Hooray! Winter 2015 Newsletter

Hooray!
SHORT
C O M PA N I E S
WINTER 2015
Customer Service Week

October 5-9, 2015
We had a great Customer Service

Week (CSW) in 2015! It was fun,
exciting, and filled with treats
and messages; we pledged to go
to Heroic Measures to serve and
support our customers because we
are EVERYDAY HEROES
(continued on page 4)
Inside:
Brian P. Short............................2
Austin Update...........................4
Brownsdale Update....................4
Cannon Falls Update..................5
Fairmont Update........................7
Goodhue Update.......................7
Grand Meadow Update..............8
Le Sueur Update........................9
Luverne Update........................11
Pipestone Update......................11
Red Wing Update.................... 14

Stewartville Update.................. 14
White Rock Update.................. 15
Admiral Merchants Update....... 16
Calhoun Towers Update............ 17
Executive Offices Update.......... 18
Eagle Awards.......................... 18
St. Paul Flight Center Update....20
Wellness.................................. 21
News...................................... 23
2015 First Farmers & Merchants Cookie Tour

year; its been a tough year. It was
always going to be a challenging
year when compared to 2014,
the best year in the history of our
company. It was always going to
be difficult to measure up to the
financial results achieved that year.
However, in 2015 we encountered
a number of challenges: significant
credit problems and the continuing
problems faced by all involved with
agricultural production, the main
industry served by First Farmers &
Merchants Banks.
Brian P. Short
As many of the readers of this
column know, the First Farmers &
Merchants Banks host Christmas
open houses throughout December,
inviting our customers in for light
sandwiches, cookies, coffee and
cider. I try to attend as many as I
can. This years Cookie Tour began
on December 1, 2015, in Austin,
MN and concluded on December
22 in St. Paul. In-between those
dates, I visited 14 First Farmers
& Merchants offices and received
one well deserved speeding ticket.
The Christmas Cookie Tour is
always one of the highlights of the
year for me, not only because I get
to eat delicious, often homemade
Christmas cookies, but also because
I spend a lot of time not only with
hundreds of our customers who are
grateful for the service they receive
from members of the First Farmers
& Merchants team but also with
the folks who deliver that great
service.
The message I delivered to our
teams was that 2015 has been a
tough year. It hasnt been a bad
I am constantly reminded of this

when I visit with our customers.
Community banking can be a very

challenging business. However, to
be successful, you have to always
do three things:
1. find new quality customers;
2. avoid mistakes; and
3. deliver service to our
customers which is better than
the service they receive anywhere
else.
On December 18, I was in Le Sueur,

sampling virtually every variety of
homemade cookies brought in by
members of the team, while visiting
with one of our customers. This
customer is a retired management
professional who, prior to her
retirement, had been responsible
for a fairly large business in the
Le Sueur community. She has had
a long and close relationship with
members of the team in Le Sueur.
This past summer, she told me,
she was visiting her daughter and
grandchildren in Denver. While her
daughter was at work, our customer
was responsible for overseeing the
grandchildren. She had them in her
car and stopped by a bank in Denver
to get some money from the ATM
machine. She took her First Farmers
& Merchants card inside while the
grandchildren remained locked
in the car. As she was getting her
money from the ATM machine,
she was constantly looking out to
make sure the grandchildren were
still in the vehicle and the vehicle
was still in the parking lot. She
finished conducting her business in
minutes and raced back out to the
car to be with the children.
Of those three elements of success

in community banking, the First
Farmers & Merchants teams
excel in the delivery of customer
service. I have talked to a lot of our
customers over the years and I have
visited with a lot of other bankers.
Consistently, members of the First
Farmers & Merchants team rank
higher on customer service than
others with whom I am familiar.
Later that afternoon, she realized

she had misplaced her debit card.
She immediately went on-line and
found that there had been a number
of unauthorized transactions in
her account. Obviously concerned
about this, she immediately called
her personal banker in Le Sueur,
who suggested she contact our IT
group in Pipestone. Our customer
wasnt sure whether she was calling
I shared with the teams that if we

hope to improve, we have to remain
optimistic. It is pretty easy to get
down in the dumps when you work
very hard, as every member of the
First Farmers & Merchants team
does, and the results arent there. I
reminded everyone that we have to
be optimistic about 2016.
It was interesting to me to note that

not once did our customer have to
navigate a call waiting tree; not
once was she on hold; not once
was she told to call a different 800
number. Her banker in Le Sueur
gave her the direct dial number of
someone who could help her with
her problem, and that person, Cindy
Koenders, solved the problem.
Opal Heydt, 95 years old, with
Colleen Tebay in Brownsdale.
Opal still lives in the house that
she and her husband bought 70
years ago. She visits the old
people in the nursing home, most
of whom are younger than she
is. She still drives and was going
to the Messiah at St. Augustines
Church in Austin.
an employee of First Farmers
& Merchants or an outsourced
service. She called the 800 number
and reached Pipestones Cindy
Koenders. Cindy is a key member
of the First Farmers & Merchants
data center team. Cindy did her best
to calmly put our customer at ease
by assuring her the money would be
restored to her account and that the
card would be canceled so that no
further unauthorized transactions
would occur. In addition, she
told her that a new card would
immediately be on its way. Our
customer told me that Cindy, a
woman she had never met, went
out of her way to put her at ease and
solve all of the problems she faced.
Our customer hung up the phone
from her call with Cindy and went
back to enjoy the rest of her time
with her grandchildren, knowing
that her bank account issues had
been resolved.
Our customer thought that was

remarkable service. I told her that
was the standard, every day First
Farmers & Merchants customer
service. We did it for her and we
do it for dozens of other customers
every day.
I am confident that First Farmers
& Merchants will get beyond the
challenges we faced in 2015. We
will do so because we deliver great
customer service. We deliver great
customer service because it is one
of our core values recognized in
our Corporate Mission Statement
We always deliver outstanding
customer service that emphasizes
friendliness, convenience and
personalization. However, in
addition, we deliver great customer
service because the members of
our team truly like their customers.
Dale Roemmich, president of the
First Farmers branch in Pipestone,
observed that during the Pipestone
open house, customers would come
in and sit down and drink their
coffee and eat their cookies. Every
time that happened, a member of the
team came over and sat down and
talked to the customer. They did it
because they like their customers.
The genuine affection that we
feel for all of our customers big
customers and small customers
is why we are able to deliver great
customer service day after day.
Christmas in Sargeant
I know that every member of the
First Farmers & Merchants team
commits him or herself every day
to our mission of delivering great
customer service. And because
of that, we will continue to be
successful. Yes, there might be
bumps in the road as there were
in 2015. But over our career, over
the life of our company, we will
FF&M Pipestone Open House

