hooray! summer 2015

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

Hooray!SUMMER 2015

S H O R T C O M P A N I E S

(continued on page 4)

photo by ~ Kip EarneyRed Wing, MN 55066

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

Seventeen of the 25 awardees work for the Short Companies today, continuing to contribute their leadership, dedication, integrity

Executive Offices Update ~ 25 Eaglesand professionalism which earned them their Eagle of the Year Award. In addition, two Eagles of the Year retired from the organization after long careers with the Short Companies.

In anticipation of the 25th Annual Managers Meeting this summer, Brian and Kathy Short hosted an event for the currently employed and retired Eagles and their spouses, to celebrate those who have been recognized with this award over the past quarter century.

On Sunday, April 12, we attended the Neil Diamond concert at the

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

customer base, prospered, the resulting optimism led them to expand and invest in their future. They came to First Farmers & Merchants bankers for the capital to make those investments. However, 2015 has seen the continued erosion of commodity prices and the explosion of input costs. In January 2013, producers received $7.29 for a bushel of corn and $14.57 for a bushel of soybeans in southern Minnesota. By January 2015, the price paid had fallen to $3.32 for corn and $8.96 for beans. Over that same period, input costs the prices paid for seed, fertilizer, chemicals, machinery and land exploded, crushing any margin the producers might expect.

In a similar fashion, the demand for the transportation services provided by Admiral Merchants contractors and agents was very strong in 2014. Admiral is a leading indicator when our business is good, the economy is about to take off. We move the products used in industrial production. When a company wants to drill a well, expand a factory, open a new mine or expand or repair infrastructure, they order stuff which is moved on an Admiral Merchants truck. Last year, oil exploration in North America was booming. We provide a lot of capacity to those engaged in oil extraction in the US and Canada. Coal mining, another large sector for us, was very strong. Finally, Admiral drivers moved a lot of steel to fabricators in the Northeast and Midwest. As the real economy in the US has slowed, the demand for transportation services in each of those sectors has slowed. As the

number of shipments declines, the prices paid for those transportation services still provided also declines. In June of 2014, Admiral moved 4,380 loads an average of 208.5 per day at an average price of $2,175 per load. In June 2014, we averaged $453,545 per day. For the first 17 business days of June 2015, we have moved 3,297 loads an average of about 194 per day at an average price of $1,984 per load. Our average per day revenue for the first 17 days of June this year was $384,710. In June 2015, we moved almost 7% fewer loads per day and were paid almost 9% less for each of those loads. The result of this its simple arithmetic as our CFO Jim Bemis would say is 15% less revenue per day.

As we struggle with this slowing of business, as we confront these challenges, we have to remember several things. First, we are not alone. Our customers share these challenges. The independent contractors and agents who are the backbone of Admiral are also working harder for less money. The trip that last year might have paid $3.00 per mile to the truck now pays less than $2.00 per mile. Often our contractors are deadheading to an area where they hope the supply of freight will be plentiful.

The farm operators who are the customers of First Farmers built their long range plans around $4.00 corn which is now selling for $3.00, or less. They continue to do an excellent job they work some of the most productive ground in the world with skill and dedication. However, the short term economic prospects are grim.

2

Business Challenges

Brian P. Short

All of our businesses operate in very competitive markets. The laws of supply and demand control and even the slightest operational mistake can have disastrous results. When times are good in the industries we serve, we have more opportunities to excel. Likewise, when times are tough, we face many more challenges. Our only durable competitive advantage is superior customer service.

2014 was one of the best years in our history. Our banks, principally serving the agricultural economy of southern Minnesota, enjoyed the same success that our farmer customers enjoyed. Land and commodity prices were generally high and input costs were under control. Those engaged in livestock production and dairy also saw unprecedented strong prices. The worlds demand for meat and dairy products continued to grow and this country remained the principal world supplier. As the family farms, which are the heart and soul of the First Farmers & Merchants

3

We have to be a source of realistic optimism and encouragement for our customers. They know how tough the economy is now; they do not need any of our customer service teams whether at First Farmers or Admiral to remind them of that.

Second, we have to provide more than words of encouragement. We deliver real value to our customers if we provide a service which helps them overcome some of these challenges.

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

continues to favor us with all of the agencys business.

On my last trip visiting our larger agents, one of our most productive agents, a true transportation professional, told me that he was having a hard time getting his trucks back from the destination most of his loads took them. He was often deadheading the trucks back to the Midwest from the Southwest. He asked me to help him find loads which could help him with the return. I turned the problem over to Admiral SVP Walt Site and Operations VP Penny Lynner, who found recurring freight which will help our agent get his trucks home. The freight is not the highest paying freight there is but it sure beats a deadhead.

First Farmers & Merchants bankers are delivering real value to our customers every day. The financial analysis from our experienced lenders has helped many a farm operator facing challenges in todays environment.

