Hooray!

SHORT

C O M PA N I E S

FALL 2015

Brett Elford
2015 Eagle of the Year
Since the acquisition of the White
Rock Bank and its conversion to a
First Farmers & Merchants Bank,
Brett has completed the building
of a great team in that bank, leading
that team to great success. A
couple of numbers prove the point.
In January of 2013, loans at the
branch were $22 million. By June
(continued on page 4)

Inside:

Brian Short, Faye and Brett Elford

Brett Elford, President of First Brett joins a group of 25 past Eagles
of the Year, all of whom were
Farmers & Merchants Bank, Red
Wing, was named the 2015 Eagle recognized for their contributions
to their customers and employer,
of the Year at the 25th Annual Short
Companies Managers Meeting on for their managerial skills, and
for their dedication. Seventeen of
July 31, 2015.
those 25 individuals are working in
The Eagle of the Year is our our organization today, continuing
to contribute to our success.
Manager of the Year someone who
is committed to the company, our
customers and to the community; Brett is a professional banking
someone who builds and works leader and a proven community
with a team to more effectively leader. He served the employees
and customers of White Rock Bank
deliver service to our customers.
before we acquired it during some
very trying times.

Brian P. Short.............................. 2
Managers Meeting....................... 4
Austin Update............................. 6
Brownsdale Update...................... 6
Cannon Falls Update.................... 6
Fairmont Update.......................... 8
Goodhue Update......................... 8
Grand Meadow Update................ 9
Le Sueur Update.........................10
Luverne Update.......................... 11
Pipestone Update........................ 12
Red Wing Update.......................13
Stewartville Update.....................14
White Rock Update.....................15
Admiral Merchants Update..........16
Benson Parking Update................ 17
Calhoun Towers Update...............18
St. Paul Flight Center..................18
Wellness.....................................19
Eagle Awards............................ 20
News.........................................22

Dale C. Madison

Consummate Community Banker, Christian and Family Man

October 20, 1932 July 16, 2015
asked me to speak about Dales
life in business. I will reminisce
with you a little about Dale the
Community Banker.
Dale was the consummate
Community Banker. Whether it was
his relationships with customers,
his employees or his bosses, pride
and professionalism, a quiet but
obvious competence were evident
in everything he did.

Brian P. Short
Dale Madison, former president of
First Farmers & Merchants State
Bank, Brownsdale, passed away on
July 16, 2015.
I had the privilege of being able to
visit with Dale and his wife Shirley
at their home on July 13, and to
speak at his funeral a week later
on July 20. Here are the comments
from my eulogy.
Shirley, I can only imagine the
challenges you face today, even
though you have prepared for
it. The last words you said to me
last Monday as I was leaving your
home were, God is good. You
said it with conviction; you said it
with sincerity. I know you believe
that as strongly today as you did in
1952 when you and Dale started on
this remarkable journey together.
Others will talk this afternoon
about Dales legacies, with his
family, with his church and with
the community. [Dales son] Roger

Dales life did not fit into three

separate silos. The Dale Madison I
knew was every bit as committed a
Christian on Wednesday as he was
on Sunday. He was a decades long
member of the Christian Mens
Business Committee in Austin
and that work made him a better
community banker. Dales faith
was not separate from his work.
I would say that Dales faith was
obvious in his work. The Dale
Madison I knew was committed
to Shirley and their children
and grandchildren every waking
moment of his life. A week ago
today, I was fortunate enough to
spend a little time with Dale at his
new home in Austin. I asked him
how he liked his apartment. His
only response? Shirley likes it.
I first met Dale about 22 years
ago and I dont think I will ever
meet another man like him. The
first business conversation I had
with him was almost exactly
the same as the last one. In both
conversations, he reminded me to
be there for our customers. That
was the secret of Dales success as
a community banker. For Dale, his

customers were also often his

friends. Last Monday when I
met with Dale for the last time, I
reminded him of our conversation
back in 1993. My company had just
acquired the bank in Brownsdale
from Rollie and Woody Danielson.
Five years earlier, I had purchased
a bank in Luverne from what was
then called First Bank System
one of the countrys largest banks.
First Bank had lost millions of
dollars at the bank in Luverne
following the agricultural crisis
of the 1980s by writing off loans
made to agricultural producers
in that area. When bankers say
something like that writing off
loans the phrase glosses over the
financial wrecks caused hundreds
of individuals by that process; that
phrase hides the fact that in that
process the hopes and dreams of
hundreds of people are lost. After
we bought the Brownsdale bank, I
introduced myself to Dale. I asked
him how much money his bank
had lost during the ag financial
crisis of the 1980s. He simply
smiled at me and said, None. We
work with our customers to solve
their problems. Last Monday, I
reminded Dale of that meeting. I
seized the opportunity to tell him
something which he knew that the
lesson I learned from him in 1993
is, today, one of the hallmarks of the
First Farmers &Merchants Banks.

about that. However, because of

Dale and those who have followed
in his footsteps, the Brownsdale
community thrives today.

We work with our customers. We

work with our customers as Dale
Madison taught us to do.
We also learned from Dale
Madison how to do that. Last
year, we nominated Dale for
recognition as a Pioneer Banker,
the recognition by the Minnesota
Bankers Association for those
who have worked in banking in
Minnesota for 50 years. In working
on the nomination, I discussed
Dales career with Don Peterson,
Dales colleague at First Farmers
& Merchants in Brownsdale and
its predecessors for over 35 years.
Don said Dale practiced the craft
of Community Banking by always
being open to everyone. If anyone

in the community rich or poor

had financial issues, Dale was there
to lend a helping hand, if help was
possible. If it was not possible, he
was there to listen, to offer words
of comfort.
Dale worked in banking from the
time when money was put in a
customers account based on an
oral request and a handshake to the
time when it takes an hour to open
a deposit account. All of us know
which period he liked better. Dales
era as a community banker started
when there were two grocery stores,
a meat locker, two gas stations and
a pool hall in Brownsdale. I never
knew about the pool hall I would
have liked to have talked to Dale

Dale had a couple of other visitors

a few weeks before he passed away
Austins Mayor, Tom Stiehm,
and Finance Director Tom Danker,
who presented Dale with a key to
the City of Austin another very
fitting recognition of Dales work.
Dale volunteered with the Mower
County Housing Authority and the
Austin/Mower County Committee
for Home Ownership, where he
helped people who were buying
homes get loans through a down
payment assistance program.
Dales legacy lives on in his family,
his friends and the institutions
he shaped. First Farmers is a
better organization because of the
lessons Dale taught us, and that has
benefitted thousands of individuals,
most of whom never met Dale
Madison. The challenge to all
of us here, and the challenge to
those of us who have the privilege
of carrying on Dales work, is to
make sure that can be said, every
day, from this day forward.
Brian P. Short

In Memoriam
Stephen Craig Ward

December 23, 1947 May 20, 2015

Steve Ward passed away on May 20, 2015, just over two years after being
diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis. Steve and his company, Upward
Bound Design and Construction, worked with the Short Companies on
numerous projects over the years. A Celebration of Life was held on
August 1, 2015. Larry and Mary Weisgram, Dave and Jill Lessard, and
Nancy Novack were able to attend. It was very apparent from the speakers
and performances at the celebration that Steves life was indeed a life well
lived. Our sympathy goes out to his family, including his wife Joanie and
daughters Tristana and Leia.

