Hooray!
SHORT C O M PA N I E S
SPRING 2017
The Wonderful World of Travel
by Walt Site, Senior Vice President, Admiral Merchants, and Carolyn Site
Because Carolyn and I both plan
to retire in mid-April, we are often
asked about where we will be
traveling to next. The answer to that
question is easy nowhere. Having Our most adventurous trip, especially
been blessed with the opportunity for a couple well into their seventies,
to have traveled to all parts of the was our trip to Rwanda in 2014 to
globe, including 126 countries and view the silver back mountain
all of the United States except for gorillas in their own habitat. After
Alaska, it is time for us to settle flying to Kigali we still had a two-
down and get caught up with our hour drive to the Volcanoes National
neglected volunteer responsibilities Park, which is in a mountainous
and chores around the house.
(continued on page 4)
The next question
generally asked
What was your most
is,
Inside:
memorable or exciting Brian P. Short.............................................2
trip? Well, that is hard to Austin Update............................................5
answer because we have Brownsdale Update.....................................5
the memories of so many Cannon Falls Update...................................6
wonderful experiences. Fairmont Update.........................................8
Goodhue Update........................................9
Grand Meadow Update...............................9
Le Sueur Update........................................11
Luverne Update.........................................11
Pipestone Update...................................... 12
Data Center Update.................................. 13
Red Wing Update..................................... 14
Stewartville Update................................... 15
White Rock Update................................... 15
Admiral Merchants Update........................ 17
Executive Offices Update........................... 19
St. Paul Flight Center Update.....................20
Eagle Awards........................................... 21
News....................................................... 23
Wellness................................................... 24
Admiral Merchants: Driven to Succeed
Brian P. Short
The annual Admiral Merchants
Contractor and Agent Recognition
Weekend was held this year in
Lexington, Kentucky, the self-
proclaimed Horse Capital of the
World. In that beautiful setting,
we welcomed almost 70 drivers
into the Terry Bramer Circle
of Excellence and recognized 15
agents as Tom Seitz Million Dollar
Agents. In addition, we awarded
six contractors with the Ira Payne
Service Award and presented
Lori Harless as the Bill Bolish
Employee of the Year.
Since climbing out of the wreckage
caused by deregulation of the
industry in the 1980s, Admiral
Merchants has enjoyed a lot of
success. That success has been
due to dedicated members of the
Admiral Merchants team, and
hundreds of professional contractors
and agents we have been fortunate
enough to work with over the years.
At Lexington, I set out the equation
for success at Admiral Merchants:
2
Successful Agents + Successful
Contractors = Successful Admiral
Merchants
Our theme for this years event
Admiral Merchants: Driven
to Succeed recognizes the
commitment that every member of
the Admiral Merchants team has
to our agents and contractors. We
recognize it in our Core Values
We exist for our Agent and Driver
partners. And that commitment is
born out in the initiatives Admiral
Merchants has been focusing on in
2016 and 2017. I discussed some
of them in Lexington.
We have changed the job description
of members of the sales team
and their goals. Beginning with
2017, their entire focus is to help
our existing agents increase their
business with direct shippers and to
bring on to the Admiral Merchants
platform agents who have direct
shipper freight. In addition, we are
welcoming long-time agent Joe
Upholzer of Strongsville, Ohio, as a
new member of the sales team. Joes
experience as a successful agent will
serve Admiral Merchants well.
Joe Upholzer
Mark Wothe, Facility Security
Manager/Contracts, and Mark
Dooley, Director of Claims
Management, are working to
resolve contract issues weve had in
the past with shippers so that those
shippers with high paying freight
will find it easier to do business
with Admiral Merchants.
Perhaps the loudest round of applause
in Lexington was for Director of
Contractor Services Mike Griffin.
In early 2017, one of the major truck
stop retailers withdrew the discount
that it had previously offered to
Admiral Merchants contractors
when they purchased fuel. Mike
pushed back on that and the retailer
restored the discount. This saves our
contractors hundreds of thousands
of dollars each year.
Finally, Tim Neid and Dishon
Smoot of our IT Department have
improved our technology offerings,
providing new services which will
make our contractors and agents
more efficient. Agents and freight
coordinators can now send text
messages to groups of drivers
about loads. As clear proof of the
new tools effectiveness, recently
an agent sent out a message to a
number of contractors concerning
a load of freight he had. Within six
seconds, a contractor called him to
discuss the freight.
Our message to our most successful
contractors and agents was that
Admiral Merchants is constantly
working on improving the quality
of the service we provide to our
agents and contractors. We are a
committed group of individuals,
committed to their success.
We also had a presentation from
Doug Milroy, our Vice President
of Operations. Dougs message to
all of our contractors and agents
was simple. We are accepting
accountability for all of our actions.
In addition, we heard from contractor
Guy Fontaine and agent Larry
Huisenga in Lexington. Guy
Fontaine is a Canadian-born Terry
Bramer Circle of Excellence driver.
Guy told us that he was proud to be
a member of the Admiral Merchants
team. He told us that his success is
based on a number of things. He
talked about Sir Edmund Hillary, the
first man to climb Mount Everest. He
quoted Hillary as saying, Dont stop
at the plateaus, continue to push on.
Guy talked about his belief system. He
said that, first and foremost, you must
believe in yourself. Dont believe that
you are chained down. Just because
everyone else is struggling doesnt
mean you have to.
Larry Huisenga, who has been a
successful Tom Seitz Agent for many
years, observed that most successful
people in the transportation industry
are wired differently than others. It is
a gift to be able to earn a living. All
of us in Lexington are gifted people.
He encouraged all of us to keep using
those gifts.
The highlight of our meeting in
Lexington was a presentation from
Keni Thomas. In the summer
of 1993, Sgt. Keni Thomas was
deployed to Mogadishu, Somalia,
with Bravo company of the 3rd
Ranger Battalion. Their mission
was to find and capture a criminal
warlord. On October 3, 1993, Sgt.
Thomas and his fellow Rangers
distinguished themselves in an 18
hour fire fight that would later be
recounted in the highly successful
book and movie Black Hawk Down.
Nineteen Americans died and 78
were wounded in the worst urban
combat seen by US troops since
World War II.
weekend was Walt Sites last public
Sgt. Keni Thomas
After leaving the Army, Keni has
pursued a career in music. He is
now a full-time Nashville recording
artist. His band, Cornbread, was
featured in the movie Sweet Home
Alabama and regularly tours with
the USO.
Keni talked to us about what he
thinks are the keys to success
planning, training and leadership. He
described leadership as the example
we set for the people we serve. He
talked about trust as a characteristic
earned through difficult times. We
will be able to do the right thing if
we believe we can. He warned each
of us about being the weakest link.
Finally, he reminded us that when
we are thinking that somebody
should do something, often that
somebody is us.
Lori Harless, Accounting Specialist,
was recognized as the 2016 Bill
Bolish Employee of the Year. In
2016, Lori wore many hats before
finally transferring to the Accounting
Department in July. She started out
the year in the Credit Department
where she had worked since 2010.
However, in 2016, she helped out
in the Brokerage Department, the
Safety Department, the Contractor
Services Department, and the
Accounting Department. Her work
there was so stellar that she accepted
the permanent assignment there.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did
not recognize that our Lexington
appearance for Admiral Merchants.
Originally scheduled to talk in the
morning, he was finally able to get
his two cents worth in in the evening.
Walt has been a great partner for 25
years. I believe that we have built
one of the best companies in the
industry. I know Brent will do a
great job. However, I am heartened
by Walts commitment that he is
always only a phone call away.
Our Lexington awards ceremony
reminded me that I work with some
of the most committed professionals
in the transportation industry. Every
day, our agents and professional
drivers, working with members
of the Admiral Merchants team,
deliver first-rate services to the
shippers who pay our bills. That
is our recipe for success. We are
all Driven to Succeed, and if we
remember the formula Successful
Agents + Successful Contractors
= Successful Admiral Merchants
the future is indeed bright.
Thanks for all you do.
Brian P. Short
3
 The Wonderful World of Travel
THE WONDERFUL
WORLD OF TRAVEL
(continued from page 1)
area where the Congo, Uganda and
Rwanda borders all meet. The lodge
we stayed at was at an elevation of
8,500 feet so we needed a day of
rest before we started trekking to
meet the gorillas. To start off with
some wonderment, on that beautiful
cloudless day of relaxing we heard
what sounded like thunder. After
asking about it we were casually told
that it was only artillery fire coming
from some rebels on the Congo side
of the mountain. Well, isnt that the
same area where we would see the
gorillas tomorrow? The answer was
yes, which caused an extra prayer
that evening.
The next morning, after a great
breakfast at our lodge, which was
well guarded by armed militia, off
we go to start our trek. Because we
were one of the oldest couples in the
group of eight, we were assigned to
a gorilla family that was fairly close
and would only take about an hour
of hiking to find them. We already
knew that our permits would allow
us to stay with the gorillas for only
an hour, no more, so we could be
back to the lodge in time for a late
lunch. Yeah, right!
Now, you must know that gorillas
form and live in family groups much
like us humans. So after hiking for
over an hour through some potato
fields and starting our climb up the
mountain we were told by our armed
guards and guides that our assigned
gorilla family had separated that
night and were on the move.
4
Apparently dad, Mr. Charles, caught
his mate getting a little too chummy
with another male gorilla. Not good
if you are a gorilla that spent many
months courting Mrs. Right. This
caused a frustrated Mr. Charles to
grab four of his kids and they started
climbing the mountain looking for
another place to settle down.
Well, once you are assigned to a
gorilla family and they decide to move
to another location, the sightseeing
group continues tracking the hairy
family until you catch up with them.
After hiking six miles through thick
jungle and climbing 3,500 feet to
the top of the mountain we found
ourselves on a two-foot wide path on
the crest of the mountain chain. One
slip, and if you fall down to the right,
you are in the Congo, probably never
to return again. If you fall to the left
on the Rwanda side, you may have a
chance of survival, if the helicopter
from Kigali can get there quickly
enough to lift you out.
We mastered the trail and finally
found Mr. Charles and his kids taking
a break in a small clearing, thank
goodness. By this time we were
already five hours into our adventure.
But our difficult and dangerous
climb suddenly all became joyfully
worthwhile when we caught up to
our gorilla family. What a glorious
feeling it was to be within a group
of unchained and unencumbered
gorillas. Just the sight of them made
our hard work and labor to get there
all worthwhile. It was a thrill of a
lifetime never to be forgotten. Of
course, we were warned to keep a
safe distance from our newly found
friends and we were told to stand still
and not make any sudden movements
as gorillas could take this as a threat.
This would not be a wise thing to do
with an 800 pound animal and being
on their declared property.
While we didnt think it could get
any better, the greatest treat was
when Mr. Charles 400 pound son
came trotting over to Carolyn and
then swiftly kicked her in the leg
and playfully trotted off again like
he wanted Carolyn to go chase
him. One of our guides thought he
may have been enthralled with the
only blonde in the group and just
wanted to become more acquainted.
Anyway, that was one bruise which
Carolyn hoped would never heal as it
was shown to many people for many
weeks afterwards. What a wonderful
souvenir to bring home!
Before we knew it our hour was
over and it was time to climb down
the mountain, which wasnt much
easier than climbing up. What was
to be a short day and to be back at
the lodge for lunch lasted eight and a
half hours of hard, exhaustive work,
reminding me of basic training in the
Army. Still, our gorilla trip would
rank as one of our best and certainly
the most adventurous trip weve ever
taken.
Travel to wherever you can if only
because it is there. So much is
waiting to be seen and experienced
in our world!
Submitted by: Walt Site (Ret.) and
Carolyn Site, Admiral Merchants