Third, we have to attract more customers. Not every one of our competitors is providing value to their customers. Some community bankers are simply pulling in their horns, emphasizing to their customers how terrible the current market is as their excuse for not providing service. A small number of bank regulators have been saying for years that, for the Ag economy, the end is nigh. They are now saying, See, I told you so. Many Ag bankers, especially those in small community banks, dont dare argue with their regulators. In addition, there has been some consolidation in the

community bank space. Large banks continue to acquire some small banks. We have picked up some new customers whose former bank could no longer work with them because of real or perceived regulatory pressure, or who did not like the policies and procedures of the acquirers.

Admiral Merchants is building the infrastructure necessary to rebound. Mike Griffin, Director of Contractor Services, Wes Dyer, Director of Driver Recruitment, and the whole Contractor Services team have signed up more new contractors than at any other time in our history. Thats a start. Now we must add agents and shippers who can keep those new drivers busy. We are making progress, but more must be done.

We can overcome the current challenges we face by continuing to focus on our customers. Recognize that many of them are facing unprecedented challenges. Offer words of encouragement which recognize the seriousness of these challenges but also recognize that the future is bright. Finally, we must do more than that. We must continue to find ways that help our customers improve their business. Only if we do that, can we hope to keep the customers we have and attract new customers which are the key to our continued growth. We have started to do that but we must do more.

Thanks for all you do; thanks for delivering real value to all of our customers.

Brian P. Short

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Updates

Xcel Energy Center. We viewed the concert from a suite where we also had dinner, including the famous dessert cart. The concert was fantastic, and everyone had a great time.

All but two of the invitees were able to attend. Brian Pfarr was at a leadership program in Texas, and Walt Site had to cancel out at the last minute because he was suffering from back pain that precluded traveling from Atlanta that weekend. (Fortunately, he has had surgery in the meantime and is now on the go again.) Somehow we missed Marlene Trageser in the photo I guess she was sitting down in the front row chatting with Betty Cashin and didnt realize the photo was being taken sorry about that, Marlene!

Brian, thanks very much for this wonderful event and the recognition and celebration of the Eagles of the Year.

* * * * *Marion Short was mentioned in Burt Cohens column in the June 2015 issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. He mentions that there has been talk of replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with a woman. He says his nomination would be Marion Short, gorgeous, stately, great citizen, and mother of seven outstanding community leaders. Wow, what a tribute to Mrs. Short!

* * * * *Many readers of this newsletter will remember who Harold Gifford is. He was one of the pilots

First Farmers & Merchants

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

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


EXECUTIVE OFFICESUPDATE(continued from page 1)

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

Submitted by: Nancy Novack, Executive Assistant

Peggy and Steve Drennan

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Updates

AUSTIN UPDATE(continued from page 4)


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

Kevin Welter

FF&M Austin has some creative people working here!

Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson, Customer Service Representative

that included childrens savings pointers, identity theft safety, shredding of important information as well as our personal banking brochure.

Many had questions for Maria on requirements for opening an account and minor savings accounts. Laura Qualey, Director of Marketing, worked closely with Cindy to ensure we had all information printed in Spanish.

Also on June 20, the Chamber Downtown committee sponsored a Teddy Bear and Art afternoon. The afternoon started at the Historic Hormel Home with the Teddy Bear Band. From there children came downtown for free ice cream and chalk art drawing on the blocked off street. Cindy Jensen helped organize the event, and the bank donated prizes for the coloring contest. After all the rain in the morning, the event still turned out to be a success.

Maria Navarro and Cindy Jensen at the Consulado Movil

college, resulting in 19 months of experience in Agricultural Lending. Kevin graduated with a Bachelors degree in Agricultural and Food Business Management. He previously worked at Iowa State Bank as an agricultural loan officer. Kevin is excited to assist area farmers to provide food, fuel and fiber for the world.

Claire Bliese, granddaughter of Sherrie Carlson, Customer Service Representative, is the winner for her school in the 2015 Young Poet Contest sponsored by the Richard Eberhart Foundation, Austin Public Schools Gifted and Talented Program, Austin Public Education Foundation, and Friends of the Austin Public Library. This is Claires second year in a row to compete and win this award. Each of the eight schools in Austin selects three students to compete for top honors. Altogether, 315 students submitted poems for consideration. Of those 315, only 24 were selected to be part of the competition. To be one of only three from your entire school to compete is quite an honor all its own; to be selected to win two years in a row is a great accomplishment. Needless to say, Sherrie is a proud grandma!

The City of Brownsdale had a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new playground equipment that was installed last fall. Around 100 people attended the event along with the Mower County Dairy Princess who handed out ice cream for Dairy Month.

Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson, Customer Service Representative

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Updates



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

Living Amongst WulfsPresident Greg Wulf and his family opened their home to host a Rotary Exchange Student from Zimbabwe for part of 2015. Liz Banda, age 16, arrived in Cannon Falls in January and has enjoyed getting to know new people, trying new foods and playing in the snow for the first time in her life. She will spend three months with each of her host families and will be living in Cannon Falls for nearly a year.