Eagle of the Year/Managers Meeting

EAGLE OF THE YEAR

(continued from page 1)
of this year, loans had grown to
$30 million. Deposits in January of
2013 were a little over $31 million.
By June of 2015, they had grown
to $37.2 million. Net income at
the end of June had increased over
the prior years six months by over
50% to $234,000.
Brett would be the first to admit
that he doesnt do it alone. He
has built a great team in Red
Wing. He gets kidded a lot by his
coworkers who say, We should
just skip asking Brett and go right
to [Business Banking Officer] Julie
[Eckstrom].
However, that is the sign of a good
leader. Brett has empowered the
other officers in the bank and lets
them shine. He leads one of the
strongest lending teams in our
organization.
Prior to our acquisition of the
White Rock Bank, it was a troubled
organization. It was operating under
severe regulatory limitations and its
survival was questioned. Brett was
the president of the bank at the time,
having been cast in that role when
one of his predecessors, who had
presided over the downfall of the
bank, was moved to other duties.
Brett held the team together, kept
the regulators at bay, and assured
customers. If it wasnt for the work
of Brett and his colleagues, First
Farmers & Merchants would not
have been interested in acquiring
the bank. Because we recognized
the jewel that was there, the jewel
that was nurtured by Brett and his
coworkers, the acquisition made
sense to us.

Brett has also been very active

in the community. He has served
for many years on the board of
the YMCA in Red Wing, one of
that communitys premier social
service organizations. He is also
on the Harbor Commission in Red
Wing. (That probably explains
the need for his big boat.) Brett
is very active in the Chamber
of Commerce. First Farmers &
Merchants, Red Wing was recently
named Service Business of the Year
in Red Wing, and last year we saw
Bretts colleague Julie Eckstrom
voted Professional Woman of the
Year.
Brett supports our many customer
service initiatives, such as
Customer Service Week, and
participates in the MBA Bank Day
at the Capitol. In July of last year
he was recognized for 10 years of
service to the bank, along with five
other members of his team.
Brian presented Brett with an
Eagle trophy and a cash award. In
addition, a donation in Bretts name
has been made to St. Josephs Home
for Children in Minneapolis.
Congratulations, Brett, and thanks
for all you do!

(adapted from remarks by Brian P.

Short on July 31, 2015)

25th Annual
Managers
Meeting
The 25th Annual Short Companies
Managers Meeting was held
on Friday, July 31, 2015, at the
Minneapolis Institute of Art.
As part of his welcome, Brian
introduced three new managers who
were attending their first Managers
Meeting:
Mary Benson, Head of Internal
Audit, FF&M Banks
Megan
Erickson,
Permit
Manager, Admiral Merchants
Kenneth Lehner, Payroll Office
Administrator, Leamington Co.
He also introduced other guests,
including a number of accountants,
attorneys, bankers and other
professionals who work with
the Short Companies. Finally,
employees who were recognized
previously this year for achieving
years of service milestones were
also invited to attend the Managers
Meeting.
After an invocation by Fr. Pat
McCorkell and dinner, the evenings
program began with a talk by
Brian Pfarr, Vice President and
Ag Loan Officer at First Farmers
& Merchants, Le Sueur, entitled,
Leadership at the Strategic Level.
Brian has served in the Minnesota
National Guard for over 25 years
and was recently promoted from
Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel (see
page 11 in this newsletter). He
spent the 2014-15 academic year
(continued on page 5)

Managers Meeting

MANAGERS MEETING
(continued from page 4)

Brian Pfarr
at the US Army War College at the
Bush School at Texas A&M. The
purpose of the Army War College
is to produce graduates who are
skilled critical thinkers and complex
problem solvers. Brian has served
the National Guard, the people of
Minnesota, and the people of the
United States in many ways during
his career in the military. He is also
very committed to his customers at
the bank. He is a highly thought of
agricultural lender whose advice and
counsel is sought by clients at all
times. His leadership and dedication
earned him the Eagle of the Year
Award in 2008.
Brian Short then took a few minutes
to comment on our business results
from last year. He began by saying,
I am proud of the way our customer
service teams have responded to
both the opportunities we have been
presented and the challenges we
have faced. I continue to believe that,
at every level in this organization,
we are well led and our customer
service teams are staffed with people
who are dedicated to our customers,
both internal customers and external
customers.

After sharing some specifics of the

results of the various companies, he
concluded with the following: We
were successful in all of our business
operations last year because of the
commitment and dedication of every
member of the customer service
teams. I said in my article in the
last issue of Hooray! that our only
enduring competitive advantage
is customer service. And the only
way we deliver customer service
is through you and the people you
work with. We continue to Drive
Excellence at Admiral Merchants.
The results of the First Farmers &
Merchants Banks last year were the
envy of the industry. Obviously,
2015 is a challenging year for all
of us. Weve talked about that, we
focus on that, and we continue to
try to overcome it. However, I want
to thank everybody in this room
and every member of your teams.
Working together, we have achieved
success. Working together, we can
continue to achieve success. Thanks
for the great results last year.

Brian visited the various locations.

However, the Robert E. Short
Service Award, given to teammates
who have achieved 20 or more
years of service to our customers,
was presented to two individuals at
the meeting: Jeff Starzecki, who
works in Line Service at the St. Paul
Flight Center, and Babe Nelson,
Customer Service Representative at
FF&M White Rock. Mary Mann in
the FF&M Cannon Falls Operations
Center also received this award but
was unable to attend the Managers
Meeting, so she had previously
been given her award in Cannon
Falls. Congratulations to Jeff, Babe
and Mary!

[Editors note: As this issue of

Hooray! is being printed and
distributed, we are celebrating
Customer Service Week at all of our
locations. This is an opportunity
to both recognize and improve our
service to our customers.]

Brian and Babe

Brian then recognized those

employees who had achieved years
of service milestones. Those awards
had been presented during the year as

Keith Maetzold, Mary Mann,

Brian and Greg Wulf
The evening concluded with the
presentation of the 2015 Eagle of
the Year Award. Brett Elford,
President of FF&M Red Wing,
was this years recipient (see cover
story). Congratulations, Brett!

Brian and Jeff

Submitted by: Nancy Novack,

Executive Assistant

Updates
First Farmers & Merchants

First Farmers & Merchants

Austin
Update

Brownsdale
Update

Cindy Jensen, Vice President,

organized the Kiwanis Club
of Austin Early Risers 40th
anniversary
celebration
on
August 26, 2015. In attendance
were three charter members
from 1975. Mayor Tom Stiehm
declared it The Kiwanis Club
of Austin Early Risers Week.
Darryl Meyer, Past Lt. Governor,
spoke on the mission of Kiwanis
and its origin. Charter members
shared their memories of
Kiwanis.

Amy Johnson, Lead Teller, and

her husband Chad took part in
a 5K walk to raise money for the
Alzheimers Association.

The car club Dick and Sandy Kos,

CSR, belong to held a car show
in August to raise funds for the
Veterans here in Mower County.
There were 131 cars showing and
$4,000.00 was raised that will
go towards the cost of getting
Veterans names on the pavers
at the Veterans Memorial Park in
Austin.

