Where is your bank located?

We are a single-branch bank located in the heart of St. Charles County.

What is something unique about your bank?

Our culture is truly unique. We are a $200 million bank with 25 employees, so we are busy! Every day we show up and we care about working hard and doing a great job. We care about our customers, each other and the bank, and it shows!

How did you get started in the banking business?

I was looking for part-time work after having my second baby and found a bank hiring a teller for 10 hours per week. It was a perfect fit, and I fell in love with banking. I quickly went from 10 to 20 to 30 to 40 hours per week, and from teller to customer service manager in two years.

What prompted you to begin a career in banking and continue the family tradition?

My mom worked in a bank the entire time I was growing up. She has always spoken about what a great industry banking is and how she thought it would be a great fit. I never saw myself in banking, but I fell into it by chance and fell in love with the industry!

It was never my intention to be a banker; it was just always something my mom did. I even left banking briefly (for six months) and came back. Once a banker, always a banker. Banking just becomes part of you.

What is the most important thing you have learned from this career so far?

Banking is literally the heartbeat of the world, and we have the unique opportunity to guide our customers and make a difference in their businesses, lives, futures and the lives of their children. Being in banking means your job matters; it’s not just punching a card for a paycheck.

What is the most interesting thing you have learned from the transition to the banking industry?

I never gave much thought to banking before I worked in a bank. It has amazed me the way banking touches every aspect of life and business. The most interesting thing that I have learned from working at this bank is … everything. Having everything under one roof has exposed me to retail, operations, deposit operations, loan operations, compliance and security. It has been a great opportunity to learn about all aspects of banking and how much it takes to make it all happen.

Tell us about the bank’s community investment efforts.

1st Advantage Bank’s community outreach starts with the employees. The bank supports employee involvement in community organizations by giving time and money to employees’ chosen organizations. Many employees choose to participate in community organizations with their kids, and others participate in events around town supporting area charities.

What is the bank’s biggest challenge related to internet banking/mobile banking?

Our bank leads with people and technology, the two being equally important in creating the best customer experience. In most cases, we offer the same products as our competitors. Our challenge is to show customers that while they might look different, the functionality is similar. For example, we offer P2P but not Zelle; being knowledgeable and educating customers about our products is key. This really illustrates the importance of marketing, and sometimes our greatest challenge in this area is more our marketing ability rather than differences in technology.

What’s your favorite thing about your bank or banking in general?

My favorite part of banking is the people. While my position in the bank has changed over the years and most of my interactions are with internal customers rather than external customers, being part of an organization that puts people first is truly unique.

If you didn’t have a career in banking, what other career would you choose?

I love to learn. If I weren’t in banking, I would either practice law or teach college. However, I feel like I’ve been lucky enough to combine both passions in my career today.