here at the
Rock. We burnt a rather large
brush pile and cleaned out a section
of the wooded area while we were at
it. We finally got the poinsettias out
of the lobby and into a new warm
spot along the drive-thru lane;
hope we dont forget them come
frost time. The grass was getting
thin under the two big trees that
grace the front door of the building
so why not mulch it? Boy, what a
difference! The White Rock crew
put in some sweat equity to bring a
bright new look to the bank. Tellers
Carna Visagie and Sue Iverson
came up with the design on the Red
Wing crock banks that are on order
for the 100th. The banks will be a
nice memento for the many long
time customers of White Rock.
Another big change in White
Rock is the fact that we will now
be closed on Saturday mornings
starting in July. I dont know
exactly when Saturday banking
services started at the bank, but
that might be something interesting
to investigate.
We had some of the White
Rock staff help support the Red
Wing staff in the annual YMCA
Challenge Games, which they won.
Congratulations, Red Wing! Paul
Drackley, President, Julie Benrud

From the Cannon Falls Beacon on

December 17, 1915:
The White Rock Bank will open
its doors for business on Monday,
December 20, Fore-fathers
Day. This bank is financed by
reliable men, men with money
to meet all obligations, and
starts out on a solid financial
foundation and has before it a
future career of usefulness that
augers nothing less than success
for all its patrons.

Luhman, Compliance, and Calvin

Ryan, Jr Lender, added their
expertise in several events during
the week-long competition. We
have a picture of Paul D. in his pro
like bowling form.

Submitted by:
Babe Nelson,
Customer Service Representative

Calvin Ryan is our hunter as he

was able to bag this large turkey.
He is quite humble about it, but I
am thinking that it isnt that easy
to do. As for the rest of us, we go
to the Turkey Store; now thats
easy!

Admiral
Merchants
Update
On May 4 and 5, Brian,
accompanied by Jim Bemis, CFO,
Brent Layton, VP Sales, Ralph
Woody Wood, SVP Sales, Tom
Bobrycki, Brokerage Manager,
Pat Gegner, Credit Manager, and

Brian Short and Harold Sparkman

(continued on page 20)

19

Updates

ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
UPDATE
(continued from page 19)

Brent Layton, Joe Upholzer, Tom

Bobrycki and Brian Short

Brian Short with Don Singleton

Mark Dooley, Director of Claims
Management, spent two days
calling on some of Admirals agent
partners in Ohio, Kentucky and
West Virginia. First we flew to
Columbus, Ohio where we picked
up Woody and then headed to
Huntington, West Virginia to visit
Agent #3399, Harold Sparkman.
Harold has been with Admiral
since 2005 and has been a Tom
Seitz Million Dollar Agent award
winner every year. We had lunch

Brian Short and Gary Fellure

with Harold and Bill Coffee from
his office and discussed ways we
can grow our business together
through greater utilization of the
brokerage team. We then flew to
Lexington, Kentucky where we
rented a car and drove 30 minutes

20

to Winchester, Kentucky to visit

Agent #2476, Don Singleton.
Don has been with Admiral since
2001 and has also been a Tom
Seitz Million Dollar Agent award
winner every year. We had dinner
with Don and then flew back to
Canton, Ohio. The next morning
we had breakfast with Cliff
Wilkinson, Agent #2995. Cliff has
been with us over 10 years and his
primary customer is Timken Steel.
Although his business is down over
50% this year, he is looking for
modest growth to come in 2016.
We then flew to Cleveland, Ohio
and met Brent and had lunch with
his Agent #3030, Joe Upholzer.
Joe has been an agent with us since
2004 and has done an average of just
at $1M for four years. Although his
business is also down significantly
this year, we are hopeful he will
grow the business with us in the
second half of the year. Lastly we
flew back to Columbus where we
met for lunch with our third largest
customer, Gary Fellure. Gary
has been with Admiral since 2001,
and in 2014 did $4.7M in business
with Admiral. We shared lunch
and discussed how we can support
Garys continued growth. Through
May Garys business is up 31%!
Thanks, Gary!