The banks annual picnic was held

on Sunday, September 13. After a
catered dinner from Hy-Vee, the
rest of the afternoon was spent
visiting and watching the kids play
on the new park play equipment.
Dale Larson, President, Kevin
Welter, Vice President, and Faye
Haugen, Vice President, took part
in the program Kids on the Farm.
The 3rd graders from the Austin
public schools were invited to a
local farm and were shown how the
farm works, from milking a cow
to picking chicken eggs. Thanks,
Dale, Faye and Kevin, for taking
the time to show our young people
the importance of farmers!
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
Customer Service Representative

Steve Drennan, President/CEO,

competed in the Des Moines
Triathlon over Labor Day
weekend.
Faye Haugen, Vice President,
welcomed
grandson
Cullen
Samuel Haugen to the family.
Born on September 18 at 10:11
p.m., Cullen weighed 7 lbs. 11
ounces and was 20 inches long.
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
Customer Service Representative

the event, receiving about $8,400.

We had support from FF&M Le
Sueur, Red Wing, White Rock,
Grand Meadow, Stewartville,
Goodhue and Cannon Falls. The
CFEF takes care of the operations
for the day as their way of saying
Thank You to FF&M for their
generosity.

First Farmers & Merchants

Cannon Falls
Update

Tom Obele, Laura Qualey,

Keith Maetzold and Brian Pfarr
On Your MarkGet Set.
FF&M in Cannon Falls sponsored
a hometown Bears baseball game
which featured the First Farmers
& Merchants FIRST EVER
MASCOT RACE! It was a steamy
night, but Coach Meyers said it
was the best turnout of the entire
season. We handed out ice cold
FF&M bottled water and T-shirts
and also gave out an extra trinket if
people liked our Facebook page
that night! We had five participants
who were selected from the crowd

Lets rewind the calendar to Cannon

Falls in July
Golf Tourney
FF&M sponsored a charitable golf
tournament that brought out 31
teams! The Cannon Falls Education
Foundation was the benefactor of

(continued on page 7)

Updates

CANNON FALLS UPDATE

(continued from page 6)
for the Mascot Race: The Grinch,
Easter Bunny, Maxine the Hallmark
Shoebox Card lady, the CF Bear,
and Windchill (the mascot of Cabin
Fever Days in CF).
National Night Out/Night
to Unite
Cannon Falls had over a dozen
parties in August in observance
of National Night Out. FF&M
provided bottled water wrapped in
our labels that were delivered by the
Cannon Falls Police Department. It
was a beautiful night and people
got out of their houses to mingle
with the police officers, EMS and
Fire Department of Cannon Falls.
Teaching Kids to Save
Kris Bodette, Head Teller/CSR, had
a gentleman bring his grandchildren
into the bank to give them a tour of
the bank and also let them watch
as she used the coin counter and
magically turned their coins into
cash! Tim Coss, a customer, had
asked about bringing in his coin to
be counted. It was important to him
that his grandchildren be involved
and he asked if they would be able to
see and learn what the process was
to count the coin. Tim, his daughter
and grandchildren came in and we
went through the process. They had
all made a guess as to how much
was in the container. Kris showed
them how the coin is counted and
ran the coin they had brought in
through the coin counter. They got
to see how the machine worked and
where the coin went (into the coin
bags) as it went through the slots.
They each got a copy of the recap
ticket that showed how much and
how many pieces of each coin was

in the container. She also discussed

the process of what happens to the
coin after its counted, wrapping
the coin.
Kris also gave them a handout
about the Road to Your Financial
Future, instructions on how to
make an origami money man, and
a FF&M piggy bank. Tim was so
grateful and found the process very
interesting himself. Tim had said
he had no idea how the process
worked and was amazed how
detailed it was.

Its a BOY..and a GIRL!

Congratulations
to
Luke
Cooreman, Commercial Lender,
and his wife Katie as they
welcomed a set of twins into their

lives on August 14! Adelyn Jo

(4.10 lbs; 17.5 inches) and Brooks
Marcus (4.5 lbs; 18 inches) join
their big brother Grayson (2) at
home. The twins were a few weeks
early, but are now home and doing
great!

Weve Got Spirit, Yes We Do!

Its been a long-standing tradition
that before the Homecoming
Bomber game in Cannon Falls
the employees of the hometown
newspaper, the Cannon Falls
Beacon, and the team at the
downtown FF&M Bank toss the
football across the street. This
year, Ashley Trageser and Shelby
Sachs, both Information Systems
Assistants, Traci Holt, Operations,
and John Wegmann, Ag Lender,
participated in the tradition. Nice
form, Ashley!

Submitted by: Laura Qualey,

Director of Marketing

Updates
First Farmers & Merchants

Fairmont
Update

Ryan Noll and Dustin Meyer

joined us again this summer,
sharing drive-up teller duties. They
are now back at school; Ryan is
a junior at the U and Dustin is a
senior at FHS. We wish them both
a good year.
The 150th Martin County Fair was
held August 17-23. Headlining
the entertainment this year were
Cassidy Pope, Dan and Shay,
and Grand Funk Railroad. New
this year was a Ranch Rodeo. A
local favorite event is the Blue
Ribbon Pork Cook-off, where area
restaurants and caterers prepare a
pork dish for attendees to sample
and vote for Peoples Choice and
Connoisseurs Choice awards.
Commercial Banking Officer
Adam Smith spent a few evenings
working at the Lions Club ring
toss game during the week. VP/
Agricultural Loan Officer Dan
Hilgendorf attended the 4-H Blue
Ribbon Auction.
On September 13 several bank
employees and family members
attended the Lincoln Strong 5K
walk, which was a fund raiser for
a local 10-year old who has cancer.
There were over 500 people
in attendance for the walk and
carnival that was held and funds
in excess of $10,000 were raised.
The family is donating a portion
of the proceeds to Make A Wish
Foundation, Childrens Hospital
for childrens cancer research,
and the Ronald McDonald House.
Teller Sara Becker-Sokoloski was

on the planning committee for the

event.
Eric Noll, son of President Andy
and Brenda Noll, was named
to the 2015 Homecoming Court
at the University of Minnesota.
Eric, who is a senior at the U, is
studying genetics, cell biology
and development, as well as
pharmacology. On campus he
is involved in Colleges Against
Cancer and serves as the president
of the student group that plans
Relay for Life each April. He has
been a Welcome Week Leader
at the U and spends his free time
volunteering at the Hope Lodge on
campus, for the American Cancer
Society, and advocating for the
American Cancer Society Cancer
Action Network in honor of his
mom, a breast cancer survivor.
Congratulations, Eric!

It has just been announced that

Papa Murphys Pizza is coming to
Fairmont at the site of the previous
BP gas station. Demolition has
also begun for a new strip mall that
will be the home of a yogurt shop,
coffee shop, and offices where the
graffiti barn was along South
State Street, and another office
complex is being built across the
street from that site that previously
housed Pizza Hut and a car wash.
United Hospital District of Blue
Earth has announced the purchase
of a building in Fairmont and plans

to open a medical clinic here. Carpet

Plus is holding a Grand Opening in
September for their newly opened
store in Fairmont.
School is back in session and Fall
is here. Our area farmers are in
the fields and busy with harvest.
We wish everyone a safe harvest
season!
Submitted by: Joan Meyer,
Personal Banking Officer

First Farmers & Merchants

Goodhue
Update

Well, the calendar says its fall

around herebut the weather begs
to differ! Around here when we go
from summer to winter in a matter
of a few short weeks, well take this
warm weather as long as we can!
Its been pretty quiet around here
since the last Hooray! came out
in early July. Weve all taken
some kind of vacation and taken
advantage of the nice summer
weather. Summer just kind of slid by
quietly and easilyand thats OK!
Sometimes its nice to just enjoy
each day without having too much
to do. But then our slow summer
quickly turned to fall and with that
comes all sorts of activities! The
farmers are in the fields and school
activities are back in full swing.
Here at the bank, we will again
be helping out at various times in
the concession stand for school
sporting events and rallying behind
our student/customer athletes.
(continued on page 9)

