Independent Banker - December 2019 - 38

Farmers State Bank: Culture is everything
C
ommunity bank executives often speak about how
important their bank's culture is, but Farmers State
Bank goes above and beyond to build a positive
culture. The $172 million-asset community bank in
Hartland, Minn., has a culture committee and a nine-page
culture document.
" Our culture statement is the cornerstone of everything
we do, " says Mark Heinemann, president and chief
fi nancial offi cer of Farmers State Bank. " We use it for
hiring, we use it for promotions, we use it for dealing with
any confl icts that arise and we use it to inform our strategic
planning discussions. "
The community bank's culture is one major reason why
Farmers State Bank is a great place to work, employees say.
Financial controller and culture committee member Abby
Stoa explains that the culture attracts people who work well
together by encouraging creativity, independence and fun.
" What sets Farmers State Bank apart for me is the
people I work with, " she says. " I feel like I could go to
every single person here and say, 'I need help with this,'
and everybody would jump in and help. The people here
are go-getters. They take responsibility and see that
things get done, and I feel we all have fun while doing
good work. "
The culture document spells out seven aspects of the
community bank's culture, such as " high performance "
and " embrace change. " The six-member culture committee
ensures that those tenets
are part of everyday life
at the bank, which has
28 employees and three
branches. For example, the
committee runs employeeengagement
events such
as Lunch Lotto, in which
four or fi ve employees
and board members are
Assets: $172 million
fsbmn.bank
randomly chosen each month to enjoy a free lunch. " That's
a chance for employees from diff erent branches and board
members to get together, " Stoa explains.
But the committee also handles employee problems
that they may not feel comfortable addressing with their
Farmers State Bank
Hartland, Minn.
Farmers State Bank's
Farmers State Bank employees may be high performers, but that doesn't
mean they don't like to have fun. " During the last Winter Olympics, we did
the FSB Olympics, " says Mark Heinemann, president and chief financial
off icer. " We had an off ice chair bobsled, Frisbee curling and a bunch of
other Olympic-themed events. We all had a blast and a ton of laughter.
Sometimes we even do things during bank hours to show customers what
it's like to work here. We've had bean bag tourneys and a Masters putting
contest that involved customers. "
The fun events are often featured on the community bank's Facebook
page. Doing that is good for business, Heinemann says.
" I get comments from customers who say, 'Geez, do you guys ever
work? You're always having fun on Facebook,' " he says. " But there's value
to that, because if people see that we enjoy working here, they know
they'll enjoy being a customer. "
34 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q December 2019
During the Olympics, Farmers State Bank staff
competed in an off ice chair bobsled race.
Independent Banker - December 2019

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