New Take on Mobile BankingEarlier this year we let our billboard contract expire and chose to go a different route (pun intended). In April, folks around the Cannon Falls and Red Wing area started seeing Mobile Banking in a new

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

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

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

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Updates


CANNON FALLS UPDATE(continued from page 6)

April Showers Bring May.DOWNPOURS!?!

The summer months in Cannon Falls are celebrated by enjoying First Thursday Fun Fest in downtown CF. In May, FF&M Bank hired a caricature artist to draw fun pictures of the many kids and families in the streetsexcept IT RAINEDnoDOWNPOURED!! Determined to

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

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

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

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

Jessica Lindholm

Luke Cooreman and son Grayson

John Wegmann

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Updates

CANNON FALLS UPDATE(continued from page 7)

Michelle Kreisler


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

Marketing Updatesfrom Laura Qualey

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

industry, but it WAS created for our customers. There has been a lot of engagement from our audience but there is always room for more. Keep sending the photos, events and ideas to me, and continue to invite others to LIKE our page. The next goal is to reach 1000 followers by the end of 2015; can you help get us there?

FF&M FaceliftThe second half of 2015 will be a busy but exciting time for FF&M Bank. The team that has been assigned to re-design the website is moving full speed ahead. Our new website will be responsive across all media devices (tablet, desktop, mobile, etc.) and will be much easier to navigate for our customers. Stay tuned for updates and maybe even some sneak peeks as we move through the project.

Mobile App MakeoverAlso, be on the lookout for a new look to our Mobile Banking App. The functions will remain the same, but it will have a fresh new look that EVERYONE will recognize.

Hablas espaol?The demand for bilingual products and services materials is increasing at some of our locations. Therefore, we have sought out resources to have some important financial educational materials, brochures and also some kid banking activity sheets translated into Spanish so that we are prepared to assist our Hispanic or Latino customers or prospective customers. If your location is interested, please contact me anytime.

Submitted by: Laura Qualey, Director of Marketing

Summer is here and families are busy with ball games, swimming lessons, and parades. The Interlaken Heritage Day festivities took place the weekend of June 12-13 with plenty of events happening around town to entertain us, including a street dance, car show, cage hockey, and a parade. We wore blue jeans two Fridays in May to raise money for the #lincolnstrong-athon, an event organized to help raise money for a 9-year old Northrop boy who has lymphoma. Teller Sara Becker-Sokoloski is on the planning committee. The main event will be held in September in Sylvania Park, and will feature a 5K walk/ride/run along with a carnival.

We now have Hardees back in Fairmont, along with a newly remodeled Dairy Freeze which will be adding the Dairy Freeze II directly behind it and will be open during the winter months for soup and sandwich meals.

The crops are looking good in our area and weve been getting rain in good intervals and amounts so far.

The Early Morning Riser Kiwanis Club sponsored a kids fishing contest on June 6 this year and the fish were biting! The crowd was down some from last year, but with lots of fish being caught and everyone receiving prizes, a good


FairmontUpdate

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FAIRMONT UPDATE(continued from page 8)


Updates


GoodhueUpdateIf your community is a farming one like here in Goodhue, you know what I mean when I say the springtime traffic in the bank ranges from very busy to almost non-existent! When the days are sunny and warm, many of our customers are in their fields or working outside on the farm. When it rains, they have to use that day to get all their errands done including banking. We enjoy hearing about the weather and how it is affecting the planting or growingeven if its the 10th time that day we got asked or told how much rain the town got over night.Q We smile and listen to their storiesand their struggles. We listen, and care, because we all know each story, each struggle, means something different in the life of the customer telling it.

Well, the area farmers arent the only people keeping busy this spring! Here at the Goodhue branch, we have all had our share of springtime busyness. We did so well last time collecting money, by wearing jeans on Fridays, for the area Food Shelf that we decided to open up the offer to help to our customers. They came through with flying colors, just like we thought they would. We raised over $130

time was had by all. Assistant Vice President Dennis Trushenski was instrumental in obtaining prizes for the day.

We served ice cream treats to our customers on June 19 in celebration of Dairy Month.

The weekend of June 28 found Commercial Banking Officer Adam Smith flipping pancakes at the annual Lions Club Fly-in Breakfast at the Fairmont airport. This is always a well-attended event with good food and lots of unique planes flown in.

We welcome Ryan Noll and Dustin Meyer back as our summer tellers. Ryan and Assistant Vice President Michael Laue are on a ball team together, playing for Troy Jensen Seed. Due to some delays with the field and weather, the team is just getting started for the season. Dustin headed to the State Trap Shoot in Prior Lake on June 20 as the Fairmont High School Trap Team took first place in their conference and qualified to go on to State for the first time in the three years our school has been participating in trap. Dustin is on a squad of five boys who shot as a team, and there are also two boys who shot individually. These two have consistently hit in the high 90s (out of 100). The Fairmont team took second place out of 31 teams, and team member Bryan Grotte took State Champion first place in individual shooting, breaking all 100 targets! Great job!!