Debbie Taylor, Broker, retired
from Admiral on June 30 after over

11 years of service. Debbie started

working at Admiral Merchants on
September 22, 2003. She quickly
proved herself to be an asset to
Admiral since day one of her
employment. Her first position with
us was in the Permits Department
where she was a fast learner,
excellent problem solver, and
quick to diffuse volatile situations
with her quick wit and humor.
When she volunteered to take over
the hard-to fill 10:00 a.m. to 7:00
p.m. freight coordinator position,
she demonstrated the same sense of
urgency and great customer service,
which made her very popular with
our west coast business partners.
She was equally successful when
she moved to the east coast freight

Brian presenting Debbie Taylor

with the Bill Bolish Employee of
the Year Award in 2006
coordinator position. Her flexibility
and commitment to Admiral was
especially evident when she agreed
to bail us out in the Brokerage
Department at a moments notice.
Once again, Debbie quickly
adapted to the new position and
soon was selling freight to outside
(continued on page 21)

Eagle Awards

ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Update
(continued from page 20)
carriers like a pro. Her efforts
resulted in her being named the
Bill Bolish Employee of the Year
in 2006. Not only has Debbie been
an outstanding employee, she has
been a pleasure to work with. We
will miss her positive outlook and
pleasant smile. Best wishes for
your retirement, Debbie!

Eagle Awards
Admiral Merchants
Jen Hanley-Tuttle
Processing Supervisor
Submitted by: Admiral Team

FF&M Cannon Falls

Amy Furlong
Loan Processor
Submitted by: Deb Knowlton and
Keith Maetzold

Submitted by: Jim Bemis, CFO

Benson
Parking
Update
We offer our condolences to Joseph
Hill on the loss of his mother.
We would like to welcome Daniel
Walker to the Benson team. He
comes to us with an abundance of
customer service experience. He is
also a pastor at a local church.

Submitted by: Al Schroeder, Manager

her first years at Admiral, always

asking questions and volunteering
to help with new projects, ideas and
ways to help improve Admiral in
many different ways. Always ready
with a smile and helpful outlook,
Jen is a great addition to Admiral
and a valuable asset for years to
come. Congratulations, Jen!

Jen Hanley-Tuttle
Jen has been with Admiral
Merchants since July of 2013 and
has done a great job becoming the
point person for the Processing
Department.
While
gaining
knowledge of Admirals business,
she has also made great friendships
and working relationships with our
agents and drivers. This was an
invaluable skill recently when we
had an important customer with
unique billing requirements that
needed very special attention. Jen
worked closely with our agent to
create a new billing process to meet
the specific needs of the customer.
Through a much more labor
intensive procedure than normal,
Jen was able to streamline the
invoices for this customer and now
has the program running smoothly
and effectively.
Jen has shown great initiative during

Amy Furlong
Amy fits into all of the Eagle
categories: Leadership, Dedication,
Integrity and Professionalism. She
is a very hard and dedicated worker.
You can ask Amy to do something
and she will get the job done. She
can wear many hats. She is a team
player and is always willing to
help someone out. Amy is very
knowledgeable at her job. If she
doesnt understand something, she
will research to get the questions
answered. Amy will do whatever
she needs to do to get the job done.
(continued on page 22)

21

Eagle Awards

EAGLE AWARDS
(continued from page 21)
The loan processing staff is very
lucky to have Amy as part of their
team. Thank you, Amy, for all your
hard work and for always being
willing to help out when needed.
Congratulations!