be the winner because we like our
customers and put their interests
first. We will be the winner because
of the people of First Farmers &
Merchants. All of us can learn
valuable lessons from that.
Thanks for all you do. I hope that
everyone had a great Christmas,
and best wishes for a wonderful
New Year.
Brian P. Short
Customer Service Week / Updates
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
WEEK 2015
(continued from page 1)
We are mere mortals exhibiting
super-human customer service
characteristics;
We are dedicated to serving our
customers;
We are sincere do-gooders
working undercover to solve our
customers problems;
We work above and beyond to
help perfect strangers;
We are doing our jobs with
rewarding customer results;
We exhibit and observe superheroes in action every day;
Why Because we are Everyday
Heroes.
We have continued to use our CSW
powers and are committed to using
our Customer Service Superhero
Power in 2016.
Submitted by: Pat Gegner, Credit
Manager, Admiral Merchants
Motor Freight, Inc.
First Farmers & Merchants
Austin
Update
On October 3, Dorene Bednar,
Teller, and her children, Joshua
(7), Jacey (4), and Josey (4),
participated in the Pacelli Catholic
Schools 5/10K Ride It
Race
It Walk It. It was an absolutely
beautiful day! After the walk, there
were lots of activities for the kids
to do at the Family Fun Festival.
100% participation in our poster

contest. We had the Mayor of
Brownsdale and the city clerk come
in to judge all the entries. There
was lots of creativity put into each
and every shield. Our winner was
Sherrie Carlson, CSR/Teller. She
went around town on her off time
and took pictures of people who
live or work in Brownsdale and
put them on her Everyday Hero
shield.
Maria Navarro, Teller, and
Connie Sprung, Lead Teller,
participated in the Austin Citizens
Police Academy this fall. It ran
for six weeks, for 2 hours each
Tuesday night. We learned the
history, toured the dispatch center,
shot at the gun range, lifted finger
prints, met Sonic, the K-9 unit,
handcuffed each other, got to see
all the different types of street
drugs out there now, and toured
the evidence room. Connie got to
pull the pin and throw the hand
grenade while Maria got to use the
taser. We both learned a lot about
the Police Department and would
recommend this class if you ever
get the chance.
Submitted by: Dorene Bednar,
Teller, and Connie Sprung, Head
Teller
Brownsdale
Update
October started off with excitement
for our Customer Service Week.
With treats all week and then a
catered meal, Im sure we all gained
a few extra pounds. I am proud to
say that Brownsdale/Sargeant had
We all had a wonderful

Thanksgiving with each of our
families. And, again, I think we
all gained a few more pounds. Im
beginning to see a trend here..
What wonderful weather we had
for our Christmas Open House,
and the turnout showed that. With
good food and great customers to
visit with, the day just flew by.
#atetoomanycookies #ohthelbs
We hope that each and every one
of you had a Merry Christmas and
a joyous New Year.
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
CSR/Teller
Updates
Cannon Falls
Update
Everyday Heroes!
Customer Service Week was
SUPER this year! Cannon
Falls celebrated with a 4-foot
superhero sub, a souper lunch
with two kinds of soup and fixings,
some super foods like fruit,
nuts, veggies and protein bars, and
also had chair massages to relax
their muscles from flexing their
customer service skills every day.
Korie Jackson, Teller, won the
Superhero Shield contest which
featured all of the Minnesota sports
teams. Remember: You dont have
to be strong to be a superhero, you
just have to be better than you were
yesterday.
Then two became one..
On October 8, Kelsey (Glaess)
Otte, Credit Analyst, was married
to her now husband, Tyler. Tylers
proposal was a little unorthodox, but
sure made a statement. He proposed
to Kelsey by
spray painting,
Kelsey, Marry
Me? on one
of their barns.
The wedding
reception was celebrated on her

husbands family farm and the
couple resides in Rolling Stone,
MN. Congratulations to you both,
Kelsey and Tyler!
Fundraiser Fridays
October
is
Breast
Cancer
Awareness month and the FF&M
team in Cannon Falls helped the
CFHS Student Council with their
fundraiser. Any employees who
wanted to dress in denim jeans for
the five Fridays in October had to
pay $5 to the cause. All in all, we
raised $200 to go toward the efforts
of the Student Council.
children for a year. Participants

included Cathy Thumann, CSR,
Deanna Hochmuth, Consumer
Lender, Patty Gustafson, CSR,
Mary Mann, Operations, Mary
Benson, Internal Auditor, Kris
Bodette, Head Teller, John
Wegmann, Ag Lender, and Steve
Bodette (Kris husband, along
with grandkids and daughter Mindi
Pagel). Not pictured are Laura
Qualey, Marketing, Deb Norstad,
Operations, and Debs daughter,
Nicole Norstad.
Morale & Caffeine Boost

What do the troops really want when
theyre deployed??? Microwave
popcorn and Keurig K-cups! They
told us, and the CF team responded.
We filled two huge boxes and sent
them off to a local helicopter pilot
from CF who is over in Afghanistan.
He received the packages and sent
a Facebook message back: HUGE
thanks to the FF&M Bank team
for the great care package and
continued support for service men
and women from the local area!
Warmest regards from Bagram
Airfield,
Afghanistan!Jesse
Johnson.
Feed My Starving Children

The FF&M team in CF once again
formed a team to help with the
annual meal packing event, Feed
My Starving Children. In a 2-hour
packing period, 108,648 meals
were packed, which will feed 297
Updates
CANNON FALLS UPDATE

Lego Robotics Donation
The CF and White Rock Advisory
Board made an $800 donation
to the First Robotics Club in
Cannon Falls. The program gives
the students in 8th-12th grade the
opportunity to learn about computer
programming, and build a robot
out of Legos to perform a certain
task. Advisory Board member
Joe Coyle and FF&M customer
Dave Engebretsen are two of the
coaches who help the team prepare
for competitions against other
schools in the area.
Its not UGLYits FESTIVE!

Friday, December 18 was National
Ugly Sweater
Day,
and
did we have
some doozies
in CF! The
main branch,
operations
center, and
a gal from
Econo
all
sported their
h o l i d a y
spirit
loud
and proud!
Voting took place throughout
the day and Luke Cooreman,
Commercial Lender, won with
his beautiful Scottie Dog sweater
vest! We had everything from
angry Nutcrackers, snowballs,
Rudolph with a sequined red nose,
to penguins, poinsettias and polar

bears.
New Employees
Briana Davis (Bri), Loan
Processor, grew up in Red Wing,
MN and graduated from Red Wing
High School. She attended Winona
State University and graduated
in 2003 with a degree in Human
Resource Management and a minor
in Communications. Bri began her
professional career as a closer at
Goodhue County Abstract Company
in Red Wing where she worked for
11 years. Bri lives in Rosemount,
MN with her husband Joe, their
two children, Nathan (4) and Halle
(18 months), and an old dog named
Max. In her limited spare time, Bri
enjoys yoga, watching movies,
playing games and spending time
with her family and friends. Bri is
excited for the opportunity to learn
a new profession and work at First
Farmers & Merchants Bank.
Mariah
Mittlestaedt,
Loan
Processor, was born and raised in
Cannon Falls, and has lived there
her whole life. She just started at
FF&M Operations Center in early
December. In her free time she
likes to get together with family
and friends, go antique shopping,
and collect vinyl records.
Mariah Mittlestaedt
The Data Center added a new
employee to its roster this past
October, but she gets to work in
her hometown of Cannon Falls.
Carrie Johnson, Information
Systems Assistant, has lived in
Cannon Falls her entire life, is
Carrie Johnson
Briana Davis
Updates
CANNON FALLS UPDATE