Updates

GOODHUE Update
(continued from page 8)
This week is Homecoming here
in Goodhue and we are very
proud to say that everyone on the
Homecoming court is a customer!!
Cass Ramthun, daughter of Lara,
Teller, was among those candidates.
The crowned King and Queen were
Laura Ringeisen, daughter of Rob
and Shelly Ringeisen, and Wilson
Jonas, son of Mike and Lyn Jonas.

far, from our windows across the

street we see anybody from school
kids using it to do homework after
school, to business people getting
away to eat their lunch, to the
seniors getting together for coffee
and friendship. As of right now
we have the Country Station, also
owned by the Poncelets, and a bar
to provide gathering places. The
Poncelets decided our town needed
a third place for us to goso
thats what they named itThe
Third Place.

writing everything down in a book

when customers came in and made
deposits and withdrawals! Holly
agrees that technology is a big
change, but another one is going
through changes in ownership of
the bank. While they both agree
none of these things are badthey
are still changes and take some
getting used to.

Holly Roschen and Mary Majerus

It may seem like we dont have
much to report this quarter, but
believe me, we will make up for it
next quarterstay tuned for all the
fun, busy stuff that goes along with
the school year and the holidays!
New businesses in a town our size
dont come along very oftenbut
one just opened up across from the
bank a few weeks ago. Its not so
much a money making business as
it is a social gathering site. Owners
and First Farmers customers, Pete
and Regina Poncelet, bought the
old building, where Goodhue State
Bank started out across the street.
They have been remodeling it
all summer long and it has been
restored to show how beautiful the
100+ year old building really is!
They have made the downstairs
into a gathering place of sorts for
the townspeople to come, hang
out, visit, use the free WiFi, drink
coffee or bring in their own treats.
The coffee is always on and used
on a free-will donation basis. So

Although Lara Ramthun has not

been here nearly as long, having
been here 11 years in August, she
has also seen many changes in her
career.
Submitted by: Lara Ramthun,
Teller

First Farmers & Merchants

We do have three bank anniversaries

to report. Mary Majerus, CSR, and
Holly Roschen, Teller, are both
celebrating 29 years! They have
been here since it was Goodhue
State Bank, then on to White Rock
Bank, and now they continue on
with First Farmers & Merchants.
They have both seen many changes
over the years. The change that
stands out in Marys mind the most
is how technology has evolved
over the years. She remembers

Grand
Meadow
Update

Fall is coming and the harvest

season has begun. Farmers are in
the fields and crops are coming out.
We wish all the farmers a safe and
bountiful harvest.
Wed like to welcome Vicki
Holz to the First Farmers &
Merchants family as a Charter
(continued on page 10)

Updates

GRAND MEADOW
Update
(continued from page 9)
Teller/CSR. Vicki has previously
worked at Think Mutual for over
15 years and her knowledge and
peppy personality are more
than contagious. She is married to
husband Rusty and they have one
child, Trevor, age 4. Vicki enjoys
camping, fishing and spending time
with family. Welcome, Vicki!

table. Tabitha is married to John

and has three children. She enjoys
camping and spending time with
family. Welcome, Tabitha!

services which are now offered at

the location and to ask the question,
What more can the bank do for you
and the community of Racine?

Our annual Customer Appreciation

event was in August and it was a
huge success. We served good grub
from Scott Hurleys Parties Made
Simple. Brian Short was on hand
wearing a dandy FF&M Hawaiian
shirt. Where can I get one of
those? He was able to spend a lot
of time chatting with customers
and hopefully got to sample some
of the goodies. Thanks, Brian!
Kathy Gehling won Twins tickets
and it was a hot day so the root beer
floats were a huge hit.

Our annual teacher appreciation

luncheon was held at the Grand
Meadow School in September. We
provided lunch for all the teachers
and support personnel at the school.
Just our way of saying, Thanks for
everything you do for our kids!
As always, we at FF&M State Bank
of Grand Meadow wish you all a
very good fall.
Submitted by: Kelly Wytaske,
Customer Service Representative
and Assistant Branch Manager,
Racine

First Farmers & Merchants

Le Sueur
Update
Vicki Holz
Also welcome to Tabitha Hoffman,
also a Charter Teller/CSR. Tabitha
previously worked at Bremer and
brings a lot of knowledge to the

Wed like to congratulate Kathy

Nagel, Vice President and
Assistant Branch Manager of the
Grand Meadow location, on her
new grandbaby. Layne Garrett
was born on September 19, 2015.
We are looking forward to
Customer Service Week. We are
ramping up for Everyday Heroes
promoting the great customer
service our customers deserve.
Perhaps Wonder Woman will pay
us a visit!!!

Tabitha Hoffman

10

We hosted a Meet & Greet open

house in Racine this month. The
event provided an opportunity for
our clients to formally meet the
new Assistant Branch Manager,
Kelly Wytaske. We took the
opportunity to introduce additional

Do you remember what you were

doing on the beautiful evening
of July 15? It was our Customer
Appreciation Picnic and we were
serving our hungry customers
(420+) the fabulous pork burgers
that were grilled by our Grill
Masters, Tom Obele, VP/Mortgage
Loan Officer, and Brian Pfarr, VP/
Ag and Commercial Loan Officer,
assisted by Keith Maetzold,
President, and Terry Mattson,
Loan Officer. Meanwhile, the
ladies were serving up the burgers,
chips, cookies and ice cream.

(continued on page 11)

Updates

LE SUEUR Update
(continued from page 10)

program. Some of the men golfed

and the rest of the staff were the
officials to verify if anyone shot a
hole in one. We also handed out
bottles of water and can koozies to
all the golfers.
Submitted by:
Accountant

Keith Maetzold, Brian Pfarr

and Tom Obele
Thrivent Financial treated us to a
pizza party for donating June and
Julys jean money ($5.00 to wear
jeans on Friday) to Habitat for
Humanity. Also, the jean money
for August went to our local
librarys fund, Friends of the
Library. These funds are used for
fun activities at the library. The
staff has donated $1,455.00 so
far this year to five different local
organizations!
The first weekend in August is Le
Sueurs annual Giant Celebration.
Many of the staff were out and about
for all the different activities during
the weekend music, kickball
tourney, softball tourney, bingo,
food vendors, fireworks, parade,
Miss Le Sueur coronation and much
more. Tom Obele is the MC for the
coronation. The last weekend of
August is Pioneer Power. If you
are interested in tractors, watching
thrashers, milling logs in a saw
mill and a whole lot more, this is
the place to be! The Le Sueur Lions
have a food booth and Lions Terry
Mattson and Brian Pfarr worked
on Saturday.
The Bank sponsored the Hole in
One contest at the annual Blue &
Gold Golf Tournament that raises
funds for our schools athletic

Sue

Kahle,

Brian Pfarr
Promotion to Colonel
Brian Pfarr, Vice President
and Ag Loan Officer, FF&M Le
Sueur, and Deputy Commander,
1st Armored Brigade Combat
Team, 34th Infantry Division of
the US Army National Guard,
was promoted from Lt. Colonel
to Colonel on October 2, 2015.
The promotion ceremony took
place at Traxlers Hunting
Preserve in Le Center, Minnesota.
Congratulations, Brian!