First Farmers & Merchants
Austin
Update
FF&M Austin is pleased to
introduce Steven Murley, Senior
Vice President, Ag & Commercial
Lending, who joined FF&M on
February 7, 2017. Steve provided
the following information about
himself:
I have been in the banking industry
for over 30 years. Originally
from NE Iowa, we have made SE
Minnesota our home for the last
eight years, residing in Austin. My
grandparents were farmers in the
Pine Island area for over 20 years and
I have some family roots in Austin.
I specialize in Commercial and Ag
lending. I enjoy building banking
relationships while supporting the
surrounding communities, Austin
schools, and civic organizations
as well. Outside the bank, I spend
time with my family. Our family
participates in soccer, basketball,
cross country, track, swimming,
and music concerts. Our other
spare time is enjoyed outdoors
with fishing, boating and camping,
and doing home improvement
projects.
Steven Murley
Welcome, Steve!
This year was the seventh annual
Paint the Town Pink campaign
to support cancer research at the
Hormel Institute. This years
fundraising goal is $300,000. As
with all donations to the Hormel
Institute, 100% of the funds go
to cancer research; none go to
administrative expenses. While
events are held throughout the year,
the official celebration this year was
held from January 30 to February
12. Pictured below are the FF&M
Austin employees all dressed in
pink.
L to R: Patty Tewes, Carter Bailey,
Dorene Bednar, Steven Murley,
Connie Sprung, Kasey Petznick,
Maria Navarro, Brittney Johnson,
Faye Haugen and Doug Nuckolls
Go Red for Women was a hit in
Austin!
L to R: Maria Navarro, Kasey
Petznick, Sandy Kos, Faye Haugen,
Patty Tewes, Brittney Johnson,
Cindy Jensen, Connie Sprung and
Dorene Bednar
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
Customer Service Representative
Updates
First Farmers & Merchants
Brownsdale
Update
FF&M Brownsdale welcomes
Lana Hollerud, who started at the
bank on November 28, 2016. Lana
provided the following introduction
of herself:
My name is Lana Hollerud and
I am a teller at the Brownsdale
bank. In August of 2016, I retired
from Mayo Health Systems where
I had worked in victim services
for 23 years. I am enjoying part-
time work with the great team in
Brownsdale. I have two daughters
Sarah, an attorney who lives in
Little Canada, and Brook, who is
raising my grandsons, Alex and
Griffin, in Mason City, Iowa. I
live in Austin with my husband,
Terry, as well as Fargo, our cat,
and Libby, our dog. In my free time
I enjoy crocheting, spending time
with family and, in the summer
anyway, planting and taking care
of our flower gardens.
Lana Hollerud
Welcome, Lana!
(continued on page 6)
5
 Updates

Go Red for Women Day

BROWNSDALE UPDATE
(continued from page 5)
The Grace Gillette Public Library
was the recipient of the Friday
Jeans funds from the employees
of First Farmers & Merchants
Bank in Brownsdale. Mayor Jeff
Foster accepted the money on
behalf of the city and said that the
funds would be used towards the
Family Fun Nights, new books and
DVDs. We raised over $325 for
this project and are continuing it
again for this year.
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
CSR/Teller
First Farmers & Merchants
Cannon Falls
We had great participation this
year across the entire company as
we raised awareness for Womens
Heart Health. Here are photos
of us from Cannon Falls and the
Operations Center in CF.
have joined our branches and get
together with those who we talk
with on the phone, but rarely get to
see in person. There was a Winners
Wheel to spin for the big prizes and
a Whiners Wheel (smaller prizes),
so no one was left out.
Back row: John Wegmann, Luke
Cooreman. Front row: Katie Overby,
Kris Bodette, Cheryl Hansen,
Deanna Hochmuth, Michele
Zimmerman, Martha Schmidt,
Jennifer Buck, Lisa Miller, Brenda
Jackson. Forefront: Laura Qualey

Update
Minute to Win it!