married to Mark, and they have
three children: Alyssa (26), Olivia
(13), and William (11). She and
her husband recently celebrated the
marriage of their oldest daughter in
October. She enjoys watching her
kids in their sporting events, playing
sports, spending time with family
and friends, going to her parents
cabin, fishing, and gardening. She
is excited to be part of the FF&M
team!
Submitted by: Laura Qualey,
Director of Marketing
Fairmont
Update
Happy holidays! Fairmont became

the City of Lights on November 20
when the 25th annual Glows Parade
took place. Teller Sara BeckerSokoloski and her daughters
Emily and Madison participated
in the parade with their church
and Brownie troop. Sara is a Girl
Scout troop leader and organized a
holiday bowling party for 56 girls
this weekend. She is very good at
getting the girls involved in some
fun activity or community project!
Our new, larger Verizon store
opened on October 13. We were the
bank of record and were fortunate
enough to be able to assist with
their financing for the improvement
project as well. This is a new 3,000
square foot stand-alone building,
located right alongside the existing
strip center, which also houses
Maurices and Great Clips on the

north edge of Fairmont.
holiday season with your loved

ones and wish you a happy, healthy
and prosperous New Year!
Submitted by: Joan Meyer,
Personal Banking Officer
On Monday, November 30 AVP

Dennis Trushenski worked at the
Kiwanis Pancake Supper. This
annual event raises funds that go to
help benefit projects throughout the
city. Dennis has also been active
with the Kiwanis Koats for Kids
program this fall, shopping at the
request of school personnel to help
provide warm coats and boots for
children in need.
VP/Ag Loan Officer Michael Laue
began 16 weeks of classroom and
hands-on training for firefighting in
December. He is a member of the
Ceylon Fire Department.
We held our annual Holiday Open
House on Monday, December 14
this year. Even though the morning
started out with rain showers and
wind, we had a good turnout and
nice crowd throughout the day.
Dennis Trushenski is counting
down the days to retirement! He
actually started counting about
three years ago, and hes only got a
month to go! Hes looking forward
to days of leisure, traveling, and
spending time with his children
and grandchildren. Well have an
update in the next Hooray! with
photos from his retirement open
house.
We hope you enjoyed a very special
Goodhue
Update
Well, I dont know about you, but

now that we finally have all this
snowIm ready for spring! I like
the snow for Christmas, but would
prefer it to start warming up after
that. Mother Nature has never asked
my opinion about this, however, so
I try not to say anything.
Its not every day that you see a huge
4-bedroom house rolling down the
street, in any town, let alone in one
the size of Goodhue. But thats
exactly what we all witnessed
back in September! Customers
Jerry and Sheila Stehr purchased a
large home here in town and had
it moved to their land out in the
country a couple miles outside of
town. The home belonged to the
late Doc Sawyer, who left it to
his housekeeper. The housekeeper
was the mother-in-law to our own
Delores Rusch, who was the head
teller here in Goodhue many years
ago!
Updates
GOODHUE UPDATE
Back in the beginning of November,
we lost one of our part-time tellers,
Veronica, to a full-time loan officer
position at a bank in Red Wing. She
will be missed, but we know that
full-time and the loan side is where
her heart truly is. We wish her the
best of luck in her new adventure!
Weve been doing our usual serving
at the school concession stand
again this season for the basketball
games. It is lots of work, but always
a good time! We get to help out our
school Booster Club and visit with
the customersfrom the home
and opposing teams. Some of us
do more visiting than volunteering,
but oh well, it all works out!
I love the whole holiday season
starting with Thanksgiving all the
way through the New Year! Its
always busy, but I try to make it busy
with helping others and making the
holidays wonderful for everyone,
not just my family. At the bank, we
did a food drive in conjunction with
a group at school called FCCLA.
Cass Ramthun, daughter of Lara
Ramthun, Teller, was involved in
Lara Ramthun and Corrine Stehr
this project and asked if we would

be willing to put up a box and sign,
and collect food donations for the
holiday season. We were more than
happy to help. The food went to the
Zumbrota Food Shelf this year.
gathering of friends that day was

very well receivedand so were
the leftovers.q We were even
serenaded by the Goodhue School
5th graders as they went caroling
around town!!
I did a little project of my own the

day before Thanksgiving at our
one-man branch in Bellechester.
I brought a big bag of candy to
work that day and before I would
finish each customers transaction,
I made them tell me one thing
they were thankful for.q Even
the gruffest of customers smiled
and very willingly obliged my
request. It was wonderful to hear
all that they were thankful for. In a
small rural town that does not have
quite a booming economyit was
amazing to hear that there were
still things to be thankful for such
as family, good health and good
crops.
The holiday season is almost over,

but the time to bless friends and
family with the gift of you never
comes to an end. May this next year
be one full of many blessings
given and received!
The Monday after Thanksgiving is

always set aside for our Goodhue
branch Christmas decorating. We
stayed after work as usual to get
the bank all ready for the holiday

seasoncomplete with Christmas
music and plenty of food to go
around. We all had a wonderful
Christmas with the usual gettogethers and over indulgence of
delicious food and baked goods!
Our Christmas Open House was
no exception. The customer we
hired to do our baking this year
out-did herself. The cookies and
Happy New Year!

Submitted by: Lara Ramthun,
Teller
Grand
Meadow
Update
Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

but the BANK is so delightful, and
since weve no place to go, let it
snow... let it snow let it snow.
Finally, a white winter! Grand
Meadow made the local news
for snow fall, although a brown
Christmas was A-OK by me, ha!
We cant really complain, however;
this fall has been beautiful great
weather for our friends and farmers
to bring in those crops!
Looking back over 2015, weve had
a lot of changes. People coming and
going, babies arriving, illnesses and
broken bones, and still our team at
FF&M Grand Meadow, Racine and
Stewartville has hung in there, and
we are pleased that our customers
Updates
GRAND MEADOW Update

Vicki Holz, Kathy Nagel,

Kelly Wytaske and Tabitha Hoffmann
have been there all along with
us. Lots of changes, but resilient
customer loyalty and great customer
service have kept us going strong.
Our Customer Service Week this
year really helped us focus on the
key that makes FF&M so special,
CUSTOMER SERVICE. Our

people and the level of customer
service we consistently provide
distinguish us from all the rest. We
had a lot of fun during CSW this
year, with super heroes flying in on

their red capes, and a lot of positive
response from customers made it
super fun. Thanks to all those
who put this event together every
year.
The Grand Meadow high school
football team won the 9-man State
Championship for a third time in
a row. 36 yes 36 consecutive
victories! There was plenty of
excitement around town with
fireworks and, oddly, a semi truck
hanging in the air by a very large
crane. Our customers and friends at
Meyerhofer Steel & Construction
really know how to raise the roof,
so to speak!!!
The Lions Club once again put on
the Sharing Tree at our bank.
We enjoy participating in this
every year; we have very generous
customers and employees who help
fill those tags! Its a wonderful way
to give back to the community to
help make someones holiday very
special.
The Holiday Open House was

another big success. We enjoy
hosting our customers and thanking
them for another successful year.
They love getting a chance to visit
with Brian during these occasions,
as he was again able to successfully
navigate the annual Cookie
Tour.
We wish you all a HAPPY NEW