We have the celebration of the 150th Annual Martin County Fair to look forward to this summer. More details next time!

Submitted by: Joan Meyer, Personal Banking Officer

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

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

Michael Poncelet

Madison Schafer

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Updates

GOODHUE UPDATE(continued from page 9)


Schafer, and Michael Poncelet, son of Peter and Regina Poncelet, all customers of the bank.

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

participate in parades and activities over the next year, along with Miss Goodhue, Taylor Larson, Princess, Chelsea Voth, and Miss Congeniality, Laura Ringeisen. All four girls and their parents are customers! Well try not to let the fact that we are surrounded by so much royalty go to our heads!

We always kick off Volksfest weekend with our Customer Appreciation night on Thursday of that week. It is usually a huge success with us grilling hot dogs and the Dairy Princesses on hand to hand out ice cream. Well, this year we got rained out and had to hold it indoors, but it was still a huge success!

Speaking of Volksfest, our own Calvin Ryan, Loan Officer, is a very big part of the Jaycees in Goodhue. The Jaycees are the driving force behind our awesome entertainment for Volksfest! This year we had Blackhawk, which brought in over 1,500 people; and Saturday nights Montgomery Gentry brought over 2,700 people to Goodhue! Keep in mind, our little City of Goodhue sign outside of town says our population just went over 1,000 a couple of years ago. This organization also volunteers their time and donates money they have raised to help out all over the area.

The new pool construction in Goodhue is an ongoing project, with fundraising being done all over the place. Every couple months the bank donates its Friday jean money to the pool. This last month we decided to go a little bigger. The bank presented the city

Princesses Chelsea Voth and Cass Ramthun, Miss Goodhue, Taylor Larson, and Miss Congeniality,

Laura Ringeisen

with a check for $10,000 to be used on its project.

Lori Agre, City Clerk; Jess Ferguson, Mortgage Loan Officer;

Calvin Ryan, Loan Officer; and Stacy Thuman, Goodhue Pool

Board Chairperson

We didnt have any new babies or weddings this quarterbut we cant forget that we celebrated Veronica Mickelsons (Teller) birthday!!

Submitted by: Lara Ramthun, Teller


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

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GRAND MEADOW UPDATE(continued from page 10)

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

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

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

Brian Short, Nancy Scrabeckand Dave Feddersen

Donna Bakken and Brian Short

Kathy Nagel

Speaking of Racine, Kelly Wytaske, CSR, will be the new Assistant Branch Manager of the Racine location. Congratulations to Kelly; this promotion is well-deserved!! Racine also welcomes a new business to town. Mama Ds opened directly across from the FF&M Racine branch and is doing well. Good food and good service is good for the community.

We recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from Grand Meadow Independent School District for going ABOVE AND BEYOND with regards to the GM construction consortium and for the overall relationship and level of customer service the bank has provided to the school . Dave Feddersen, President and CEO, sits on the committee steering the construction funding. We are taking donations at the bank and school for the new addition project.

Best wishes for the summer to everyone!

Submitted by: Kelly Wytaske, Customer Service Representative


Le SueurUpdate

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

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

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Updates


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

The staff made a contribution of $335.00 to the Le Sueur-Henderson School Backpack Program that provides needy local children with healthy snacks to take home for the weekend. Sue Kahle, Customer Service Representative, Sheryl Meyer, Operations Officer, Gail Nelson, Senior Accountant, Martha May, Customer Service Officer, Terry Mattson, VP/Ag & Commercial Loan Officer, and Linda Grack, Retail Operations Manager, helped fill 94 bags to be distributed to elementary students in the three local schools.

Habitat for Humanity asked us to participate in the 17th annual Get on the Beam campaign by displaying an eight-foot 2 X 4 in our lobby. There was a section of downspout attached to the beam where donations could be placed and the banks name was written on the beam as well as individuals

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

LE SUEUR UPDATE(continued from page 11)

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

Le Sueur-Henderson High School senior Henry (Hank) Pfarr, son of Brian and Kristan Pfarr, was the recipient of the First Farmers & Merchants $1,500 scholarship. The scholarship criteria are: student must graduate with a 2.0 or above; preference is given to a student who is a customer or related to a customer of FF&M. Emphasis is given to a student pursuing a career in Business or Agriculture. Hank will be attending Labovitz School of Business at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Brian Pfarr, Senior Vice President/Ag & Commercial Loan Officer, presented the scholarship at the School Awards Ceremony.