Ashley Trageser and Standing: Ashley Trageser, Mary

Deanna Hochmuth
We gathered for our annual Post-
Holiday Party back in January.
We had family game night at
the Cannon Golf Club where we
enjoyed food, drinks, LOTS OF
LAUGHS, prizes, and a little
healthy competition amongst
colleagues and their spouses/
guests. Its too bad we arent able
to share video clips in the Hooray!
(or maybe its a blessing for those
caught on video). It was great to
meet some new employees who
Benson, Anne Leverton, Mary
Kriesel, Amy Furlong, Jane Duffy,
Deb Graber, Cathy Anderson,
Deb Gesme. Seated: Mary Mann,
Briana Davis, Carrie Johnson, Deb
Norstad, Carly Anderson
Congrats, Luke!
We celebrated Luke Cooreman
(new CF President) and his
promotion in Cannon Falls with
a pizza party. Luke has been a
Commercial Lender for the past 10
years and has certainly earned his
new position at FF&M. Congrats,
Luke!
Luke Cooreman (continued on page 7)

6

CANNON FALLS UPDATE
(continued from page 6)
Recycled Parts
Lisa Miller (Teller) wanted to
share a wonderful story about her
brother, Jeff Skaalrud, and her
former husband, Dan Schneider.
Her brother Jeff was in desperate
need of a kidney, but due to his rare
blood type, he was having a tough
time finding a match. Lisa was
having a conversation with Dan
and happened to mention this, and
he was inspired to go and see if he
was a match. He was a PERFECT
match, which is amazing, especially
because they are not blood relatives.
They had their surgeries February
10 and both are doing well. Lisa had
T-shirts made for the men: Jeffs
says I contain Recycled Parts and
Dans says Of course Im an organ
donorwho wouldnt want a piece
of this?
Jeff Skaalrud and Dan Schneider
#FF&MWBIY
Kris Bodette (CSR) and Laura
Qualey (Marketing) represented
FF&M at the Cannon Falls High
School in February for their annual
Job Fair. It was a great event to get
in front of school-aged kids and
engage with them about banking
and potential jobs available at the
bank. It was surprising how many
sophomores, juniors and seniors
DONT have a debit card or even
a bank account! We took the
opportunity to talk to them about
our personalized debit cards and
mobile banking and even took
selfies with the kids, hoping they
would tag FF&M Bank and use
the hashtag #FF&MWBIY (we
believe in you). If they took a selfie
and posted it, they had a chance to
win an FF&M selfie stick. We are
looking forward to more events
like this in the future to connect
with students about banking.
Kris Bodette and Laura Qualey
with students
Clover Dash 2017
Kris Bodette participated in the
Clover Dash 5K in Cross Lake,
MN again for St. Patricks Day.
This year, she added a cape to her
running attire and it must have
helpedshe took 4th place in her
age/gender class and bettered her
time by five minutes from last year!
Way to go, Kris!
Kris Bodette
Updates
Squash Hunger 2017
Once again, Cannon Falls
participated in the Minnesota Food
Share Drive. Cash was collected
from those who wanted to wear
jeans on Fridays, but we also filled
up the grocery cart again. Our
new employee, Jane Duffy (Loan
Processing), is actually the Food
Shelf President this year and she
was so happy to hear that FF&M
participates in this event. This year,
the food shelf requested toothpaste
as an item that is in big demand, so
thats what we focused on. We are
looking forward to weighing in to
see how much food we collected
and how much money we raised.
Kris Bodette, Katie Overby and
Kris Jacobsen
Birth Announcements
We will have SEVERAL to
announce in the Fall 2017 edition
from Cannon Fallsstay tuned!
Submitted by: Laura Qualey,
Director of Marketing
7
Updates
First Farmers & Merchants
Fairmont
Update
On February 3, our staff wore red in
support of Go Red for Women. All
during the week we had information
out by our teller stations to inform
customers of the event as well, and
had heart-shaped chocolate candy
as a treat for them.
L to R: Adam Smith, Naomi Koch,
Andy Noll, Lina Wiebe, Becky
Holland, Ona Springer, Robin
Scheff, Sara Becker-Sokoloski, Joan
Meyer, Tami Whitman, Michael
Laue, Janice Nelson
On February 18, Fairmont hosted
its ninth annual Kids Against
Hunger food pack. A total of
470 volunteers, young and old,
participated, $34,367 was raised,
and 123,654 fully-nutritional meals
were packaged and boxed to be
shipped. While the majority of this
years meals will be shipped to Haiti
to feed people who depend on this
life-saving super food, almost
10% has been delivered to local
food shelves. FF&M sponsored
a table again this year; our crew
included Teller Tami Whitman
and her granddaughter Macey,
Teller Jan Nelson, Commercial
Loan Officer Adam Smith and his
wife Amanda, Loan Assistant Lina
Wiebe, Teller/Admin Assistant
8
Robin Scheff, and Personal
Banking Officer Joan Meyer and
her daughter Danielle.
Fairmonts newest sports bar,
Ambiance on Albion, opened in
January and looks to be very busy.
They are in the former Sirloin
House location.
Emily Sokoloski, daughter of
Teller Sara Becker-Sokoloski,
was featured on the front page of
the Fairmont Sentinel on February
21 for earning her Girl Scout Silver
Award. For her project, Emily
designed and constructed coloring
caddies, complete with her own
hand-drawn coloring pages and
crayons, and donated them to
several churches in the area as well
as to a preschool and Mayo Clinic
Health System. She plans to go
back to each location occasionally
to refill the supplies. Great job,
Emily!
Emily Sokoloski
During the month of February our
employees were allowed to wear
blue jeans on Fridays for $5, using
the proceeds to make a donation to
the #lincolnstrong Relay for Life
team. Lincoln Becker is a local
young man who is celebrating
being over his cancer treatments
after being diagnosed in October
2014 at age 9 with cancer of the
lymph system.
During the month of March we are
a drop location for the Minnesota
Food Share promotion. Once again,
employees are pitching in and
donating for this worthy cause.
Teller Ona Springer spent many
evenings again this winter attending
granddaughter Kenlie Pytleksis
basketball games. The GHEC
Jaguars had an excellent season
and post-season, earning 6th place
at State in Class 1A. Unfortunately,
they lost to another FF&M Bank
community, Goodhue. Kenlie, who
is a senior this year, is a 1,000+
point player and also hit the 1,000
rebound benchmark. She plans to
go on to play at NIAAC next fall.
With the arrival of spring, we look
forward to the upcoming warmer
days and wish everyone a very
happy Easter!
Submitted by: Joan Meyer,
Personal Banking Officer