This evening included a Weiner

Dog Beauty Contest, races, and a
Wienerman Triathlon. The Rock
County fair was also held in July
with very mild temperatures for
fair attendees.
Years of Service Awards were
presented when Brian was
in Luverne on July 20 for the
Advisory Board meeting. LaDonna
VanAartsen (Operations) was
recognized for 35 years of service
as of December 31, 2014. Also
recognized were Tara Zewiske
(Auditor, 15 years), Cindy
Kunkel (Credit Analyst, 25 years),
Mike Schacht (Loan Officer, 10
years) and Ryan Wynia (Loan
Officer, 5 years, not pictured).

Brian Short, Tom Obele,

Brian Pfarr, Keith Maetzold and
Greg Wulf

First Farmers & Merchants

Luverne
Update

Luverne hosted its annual Hot Dog

Night and the bank participated by
serving hot dogs as we do each and
every July. This year we decided to
change up our Hot Dog menu by
adding chili so customers enjoyed
Chili Dogs along with the usual
condiments. They were a hit!

LaDonna VanAartsen and

Mike Engesser

Mike Engesser, Tara Zewiske,

Brian, Cindy Kunkel and
Mike Schacht
(continued on page 12)

11

Updates

LUVERNE Update
(continued from page 11)
Congratulations and thanks very
much for your dedicated service to
the bank!
We held our 8th annual Customer
Appreciation Night on Monday,
August 10. We served 600 customers
a meal of pulled pork sandwiches,
baby red potatoes, watermelon and
ice cream for dessert. We have
inflatables for the kids and a money
booth for all lucky ones who have
their names drawn for a chance to
catch the flying dollars. We give
each family a gift; this year it was
a choice of a selfie stick or an ice
cream spade. We had drawings
throughout the night for cash. Our
customers enjoy bringing their
families for a free supper and a
night of fun.
Employees got together to play a
best ball golf tournament for fun
in August. The winning team, from
left to right, was Ryan Wynia, Kim
Lueck (Investment Center), Lois
Leuthold (Teller), and LaDonna
VanAartsen.

Ryan Wynia, Kim Lueck,

Lois Leuthold and
LaDonna VanAartsen
The bank sponsored a hole and
participated in the Rock County

12

Kids Golf Scrambler in August.

This tournament is a fund raiser for
the local kids programs. The team
representing the bank included
Cliff Boom (Loan Officer), Tara
Zewiske and Mike Schacht.
The 64th Annual Band Festival
was held in Luverne on Saturday,
September 26 for all marching
band fans to enjoy. Maryln
VanGrootheest (CSR) is a
committee member for this event.
Submitted by: Tara Zewiske,
Auditor, and Elaine Hansen, Data
Center

First Farmers & Merchants

Pipestone
Update

held in March. The students design

then is cast in button form and the
commemorative buttons are sold
as a fund raiser for the Chamber
of Commerce, which organizes the
festival. The bank also sponsored
the Slayton Community Band in
the parade. Pictured are the button
designer, Alex Wilson, Kelsey
Weinkauf, Teller, and Tabby
Meza, Teller.
Jim Torkelson, league golf partner
of Dale Roemmich, President,
got a hole in one on a par 3, 145
yard hole, during league play on
August 25. Jim was using a First
Farmers & Merchants logoed
golf ball to make his shot of a
lifetime.

The 26th Annual Watertower

Festival was held the final weekend
in June and was themed Salute to
the Troops. As FF&M has done
in the past, the bank featured the
Watertower button designer on
its float entry. This years button
designer was Alex Wilson. Art
classes from the high school
submit entries in the spring and the
community votes on the winning
design at the annual Home Show

Alex Wilson, Kelsey Weinkauf

and Tabby Meza

The staff in Pipestone has taken

up the charge of keeping our
country beautiful by participating
in the Adopt-A-Highway project.
The bank will be responsible for
cleaning a two-mile section of
ditch twice a year. Led by project
(continued on page 13)

Updates

PIPESTONE Update
(continued from page 12)
captain Brooke Legler, Customer
Service Representative, a team of
seven employees donned yellow
vests and garbage bags to get the
job done on a warm September
afternoon. Along with Brooke, the
team consisted of Tim Paulson,
Vice President, Mike Hansen,
Vice President, Mindy Johnson,
Loan Assistant, Dawn Carson,
Loan Assistant, Vicki Quist, Vice
President, and Natalie Sorenson,
Teller. After a few hours the ditches
were spotless and ready for the
winter.

keeping with tradition, the Luverne

staff has already made payment in
regards to the ongoing bet between
offices and has sent a large bag
of candy bars to the winner. The
traditional rivalry is called the
Battle Ax game. Pictured is Cole
Paulson, son of Tim Paulson, with
Austin Moeller holding the beloved
trophy.
Whitney Norberg, Teller, joined
the staff on August 25 as a part-time
Teller. Whitney enjoys traveling to
band competitions in the fall and is a
drum major. Welcome, Whitney!

Commerce Business after Hours

networking event! On July 14
we hosted around 75 chamber
members and special guests, Brian
and Kathleen Short! Brian and
President Brett Elford talked
about the importance of community
involvement and introduced the
Red Wing employees. President
Paul Drackley from the White
Rock location was here to talk
about the 100 years of banking in
White Rock celebration. Here is a
group picture!

We had some fun at the annual Red

Wing Chamber Golf Tournament
on August 27. This years theme
The annual battle for bragging rights
between the Luverne Cardinals and
the Pipestone Arrows commenced
under Friday night lights on
September 18 with Pipestone once
again emerging victorious. In
Whitney Norberg
Submitted by: Linda Erickson,
Customer Service Representative

First Farmers & Merchants

Red Wing
Update

The Red Wing branch had a

wonderful summer! Many fun
community events in town this
season! One of those events was
held at our location our annual
Red Wing Area Chamber of

Lisa MacRae and Colleen Phillips

(continued on page 14)

13

Updates

RED WING Update

(continued from page 13)
was Swingin in the Wild, Wild
West. Over 400 businesses were
involved in the event!
FF&M
sponsored Hole #3 which included
an old western shoot out game
with water guns, fabulous prizes
and CSR Lisa MacRae and Head
Teller Colleen Phillips in costume!
We came in 2nd place for Best
Hole Sponsor.
We also had a Super Fun foursome
team that included FF&M Goodhue
President Paul Althoff, Business
Banking Officer Julie Eckstrom,
Credit Analyst Missy Anderson
and President Brett Elford.

Dawn Gast were in attendance.

Here are a couple of photos.

Tracy Gadient, Nancy Falk,

Dave Muelken and Brett Elford
Last but not least, at the 25th
Annual Short Companies Managers
Meeting on July 31, held at the
Minneapolis Institute of Art, the
Short Companies Eagle of the
Year was announced: FF&M Red
Wing President Brett Elford!
Congratulations, Brett, from the
entire Red Wing team!
Submitted by: Lisa MacRae,
Customer Service Representative

First Farmers & Merchants

Stewartville
Update
Our Advisory Board met on
board Wylie Wilsons boat on
September 28. Brian Short and

Wylie Wilson, Dawn Gast

and Dick Gorman

14

STAFF CHANGES
With regret we announce Shari
Davidsons last day at First Farmers
& Merchants, Stewartville, was
August 28. We enjoyed working
with her since she began her
employment with us in March,
appreciated her hard work and
dedication, and wish her well in her
future endeavors.
DOG DAYS OF SUMMER
CUSTOMER APPRECIATION
Our annual Dog Days of Summer
was a complete success! The
community appreciation event was
held in conjunction with other 20th
Street NE merchants including
Fareway, Bobcat of Rochester,

Advanced Body Chiropractic,

Family Dental, Anytime Fitness
and Riverview Greens. Merchants
set up in their parking lots with grills
and canopies and offer differently
prepared hot dogs with a variety
of sides. We always anticipate hot
weather and sunshine during this
event and we were blessed with
a beautiful day for our outdoor
activity. Our customers and area
residents enjoyed walking between
the merchants to sample a wide
variety of dogs and other great
food. Music was provided by a DJ,
a bouncy house was available for
the kids, the weather was perfect,
and it was great spending time
visiting with staff and attendees
from around the area.

CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK

Where did the summer go? We are
(continued on page 15)

Updates

STEWARTVILLE Update
(continued from page 14)
all anticipating the fun of Customer
Service Week its already October!
Our Loan Administrative Assistant,
Stephanie Lawson, has been busy
coordinating and planning for the
theme, decorations, prizes and all
the activities we look forward to
during the week.
BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dicia and Todd Kappers, along
with big sister Olivia, proudly
announce the birth of Corbin
Michal! Corbin was born at
3:30 a.m. on September 24, 2015,
weighing 5 lbs. 12 oz. and 18
inches long. Congratulations to all
of them!
Have a great fall season!
Submitted by: Jan Cowan, Teller

First Farmers & Merchants

White Rock
Update

I was just looking at some of the

pictures we had from the Goodhue
County
Historical
Society
portraying life in the mid 1900s
when this bank came into being. It
is amazing the amount of change
that can happen in a mere century.
It makes you wonder what life will
be like in just a quarter century from
now the way things are moving in
the technology field, which affects
just about everything we do. I feel
fortunate to be entering the tail end
of my working career, and only
wish the young ones will continue
to have the opportunities to work
together with the customers and

not be completely automated. That

might seem far-fetched, but hey,
they are talking about driverless
cars????????
Back to the present we were
delighted with the way everything
came together to have a wonderful
celebration of the 100th year of the
banking business in White Rock. It
was a warm, sunny day with a slight
breeze to alleviate any discomfort
from heat or bugs. There were an
estimated 250 customers who came
out to enjoy the food, music, tractor
parade and just reconnecting with
long-time friends, reminiscing
the days when they would come
to the bank in White Rock and
carry out their business while
connecting with neighbors and
getting the latest market prices or
the latest news of the area. We had
about 37 tractors in the parade and
heading it all up was 99 year old
Earl Nelson, a life-long customer
of the bank riding in Dan Ryans
1915 Model T Ford. The music
was supplied by Dave Carpenter
and Leonard McCracken, also
long-time customers. As our motto
states, You can have a good time
in White Rock; we think everyone
did. [Editors note: I certainly
did! I attended with my husband
and two of our granddaughters.
Great food, great music, tractor
parade was fun! We even got to see
the White Rock which gave the area
its name, courtesy of Calvin Ryan
and the golf cart he was shuttling
people around in.)

July marked the beginning of

this branch being closed on
Saturdays. We have not had too
many complaints, other than from
the other branches that now have
picked up some of our Saturday
regulars and are finding out what
kind of customer service those
customers were used to here in
White Rock.
It has been pretty quiet here in
the village, so it is a good time to
get more jobs which had been put
off for a time to be taken care of.
Vacation time is being used up as
the summer draws down and the
days are getting shorter by around
three minutes a day. We are getting
our plans together for the 2nd
annual pumpkin decorating contest
that is coming up real soon.
On July 31, my husband and I were
guests at the 25th Annual Short
Companies Managers Meeting
along with several other guests from
the many varied branches of the
Short Companies, who were there
to be recognized for their years
of service and of course the Eagle
(continued on page 16)

15

Updates

WHITE ROCK Update

(continued from page 15)
of the Year Award. This years
Eagle Award went to Brett Elford,
President of the Red Wing office
of FF&M. Congratulations, Brett!
I received the Robert E. Short
Service Award in appreciation
for the 25 years Ive worked in
White Rock as a Customer Service
Representative. It was a very
enjoyable evening, meeting other
members of the Short Companies
and experiencing the Minneapolis
Institute of Art exhibits before the
wonderful dinner we were served.

Admiral
Merchants
Update
It has been a busy summer for
Admiral Merchants. Brian Short
and members of the Admiral team
were able to take time away from
the office to visit some of our
agent partners. The team traveled
to Bakersfield, CA to present the
plaque recognizing M&M Trucking
and its owner Jim McGowen
and its office manager Olivia
McGowen as a Tom Seitz Million
Dollar Agent at the Platinum level.
Jim, Olivia and their colleagues
at M&M have been one of our top
agents for a number of years and
Admirals No. 1 agent in 2014.

Brian and Babe

We have been noticing the
combines coming out of storage
and the changing hues on the fields,
so harvest time is just on the cusp
of bursting into full bloom. It is
going to be a good year, at least
yield wise, by the looks of things
right now. More rain in the forecast
however, so ??????? Thats the life
of a farmer, always questionable.
Hope you can find an apple orchard
or a pumpkin patch to explore and
enjoy your fall season.
Submitted by: Babe Nelson,
Customer Service Representative

16

It was a valuable experience being

in the field visiting the McGowens
and other agents because it allowed
us to get answers to the following
question: What can Admiral do to
help grow your business? We took
their feedback seriously and are
continuing our focus on recruiting
trucks, working on automation in
the permit department, offering
insurance options, helping drivers
know their operating cost, and
working on better coordination of
freight between the Minneapolis
office, agents and drivers.
In addition to agent visits, we also
held our Annual Driver Appreciation
BBQ in London, OH, where we
had about 75 customers attend. We
hold one or two Appreciation BBQs
each year to thank our business
partners and provide a venue for
networking. The BBQs are a great
way to communicate with our
customers in person about what is
going on at Admiral, as well as the
overall trucking industry. One of
our drivers, Mark Suver (5588),
and his daughter Ricki helped with
the cooking. We may need to put
Mark on staff as everyone loved
the food they were cooking up.

Olivia, Brian and Jim

Brian with Olivia and Jim

McGowen and the entire team
from M&M Trucking

Mark Suver cooking at the BBQ

(continued on page 17)

Updates

Benson
Parking
Update

ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Update
(continued from page 16)

Benson Parking is looking GOOD!

Our roaming photographers took
these photos recently. When youre
out walking or running to get your
F.E.D. minutes, be sure to take
a look at the Benson block for
yourself.

Lots of great BBQ being eaten

Snapshot of a few of the gorgeous

Admiral trucks that were parked at
the BBQ

Debbie Taylor retiring

In addition to visiting our customers

and eating a lot of BBQ, we also
had a few staff changes within the
office; we had one employee retire,
two employees transfer to new
departments, and we welcomed
three new employees to the Admiral
team.

Missy Swenson was promoted

to Freight Coordinator after
working at the front desk for the
past year and a half. She made great
connections with the drivers in her
previous role that will make her
a great addition to the Operations
team.

Congratulations to Debbie
Taylor who retired from Admiral
after 12 years of service. We can
rest assured that her future plans
include travel and a lot of golf.

Paul Hinrichs just joined

the team last month as our new
Director of Safety. His background
includes approximately 30 years of
transportation experience in both
the Safety and Operations arenas.