FF&M Grand Meadow

Kelly Wytaske
Customer Service Representative
Submitted by: Dave Feddersen

and beyond to help customers

resolve problems and strives to
leave the customer with a positive
impression of FF&M.
Some of the comments the bank has
received from peers and customers
about Kelly include:
Kelly has taken on more
responsibility and is willing to cover
wherever needed. She is always
eager to pitch in. She is respectful
of others and has great customer
service skills. She gets projects
done accurately and timely.
Kelly was very efficient and
knowledgeable of the process

when my husband and I came in

and opened our new accounts. She
made us feel very welcome.
Kelly is always professional,
helpful, respectful, considerate,
fair, and shows concern for the
staff, customers, management and
anyone she comes in contact with
in her position.
Kelly was nominated for the Eagle
Award based on her ongoing
growth, positive attitude, and
consistent focus on providing
excellent customer service. She
has become an example for her coworkers to follow. Congratulations,
Kelly!

Calhoun Towers Update

Kelly Wytaske
Kelly has established herself as
a go to individual in the Grand
Meadow location and a vital
member of the overall team. She
has accepted new tasks with a
minimum of direction and often has
good input with regard to processes
and customer service. This includes
her new role as Assistant Branch
Manager of the Racine location.
Kelly demonstrates a willingness
to assist co-workers and takes
pride in her position and the overall
success of the bank. On a number
of occasions Kelly has gone above

22

Calhoun Towers bids a sad farewell

to our leasing agent, Ryan Shelton.
Ryan has been with us for three
years, working here and attending
Bethlehem College and Seminary.
He graduated this May and is now
the Director of Music for a church
in Chicago. While we will miss
him, we wish him the best in his
new position.
Before Ryan left, he recommended
another student, Mel Hennegan,
as our new leasing agent. Mel has
been a great addition to the Calhoun
Towers family. The tenants like
Mel and he has a great personality.
The rental market this year has
been difficult to say the least. Over
the last several years, literally
thousands of new apartment units
have been built around us. The
market is saturated and other
buildings are offering deep rental
concessions. This May and June
have been the worst performing

months in the last nine years.

However, our worst two months
are some of our competitors
average vacancies during good
times. Moreover, many of the new
buildings are struggling just to
make their mortgage. Considering
our building is 53 years old and we
are 100% full for July and August,
Calhoun Towers is doing a great
job of holding its own against the
new competition.
I believe this is due to a combination
of several things: money to
modernize the building, the
cleaning staff keeping the building
presentable, maintenances ability
to keep things working well, and
leasings marketing efforts and
interaction with the residents.
Thanks to the entire Calhoun
Towers team for their efforts.
Submitted by:
Manager

Steve Ocvirek,

News

ANNIVERSARIES
Admiral Merchants
Walt Site
Tim Neid
Penny Lynner
Ralph Wood
Jeff Johnson
Ann Schuetz
Lauri Rice
Jaquelyn Moore
Kirby Lang
Deb Lindner
Julie Cornelsen
Steve McCabe
Carol Price
Chris Monroe
Missy Swenson
Andrew Turbiville
Karen Hedtke

23 years
15 years
14 years
14 years
13 years
12 years
10 years
8 years
8 years
7 years
5 years
5 years
4 years
4 years
1 year
1 year
1 year

FF&M CANNON FALLS

Traci Holt
Kris Jacobsen
Luke Cooreman
Korie Jackson
Lisa Miller
Sandy Hanson

FF&M LUVERNE

Darlene Gonnerman
Sandy Clark

FF&M Red Wing

Ashley Elford

18 years
11 years
9 years
4 years
4 years
1 year
20 years
15 years
3 years

FF&M STEWARTVILLE
Jan Cowan

LEAMINGTON CO.
Brian Short
Nancy Novack

5 years

31 years
15 years

WEDDINGS

FF&M PIPESTONE

Congratulations
to
Cindy
Koenders and husband Tony on
the marriage of their daughter,
Alicia Dollarhide, to John Davis
on May 2, 2015.

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS

Congratulations to Mary Alfano on

the birth of her grandson, Derrick
Alfano Barnhart, who was born
May 29, 2015 to her oldest daughter,
Jess Alfano.

FF&M AUSTIN

Connie and Wendel Sprung

welcomed their fifth grandchild
on June 11, 2015. Presley Honor
weighed 9 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21
inches long.