First Farmers & Merchants
Goodhue
Update
This time of year is usually busy
with all sorts of activities. The bank
participated in the usual things such
as working the concession stand
at a couple basketball games and
wrestling matches and finishing up
our Winter Clothing Drive for the
school (we had enough items left
over that we were able to donate to
the local Salvation Army as well).
Speaking of basketball and
wrestlingGoodhue has had great
success in both this year! Our
wrestling team took four wrestlers
to State. They finished with a
4th place, a 3rd place and a State
Champion this year!! The State
Champion is part of quite a special
story. He is a senior and the oldest
of five brothersall of whom made
it on varsity this yearand the
third place wrestler was a brother
to him. After losing their mother to
cancer seven years ago, they are a
tight knit clan and continue to grow
into young men the whole town can
be proud of! Now on to basketball!
Our girls team won Statefor the
second year in a row! Our boys
team also made it to Statethey
ended up playing for third place and
won!! Here at the bank we love to
show our support for our school by
putting signs outside and wearing
our FF&M shirts in the Goodhue
Wildcat purple and white!
L to R: Katie Brinkman, Corrine
Stehr, Dianne Pank, Emily
Schmit, Paul Althoff, Lara
Ramthun, Calvin Ryan
To help celebrate and raise
awareness for heart health
month with the American Heart
Association, we dressed in red
shirts and served red heart shaped
cookies. I know, I knownot very
heart healthy, but they went over
well!! It was a great day and we
had a table set up where people
could come in and donate money.
With the donations and matching
funds from our branch, we raised
over $200 for the AHA!
in Grand Meadow. In addition to
L to R: Sheri Nurnberg, Paul
Althoff, Katie Brinkman, Dianne
Pank, Emily Schmit, Calvin Ryan,
Corrine Stehr, Jess Lindholm
Calvin Ryan, Ag Lender, is a
member of the Jaycees, which is an
organization in town that sponsors
activities and raises money to
donate to various charities and
scholarships. They held their
annual wrestling tournament in
early March with over 150 wrestlers
attending.
Updates
Cass Ramthun, daughter of Lara,
CSR, is a student at University
of WI River Falls. The learning
community she is a part of got
together a team and participated in a
Relay for Life cancer fundraiser this
past weekend. Through donations
and the sale of homemade sweets,
they raised over $1,000 for the
American Cancer Society!
Cass is in the back left corner
Submitted by: Lara Ramthun,
Customer Service Representative
First Farmers & Merchants
Grand Meadow
Update
The start of the year has been busy
all the normal year-end tasks and
activities, there were a number of
other events taking place.
In January, the Grand Meadow
School hosted an open house to
give everyone in town a chance
to check out the new addition and
updates to the school. Included in
this addition is a brand new, state
of the art scoreboard in the new
gymnasium with the logo of a bank
(continued on page 10)
9
Updates
GRAND MEADOW UPDATE
(continued from page 9)
we all know and love. First Farmers
& Merchants was one of many who
sponsored the new addition to the
school and was the sole sponsor of
the new scoreboard. All the changes
and updates look great!
On February 3, the entire staff
dressed in red in sponsorship of
Go Red for Women supporting
the American Heart Association.
We always look forward to showing
our support for any great cause.
L to R: Kayla Stockdale, Dayna
Stier, Dave Feddersen, Kathy
Nagel, Tabitha Hoffman, Nancy
Scrabeck, Jennifer Kraft
10
On February 28, Grand Meadow
2nd graders brought in their change
for the annual Pennies for Pages
fundraiser. This event raises money
to buy books for the schools AR
reading program. The fundraiser
was started in support of a school
librarian who passed away due to
cancer years ago. The children raise
money every year to help support
her memory and her dedication to
reading.
Work has also begun on the
complete renovation of the
apartment located above the Grand
Meadow bank. This started with
complete demolition of the existing
apartment and should end with a
completely renovated, 3 bedroom,
2 bath apartment. Plans are to have
the apartment available for rental
by May 1.
Last but not least, we wished our
Vice President/Loan Officer, Kathy
Nagel, a very happy 50th birthday
on March 23!
Kathy Nagel
Submitted by: Jennifer Kraft,
Teller/CSR
Play Ball
With the start of another baseball
season, we are reminded of
Bob Casey, former Minnesota
Twins announcer. Bob also
worked for Leamington Co.
and was actually the first editor
of Hooray!. This poster is
hanging in one of the suites at
Target Field. Brings back a lot
of memories.
 Updates

First Farmers & Merchants Our sympathy goes out to Linda
Grack, Retail Operations Manager,
Le Sueur and her family on the loss of her
husband, Gerald (Jerry), who
Congratulations to the following
high school activities in Luverne
that made state appearances. The
Mock Trial team made its third

Update passed away on March 6, 2017.

Submitted by: Linda Grack, Retail

Daylight Saving Time is always a
good sign.spring is here! The
snow has melted and we have been
receiving rain showers instead of
snow. The birds are singing every
morning, celebrating the warm
weather.
consecutive year appearance. The
boys hockey team was the Section
3A champion in their second
Operations Manager appearance at the state tournament.
Wrestling also had an appearance
at the state tournament with three
First Farmers & Merchants
students competing individually.
Luverne Welcome to Ethan Bates, our new

The bank staff continues to

participate in the $5 Friday
Jeans Day. During the months of
December and January, the staff
collected $310, which was donated
to the Le Sueur Henderson School
Backpack Program which provides
low income elementary children
with healthy food and snack items
to take home for the weekend.
March is Food Shelf Month and the
staff has designated that the money
collected during the months of
February and March will be donated
to the Le Sueur Food Shelf.
Update
The staff volunteered once again
to pack backpacks for the local
students during the month of March.
Four different volunteers packed
140 bags each week for the kids
who are a part of the local program
through the school. This program
provides food for the kids age
preschool to high school that they
can prepare over the weekend.
President. Something impressive
about Ethan is that he spent several
years working with and helping
Hmong immigrants and refugees,
as well as many other immigrants
and refugees from various parts of
the world, resettle in Minnesota. He
speaks fluent Hmong and Spanish!
In his time outside of the bank, he
enjoys spending time with his wife
and five children, helping out in the
community and also watching and
playing sports.

L to R: Terry Mattson, Sue Kahle, Tim Nissen, Mike Schacht,

Sheryl Meyer, Christina Bauman,
Martha May, Avis Jacobus,
Lynnette Eckblad
February was Heart Health
Month, which brings awareness
to cardiovascular health and its
impact on women. Staff at business
places are encouraged to wear red
on February 3. Our staff wore red
and posed for a group picture.
Ryan Wynia
The bank will be participating in
the Relay for Life for the American
Cancer Society with a bank team. A
bake sale was held on Valentines Ethan Bates
Day as a fundraiser and $460.00
was raised. The FF&M team also
held a baked potato bar over lunch
for employees and guests in March
for an additional fundraiser. (continued on page 12)

11
Updates
Ryan Wynia (Lender) proudly First Farmers & Merchants
LUVERNE Update announces the birth of his first
(continued from page 11) child. William James was born
February 4 and weighed 8 lbs. 14 Pipestone
Congratulations to Elijah Bates,
son of Ethan, who placed 8th in
the statewide National History Bee,
oz. Congratulations, Ryan and
Corey! Update
which qualifies him to participate in In a follow-up to our article in
the National History Bee in Atlanta last quarters Hooray!, FF&Ms
in June. This competition includes sponsorship of the Pipestone Girl
6th, 7th and 8th graders. Elijah is Scouts in Pipestones 29th Annual
currently a 7th grader. Festival of Trees received 2nd place
in recognition of its outstanding
Best wishes to Bonnie Shelton creativity and holiday spirit.
(Proof) on her retirement from the
bank on March 24. When asked The Annual Pipestone Area Chamber
what her plans included, she stated, Banquet was held on March 7. Many
I am looking forward to spending of the bank staff members attended
time with my husband Dave and the event at the Pipestone Country
doing things that we have in the past Club, which included a delicious
put off. There may be times when meal with entertainment provided
William James Wynia by a Pipestone-native hypnotist,
we just decide to do some traveling,
but with five grandchildren they will Lois Leuthold (Lender) proudly Jesse Moffitt. The evening was
keep us busy with their activities announces the birth of another highlighted by the presentation of
and just being available to help out. grandson. Boyd Alan Leuthold community awards for outstanding
I also in time will look into some was born March 5 and weighed 7 small business, large business,
volunteering opportunities either at lbs. 12 oz. Congratulations, Lois community individual and
the Luverne Public Schools or the and Al! outstanding nonprofit. Receiving
local hospital. The best part NO the nonprofit award this year was
SCHEDULE!!!! Submitted by: Tara Zewiske, Kiwanis International Club of
Auditor Pipestone, which Dale Roemmich,
President and CEO, has been active
Pop Tabs Benefit Ronald McDonald House in for many years. Tim Paulson,
Vice President, is the newly elected
We collect pop tabs here in the huge bag of them at the Ronald 2017 Chamber Board of Directors
Executive Offices. In addition to McDonald house on the U of President.
what we save here in our office, I M campus and took this photo
occasionally receive donations of the dumpster where they are This past January, Whitney
from Benson Parking or from collected. Here is a short excerpt Norberg, Teller, had the amazing
people who have saved them at from the Ronald McDonald opportunity to travel to Jamaica
home. I recently dropped off a website: Its a small gesture, as part of a mission team. There
but collecting pop can tabs can were 16 individuals from the
make a big difference in fact, University of Sioux Falls who
since its founding, the Pop Tab traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica
program has raised more than to help serve at Robins Nest
$500,000 for our chapter! These Childrens Home, which houses
funds have helped underwrite children aged newborn to age 18
program costs at our locations who have been abandoned by their
across the Twin Cities. families. Whitney remarked how
(continued on page 13)