Congratulations to Jahna Fick, daughter of Joy Manthey, Mortgage Operations, and Tracy Fick, on her graduation from West Lutheran High School, Plymouth, Minnesota. Jahna has participated in a number of activities, and in each one she has used her own experience to serve as a strong role model for others. She is a fourth-degree black belt and instructor of Tae Kwon Do, a middle school group leader

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

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

Submitted by: Linda Grack, Retail Operations Manager

13

Updates

LE SUEUR UPDATE(continued from page 12)


Tom Obele

Brian Short, Linda Grack, Martha May and Keith Maetzold

at her church, and a guitar player in the student ministries band, and she has been a counselor at a rock and roll camp for girls that offers music instruction to help develop leadership skills and foster self-confidence. Jahna plans to attend Bethel University in the fall.

Beverly Stueber retired on May 29 after 44 years with the bank. A retirement lunch was held at the bank for her and her family and co-workers. Her grandchildren made a retirement banner to decorate our Valley Room. Bev looks forward to spending more time with her

family and four grandchildren as well as more time at the lake and helping her husband with their 2.5 acre garden.

Raevette Loonan

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


LuverneUpdate

Congratulations to the 2015 high school graduate of our employee! Spencer Schacht (son of Mike, Loan Officer) plans to attend St. Cloud State in St. Cloud, MN for Mass Communication Broadcast Journalism.

Congratulations to the 2015 college graduate of our employee! Kim Miller (daughter of Bonnie, Teller and Proof) graduated from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN with a Masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education.

Spencer Schacht participated with the high school speech team in the category of Storytelling and had an outstanding season. He received 1st place at Fulda, Luverne, Worthington and Southwest Minnesota Section Competition; 2nd place at the Adrian Invitational; 3rd at the Southwest Minnesota Conference Meet; and 4th place at the SMSU Invitational. To complete his season, Spencer competed at

were saved. Ryan DeBates had to kiss the pig.

Nate Golla holding the pig with McKenzie and Michaela

VanGrootheest (Marylns daughters)

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

Mike ran into some friends at the Pizza Ranch.

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

The bank participated in the 15th annual Relay for Life in June which raises funds for the American Cancer Society. The banks team raised a total of $4,400, which includes the $2,571.07 raised in the Kiss the Pig contest which was held between Ryan Wynia and Ryan DeBates from Exchange State Bank. The bank that raised the most money would require the loan officer from the other bank to kiss the pig. Ryan Wynias lips

the State Speech Competition at Lakeville North and placed 6th out of 24 different Storytellers from all over the state. Congratulations on a great season!

Erik Wohnoutka (son of Karen, Data Center), along with the Luverne High School tennis team, recently participated in the State tennis competition. They had an excellent season, winning the Section team title. This led to their participation in the State competition which was held in Minneapolis the first week in June. Congratulations, Erik, on a great season!

The annual Hospice dinner in April raised over $75,000 this year, which is a record for this event, and had nearly 400 people in attendance. 100% of the proceeds remain local to support Sanford Luvernes Hospice program and the needs of terminally ill patients and their families. The bank donated four Twins tickets by the dugout which raised $525 on the live auction. May brought the 60th birthday celebration of Mike Engesser, President and CEO. It was quite the day! Along with cake in the lobby and a very decorated office,

14

Updates

LUVERNE UPDATE(continued from page 13)


Mike Engesser

15

Updates

LUVERNE UPDATE(continued from page 14)



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

we must be so vigilant and wary of scams that occur within the business world, but we are thankful for individuals like Dawn who take their job seriously and check out the facts before initiating a transfer.

First Farmers & Merchants was the key sponsor at the first Pipestone Car Cruizin Night for 2015. The bank provided dash plaques for the participants and assisted in the execution of the event. Natalie Sorenson, Teller, Vicki Quist, Vice President, Tim Paulson, Vice President, and Dale Roemmich, President, helped to make the evening a success. Dale also assists with the event that is held the first Thursday of each month during the summer.

Tim Paulson is currently serving on the Pipestone Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Tim has been pivotal in representing the bank in one of the largest fund-sustainers for the Chamber. The Chamber participates in the newspaper recycling project and garners funds from keeping the paper truck clean and organized. Tim arranges staff to help organize the paper weekly, with a fair amount of times stepping up himself to get the job done.

Bank staff in Pipestone hand delivered appreciation gifts to over

The bank also participated in the Chamber Golf Tournament in June. This is a fund raiser for the Chamber of Commerce. The team representing the bank included Tara Zewiske (Auditor), Cliff Boom (Loan Officer), Mike Schacht (Loan Officer) and Ryan Wynia (Loan Officer).

Submitted by: Tara Zewiske, Auditor, and Elaine Hansen, Data Center

110 customers in the month of March. The bank decided to express this appreciation while supporting our community. The bank purchased Girl Scout cookies and 4-H candy, proceeds which will go toward funding their organizations and their efforts. The staff broke into teams and everyone participated in the appreciation event. Customers were surprised to receive their treats with a personal touch and the feedback was positive.