YEAR!
Submitted by: Kelly Wytaske,
Customer Service Representative
and Assistant Branch Manager,
Racine
Le Sueur
Update
Customer Service Week was

another fun week for all. Sue Kahle,
Customer Service Representative,
and Avis Jacobus, Teller, were cochairs. The theme was Everyday
Heroes and we were all given a
shield to decorate. We had a lot
of excellent shields and the staff
voted for their favorite, which was
Loan Officer Terry Mattsons. We
all enjoyed the treats, breakfast,
and lunch that were provided. It is
nice to have a week full of fun and
to remember what good customer
service does for our institution,
customers and each of us. We
are going to continue rewarding
Updates
LE SUEUR UPDATE
paying $5.00 per Friday to have

the privilege of wearing jeans
during the months of October and
November. During the month of
December, the monies collected
were donated to the Le Sueur
Henderson Backpack Nutrition
Program.
from Le Sueur Henderson High

School, walked the parade route
handing out candy, piggy bank key
chains and can coolers.
Tom Tellijohn and Dan LaBelle
our staff with a small treat every

month of the year to remind us
not to forget how important Good
Customer Service should be each
and every day!
This year the staff decided to

decorate a float for the Chamber
sponsored Silent Light Parade on
December 4. The staff spent an
evening in VP/Ag & Commercial
Loan Officer Brian Pfarrs shed,
putting together our float. Staff
Our local hospital, MN Valley

Health Care Center, hosted an
event for Breast Cancer Awareness
Month called Linked in Pink
on October 22. The local banks
sponsored a booth together and
Avis Jacobus helped hand out pink
carnations to all attendees. We had
a pink ribbon with a message tied to
the carnations reminding attendees
to schedule their mammogram.
The staff donated $315.00 to

the Santa Anonymous drive by
10
brought lights, pillars and anything

else they felt we could use for
our float. VP/Mortgage Officer
Tom and Heidi Obele, Brian and
Kristan Pfarr, along with students
Our Holiday Open House was held

on Friday, December 18 with Avis
Jacobus and Susan Kahle as cochairs. The day began at 7:30 a.m.
when we hosted a Chamber Coffee
Break in our Valley Room with
coffee, cinnamon and caramel
rolls, and fruit. The weather was
cool and a few snow flurries passed
through the area, but we had a nice
turnout of customers for our Open
House. We had a fire going in our
fireplace, which welcomed our
customers. We served sausage,
cheese and crackers, as well as
cookies and bars baked by the
staff.
We wish everyone a Happy and

Prosperous New Year!
Submitted by: Linda Grack,
Retail Operations Manager
Updates
Luverne
Update
Customer Service Week, October

2015, Everyday Heroes
We started off the week with a
breakfast and setting the tone
for the week. Each day we sent
out the daily e-mail and puzzle,
gave out the daily handout, and
a treat for the day. On Friday we
enjoyed lunch together and voted
for our favorite Hero Shield. Once
again the creativity was great!q
The 1st place winner was Mary
Christensen, Data Center; 2nd
place winner was Lois Leuthold,
Teller; and 3rd place winner was
Michael Engesser, President.
together a scarecrow for the Vets

Home Scarecrow display. It was
titled You dont even need a
brain to use Mobile Banking. It is
that easy! from the Wizard of Oz
theme of the Scarecrow with no
brain. The bank also gave out candy
on Halloween as a part of Trunk
or Treat in downtown Luverne.
Elaine Hansen, Data Center, Jill
Buss and Lisa Ehlers dressed up
as scarecrows and gave out a ton of
candy.
Congratulations
to
Cris
Oeltjenbruns, who has been
promoted to Ag Loan Officer. She
will be training with Cliff Boom
over the next year as he moves into
semi-retirement.
Cris Oeltjenbruns
Submitted by: Tara Zewiske,
Auditor, and Elaine Hansen, Data
Center
The bank participated in two fall

community events. Lisa Ehlers,
Loan Secretary, Jill Buss, Teller,
Jo Buss, Teller, Paulette Richters,
Teller, Sandy Clark, Proof, and
Ryan Wynia, Loan Officer, put
The employees of the bank donated

to the Big Buddies instead of
participating in a gift exchange
among the employees as they
normally do each year. It was
determined we would rather give
than receive, and allow for others
in need to benefit from what we
normally would have spent on a
gift for one another. We were able
to give them a pizza party as a
group activity, and tickets to a local
high school sporting event, along
with some money for concessions
to enjoy with their Big Buddy.
Congratulations to Matt Engesser,
son of Mike, for graduating
from Dakota State University in
Madison, SD with a bachelors
degree in Gaming Design. Matt
will be moving to Cary, NC to work
for Epic Games Inc. in January.
Pipestone
Update
The
Southwest
Minnesota
Housing Partnership is one of six
organizations nationally selected
to receive a $3 million grant/
investment over a three-year
period from ArtPlace America
Community
Development
Investments, to incorporate arts
and cultural strategies into their
core work. Dale Roemmich,
President, is a member of the
Housing Partnership Board of
Directors.
The Federal Home Loan Bank
of Des Moines recently awarded
11
Updates
PIPESTONE Update
FF&M Luverne/Pipestone a
$15,000 Homeownership Fund
Grant. The grant funds are used to
assist eligible households with the
purchase of an owner occupied
residence. The funds can be used
for down payment and closing cost
assistance for eligible households
with income at or below 80% of
the area median income. This
is the third time that FHLB has
awarded a home ownership grant
to our charter, with grants totaling
over $80,000.
FF&M participated in the
annual Chamber Chili Cook
Off and Service Auction on
November 20. Mindy Johnson,
Loan Assistant, Missy Newell,
Information Systems Assistant,
and Brooke Legler, Customer
Service Representative, entered
the banks chili in the nontraditional category with their
White Chicken Chili. The theme
of the event was Blazing Saddles,
and the committee decked out the
table with flames, lights, and a
smoldering cauldron to add to the
ambience. The Service Auction
concluded the evening for the
second year in a row, organized
by our own Tim Paulson, Vice
President. FF&M had two entries
in the auction, with Tim Paulson
auctioning off his skills at hanging
Christmas lights, and Tammy
Ogdahl,
Chief
Operations
Officer, and Linda Erickson,
Customer Service Representative,
auctioning ten dozen Christmas
goodies baked with love. The
auction generated over $2,400
toward projects that promote
Pipestone.
12
Pipestones Chamber organized

