Bankers on the Move
Center National Bank announces the appointment of Jim Lahl as Market President of the bank’s Plymouth office as well as Vice President of the Southwest Market. He started with the bank in May. His focus has always been the western suburbs of Minneapolis and he’s held roles in mortgage, commercial lending, management and was most recently Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending for Old National Bank.
The board of directors for First State Bank and Trust, Bayport, recently announced promotions in their leadership team.

Jason Howard, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, has been promoted to Bank President, and Chad Fett, Executive Vice President of Trust Services, has been promoted to President of Trust Services.
Howard joined First State Bank and Trust in 2012 and was promoted to Chief Financial Officer in 2013. Howard began his career as a staff accountant with Arthur Andersen in Minneapolis and later served 10 years with Wipfli where he provided audit and consulting services to community banks throughout the Midwest. Howard obtained his Certified Public Accountant license in 2003.
Fett joined First State Bank and Trust in 1987 as a summer intern and worked as a teller and in the mortgage department. He also served in business development and was promoted to Manager of the Oak Park Heights branch office when it opened in 1997. Fett joined the trust department in 2001 and was named Senior Vice President of Trust Services in 2011. He is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor and is a Certified Financial Planner®.
Roundbank congratulates Heath Miller on his promotion to Market President – Waseca. Heath has been with Roundbank for two years and in the Finance and Ag Finance industries for over 18 years. Heath still operates his family’s grain farm and consults on larger, diversified operations such as cash grains, hogs, and non-GMOs.
Bridgewater Bank, a leading Twin Cities bank focused on meeting the unique needs of successful individuals and entrepreneurs, recently announced the addition of Ryan Meier to its expanding team as Senior Vice President, Commercial Lending. Ryan joins Bridgewater as a seasoned commercial banking officer with 20+ years of professional experience. In his new role at Bridgewater, Ryan will use his real estate and small business expertise to deliver simple, flexible lending solutions to current and prospective commercial clients in the Twin Cities. 
WNB Financial is pleased to announce the promotion of David Vaselaar to President and Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Vaselaar will assume the responsibility of managing and directing the day-to-day leadership of the Bank and its various business lines. Vaselaar holds 32 years of banking experience, most recently serving as WNB Financial’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. 
WNB Financial, Winona, is also pleased to announce Mary Polus, Vice President and Operations/IT Manager, as the recipient of its 2020 first quarter Community PRIDE Award. As a Community PRIDE Award recipient, Polus received $100 to donate to the organization of her choice, which she chose to donate to Great River Shakespeare Festival. Community PRIDE Awards recognize WNB employees for exceptional volunteer service to programs, organizations, and initiatives that contribute to the strength and vitality of the communities served. This includes volunteering efforts made during and outside of work hours. 

   Announcements

Bridgewater Bank announced recently that is has received the highest possible rating, ‘Outstanding,’ from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for its recent Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) examination period of January 2017 through February 2020. Since 2017, Bridgewater is the only bank in Minnesota and one of 51 banks nationwide examined by the FDIC to receive the ‘Outstanding’ rating in the large bank category. 

“This is an incredible accomplishment that very few FDIC examined banks nationwide achieve,” said Jerry Baack, President and CEO. “It’s a true testament to our employees’ ongoing dedication to the community through volunteer efforts and affordable housing initiatives. We are committed to building a better Twin Cities together.” 
WNB Financial employees were pleased to donate $10 Midtown Foods gift cards to all 88 staff members at Sauer Health Care. The donation was made possible from “Jeans Day” collections, where WNB employees choose to pay $2 each Friday to wear casual jeans during the workday, with the proceeds benefitting organizations in the communities we serve. 
Old National Bank joined #GivingTuesdayNow in a global day of giving and unity and responding to meet the needs of communities by committing $1.2 million for COVID-19 relief. This included $600,000 in funding focused on meeting the immediate needs in local communities throughout Old National’s five-state footprint, with an emphasis on low-to-moderate income communities and $600,000 in Old National Bank Foundation grant funding that will focus on longer-term restorative and transformational needs within local communities throughout Old National’s five-state footprint. 

   In Memory of...

Daniel H. Nicolai sadly passed away on June 13, 2020, at the age of 88. Dan’s career in banking spanned over 60 years as owner and operator of Castle Rock Bank. He was widely respected in the banking community and was well known for his commitment to the Castle Rock community. He was inducted into the MBA’s Pioneer Banker Club in 2006. We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that long-time MBA Education Coordinator and dear friend Anne Huntley, lost her battle with cancer on April 28. Our thoughts go out to her family and the many people who knew and loved her. (obituary) 
Paul Bringgold passed away on May 18th at the age of 92. A native Minnesotan, in 1958, Paul and his wife Alice bought the Riceville State Bank in Riceville, Iowa. While living in Riceville, Paul served as the town’s mayor. Later, the family moved to Cannon Falls, after Paul and Alice bought the First National Bank. As president of the bank, Paul was forward-thinking and innovative; the bank had the first drive-up teller and the first ATM in town. Paul worked until he was 80 years old, and the family then sold the bank in 2007 to Merchant’s Bank of Winona. Paul will be remembered as a loving and generous family man.

 Retirements

Locally owned and operated Community Bank Owatonna and its Board of Directors announce today's retirement of Roxanne Arndt. Arndt has served as the bank's Vice President/Cashier since the bank was chartered and opened in 2003. Prior to joining Community Bank Owatonna, she served in a variety of capacities at the former Owatonna State Bank/Community Bank Minnesota. 

  Board Appointments

The Board of Directors of WNB Financial is pleased to announce the election of Fatima Said to serve on the Bank’s Board of Directors. Said is the Executive Director of Project FINE and has been with the organization for 15 years. Project FINE is a nonprofit that helps newcomers integrate into the community by providing foreign language interpreters and translators as well as opportunities for education, information, referral, and empowerment for immigrants and refugees. 
United Bankers’ Bancorporation, Inc., is pleased to announce the appointments of Mike Johnson and Curt Johnson to United Bankers’ Bancorporation, Inc. (UBBI) and United Bankers’ Bank (UBB) Board of Directors. 

Mike Johnson brings more than 25 years of professional experience in security risk management. Mr. Johnson is Director of Graduate Studies for the Master of Science in Security Technologies degree program at the Technological Leadership Institute (TLI). Prior to joining TLI, Mike served as CISO and Operations Risk Director at Bremer Bank and as an examiner with the FDIC.” 


Curt Johnson has served as President and CEO of Cherokee Bank in Cherokee, IA since January of 2016. His more than 22 years in Iowa’s banking industry has included management experience as Senior Vice President at City State Bank in Norwalk and 19 years in various positions including Chief Risk Officer and President at Bank Midwest in Spirit Lake.  
We want to hear about your Bankers on the Move! If you have an announcement you would like to include, please send it to Carla Bush at carlab@minnbankers.com.