Pipestone Forward, a local community leadership team, has undergone restructuring in 2015. Dale Roemmich, Tim Paulson and Linda Erickson, Customer Service Representative, participate in the organization and aided in the restructuring process. The organization is made up of a Core Committee which seats 17 individuals from a cross-section of business leaders. There is a larger General Membership which meets quarterly and involves a greater number of individuals. The Core Committee rolled out its restructuring efforts at the May meeting of the General Membership. Pipestone Forward has identified through strategic planning and other efforts over the past few years that there are four critical areas of focus for a healthy community: Quality of Life, Community Image, Economic Development, and Finance (to fund the projects identified by the other areas of focus). Committees have been formed for each of the areas. The hope of the restructuring at this time is to generate new, fresh and innovative ideas from individuals and then put those ideas into motion.

16

Updates

PIPESTONE UPDATE(continued from page 15)


Employee News

Alicia Dollarhide, daughter of Tony and Cindy Koenders, Card Services & Fraud Prevention Specialist, was united in marriage to John Davis of Bloomington, Minnesota on May 2, 2015. Congratulations!

Kelsey Weinkauf, Teller, graduated from Pipestone Area High School on May 24, 2015. Kelsey will continue to work at FF&M until she begins college this fall pursuing a nursing degree. Congratulations, Kelsey!

Mindy Johnson, Loan Assistant, and Pam Kuyper, Information Systems Assistant, were recognized for their years of service in June. Mindy was recognized for 15 years and Pam for 5 years. Congratulations, Mindy and Pam!

Submitted by: Linda Erickson, Customer Service Representative


Red WingUpdateThe Red Wing Branch has had a fun-filled, busy start to the summer with lots to celebrate and report on!

On April 15, the Womens Professional Leadership Event took place, held annually at Treasure Island Resort & Casino. Vice President Lynette Smerud,

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

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

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

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

17

Updates


RED WING UPDATE(continued from page 16)

Wing Branch would like to thank everyone who participated and cheered us on.

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

CONGRATS to the 2015 Red Wing High School Graduates!!

Lucas Phillips, son of Colleen and Dana Phillips, was this years

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

Sumner Boldt, son of Gayle and Ben Boldt, plans on attending Dakota County Technical College this fall. Sumner has a passion for motor sports and is excited to pursue a career in Auto Mechanics!

Submitted by: Lisa MacRae, Customer Service Representative


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

Prior to joining the First Farmers & Merchants team, Shari was employed by Security State Bank of Lewiston. She worked in the Spring Valley location as a part-time teller before moving to the Wykoff branch as head teller.

She enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Her hobbies are gardening and going to garage sales and auctions. We have enjoyed getting to know her and working with her since she started on March 30, 2015.

Community Activities

Stewartville Area Community Foundation

First Farmers & Merchants, First American Insurance, Halcon Corporation and Wieser Precast Steps, Inc. partnered with the Stewartville Area Community Foundation during its 2015 Fundraising Campaign. These community sponsors generously offered to match $1 for every $2 gifted. In the past, $475,000 has been received and used for the

Shari Davidson

18

Updates


betterment of the Stewartville area. Congratulations go out to the Foundation and its fundraising partners on surpassing the goal for 2015.

The Stewartville Area Community Foundation was established in 2000 as a nonprofit, tax-exempt entity. The purpose of the organization is to create a permanent entity within the community to receive and distribute funds for the benefit of the greater Stewartville area. The foundation has received and distributed funds from many individuals, organizations and businesses to support the tennis courts project at Bear Cave Park, help with the establishment of a number of park trails, and provide amenities for the new swimming pool.

Movies in the Park

Hundreds of local and area residents gathered for a movie under the night sky at Bear Cave Park on June 5. About 350 people attended the first-ever Movies in the Park event by the Stewartville Parks Events Committee. First Farmers & Merchants, Caseys General Store, Sunshine Sanitation and Hilltop Repair & Services contributed donations to support the event. The movie is free to attend, but event organizers will accept freewill offerings to support park projects. It was said that children showed up in droves and it was a huge success!

Dog Days of Summer Appreciation Night

The planning meetings have begun for the Stewartville annual Dog Days of

STEWARTVILLE UPDATE(continued from page 17)

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

Stewartvilles Summerfest

The 4th of July is rapidly approaching and on that weekend the annual Summerfest celebration is held in Stewartville. Many of our residents and people from the surrounding areas attend the street dance and other entertainment in the park, including arts and crafts, run/walk events, a parade and fireworks.

It looks like we are off to a successful growing season.already the corn crops are more than knee-high! We wish everyone a great summer and safe and happy 4th of July holiday.

Submitted by: Jan Cowan, Lead Teller


White RockUpdate

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

Mark Your Calendar:

CustoMer serviCe Week

october 5-9, 2015

19

Updates


for business on December 20, 1915. Now in 2015, the bank in its original stone building is thriving long after the other businesses of White Rock have faded away.