12

PIPESTONE Update
(continued from page 12)
it was overwhelming to see many
different people come together to
do the same task and impact the
lives of the little kids. The picture
is of a little boy that Whitney met
while in Jamaica. Whitney had
this to say about the picture and
the experience: He constantly
wanted to sit on my lap, cuddle and
play games with me; obviously,
I couldnt refuse! Hes become
a true blessing to me even after I
got back to the States. I reminisce
on pictures frequently and I also
decided to sponsor him long term
to stay in touch and to see how he is
growing as time goes on. Because
of this trip, I can definitely see
wanting to do more trips like this in
the future.
Pipestone Forward, in conjunction
with the City of Pipestone,
continued its efforts toward
building a healthy future for
Pipestone by holding its second
Community Conversation on March
16 at the Hiawatha Lodge. Over
50 community members attended
the evening session to build upon
the work that was started in 2016
with community-driven strategic
planning. The overwhelming focus
of the attendees was geared toward
youth through engagement and their
importance in moving Pipestone
into the future. Dale Roemmich
was vital in the planning and
execution of the event, serving as
the chairperson of the nonprofit
community organization Pipestone
Forward. Dale is pictured with
Toby Spanier, the facilitator for
the community event.
Toby Spanier and
Dale Roemmich
Submitted by: Linda Erickson,
Customer Service Representative
First Farmers & Merchants
Data Center
Update
The Data Center recently received
a happy email from a customer,
a reminder of how important good
customer service is, and that it is
appreciated.
Ok .... thank you for the information
We are very impressed with FFM bank!
Love the great service we receive ....
thank you
Updates
On March 2 we converted from dual
sign on to single sign on for small
business bill pay users. This allows
business customers to log in to online
bill pay directly through e-Corp.
Business users will also now be able
to access bill pay through the FF&M
e-Corp app on their phones. This
feature is not yet functional, but should
be available within a couple of weeks.
The 12U girls won the consolation
round in Class B Hockey in St. Cloud the
weekend of March 18. An exciting part
of the game was Kamryn Van Batavia
(Mary Christensens granddaughter)
scoring the winning goal in overtime
for the win. The team had a great
season and all played awesomely. This
was the first trip to the state tourney for
any 12U girls team from Luverne.
A new employee, Jared Schroeder,
will be starting at the Data Center in
Luverne on April 3 as our Security
Analyst. Jared graduated from Dakota
State University in Madison with
a degree in Computer & Network
Security. Jared is also in the Air
National Guard and works as a Cyber
Security Technician as part of his
monthly Guard duties.
Jared Schroeder
Jared currently lives and works in
Sioux Falls. Jared and his wife,
Jasmine, just had their first child,
Finley Marie, born February 23, 2017.
Finley weighed 7 pounds and was 19
inches tall.
(continued on page 14)
13
 Updates
DATA CENTER Update
(continued from page 13)
Elaine Hansen has spent the last two
months studying lines and attending
practice for her role as Dinah Grayson
in The Dixie Swim Club. The Green
Earth Players production opened
March 24 and continued through April
2.
Elaine is in the center
of the back row
Submitted by: Elaine Hansen, Data
Center
First Farmers & Merchants
Red Wing
Update
Greetings and salutations from the
famous river town of Red Wing,
MN!
We were in not only the local news,
but also the national news this
quarter. Our branch of FF&M was
nominated again for the Service
Business of the Year award from
the Red Wing area Chamber of
Commerce. Weve been extremely
lucky to have won this award two
years in a row; this year we were in
the top three! CSR Lisa MacRae
was also recognized at the annual
Chamber awards dinner on January
14
30 for her involvement with the
Chamber Ambassadors. Lisa has
been an active member for five
years. Nearly 500 community
members attended this event.
Vote Red Wing!!
Red Wing was a top five finalist
for the Small Business Revolution
grant of $500,000. Although we
didnt win, Red Wing came in 2nd
place out of 14,000 communities
across the country! The media
coverage our town received was
worth well over a million dollars.
A huge THANK YOU goes out
to everyone who voted for Red
Wing!
The Bank Ladies celebrated
GO RED for Women Day
on February 3.
Standing, L to R: Gayle Boldt,
Colleen Phillips, Debbie
Knowlton, Melissa Jaenke.
Seated, L to R: Martha Hanson,
Krystyna Bremer, Missy
Anderson, Lisa MacRae
We are very pleased to introduce
Amy Engnes as our new
Relationship Business Banker.
Amy is a Red Wing HS grad
and also attended SE Tech and
Bowling Green State University.
She has been employed these past
16 years with the Prairie Island
Indian Community as an Employee
License Coordinator. Amy has
three children and is an avid long
distance runner, having run the
Boston Marathon twice! Please
welcome Amy to banking and to
our FF&M Team.
Amy Engnes
Head Teller Colleen Phillips and
her husband, Dana, are the proud
grandparents of Owen Thomas
Phillips. Owen was born on March
22, weighing in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. and
21 inches long. Owen is the son of
Nick and Becky and little brother
to Cameron, age 3.
Owen Thomas Phillips
Spring ahead!!
Submitted by: Lisa MacRae,
Customer Service Representative

First Farmers & Merchants
Stewartville
Update
Greetings from our Stewartville
Branch!
Spring is in the air. Soon we will
be seeing greener grass, longer
days, and tulips popping out of the
ground. We dont know about you,
but we are ready for some warmer
weather!
We are very excited to welcome
Tiffany Titus to our Stewartville
team. Tiffany was hired in February
as a full-time Teller/CSR. Tiffany
was born and raised in Stewartville,
but just moved back to the area
from Bend, Oregon, where she
explored and adventured for three
years. While in Oregon, she was
employed as a bank teller for the
Bank of the Cascades, where she
learned a lot from a larger bank.
She is very happy to be back in a
small town environment and looks
forward to learning and growing
more in her banking career. In her
spare time, she enjoys spending
time with family and friends or
just taking some time to read a
good book. The Stewartville team
and the rest of the First Farmers &
Merchants employees are happy
that you are here, Tiffany!
Tiffany
Titus
Congratulations to Loan Assistant
Stephanie Lawson, her husband
Drew, and their team for taking
4th place overall in Stewartvilles
Co-ed Community Volleyball
League.
Some of our employees attended
the Stewartville Area Community
Foundation annual Toast & Taste
event held on March 24 at the
Rochester International Event
Center. The Foundation events
are held to raise funds in support
of various Stewartville outdoor
recreation projects. Proceeds
from this years event will go
toward the construction of a new
outdoor amphitheater to be built at
Stewartvilles Bear Cave Park. The
amphitheater will be a premiere
concert, arts and entertainment
location, and family destination
spot. First Farmers & Merchants is
once again a sponsor for this event.
Thank you to the employees who
attended for your commitment to
the growth of our community.
SOUTHEASTERN
MINNESOTA
Submitted by: Vicki Holz,
Teller/CSR
Updates
First Farmers & Merchants
White Rock
Update
Spring is right around the corner and
I cant wait to get into the garden!
Meanwhile, I am working hard to
try to learn Babe Nelsons position
as CSR here in White Rock, but
you just cant replace 20 plus years
of experience.
Speaking of Babe, our part-time
retiree took a little trip to the west
coast. Babe, her husband Jimmy,
and some friends flew into Oregon,
drove down the coast, stopped to
see the redwoods, and continued
on to Palm Springs, CA to relax for
a few days.
Ag Lender Calvin Ryans family
(including his parents, siblings,
and their families) all took a trip
down to Florida this year to run in
a half marathon through the Disney
Parks. He tells us he is starting
to train for another marathon in
Maine this spring. I guess we will
have to try and keep the sweets to
a minimum.
Calvin is at the top left of photo
(continued on page 16)
15
 Updates
WHITE ROCK Update
(continued from page 15)
President Paul Drackley got in a
little relaxation time by taking a
trip to the Dominican Republic this
year. Its taken him a little while to
get back into the swing of things,
but he assures me my 90 day review
will be completed within the year.
He also got the chance to chaperon
his sons church group overnight
trip in Rochester. The kids had
a blast and Paul was able to stay
awake all night! The rest of the
week was a little rough, though.
Paul Drackley
Auditor Julie Benrud Luhman
got to spend the last part of March
taking care of her husband, who got
a whole new knee! We wish him a
speedy and full recovery!
16
As for Teller Carna Visagie and
me, we have just been here working,
although we did celebrate Go Red
for Women Day on February 3 to
help increase awareness of heart
disease in women.
Carna Visagie, Carrie Johnson
(CF Ops) and Jimmy Nelson
Julie Benrud Luhman,
Carna Visagie, Paul Drackley,
Emily Iverson
While Im sure that there will
be quite a few pictures from the
holiday party, we decided to include
a few of our favorites. I think we all
discovered some new uses for ping
pong balls, nuts, and quarters.
Debra Norstad (Cannon Falls
Operations Center)
At the time I was writing this, St.
Pattys Day was fast approaching,
so I leave you with a little luck and
a little limerick Heres to you and
yours and to mine and ours. And
if mine and ours ever come across
you and yours, I hope you and yours
will do as much for mine and ours
as mine and ours have done for you
and yours!
Jarle Norstad, Babe Nelson,
Jimmy Nelson Submitted by: Emily Iverson,
Customer Service Representative