Theresa Dougan joined the

Admiral team as our newest Broker
in June. She came to us with over 15
years of transportation/brokerage
experience.
Dave Stedman is now working
as a Broker after working in the
Freight Coordinator department
for a year. His 20 plus years of
transportation service will serve
him well in his new role.

Claire Gregory just joined

Admiral as our new receptionist.
She is currently a full-time student in
pursuit of a Business Management
degree and has previous reception
experience.
Submitted by: Jim Bemis, CFO,
and Augusta Kirk, HR Director

Jim Tuttle took this photo of

the plantings along 10th Street.
This planting project was done
by the Minneapolis Downtown
Improvement District (DID), and it
really looks great! This was one of
only two projects that the DID did
as part of its Greener initiative:
Beautiful, well maintained
greening elements soften the
edges of our downtown, making
it feel more human in scale,
promoting way-finding, and
connecting the many highlights
and neighborhoods of our city.
With the goal of every block
green in 20 years, DID looks
for opportunities to advocate
for greening at the policy level,
provide sustainable greening
in the public right of way, and
encourage greening on private
properties.
The DID is hoping the two projects
they did will inspire downtown
(continued on page 18)

17

Updates

BENSON PARKING
Update

added a planter along 9th Street,

photographed by Doug Swanson.

(continued from page 17)

property owners to do other
greening projects.

Submitted by: Al Schroeder,

Manager, and Nancy Novack,
Executive Assistant

Calhoun
Towers
Update

Brian Short liked the look of these

motorcycles parked in the Benson
lot and took this photo. But the
building behind the motorcycles
is also worth taking a look at.
Formerly owned by the League of
Catholic Women, the building has
recently been painted and refreshed
by its new owner, who also

While May and June were extremely

active months for Calhoun Towers
in terms of resident moves, July,
August, and September were
exceptionally quiet. To date we are
100% full until at least February
2016.
For building projects, we did a lot
of the exterior work from painting
the garage to some landscaping and
remodeling the front groundwork
of the building. With the long
warm summer this year the grounds
looked especially good, and our
landscaper, Matt Melanson, did
an exceptional job of creating an
artistic look around the fountain
and sides of the building. We also
remodeled the garage entry and
removed all the old bikes that used
to clutter it up. Now the entry looks
clean and bright.
We are looking for a quiet and
prosperous end to the last few
months of 2015.
Submitted by:
Manager

Steve Ocvirek,

St. Paul
Flight
Center
Update
The completion of a three-year
replacement of the Highway 52
Lafayette Bridge project is nearing
the finish line as this edition of the
Hooray! goes to press. While this
may not sound like a company
newsletter worthy item, this is
huge news for us at the St. Paul
Flight Center. Coupled with many
other road projects this past year
in downtown St. Paul, it has been
very difficult to navigate in and out
of the airport. The new bridge is a
$20 million improvement and will
serve as the main artery for our
customers to access the airport for
years to come.
The Flight Center welcomes a new
employee, Mike Schmelpfenig,
Line Service. Mike started on
July 21, 2015. He had five years
of line service experience with
Signature and Elliot Aviation.
Mike covers the weekend line
service and has already proved
to be a terrific asset for the Flight
Center.
On July 16, Brian presented Years
of Service Awards to Janine Moe,
Customer Service Manager (15
years), and Pete Brostrom, Line
Service (25 years). In addition, as
noted on page 5 of this newsletter,
Jeff Starzecki, Line Service,
received the Robert E. Short
(continued on page 19)

18

Wellness

ST. PAUL FLIGHT

CENTER UPDATE
(continued from page 18)
Service Award at the 25th Annual
Short
Companies
Managers
Meeting on July 31, in recognition
of his 20+ years of service at the
Flight Center. Congratulations,
Janine, Pete and Jeff!

Dave Lessard, Pete Brostrom,

Janine Moe and Brian

F.E.D.: Tracking the Numbers

Target
Corporation
recently
handed out 335,000 Fitbits to their
employees as part of their corporate
wellness program. Employees
who opt into the program will be
divided into teams with monthly
competitions. The team that wins
will get to choose a charity that will
receive up to $1 million.
So why the big push for employees
to wear a wearable sensor such as
Fitbit, Nike FuelBand, Jawbone UP,
Apple Watch or a tracking device
on a smart phone? According to
USA News Health, a 2009 study
found that those given a pedometer
increased their daily step count by
36 percent in 12 weeks, which was
enough to significantly lower their
blood pressure.
I have to admit, Im one of those
who has jumped on the fitness
tracker bandwagon. My husband
bought me one for Valentines
Day (dont worry..it was my gift
suggestion). I had a few friends who
had received them at Christmas
and I figured it would be fun to
join in on challenging each other
on steps. And I will agree with the
studies, I do get more steps in than
before I had the tracker. I am now
always aware of how many steps
I personally have and how far I
need to go to reach the daily goal
of 10,000. And that cant be a bad
thing.

Brian and Jeff Starzecki

Submitted by: Dave Lessard,
Manager

Seeing the weekly averages of

the people I am connected to is
also motivating. For example, I
received the following message
on August 14 from Brian Pfarr
at FF&M Le Sueur: It looks like
someone made a big jump in the

standings today. Keep it up. Im

sitting in meetings at Camp Riley
so I wont get much in today.
Basically, Brian Pfarr is always
way ahead of me when it comes to
daily steps and he saw me creeping
up on his numbers due to the fact I
was running Ragnar that weekend.
He still managed to outstep me that
weekend so he must have found
time to walk or run during his nonclass time. It seems that no matter
what I do, he still has more steps
than me. I think it is his personal
goal! Ive even accused him of
putting his Fitbit on his dog as Im
running every single day and he is
still beating me. Here is a snapshot
from my Fitbit app last night. My
two friends in spots 1 and 2 are both
training for a marathon. And look
who is at #3 and #4. Thats right

(continued on page 20)

19

Eagle Awards

F.E.D.: Tracking
THE numbers
(continued from page 19)
Brian Pfarr is still beating me and
I put in 17,000 steps yesterday!
So if you have toyed around with
the idea of a fitness tracker, what
could it hurt? Who knows, maybe
youll get one like FF&M Austin
President Steve Drennan did this
past Christmas with the challenge
from his granddaughter and
suddenly you are participating in
triathlons!
Hope your challenge of Fitness
Every Day is being achieved.
Submitted by: Augusta Kirk, HR
Director

Eagle Awards
Admiral Merchants
Missy Swenson
Receptionist/Freight Coordinator
Submitted by: Admiral Team

We are happy to announce that

Missy Swenson is Admirals Eagle
for the 3rd quarter.
Missy joined Admiral in April
2014 as our new receptionist after
our long-time receptionist retired.
The transition was seamless! Our
customers immediately responded
well to Missy and sensed her honest
appreciation of their work.

Missy also found ways to save

money by using an envelope that
is a half inch smaller. The size
difference is minimal in regards to
the items we are mailing, but saves
us approximately 50 cents per
envelope. That really adds up when
you consider how much mail is sent
out each day.

Congratulations, Missy!

20

Lori Edwards
Vice President-Operations
Submitted by: Tami Whitman,
Teller, and Andy Noll, President

It has become Missys goal to

bring drivers in to meet the office
staff so they feel a connection to
the company. She began regularly
submitting her own article,
featuring drivers who have stopped
by the office, for Admirals
quarterly publication, Ships Log,
and sending personal notes to the
drivers after they stopped by to
thank them for visiting.

Missys positive attitude and

enthusiasm for the business is
contagious, insomuch that after just
a year and a half, she was recently
promoted to freight coordinator
working more closely with the
drivers.