Trunk or Treat for the Halloween
season on October 30 in downtown
Pipestone. First Farmers &
Merchants
participated
and
watched as over 600 pieces of
candy were handed out the front
door of the bank. Cole Paulson
(pictured, standing on chair), son of
Tim Paulson, and Austin Johnson
(pictured, left, in blue sweatshirt),
son of Mindy Johnson, were the
treat givers for the bank, and
they did a wonderful job. The
parking lot of the hardware store
located next to the bank was the
scene of over 30 businesses that
decorated their trunks and joined
in the downtown fun.
Whitney Norberg, Teller, led the
Pipestone Area Marching Band
to a successful campaign in 2015
Whitney Norberg
as Drum Major. Whitney was

featured in the local newspaper
after receiving the award
along with Kirk Morgan for
Outstanding Drum Majors at
both the Tri-State Band Festival
in Luverne and the Big Sioux
Review in Brandon, two major
competitions held on September
26. Immediately following the
bands performance in Luverne,
Whitney shared that receiving
the award in Luverne was really
awesome. That was before she
knew the two had also captured
the same award in Brandon.
The
Pipestone
Christmas
Open House was celebrated
on December 21. Committee
members Brooke Legler and
Beth
Angrimson,
Teller,
organized a day full of music
and goodies for our customers.
The morning included the
preschoolers
from
Noahs
Ark singing carols as well as a
performance from the Pipestone
Area Jazz Band, featuring
our own Whitney Norberg.
The afternoon brought Holly
Vandenberg, a local pianist,
Updates
PIPESTONE Update
spreading some cheer. Customers
who attended received a First
Farmers & Merchants Christmas
ornament. After picking out their
ornament, they turned in the
sticker on the bottom to receive
another random prize, which
included cash and coin sets.
Dale Roemmich helped to create

a special Christmas for local
children through the Kiwanis
Christmas Care Program. On
December 19, from 9:00-2:00,
the Kiwanis distributed toys and
food to the eligible families who
were signed up. Each child in
a family received one large toy
and one small toy. Each family
had the choice of a number of
stocking stuffers, a handmade
quilt and a large stuffed animal.
The families were also given a
food box which contained a large

ham, a pack of bacon, 10 pounds
of potatoes, a bag of apples, a bag
of candy, a pound of margarine,
a pack of buns, and six cans of
vegetables. The entire bank staff
also helped with the program by
donating their jean money dollars
during the month of December to
the program. The Pipestone teller
department got in on the action
by playing elves and shopping
for toys for the event. Throughout
the year the tellers donated their
own money in various ways and
identified a community project
that they wanted to support. On
a snowy, cold December eve, the
tellers shopped the local stores to
bring some Christmas cheer. The
Kiwanis Club had over 1,000 toys
for their local drive.
community. This year the staff

raised $1,000 for the Pipestone
County Relay for Life, $484 for
the United Way of Pipestone
County, and donated their
December funds to the Kiwanis
Christmas Care Program.
Amanda Grooters joined the
Pipestone team on November 18 as
a full-time Teller. Amanda lives
in Lake Benton and will be getting
married to Aaron Christensen next
summer. Welcome, Amanda!
Amanda Grooters
Tabitha Meza, Beth Angrimson

and Whitney Norberg
As was stated earlier, First Farmers
& Merchants team members
continue to make a difference in
the community by wearing jeans
and enjoying home cooked food
at staff potlucks. The staff pays
for the privilege of wearing jeans
on Friday. Employees also enjoy
home cooked food at potlucks
throughout the year, and those
who dont happen to cook that
day pay for the meal. All of those
staff-generated funds are collected
and sent to various charities in the
DJ Bones, son of Doug and

Nancy Bones, Assistant Network
Administrator, graduated from
SDSU College of Nursing on
December 11. DJ will be moving
to Rochester, MN to work at
Saint Marys Hospital in February.
Congratulations, DJ!
Dan Hansen, son of Pam and
Mike Hansen, Vice President &
Sr. Lending Officer, is graduating
from SDSU in December with a
degree in agronomy and is going
to work for an ag company,
Centrol, in January as a regulatory
specialist. Congratulations, Dan!
Submitted by: Linda Erickson,
13
Updates
each day. We proudly displayed our

shields in the lobby at the weeks
end. Shown is the winning shield
made by Credit Analyst Missy
Anderson. All of our alter egos on
display!
Seasons Greetings from the Red

Wing Office! October kicked off
with a BANG! KA-POW! and
ZAP! during Customer Service
Week with the Everyday Heroes
We had our Business Bankers

and Mortgage Lenders attend
and present at the Red Wing
Area Chamber of Commerce
Business Expo on October 20.
Business Banking Officer Julie
Eckstrom, Credit Analyst Missy
Anderson, and Mortgage Lenders
Deb Knowlton and Jessica
Lindholm brought fun and games
to help educate the public about
the products and services we have
to offer to the community. Its
also a great chance to see what our
competitors are up to and some
friendly networking opportunities
as well. This event is always well
attended by our entire office, and
CSR Lisa MacRae worked as a
Chamber Ambassador at the sign
in table. Thanks, everyone!
Red Wing
Update
theme! This is always a fun and

lively week at the office lots of
good discussion and fun interaction
with our fellow co-workers. Head
Teller Colleen Phillips was our
group leader. She did a wonderful
job of organizing the festivities
season! We had our annual

Cookie Day holiday open house
on December 16. Brian Short
was in the office and able to meet
some new customers as well as
the familiar faces of the Advisory
Board and other business owners
in town. We had a great turnout
this year, including a special visit
from Santa and Mrs. Claus!
We are wishing everyone in our

FF&M family a safe and joyous
holiday season! See you next year!
Submitted by: Lisa MacRae,
Stewartville
Update
Jessica Lindholm and

Julie Eckstrom
In December we had our office
decorated with care by the tellers
and front line staff for the holiday
14
New Employee
We are pleased to announce that a
new employee has been hired for
the Stewartville branch. Sabrina
Kingery, Teller/Customer Service
Representative, joined our team on
Monday, December 28. Sabrina
and her husband recently moved
back to the area after residing in
Texas. We look forward to working
with Sabrina.
Updates
STEWARTVILLE Update
Customer Service Week
How Are You An Everyday
Hero? was the theme of our
Customer Service Week, held
during the week of October 5-9.
We enjoyed taking part in the
different activities, prizes and treats
we received, exploring our creative
side in decorating our shields, and
enjoying the camaraderie shared in
working toward this common goal.
Thank you to all those involved in
the planning!
Organizations
The afternoon Lions Club collected
items for Christmas Anonymous
the first week in December. The
Stewartville branch again was
designated as a drop-off site. We
enjoy participating in this very
worthwhile and rewarding cause.
Helping less fortunate children
have a Merry Christmas warms all
of our hearts!
We hope everyone had a very
Merry Christmas, and we wish you
all a healthy, happy and prosperous
New Year!
Submitted by: Jan Cowan, Teller
Stephanie Lawson and