FF&M LUVERNE

Gayle
Stegemann
proudly
announces the birth of another
grandson. Blake Robert was born
April 13, 2015 and weighed 8 lbs.
7oz. Congratulations, Gayle and
Bill!

Brit Matt proudly announces the

birth of another son. Evan Trent was
born April 21, 2015 and weighed 5
lbs. 8oz. Congratulations, Brit and
Nancy!
Jo Buss proudly announces the
birth of her first granddaughter!
Lily Armene was born May 27,
2015 and weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz.
Congratulations, Jo and Butch!

FF&M RED WING

Krystyna and Eric Bremer, along

with big brother Maxwell, proudly
announce the birth of Leah Kay
Bremer! Leah was born on April
20, 2015. She weighed 7 lbs. 11 oz.
and was 19 inches long.

NEW EMPLOYEES

ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Theresa Dougan

Freight
Coordinator

BENSON PARKING
Daniel Walker

Parking Lot
Attendant

Leasing Agent

FF&M BROWNSDALE
Kevin Welter

Lender

FF&M CANNON FALLS

Michelle Kreisler Loan Processor

FF&M FAIRMONT
Dustin Meyer
Ryan Noll

Raevette Loonan

Teller

FF&M STEWARTVILLE
Shari Davidson

Teller/CSR

WEDDINGS

FF&M LUVERNE

CALHOUN TOWERS
Mel Hennegan

FF&M LUVERNE

Summer Teller
Summer Teller

FF&M GRAND MEADOW

Kathy Nagel Vice President and

Assistant Branch Manager

Congratulations to Peg Gacke and

husband Vince on the marriage of
their daughter Andrea to Jon on
May 2, 2015 in Sioux Falls, SD.
Congratulations to LaDonna
VanAartsen and husband Darrel
on the marriage of their son Mark
to Katie on June 20, 2015 in a
beautiful outdoor ceremony in
LaDonnas backyard.
Congratulations to Sandy Clark
and husband Tom on the marriage
of their son Jake to Stephanie on
June 20, 2015 in St. Paul.

23

Wellness

Fitness Every Day

We have been in the process of
working on our benefit renewal and
by the time this article is published
in the Hooray! you will already
know the bad news: deductibles and
rates are going up. Our experience
continues to trend in the wrong
direction as the dollar amount of
claims paid out far exceeds the
premiums we pay in.

Health insurance is a necessary

evil. It is a very large expense for
something we hope that we never
have to use, but when faced with a
serious health condition it is costly
but not as costly had we not been
covered.

Loss Ratio: 2015-2016: 134%

(estimated) Actual Increase:
14% (initial quote was 28%
but lowered after increase
in deductibles/out of pocket
maximums)
Loss Ratio: 2014-2015: 178%
Actual Increase: 28% (added an
HSA plan)
Loss Ratio: 2013-2014: 146.6%
Actual Increase: 11.5% (changes

When we started the company

wellness program in 2007 the goal
was to impact employees health
and our health care expense. And
I feel that in many aspects we
have achieved success. Each year
you share personal stories about
distances you have been able to
walk or run, decrease in blood
pressure medication, pounds lost
and even some smoking cessation

24

Hooray!
SHORT COMPANIES

215 South 11th Street

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

Rx, 75% co-insurance, increase

out of network amounts)

success. And we did have a couple

years with flat medical renewals.
I understand that eating healthy and
exercising every day is not easy and
will not guarantee that we never
be faced with a serious medical
diagnosis or chronic disease. There
are just some things we cannot
control no matter what healthy
choices we make. But participating
in the company wellness program
certainly cant hurt, right? Plus you
get a little cash and time off out
of the deal. If we all make small
changes in our health we may be
able to impact not only our own
personal health but our loss ratio
and medical renewals in the coming
years.
Lets keep at it.
Fitness Every Day!!
Submitted by: Augusta Kirk, HR
Director