Our anniversary plans to celebrate the achievement are well underway. We have been busy sprucing up the park-like area we have here at the Rock. We burnt a rather large brush pile and cleaned out a section of the wooded area while we were at it. We finally got the poinsettias out of the lobby and into a new warm spot along the drive-thru lane; hope we dont forget them come frost time. The grass was getting thin under the two big trees that grace the front door of the building so why not mulch it? Boy, what a difference! The White Rock crew put in some sweat equity to bring a bright new look to the bank. Tellers Carna Visagie and Sue Iverson came up with the design on the Red Wing crock banks that are on order for the 100th. The banks will be a nice memento for the many long time customers of White Rock.

Another big change in White Rock is the fact that we will now be closed on Saturday mornings starting in July. I dont know exactly when Saturday banking services started at the bank, but that might be something interesting to investigate.

We had some of the White Rock staff help support the Red Wing staff in the annual YMCA Challenge Games, which they won. Congratulations, Red Wing! Paul Drackley, President, Julie Benrud

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

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

WHITE ROCK UPDATE(continued from page 18)

This is our time for birthdays, as we celebrated for Paul D.s (May 26), Babe Nelsons (June 8) and Calvin Ryans (June 14) with a cookout here in our own little park. From the Cannon Falls Beacon on December 17, 1915:

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

Submitted by: Babe Nelson, Customer Service Representative

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

Admiral Merchants Update

Brian Short and Harold Sparkman

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

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

20

Updates


ADMIRAL MERCHANTSUPDATE(continued from page 19)

Brian Short with Don Singleton

Brian Short and Gary Fellure

to Winchester, Kentucky to visit Agent #2476, Don Singleton. Don has been with Admiral since 2001 and has also been a Tom Seitz Million Dollar Agent award winner every year. We had dinner with Don and then flew back to Canton, Ohio. The next morning we had breakfast with Cliff Wilkinson, Agent #2995. Cliff has been with us over 10 years and his primary customer is Timken Steel. Although his business is down over 50% this year, he is looking for modest growth to come in 2016. We then flew to Cleveland, Ohio and met Brent and had lunch with his Agent #3030, Joe Upholzer. Joe has been an agent with us since 2004 and has done an average of just at $1M for four years. Although his business is also down significantly this year, we are hopeful he will grow the business with us in the second half of the year. Lastly we flew back to Columbus where we met for lunch with our third largest customer, Gary Fellure. Gary has been with Admiral since 2001, and in 2014 did $4.7M in business with Admiral. We shared lunch and discussed how we can support Garys continued growth. Through May Garys business is up 31%! Thanks, Gary! Debbie Taylor, Broker, retired from Admiral on June 30 after over

Brent Layton, Joe Upholzer, Tom Bobrycki and Brian Short

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

coordinator position. Her flexibility and commitment to Admiral was especially evident when she agreed to bail us out in the Brokerage Department at a moments notice. Once again, Debbie quickly adapted to the new position and soon was selling freight to outside

Brian presenting Debbie Taylor with the Bill Bolish Employee of

the Year Award in 2006

21

Eagle Awards


Jen Hanley-Tuttle

ADMIRAL MERCHANTSUPDATE(continued from page 20)

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

Submitted by: Jim Bemis, CFO

We offer our condolences to Joseph Hill on the loss of his mother.

We would like to welcome Daniel Walker to the Benson team. He comes to us with an abundance of customer service experience. He is also a pastor at a local church.

Submitted by: Al Schroeder, Manager

BensonParking Update

Admiral Merchants

Jen Hanley-TuttleProcessing SupervisorSubmitted by: Admiral Team

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

Jen has shown great initiative during

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

FF&M Cannon Falls

Amy FurlongLoan ProcessorSubmitted by: Deb Knowlton and Keith Maetzold

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

Amy Furlong

22

Eagle Awards

EAGLE AWARDS(continued from page 21)

Kelly Wytaske

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

FF&M Grand Meadow

Kelly WytaskeCustomer Service RepresentativeSubmitted by: Dave Feddersen

Kelly has established herself as a go to individual in the Grand Meadow location and a vital member of the overall team. She has accepted new tasks with a minimum of direction and often has good input with regard to processes and customer service. This includes her new role as Assistant Branch Manager of the Racine location.

Kelly demonstrates a willingness to assist co-workers and takes pride in her position and the overall success of the bank. On a number of occasions Kelly has gone above

and beyond to help customers resolve problems and strives to leave the customer with a positive impression of FF&M.

Some of the comments the bank has received from peers and customers about Kelly include:

Kelly has taken on more responsibility and is willing to cover wherever needed. She is always eager to pitch in. She is respectful of others and has great customer service skills. She gets projects done accurately and timely.

Kelly was very efficient and knowledgeable of the process

Calhoun Towers UpdateCalhoun Towers bids a sad farewell to our leasing agent, Ryan Shelton. Ryan has been with us for three years, working here and attending Bethlehem College and Seminary. He graduated this May and is now the Director of Music for a church in Chicago. While we will miss him, we wish him the best in his new position.