Jan Cowan
Holiday Open House
Customers, management and staff
alike thoroughly enjoyed visiting
and being treated to many of our
holiday favorites. We served
chicken salad croissants, Christmas
cookies, coffee and hot apple cider.
The weather was warm for the
second week in December, and
this allowed many people to attend.
Brian Short joined us, visiting
with customers at each location,
while enjoying the goodies and
the fellowship. Many customers
commented on how they look
forward to and appreciate this
event each year. Again this year,
the Lions Club Poinsettia Sales
Fund Drive ensured that our bank
was decked out for the open house.
The beautiful plants and holiday
decorations added such a festive
touch!
White Rock
Update
It is beginning to look a lot like

Christmas, finally, on Christmas
Eve day.
sure our customers are some of the

happiest customers anywhere.
November was a good volunteer
month, starting out with the annual
community gathering for Feed
My Starving Children, held at
the school atrium. Several bank
employees pitched in for another
record breaking packing. Carna
Visagie, Teller/CSR, helped get
the city holiday decorations ready
to display one afternoon. She also
volunteered to bring her husband
and daughter to the Deck the
Falls Parade and ride along with
Grandma Babe Nelson, CSR, on
the Christmas Train driven by the
Grinch a perfect night to parade
and spread some Christmas cheer
while promoting Cannon Falls
businesses.
Our Holiday Open House was
very well attended. Preparations
included hanging things from the
ceiling and getting the antenna set
The White Rock gang has been busy

this fall with the farmers coming in
to get notes paid down and/or setting
up LOCs for the New Year; along
with the regular business, training,
and more training, it resembles the
atmosphere of Santas workshop.
We held our 2nd annual Harvest
Decorating contest with the entry
fee donations going to the food
shelf. We had a pretty good turnout
of entries and will try again next
year to spur a little more interest in
the project.
Customer Service Week went well
and we all enjoyed the treats, etc.,
while, like we always do, practicing
customer service skills and making
Babe Nelson
15
Updates
WHITE ROCK Update

some Christmas cheer (Kenzie

Visagie, 15 months).
We hope you had a memorable
holiday season, and from all of us
in White Rock, here is wishing you
all the best in the New Year.
Submitted by: Babe Nelson,
Admiral
Merchants
Update
so that we could have Christmas
music playing on the radio. If
Julie Benrud Luhman, Audit/
Compliance, hadnt made the three
or four dozen extra cookies, we
would have run out. It was a very
good day. Here are a couple of

photos from the event, including a
snapshot of a Christmas Elf leaving
16
Admiral Merchants had lots of fun

at the office this holiday season.
To celebrate Halloween, the office
hosted the 3rd annual costume
contest for employees. There were
prizes for best and most creative
costumes, and treats for everyone as
well. Twenty-three employees got
in the spirit and came to the office
dressed in their best costumes, and
it was a blast!
Our annual November food drive,

coordinated by the Credit and
Collections team, was our largest
food drive to date. The food was
donated to The Shelf of Hope
at Gethsemane Episcopal Church,
located just a few blocks from our
office at 905 4th Avenue South.
Rev. Phil Boelter, Vicar, and the
staff at the food shelf told Pat
Gegner that the shelves were very
empty right after Thanksgiving

so they were very grateful for our
donation. They also posted a thank
you on their Facebook page.
Thank you, Admiral Merchants,
Leamington Inc. and especially
Pat, Doug and Brian for last
weeks generous food donation to
Gethsemanes Shelf of Hope.
As well as collecting food, the

Credit and Collections team also
excels at serving food! Admiral
contractor Barend DeWit and his
wife Lorraine host a holiday lunch
for the Admiral team in Minneapolis
each year, but since they live in
Mission, British Columbia, they
hire Pat Gegner and Julie
Cornelsen to cater the lunch.
What a delicious lunch we all had!
Updates
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Update
posing with
Brian Short!
In addition to
all the holiday
shenanigans,
we also have
a
change
within
the
office. Freight
Coordinator
Rob Litzenberger has decided to
retire after 10 years with Admiral,
effective December 31. He says that
being in the trucking industry for
42 years has made him appreciate
all of our agents, drivers, and
contractors even more. We will
sure miss him and his positive
attitude here at the office!
Thanks very much to Barend and

Lorraine for providing this lunch,
and to Pat and Julie and their team
for catering it!
Admirals Christmas tree got a tree
skirt this year, courtesy of Mrs.
Claus!
Submitted by: Claire Gregory,

Receptionist
Over
the
Christmas holiday,
Admiral
had
a
surprising
visitor. Elf on
the Shelf was
spotted in various
places
within
the Minneapolis
office, including
Calhoun
Towers
Update
On December 19 we had our annual

holiday party up on the 22nd
floor overlooking Lake Calhoun
and the Minneapolis skyline.
Approximately 70 people attended.
The sky was crystal clear so the
views were especially beautiful.
We added an extra boiler to the
building to provide backup heat if
one of our two main boilers goes
offline. We also finished the front
concrete and waterproofing project.
This project really made the front
of the building look more modern,
which is good considering all the
new apartments that have gone in
around us.
Over the last few years, several
thousand new apartment units have
gone into operation. The 2016-2017
timeframe looks to be challenging
as well, with 786 new apartment
units going in within a one-mile
radius of the building.
Nevertheless, considering Calhoun
Towers is a 53-year old building,
we have done exceptionally well
on the market. This could not have
been done if it were not for Brian
Short and Doug Swanson putting
sufficient money into the building
infrastructure to keep it viable
against the new competition.
Life is good at Calhoun Towers.
Submitted by: Steve Ocvirek,
Manager
The last quarter of 2015 was

very good 0% vacancy, happy
residents, and the completion of
several projects.
17
Executive Offices 215 Update / Eagle Awards
Executive Offices/215
Update
Eagle Awards
First, we hope everyone who is a

part of the Short Companies had
a very Merry Christmas, and we
wish you all the very best for the
New Year!
Jeff Johnson
Controller
Submitted by: Admiral Team
Then wed like to thank the

following:
All those in the Twin Cities

locations of the Short Companies
who participated in our Sponsor-aFamily program and the Admiral
Credit Departments food drive, and
all of our colleagues throughout the
Short Companies who contribute
so much to their communities.
Kenneth Lehner, Payroll

Office
Administrator,
for
completing what we hope is
his first of many years in the
Executive Offices. In addition to
processing the payroll for all of
the Short Companies, Ken has
also taken over the sports tickets,
ordering supplies, stocking the
pop refrigerator, and many of the
miscellaneous things that come up
in the office.
And, finally, thanks to Mrs.