Admiral
Merchants
Update
Admiral has been having lots of
fun over the past few months! On
March 2, the team decided to throw
Walt Site an early retirement
party. Walt is the current Senior
VP of Marketing and will be
with us through the middle of
April. Unfortunately, due to the
unpredictable Minnesota weather
we have, Walt was unable to attend
the party. That didnt stop us from
celebrating all that hes done for
the company, however! We created
a Flat Walt to hang in the break
room and everyone posed with him
before celebrating his retirement
with a delicious cake. Walt loved
the photos from the team in his
absence, and is looking forward
to spending more time with family
come April. Congratulations,
Walt!
Tyra James and Julie Cornelsen
Brian with Flat Walt
Becky Sorbel, Nancy Novack,
Ken Lehner, Jim Tuttle
Booth number 62044 at the Mid-
America Trucking Show (MATS),
also known as the Louisville Truck
Show, was once again staffed
by representatives of Admiral
Merchants. The show, which
attracts 70,000 attendees and
1,000+ exhibitors from throughout
the U.S. and abroad, took place
multiple days working the Admiral
Brian at Louisville Truck Show
Updates
Wes Dyer at MATS in Louisville
in Louisville, KY on March 23-
25. Mike Griffin (Director of
Contractor Services), Brent Layton
(Senior VP Sales), Wes Dyer
(Director of Driver Recruitment),
Rusty Parker (Regional Sales
Director) and Doug Milroy (VP/
Director of Operations) all spent
booth. As in past years, Brian spent
Friday at the show, and this year
Jim Bemis (EVP/CFO), Tim Neid
(Director Information Systems),
Julie Cornelsen (Assistant Credit
Manager), Missy Swensen (Freight
Coordinator) and Bonnie Bley
(Contractor Services Specialist)
had the opportunity to travel to
the show with Brian. They had a
wonderful time and were able to
learn a great deal about the industry
in this day spent immersed in the
trucking world.
(continued on page 18)
17
 Updates
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Update
(continued from page 17)
In preparation for our annual Awards
Meeting, held in Lexington, KY the
weekend of March 31-April 2 this
year, Admiral employees have been
working on their video skills! Each
year, the Admiral departments are
tasked with creating two-minute
videos that relate to the Award
Credit Department
Brian with Accounting, Settlements, and Processing Departments
Operations
18
Meetings theme. This year the
Award Meeting theme is Admiral
Merchants: Driven to Succeed,
and everyone had a blast shooting
their videos! Seeing these at the
annual meeting is a favorite of many,
including Brian Short. Whether
silly or serious, all the departments
work hard to make sure our Agents
and Contractors know they are
appreciated, and the employees
really enjoy putting them together!
Below are a few snapshots of the
teams creating their videos.
Permit Department
There are many Admiral employees
who have celebrated their work
anniversaries within the last few
months, and Jan Muellner, Cash
Application Specialist, was one of
them. Jan has been with Admiral
for 34 years as of March 14. She
thought no one would remember, but
little did she know her department
wanted to surprise her with an
expertly-decorated office cubicle!
Congratulations to Jan, as well as all
other Admiral employees celebrating
anniversaries (see page 23)!
This is what Jan saw when she
arrived at work on March 15
She eventually was able to corral the
balloons enough to sit at her desk.
Submitted by:
Claire Gregory,
Receptionist
Jan Muellner
 Executive Offices Update
Updates
The first quarter is always a busy time in the Executive Offices, with performance reviews and
Executive
getting ready for both the annual time:
March. Thanks to HR Director Augusta
bankBrian
Ethan Bates,
Pfarr,meeting
presidents
KirkFF&M
FF&M Leand Sueur,
for all Luverne,
Center and
the Admiral
and with
of her work and
a lotmeeting
awards
thebecause
of the big
so many
performance
in hotels
of us walk
review
Offices
Luke Cooreman, FF&M Cannon
process, and to Ken Lehner, Payroll Office Administrator, for keying in all of the salary steps for
the skyways to get in our
increases and profit sharing amounts. Falls.WeThanks to Gina
enjoyed hostingDavis at presidents
the bank the Fitbit challenge we on
in St. Paul see a lot of
FF&M St. Paul for all of her help these teams, and its fun to see their
Update
March 21-22, and welcomed threesetting presidents attending this meeting for the first time: Brian
up for the meeting. And excitement and enthusiasm.
Pfarr, FF&M Le Sueur, Ethan Bates, FF&M
the Wild won!Luverne, as Luke
Finally,and this Cooreman, FF&M Cannon
Falls. Thanks to Gina Davis at FF&M issue is going into production, setting
St. Paul for all of her help Thanks up for
to theRobert
meeting. And Smith,
the Wild won! Finally, as this
The first quarter is always a busy issue
the is going
Admiral into production,
awards meeting the
just Admiral awards
Custodian, for meeting
suggestingjust some
time in the Executive Offices, with concluded in Lexington, Kentucky. trivia items to include in this issue.
concluded in Lexington, Kentucky. Congratulations to all of the award winners recognized at the
performance
meeting, andreviews
thanksand the staffCongratulations
getting
to all who attended.to all of the award Can you match up the following
ready for both the annual bank winners recognized at the meeting, first quarter events with the date
presidents
The firstmeeting
quarterand
alsothebrings
Admiral and
lots of thanks
high to students
school all the staff
to thewho
Twinthey occurred?
Cities Guesses
for dance, are entirely
hockey,
awards meeting
basketball, in March.
speech andThanks attended.
to tournaments.
wrestling Teams from several of welcome,
our bank butcommunities
no Googling to find
HRwere among them, as mentioned elsewhere in this newsletter. Because of our proximityAnswers
Director Augusta Kirk for all out the answers!!! to the can
ofConvention
her work with the performance The first quarter also brings lots of be submitted to Nancy Novack at
Center, Target Center and a lot of the big hotels and because so many of us walk
review process, and to Ken Lehner, high school students to the Twin nancy@leamington.com.
Payroll Office to
the skyways get in our steps
Administrator, for forCities
the Fitbit challenge
for dance, hockey,basketball,
we see a lot of these teams, and its fun
to seeintheir
keying all ofexcitement and enthusiasm.
the salary increases speech and wrestling tournaments. Best wishes to everyone as we head
and profit sharing amounts. Teams from several of our bank into spring!
WeThanks to Robert
enjoyed hostingSmith, Custodian,
the bank for suggesting
communities some trivia
were among them,items to include in this issue.
presidents
Can youinmatch
St. Paul
upontheMarch as mentioned
21- first
following elsewhere
quarter events in date
with the this they occurred?
Submitted by: Guesses are
Nancy Novack,
22, and welcomed
entirely welcome, three
butpresidents
no Googling newsletter. Because
to find out of our proximity
the answers!!! Answers can be submitted to
Executive Assistant
attending this meeting
Nancy Novack for the first to the Convention Center, Target
at nancy@leamington.com.