Before Ryan left, he recommended another student, Mel Hennegan, as our new leasing agent. Mel has been a great addition to the Calhoun Towers family. The tenants like Mel and he has a great personality.

The rental market this year has been difficult to say the least. Over the last several years, literally thousands of new apartment units have been built around us. The market is saturated and other buildings are offering deep rental concessions. This May and June have been the worst performing

months in the last nine years. However, our worst two months are some of our competitors average vacancies during good times. Moreover, many of the new buildings are struggling just to make their mortgage. Considering our building is 53 years old and we are 100% full for July and August, Calhoun Towers is doing a great job of holding its own against the new competition.

I believe this is due to a combination of several things: money to modernize the building, the cleaning staff keeping the building presentable, maintenances ability to keep things working well, and leasings marketing efforts and interaction with the residents. Thanks to the entire Calhoun Towers team for their efforts.

Submitted by: Steve Ocvirek, Manager

when my husband and I came in and opened our new accounts. She made us feel very welcome.

Kelly is always professional, helpful, respectful, considerate, fair, and shows concern for the staff, customers, management and anyone she comes in contact with in her position.

Kelly was nominated for the Eagle Award based on her ongoing growth, positive attitude, and consistent focus on providing excellent customer service. She has become an example for her co-workers to follow. Congratulations, Kelly!

23

News

ANNIVERSARIES

NEW EMPLOYEES

ADMIRAL MERCHANTSWalt Site 23 yearsTim Neid 15 yearsPenny Lynner 14 yearsRalph Wood 14 yearsJeff Johnson 13 yearsAnn Schuetz 12 yearsLauri Rice 10 yearsJaquelyn Moore 8 yearsKirby Lang 8 yearsDeb Lindner 7 yearsJulie Cornelsen 5 yearsSteve McCabe 5 yearsCarol Price 4 yearsChris Monroe 4 yearsMissy Swenson 1 yearAndrew Turbiville 1 yearKaren Hedtke 1 year

FF&M CANNON FALLSTraci Holt 18 yearsKris Jacobsen 11 yearsLuke Cooreman 9 yearsKorie Jackson 4 yearsLisa Miller 4 years Sandy Hanson 1 year

FF&M LUVERNEDarlene Gonnerman 20 yearsSandy Clark 15 years

FF&M Red WingAshley Elford 3 years

FF&M STEWARTVILLEJan Cowan 5 years

LEAMINGTON CO.Brian Short 31 yearsNancy Novack 15 years

ADMIRAL MERCHANTSTheresa Dougan Freight Coordinator

BENSON PARKINGDaniel Walker Parking Lot Attendant

CALHOUN TOWERSMel Hennegan Leasing Agent

FF&M BROWNSDALEKevin Welter Lender

FF&M CANNON FALLSMichelle Kreisler Loan Processor

FF&M FAIRMONTDustin Meyer Summer TellerRyan Noll Summer Teller

FF&M GRAND MEADOWKathy Nagel Vice President and Assistant Branch Manager

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

FF&M AUSTINConnie and Wendel Sprung welcomed their fifth grandchild on June 11, 2015. Presley Honor weighed 9 lbs. 14 oz. and was 21 inches long.

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

WEDDINGS

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

FF&M LUVERNECongratulations to Peg Gacke and husband Vince on the marriage of their daughter Andrea to Jon on May 2, 2015 in Sioux Falls, SD.

Congratulations to LaDonna VanAartsen and husband Darrel on the marriage of their son Mark to Katie on June 20, 2015 in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in LaDonnas backyard.

Congratulations to Sandy Clark and husband Tom on the marriage of their son Jake to Stephanie on June 20, 2015 in St. Paul.

Brit Matt proudly announces the birth of another son. Evan Trent was born April 21, 2015 and weighed 5 lbs. 8oz. Congratulations, Brit and Nancy!

Jo Buss proudly announces the birth of her first granddaughter! Lily Armene was born May 27, 2015 and weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. Congratulations, Jo and Butch!

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

FF&M LUVERNERaevette Loonan Teller

FF&M STEWARTVILLEShari Davidson Teller/CSR

WEDDINGS

Hooray!SHORT COMPANIES

215 South 11th StreetMinneapolis, MN 55403

(612) 332-4732

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

24

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

Loss Ratio: 2015-2016: 134% (estimated) Actual Increase: 14% (initial quote was 28% but lowered after increase in deductibles/out of pocket maximums)

Loss Ratio: 2014-2015: 178% Actual Increase: 28% (added an HSA plan)

Loss Ratio: 2013-2014: 146.6% Actual Increase: 11.5% (changes

Fitness Every DayRx, 75% co-insurance, increase out of network amounts)

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

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

success. And we did have a couple years with flat medical renewals.

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

Lets keep at it. Fitness Every Day!!

Submitted by: Augusta Kirk, HR Director

Wellness

hooray! summer 2015

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