Short and Brian for providing all
of us with meaningful, rewarding
jobs, and for making us feel like
a family, despite working in
numerous physical locations and
multiple industries.
Joy Manthey, for her 12

years of service as a mortgage
processor. We wish her the very
best in retirement. While Joy
was most recently a member of
the FF&M Le Sueur team, she
was previously a 215 employee
and frequently visited our office,
attended our holiday luncheons,
etc.
~Please mark your calendar~
All of our co-workers throughout

the Short Companies organization;
we enjoy working with all of you,
and we are all successful because
of the combined efforts of all of
us.
All of the Hooray! newsletter
contributors; we truly appreciate
your efforts to share what is going
on in your locations.
18
Submitted by: Nancy Novack,

Executive Assistant
ANNUAL BANK
PRESIDENTS
MEETING
Thursday, March 10
and
Friday, March 11
Conference Center
First National Bank Building
in downtown St. Paul
Further details, including hotel
information, will be
sent out in the coming weeks
Admiral Merchants
Jeff Johnson
We are very pleased to announce
that Jeff Johnson, our Controller,
is being recognized as our 4th
Quarter Eagle Award recipient.
Jeff joined the Admiral team in
June of 2002 as our Controller and
has overseen a phenomenal amount
of changes over the years. Some
of the changes made included
scanning of all paperwork and
implementing positive pay with
the bank to ensure only checks
weve issued are cleared and
only for the amount written. Just
recently, the positive pay system
stopped several fraudulent checks
from being cashed for thousands of
dollars. This year, Jeff and his team
completed the implementation of
an automated settlement program
that allows all of our customers to
go online and look at the detail of
their settlement payment and run
Eagle Awards
EAGLE AWARDS
custom reports that can be used to

file their taxes. Eventually, this will
also eliminate the need for and cost
of mailing and/or faxing statements
to our customers while delivering
far more useful information. Jeff
is always looking for ways to
improve processes in ways that
increase accuracy and improve
productivity. Over the years, he
has saved hundreds of thousands of
dollars by reducing expenses for the
company. Again this year as he did
in 2005, he led his team to analyze
our copier usage and costs as well
as the costs of downtime, and made
recommendations to upgrade and
replace the existing copier. This has
resulted in significantly improved
uptime and has saved thousands of
dollars in monthly fees and supply
costs.
Jeff is seen as the go to person
for information in general as well
as for information on where data
comes from and how systems
work at Admiral. Despite having
a full plate at all times with his
own assignments, Jeff is always
willing to help out in any way he
can, and he can be counted on to
go the extra mile to add additional
data or explanations that will help
the person needing the data to draw
the correct conclusions.
Congratulations, Jeff, and great
job!
FF&M Pipestone
Michael Hansen
Vice President &
Senior Lending Officer
Submitted by: Dale Roemmich,
President
expertise, Mike spoke at a number

of area and regional meetings
as well as the ABA National
Ag Lenders Conference. Mike
continues to use his expertise in the
area of wind projects and recently
originated a multi-million dollar
loan for the purchase of an existing
wind project with 15 wind towers
included in the project.
FF&M Red Wing

Lisa MacRae
Submitted by: Julie Eckstrom,
Business Banking Officer
Michael Hansen
Mike has been with our bank for
over 28 years and also has previous
ag lending experience with
Farmers Home Administration and
PCA. Mike handles a significant
portfolio of ag loans, but he is being
nominated for his experience and
expertise in financing wind tower
projects. Mike has been involved
with and has been originating wind
tower loans for almost 15 years and
was a part of the original initiative
when First Farmers started financing
wind towers. This included
working with bank regulators to
help them understand the nuances
of underwriting these projects, and
finally, working through the initial
lending limit constraints when the
regulators were consolidating all
wind projects under one lending
limit. The lending limit constraints
required that many of the loans
that were originated had to be
participated with banks throughout
the country. As a result of his
Lisa MacRae
Lisa MacRae, one of Red Wings
customer service representatives,
goes to the extreme to help the
customer in whatever their issue
may be. She gets compliments
from customers all the time. She
treats all of her customers as if
they were part of her family the
walk to their vehicle for one last
19
Eagle Awards / St. Paul Flight Center Update
EAGLE AWARDS
hug, making sure everyone who

walks into the bank knows that it is
Cookie Day on Friday, making
phone calls to figure out the issue
for the customer, and making her
customers leave with a smile and
a great feeling about FF&M Bank.
Lisa is deserving of an Eagle
Award for being the compassionate,
quirky, caring, team player that she
is. Congratulations, Lisa!
can-do attitude, Mike was a big

hit with our customer base from
day one. Working long hours on
the weekends where days are filled
with either servicing aircraft or
doing many tasks in the hangars
that can only be accomplished on
the weekend, Mike digs right in and
helps get the job done correctly, on
time, and with a smile on his face
the whole time.
We are very lucky to have Mike on
our team and look forward to his
growth in the months to come.
St. Paul Flight Center

Mike Schimelpfenig
Weekend Line Service
Submitted by: Dave Lessard,
Manager
Mike Schimelpfenig
Mike joined our team here at the
St. Paul Flight Center on July 21,
2015. During our initial meeting, I
knew right away Mike would be the
perfect fit to join our team. Bringing
over five years of experience in
both line service and customer
service with him and a wonderful
20
St. Paul Flight Center

The Learning Jet Lands at
St. Paul Downtown Airport
Recently,
F e d E x
donated a
727-200
cargo jet
that is now
home to
the Learning Jet here at the St. Paul
Downtown Airport. The 727 was
gutted and refurbished into a unique
classroom that is now a permanent
fixture at the St. Paul Downtown
Airport. The Learning Jet is geared
for K-12 students in the areas of
science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) courses
that meet MN Department of
Education standards.
The curriculum includes multimodal transportation programs
in railway, freight, waterway,
bike/pedestrian, and, of course,
aviation.
The Learning Jet is also available

for rent for groups of up to 50
people, providing a unique learning
or social environment, and will
hopefully get our youth interested
in careers in aviation.
The Learning Jet is the first of its
kind in the nation for engaging
students in the STEM subjects and
activities by incorporating handson activities in the classroom,
cultivating enthusiasm for learning,
relating it to real life experiences,
and fostering long-term interest in
learning within the STEM career
paths.
If you have a group that would like
a tour, give us a call at the Flight
Center and we would be happy to
help arrange a visit.
Submitted by: Dave Lessard,
Manager
Wellness
Short Companies Fitbit

Challenge 2016
I am very excited to announce our
2016 Wellness Program that was
inspired by the Fall Hooray!s
Wellness article. Brian Short
approved the program and agreed
to help provide a Fitbit to every
employee who agrees to the program
requirements. The challenge will
start on February 1 and will end on
December 31.
You will need to commit to the
following program requirements if
you sign up for the Short Companies
Fitbit Challenge 2016:
1. Purchase a Fitbit (you pick the

Fitbit model that works best for
you).
a. The
company
will
reimburse $100 to help towards
your purchase through payroll
at the start of the program.
2. Wear your Fitbit on a regular
basis to track your daily steps
and commit to walking at least
an average of 5,000 steps a
day.
a. If your Fitbit stops
working or has a technology
issue, you will need to resolve
with Fitbit directly.
3. Accept the invitation and

participate in the Short
Companies Fitbit Challenge
2016 community dashboard on
fitbit.com.
a. Access to the Short
Companies Fitbit Challenge
2016 community dashboard
is private, and is accessed by
invitation only.