Writeletterof
corresponding
Event Date
date


______ AmericanhostagesreleasedfromIran a. February11,1974

______ Minimumwageof$1.00perhourineffect b. March31,1986

______ BurlingtonNorthernRailroadcreatedasaresultofthemerger c. March17,1966
offourmajorrailroads
______ SpaceshuttleChallengerexplosiondestroyedthespacecraft; d. January20,1981
sevencrewmembersdied
______ J.C.PenneycloseditsdowntownMinneapolisstore e. March1,1956

______ Independenttruckersstrikeended(MidwestandEastCoast) f. January27,1973

______ Vietnamceasefiresigned g. January28,1986

______ LastpubliccarrolledofftheStudebakerassemblyline h. March2,1970
(governmentcontractscontinuedforafewmonths)

Best wishes to everyone as we head into spring! 19
Submitted by: Nancy Novack, Executive Assistant
 Updates
St. Paul
Flight Center
Update
Planning for the Super Bowl
On Monday, February 6, the day
after the New England Patriots beat
the Atlanta Falcons in overtime to
win Super Bowl LI in dramatic
fashion, St. Paul was officially put
on the clock for Super Bowl LII
preparations.
Planning for the biggest sporting
event in the world is a massive
undertaking. No less than 1,200
private aircraft will travel to the St.
Paul area for the big game! St. Paul
Downtown Airport can only handle
about 150 of these aircraft on the
ground at any one given time so the
whole Minneapolis-St. Paul airport
system of airports will be operating
at or near full capacity.
20
St. Paul Downtown Airport will
close two of its three runways
and surrounding taxiways for
additional aircraft parking. With
St. Paul Downtown Airport being
the closest airport to US Bank
Stadium, we will be the first airport
in the system to reach maximum
capacity. With a small staff here at
the St. Paul Flight Center, all of us
will be working long hours for the
whole week. If anyone is willing
to help us at the Flight Center the
week of the Super Bowl we would
love to have the extra hands!
The National Football Leagues
reach is vast. With many of the
local hotels already booked in
their entirety for the whole week
by the NFL, rooms are already at a
premium. Same for rental cars and
catering companies and the list
goes on and on. Safe to say, if you
are in the service and hospitality
business, the first week of February
2018 is going to be a very busy one
indeed.
Flexjet to use St. Paul Flight
Center for Support Services
Recently, Flexjet, the nations
second largest fractional jet
company, started using St. Paul
Flight Center for its support services
when coming into the St. Paul
Downtown Airport. The decision to
use St. Paul Flight Center was based
on the recommendation of a long-
time customer of the Flight Center
who now is a Flexjet customer. All
of us at the Flight Center appreciate
this vote of confidence.
Flexjet operates about 180 aircraft
domestically, many of which are
larger cabin aircraft that are five
years old or newer, making Flexjet
the youngest fleet in the industry.
Flexjet has over 2,000 customers,
and St. Paul Flight Center looks
forward to serving all of them!
Submitted by: Dave Lessard,
Manager
 Eagle Awards

Eagle Awards benefits to the drivers, including fuel she can handle the additional
discounts.
Eagle Awards Most recently, one of the responsibility and decision-making
providers changed their program in authority that comes with being an
Admiral Merchants Admiral Merchants
a way that would negatively impact officer. In her eight years with the
Mike Griffin, Director of the drivers
Mike Griffin
Director financially.
of Contractor Services Instead of just Bank, Amanda has continued to
Contractor Services accepting the change, Mike worked develop her knowledge and skills
Submitted by: Admiral Team

Submitted by: Admiral Team and did notlike tolet up on theGriffin,

vendor and, as she joined has assumed different job
st
We would recognize Mike Director of Contractor Services, as Admirals 1
Quarter Eagle for 2017. Mike (otherwise known as The Irish Guy) the Admiral team in
with the
February help
2014 of
and was anfeedback from
immediate positive forcethe responsibilities
in the office. Mike has become the official
marketing person in our office and led the efforts to update the Admiral logo. A lot of work goes
within the Bank.
drivers, was
into rebranding and able to process
through the havehe has
thebeenfuel
mindful ofShethe costcontinues to be quick to learn,
that goes into making
such a big change. He leads the effort to build an Admiral presence in the transportation
program
community. An reinstated with
example includes additional
working closely with the Saleswilling to take
team and having a booth atresponsibility
the and
benefits added.
annual Louisville Truck Show. This truck show provides the opportunity to meet drivers who are
signed on with other companies and make contact with them asinitiative,
well as visit withandcurrentclearly
drivers has become
a key team theirleader
and agents. Mike has also worked with vendors to provide new and updated benefits to the
drivers, including fuel discounts. Most recently, one of the providers changed program incommitted
a to the
way that would negativelyMike!
Congratulations, success of thethedrivers,
impact the drivers financially. Instead of just accepting the change,
Mike worked and did not let up on the vendor and, with the help of feedback from Bank. She relates
veryadded.
was able to have the fuel program reinstated with additional benefits well to team members as well
Here is the Mike!
Congratulations, old logo and the new as customers. Her attitude is always
logo.
Here is the old logo and the new logo. upbeat and her willingness to help
others is clearly evident. We are very
happy to have her here and we feel
that she is a very good representative
of the Bank. We believe Amanda is
very deserving of recognition as an
Eagle.
Mike Griffin FF&M Brownsdale
FF&M Brownsdale
We would like to recognize Mike Amanda
Amanda Rhodes
Rhodes
Assistant Operations
Assistant Operations Officer Officer FF&M Grand Meadow
Griffin, Director of Contractor Submitted by: Dale Larson, President, Brownsdale Office
Kayla Stockdale
Services, as Admirals 1st Quarter Submitted by: Dale Larson,
Customer Service
OperationsRepresentative
Amanda continues to do an excellent job for our Bank as a leader for the teller, new accounts
President, Brownsdale Office
Eagle for 2017. Mike (otherwise and customer service team in Brownsdale. She was recently promoted
&
to Assistant
Administrative
Officer as a result of managements recognition that she can handle the additional responsibility
Assistant
known as The Irish Guy) joined and decision-making authority that comes with being an officer. In her eight years with the Bank,
Amanda has continued to develop her knowledge and skills asSubmitted by: Dave Feddersen,
she has assumed different job
the Admiral team in February 2014 responsibilities within the Bank. She continues to be quick to learn, willing to take responsibility
President
and initiative, and clearly has become a key team leader committed to the success of the Bank.
and was an immediate positive force She relates very well to team members as well as customers. Her attitude is always upbeat and
her willingness to help others is clearly evident. We are very happy to have her here and we feel
in the office. Mike has become the
official marketing person in our
office and led the efforts to update
the Admiral logo. A lot of work
goes into rebranding and through
the process he has been mindful of
the cost that goes into making such
a big change. He leads the effort
to build an Admiral presence in
the transportation community. An
example includes working closely
with the Sales team and having a Amanda Rhodes
booth at the annual Louisville Truck
Show. This truck show provides the Amanda continues to do an excellent Kayla Stockdale
opportunity to meet drivers who job for our Bank as a leader for the
are signed on with other companies teller, new accounts and customer Kayla has shown great dedication,
and make contact with them as well service team in Brownsdale. She integrity and professionalism since
as visit with current drivers and was recently promoted to Assistant joining FF&M Grand Meadow on
agents. Mike has also worked with Operations Officer as a result of December 14, 2016. In the short
vendors to provide new and updated managements recognition that (continued on page 22)