Missy Swenson

FF&M Fairmont

Lori Edwards
Lori is the standard when it comes
to leading by example and she has
a great work ethic. She is very
prompt in completing her duties
and getting back to employees who
are looking for help. She is always
there for those she supervises,
answering questions from customer
issues to computer issues. She
also challenges us and supports us
in solving problems; rather than
making you feel like you dont
know anything, she makes you feel
like you can do anything.
Lori understands what makes her
staff tick and approaches each team
member differently as needed. She
is the sounding board for issues
without compromising anyones
position or trust in her. As the
banks HR person, she handles
many issues that require trust
(continued on page 21)

Eagle Awards

EAGLE AWARDS
(continued from page 20)

and confidentiality. She provides

coaching and mentoring to staff to
get through difficult situations and
assists employees with professional
development.
She is firm when needed, but
approachable and supportive at
the same time. Her calm approach
helps keep the work environment
stress free. As an employee Lori
supervises, I have a lot of respect
for her and confidence in her. She
is very deserving of the Eagle
Award.

greeting customers when they

enter the lobby and also is a part
of the phone team. Dawn also
works specifically with our loan
customers, gathering insurance
information,
preparing
loan
documents, obtaining signatures,
originating loan advances as
requested, and many other day
to day tasks. Our customers have
commented many times that they
appreciate the friendly greeting
they receive and the professional
detail to the work that Dawn does.
It is one of the many reasons they
enjoy doing business with First
Farmers.
In
addition
to
her
responsibilities,
Dawn

tracks the monthly reporting for

the Federal Home Loan Bank
borrowing base. We were very
pleased when we were audited
in the past year that there were a
minimum of exceptions that were
identified.
Dawn recently identified a scam
that could have cost a local
business thousands of dollars due
to fraudulent e-mails. I always
appreciate hearing from our
customers regarding the terrific
work that our employees do
and this one was no exception.
Congratulations, Dawn!

loan
also

FF&M Pipestone
Dawn Carson
Loan Assistant
Submitted by: Dale Roemmich,
President

Dawn Carson
Dawn Carson is a Loan Assistant
at First Farmers & Merchants,
Pipestone, working in that
position for the past seven years.
Dawn is a front line staff person

Thanks to Doug Swanson for submitting this interesting photo.

Who can tell me where it was taken?
Submit your answers to nancy@leamington.com

21

News

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
FF&M AUSTIN

Faye Haugen welcomed grandson

Cullen Samuel Haugen to the
family. Born on September 18
at 10:11 p.m., Cullen weighed
7 lbs. 11 ounces and was 20
inches long.

FF&M CANNON FALLS

Congratulations
to
Luke
Cooreman and his wife Katie
as they welcomed a set of twins
into their lives on August 14!
Adelyn Jo (4.10 lbs; 17.5 inches)
and Brooks Marcus (4.5 lbs;
18 inches) join their big brother
Grayson (2) at home.

FF&M GRAND MEADOW

Congratulations to Kathy Nagel

on the birth of her new grandbaby,
Layne Garrett, on September 19.

FF&M LE SUEUR

Avis Jacobus 8th grandchild,

Gweneth,
was
born
on
September 10. She weighed in at
7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19 inches
long.

FF&M LUVERNE

Bonnie
Shelton
proudly
announces the birth of a
grandson. Evan Scott was born
August 15 and weighed 8 lbs. 4
oz. Congratulations, Bonnie and
Dave!
Maryln VanGrootheest proudly
announces the birth of her first
granddaughter. Kallista Lynn
was born August 5 and weighed
6 lbs. 2 oz. Congratulations,
Maryln and Mike!

22

FF&M STEWARTVILLE

Dicia and Todd Kappers, along

with big sister Olivia, proudly
announce the birth of Corbin
Michal. Corbin was born at 3:30
a.m. on September 24, weighing
5 lbs. 12 oz. and 18 inches long.
Congratulations to all of them!

FF&M PIPESTONE

Rhonda and Morgan Smith are

proud to announce the birth of
their third grandchild. Morgan
Kathleen Devries was born
September 2 and weighed 7 lbs.
7 oz. The parents are Clint and
Melissa Devries.
Darlene and Ray Gonnerman
are proud to announce the birth of
their fourth grandchild. Katherine
(Kate) Ann was born May 17, and
weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19
long. The parents are Andrew and
Jenny Gonnerman.

News

ANNIVERSARIES
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Patty Bostrom
Kim Nelson
Jim Bemis
Karen McNamara
Augusta Kirk
Rob Litzenberger
Kelsey Rossow
Tom Bobrycki
Tim Nelson
Pat Gegner
Lori Harless
Laurie Walker
Wes Dyer
Jen Hanley-Tuttle
Ashley Anderson
Bonnie Bley
Mark Dooley
Megan Erickson
Dave Stedman

29 years
18 years
14 years
14 years
11 years
10 years
10 years
9 years
8 years
7 years
5 years
5 years
4 years
2 years
1 year
1 year
1 year
1 year
1 year

FF&M CANNON FALLS

Deb Graber
Brenda Deutsch
Katie Overby
Kris Bodette
Cheryl Hansen
Anne Leverton
Michele Zimmerman
John Wegmann
Deb Gesme
Cheryl Sabin
Patty Gustafson

22 years
17 years
13 years
12 years
12 years
12 years
10 years
9 years
8 years
3 years
1 year

NEW EMPLOYEES

FF&M GOODHUE
Mary Majerus
Holly Roschen
Lara Ramthun

29 years
29 years
11 years

FF&M LE SUEUR
Kathy Harrison
Gail Nelson
Linda Grack
Monica Sullivan
Brian Pfarr
Lynnette Eckblad

38 years
34 years
16 years
12 years
10 years
8 years

ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Theresa Dougan
Broker
Paul Hinrichs Director of Safety
Claire Gregory
Receptionist

FF&M GRAND MEADOW

Vicki Holz Charter Teller/CSR
Tabitha Hoffman Charter Teller

/CSR

FF&M RED WING

Gayle Boldt
Missy Anderson
Krystyna Bremer

4 years
1 year
1 year

LEAMINGTON CO.
Doug Swanson
Jim Tuttle

FF&M PIPESTONE
Whitney Norberg Part-time Teller

ST. PAUL FLIGHT CENTER

44 years
18 years

Mike Schmelpfenig Line Service

WEDDINGS
FF&M LUVERNE

FF&M PIPESTONE

Congratulations to Peg Gacke

and husband Vince and Mary
Christensen and husband Todd
on the marriage of their children
Landen Gacke to Lauren
Christensen on July 25.

Jamie (Silkman) Cordell was

married to Jacob Cordell on
September 12. Jamie and Jacob
were married in a lovely outdoor
ceremony and the couple is making
their home in Ihlen, Minnesota.
Congratulations,
Jamie
and
Jacob!

23

When Ken Lehner, Payroll

Office Administrator, received
this postcard recently regarding
the Minnesota Twins 2016
season ticket renewal, he
noticed some familiar faces in
the front row! Jim Bemis, CFO,
Jeff Johnson, Controller, and
Kelsey Rossow, Accounting
Manager,
from
Admiral
Merchants, and Hunt Gildner
from U.S. Bank attended the
Twins vs. Cardinals game on
June 18, 2015. As is pretty
apparent in the photo(!), the
Twins won, by a score of 2-1.

24

Hooray!
SHORT COMPANIES

215 South 11th Street

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