b. Invitation will be sent by
HR and is based on the email
address your Fitbit is registered
to.
21
Wellness
FITBIT
CHALLENGE

c. The Short Companies
Fitbit
Challenge
2016
community dashboard displays
steps, miles and active minutes
only.
4. If you leave the company or
stop participating you will
need to pay back the Fitbit
reimbursement for every month
you are not active through a
payroll deduction. ($9.09 per
month)
a. If you commit to the
Short
Companies
Fitbit
Challenge 2016 and are unable
to participate during a particular
month due to a situation
out of your control (i.e.,
disability or medical), please
connect directly with HR for a
reimbursement exception.
When you participate in the Short
Companies Fitbit Challenge 2016
you will have the opportunity to
earn time off. It will be based on
monthly step totals as documented
on the community dashboard.
If you reach the goal of 7,000
steps each day you will earn 4
hours of time off to be used in
2017.
o Your steps must total
210,000 in the community
dashboard each month.
2017.
22

2017.
If you complete a 5k race or
greater distance you will earn 4
2017.
To earn the time off you must meet
the steps goal every month.
For example, if you have 10
months where you walked
260,000 steps and 1 month
where you walked 220,000
steps, you will earn 4 hours of
time off as you did not reach
the 255,000 step goal for all
eleven months.
The maximum time off an
employee can earn is 16 hours
(12 hours earned by reaching
maximum step goal in the
challenge plus the 4 hours you
can earn completing a 5k race
or greater distance).
Dont delay, purchase your Fitbit
today and send me the email
address tied to your Fitbit. Happy
Stepping!
Submitted by: Augusta Kirk, HR
Director
F.E.D.
Congratulations to all those

who participated in the F.E.D.
program during 2015. Results
are being tallied, and a report
on the program will be included
in the next issue of Hooray!.
Luke Cooreman and Greg Wulf

in Cannon Falls - does this
qualify as weight lifting in the
F.E.D. program?
Be sure to note Gregs beard.
News
ANNIVERSARIES
ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
Matt Bunnell
Mary Alfano
Wade Larkin
Rusty Parker
Shawn Morrison
Kim Guzman
Dishon Smoot
NEW EMPLOYEES
FF&M CANNON FALLS
19 years
14 years
14 years
9 years
8 years
7 years
2 years
Briana Davis
Loan Processor
Mariah Mittlestaedt
Loan
Processor
Carrie Johnson
Information
Systems Asst.
FF&M PIPESTONE
Amanda Grooters
Teller
BIRTH
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FF&M LE SUEUR
Kevin and Sue Kahle proudly
announce the birth of another
granddaughter. Harper Julianna
Kahle was born on December 9 and
weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. Her parents are
Dustin and Tonya Kahle and big
sisters are Brooklyn and Khloe.
FF&M CANNON FALLS

Tiffany Helgren
Mary Mann
Debra Norstad
Greg Wulf
Nancy Schwartz
Madison Rapp
Laura Qualey
Mary Benson
Kelsey Otte
27 years
26 years
23 years
12 years
9 years
3 years
1 year
1 year
1 year
FF&M LE SUEUR
Martha May
41 years
12 years
12 years
12 years
8 years
8 years
LEAMINGTON CO.
Kenneth Lehner
Sabrina Kingery
Teller/CSR
WEDDINGS
FF&M CANNON FALLS
Congratulations to Kelsey (Glaess)

and Tyler Otte, who were married
on October 8, 2015.
FF&M LUVERNE
FF&M RED WING

Brett Elford
Julie Eckstrom
Colleen Phillips
Melissa Jaenke
Lisa MacRae
FF&M STEWARTVILLE
1 year
Congratulations
to
Karen
Wohnoutka on the marriage of her
son Joel to Beth on October 24,
2015, in Sioux Falls, SD.
FF&M WHITE ROCK
Jim and Babe Nelson proudly

announce the marriage of their
oldest granddaughter, Alyssa
Johnson, and Adam Langer of
Kenyon, MN on October 24, 2015.
Alyssa is the daughter of Mark and
Carrie Johnson (CF Ops Center)
and the niece of Carna Visagie.
The new couple, Adam and Alyssa
Langer, now resides in Duluth
while Alyssa continues her studies
for CPA and Adam continues
medical school.
FF&M LUVERNE
Sandy Clark proudly announces
the birth of another granddaughter.
Kamryn Ever was born October
7 and weighed 8lbs. 12oz.
Congratulations, Sandy and Tom!
LaDonna VanAartsen proudly
announces the birth of her first
granddaughter. Kaylee Harper
was born December 2 and weighed
5 lbs. 13 oz. Congratulations,
LaDonna and Darrel!
Paulette Richters became a
grandparent again on December
20. Xander Chase came into
the world weighing 7 lbs. 12 oz.
Congratulations to Paulette and
Randy!
23
24
Hooray!
SHORT COMPANIES
215 South 11th Street

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

Hooray! Winter 2015 Newsletter

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Hooray!

Customer Service Week

We had a great Customer Service

Red Wing Update.................... 14

2015 First Farmers & Merchants Cookie Tour

I am constantly reminded of this

Community banking can be a very

On December 18, I was in Le Sueur,

Of those three elements of success

Later that afternoon, she realized

I shared with the teams that if we

It was interesting to me to note that

Our customer thought that was

FF&M Pipestone Open House

Customer Service Week / Updates

First Farmers & Merchants

100% participation in our poster

First Farmers & Merchants

We all had a wonderful

reception was celebrated on her

children for a year. Participants

Morale & Caffeine Boost

Feed My Starving Children

CANNON FALLS UPDATE

Its not UGLYits FESTIVE!

to penguins, poinsettias and polar

CANNON FALLS UPDATE

First Farmers & Merchants

Happy holidays! Fairmont became

Maurices and Great Clips on the

holiday season with your loved

First Farmers & Merchants

On Monday, November 30 AVP

Well, I dont know about you, but

Lara Ramthun and Corrine Stehr

this project and asked if we would

gathering of friends that day was

I did a little project of my own the

The holiday season is almost over,

The Monday after Thanksgiving is

the bank all ready for the holiday

Happy New Year!

First Farmers & Merchants

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

GRAND MEADOW Update

Vicki Holz, Kathy Nagel,

CUSTOMER SERVICE. Our

year, with super heroes flying in on

The Holiday Open House was

We wish you all a HAPPY NEW

First Farmers & Merchants

Customer Service Week was

paying $5.00 per Friday to have

from Le Sueur Henderson High

Tom Tellijohn and Dan LaBelle

our staff with a small treat every

This year the staff decided to

Our local hospital, MN Valley

The staff donated $315.00 to

brought lights, pillars and anything

Our Holiday Open House was held

We wish everyone a Happy and

Customer Service Week, October

together a scarecrow for the Vets