21
 Eagle Awards
EAGLE AWARDS
(continued from page 21)
time that Kayla has been employed
at FF&M, she has impressed
management with her eagerness to
learn duties. She has continuously
asked for more responsibility and
has already moved from Teller to
the role of CSR & Administrative
Assistant. Kayla has a strong work
ethic and is a great team member.
Given a task or project, she
completes it timely and accurately
without complaint. Kayla appears
to be committed to the opportunity
to learn new tasks and grow in her
position. We have witnessed Kayla
assisting co-workers and taking the
initiative to do what needs to be
done to get jobs accomplished.
Kayla received multiple peer
nominations for the first quarter
2017 Eagle Award. Other comments
provided in those nominations
included the following. She is
respectful of her co-workers and
managers and has great customer
service skills. Kayla has taken
it upon herself to put in storage all
2016 items and taken things from
the basement that can be shredded
according to record retention. It is
refreshing to have someone take
on this task without being asked.
She has taken on many new jobs
and excelled at them. She is always
willing to help out with extra tasks
and asks for things to do when
her work is completed. She is
professional and courteous when
helping customers.
Kayla has demonstrated dedication,
integrity and professionalism to
internal and external clients alike.
Her consistent performance and
dedication to providing a high
level of customer service provides
22
an excellent example for others
to follow. For these reasons, even
though a newer employee, I believe
Kayla is an excellent candidate for
the Eagle award.
FF&M Red Wing
Melissa Jaenke
Customer Service Representative
Submitted by: Brett Elford,
President, Deb Knowlton,
Mortgage Officer, Lynette
Smerud, VP/Customer Service
Manager, and Elizabeth Cox,
Teller
Melissa Jaenke
I was pleased to receive three
separate nominations for Melissabe a Service Champion
this quarter, nominations which
I strongly support. Some of the
comments from these nominations
describing Melissas qualifications
were dedicated, hard-working,
above and beyond, cheerful,
knowledgeable, resourceful, team
player and helpful. A new teller
in our branch was struggling with
a few things; Melissa recognized
that and approached her and said,
Let me help you out so that you
are proficient in this area. The new
teller found Melissas teachings
invaluable. Melissa told the teller
that she was helping her because she
wanted that teller to be successful.
It made the tellers day. Melissa
is one that if you intrust her to do
a job, you know it will be done
right and it will be timely. She is
great with customers and develops
a comfortable rapport with them
quickly. She has been very helpful
to me as I have been short-staffed
and busy in the commercial area of
the bank. She has really upped her
game and is a real asset to our branch
here in Red Wing. Congratulations,
Melissa!
Some reminders from
Some reminders from Customer Service Week 2016:
Championing the CustomersService
Customer Week 2016:
Cause Coming out of the Gate Strong
Fighting in the Customers Corner Wrestling with Challenges
Think LiketheChampioning
Customer Be the Bestthe
of theCustomers
Best
CauseFocused
Coming outExperience
of the Gate
The Voice of the Customer Team Roping the Customer Experience
Stay Continuously on the Customer You have Pledged to
Strong
Fighting in the* EXCEED
LEAD * ACHIEVE Customers
Submitted by: Corner
Wrestling with
2016 Customer Service Week Team
Challenges
Think Like the Customer Be
the Best of the Best
The Voice of the Customer
Team Roping the Customer
Experience
Stay Continuously Focused on
the Customer Experience You
have Pledged to be a Service
Champion
LEAD * ACHIEVE * EXCEED
Submitted by: 2016 Customer
Service Week Team

ANNIVERSARIES
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Mike Fielding 34 years
Jan Muellner 34 years
Lisa Hofer 20 years
Becky Cao 19 years
Mark Wothe 19 years
Tyra James 17 years
Brent Layton 13 years
Nate Sarchet 10 years
Suzanne Keller 6 years
Rhonda Anderson 3 years
Michael Griffin 3 years
Kim Krause 1 year
Doug Milroy 1 year
ff&m CANNON FALLS
Brenda Jackson 25 years
Amy Furlong 14 years
Deanna Hochmuth 12 years
Cathy Anderson 12 years
Kelsey Reddel 1 year
Marlene Kokkeler 1 year
Jennifer Buck 1 year
Mary Kriesel 1 year
FF&M LE SUEUR
Sue Kahle 17 years
Tom Obele 12 years
Christina Bauman 3 years
FF&M PIPESTONE
Tim Paulson 10 years
FF&M RED WING
Debbie Knowlton 14 years
Lynette Smerud 14 years
Martha Hanson 10 years
LEAMINGTON CO.
Sam Tims 51 years
Robert Smith 39 years
NEW EMPLOYEES
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Joe Upholzer Regional Sales
Director
FF&M AUSTIN
Steven Murley Senior Vice
President,
Ag & Commercial Lending
FF&M BROWNSDALE
Lana Hollerud Part-time Teller
FF&M LUVERNE
Ethan Bates President
FF&M DATA CENTER
Jared Schroeder Security Analyst
FF&M RED WING
Amy Engnes Relationship
Business Banker
FF&M STEWARTVILLE
Tiffany Titus Teller/CSR
News
BABY
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FF&M LE SUEUR
Martha and John May are proud
to announce the arrival of their first
grandchild. Murphy Alexander
was born to Joe and Libby May
in Bremerton, WA on February 9,
2017, weighing in at 7 lbs. 11 oz.
FF&M LUVERNE
Lois Leuthold proudly announces
the birth of another grandson.
Boyd Alan Leuthold was born
March 5 and weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz.
Congratulations, Lois and Al!
Ryan Wynia proudly announces
the birth of his first child.
William James was born February
4 and weighed 8 lbs. 14 oz.
Congratulations, Ryan and Corey!
FF&M RED WING
Colleen and Dana Phillips are
the proud grandparents of Owen
Thomas Phillips. Owen was born
on March 22, weighing in at 8 lbs.
8 oz. and 21 inches long. Owen is
the son of Nick and Becky and little
brother to Cameron, age 3.
FF&M DATA CENTER
Congratulations to Jared and
Jasmine Schroeder on the birth
of their first child, Finley Marie.
Finley was born February 23,
2017; she weighed 7 lbs. and was
19 inches.
23
Wellness
DO YOU HAVE A FITNESS BUDDY?
One reason why fitness trackers like the
Fitbit have been so successful is due to
the social aspect. The accountability
of your steps with family, friends and
co-workers can help a person stay on
track. Active.com recently wrote an
article about why it is better to work
out with others.
1. Motivation - Unless youre that rare
person who can jump out of bed at 5
a.m. and hit the ground running, odds
are that getting and staying motivated
are difficult for you. You are not
alone. Many people who attend a
class will show up exhausted from the
ups and downs of everyday life. But
once they join the group, they become
re-energized. With a friendly fitness
instructor there to light a fire under
you, it cant get any better.
Not only are you more motivated
to get out of bed and exercise, but
24
Hooray!
SHORT COMPANIES
215 South 11th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 332-4732
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
theres the motivation to improve your If youve ever done a boot camp or
current fitness level. If you work out similar class, you understand.
with people who are faster, stronger or
fitter than you, you are probably going The great thing about the Short
to get in better shape. Companies Fitbit Dashboard is the
numbers start over every month. So
2. Accountability - A workout group each month you have the opportunity
can keep you accountable to your to connect with fellow employees. Plan
exercise routine. The fear of the group breaks with co-workers to walk around
teasing you for skipping a workout the block or do a Fitbit three-day step
or letting them down when you were challenge with friends to increase your
not there will help you not skip, even steps during that timeframe.
on the days you really do not want to
work out. And dont forget that for every month
you reach 300,000 steps you earn $10
3. Group Camaraderie - Human to be paid at the end of the year. So
beings are social creatures. Yes, a dont despair if you have had a slow
few are hermits and recluses, but the start in 2017 as each month stands
majority of us love to be around other on its own. And for extra motivation,
people. We love to laugh, joke and grab a co-worker and take a walk or
have fun. This is one of the greatest organize a challenge.
products of a group workout setting.
Nothing brings people closer quite Submitted by: Augusta Kirk,
like misery and physical suffering. HR Director