Independent Banker - January 2025 - 62

CONNECTIONS TRAILBLAZER
customers can get help regardless of
what dialect they speak.
Hiring from within the community
also allows the bank to tap into a
powerful amount of knowledge,
thought leadership and perspectives,
notes Gill. " I think it almost would
have been a disservice if we didn't
make these hires to make sure that we
can bring people in and understand
their relationship with money and
banking, " he says.
Stearns Bank plans to strengthen
its engagement with Hmong
Americans in other ways. " We've
identified Hmong events and how
we're going to play into the entire
calendar-long list of activities and the
way this community comes together, "
Gill says.
STop: Stearns Bank's location in HmongTown Marketplace in St. Paul, Minn., offers many of the
typical bank services that a branch does. Bottom: HmongTown Marketplace has been a pillar of
the local Hmong community since 2004.
Gill. " We're here to stay. We're here to
invest. We're here to grow. "
'Micro-community building'
For Gill, opening a bank in the
marketplace represents the future of
micro-community building for banks.
" A big branch is scary, but we're right
next to the food court and boba shop, "
he says. The office decor features
prints by local Hmong artist Alex
Yang and a 2023 traditional tapestry
by Ntxawn Vaj. This " peaceful
tapestry " narrates the Hmong people's
year, highlighting Hmong farming
and harvesting, sports, the Hmong
New Year and traditional weddings.
Having full-time employees of
Hmong descent on the banking team
is also critical to Stearns Bank's
inclusive strategy. The community
bank wants staffers who can
communicate with individuals who
aren't completely fluent in English, so
62 // ICBA Independent Banker // January 2025
Other outreach efforts
Stearns Bank has launched other
efforts aimed at specific communities.
In June 2024, it opened a loan
and deposit production office in
Bloomington, Minn., inside Zawadi
Center, which calls itself " where
the world meets Africa. " The bank
has also partnered with the African
Development Center in Minneapolis
and has earmarked $10 million for the
center to disperse as loans to qualified
borrowers in central Minnesota.
For Muslim Americans, its Stearns
Salaam Banking division offers
deposit and financing products that
have been reviewed and approved by
an independent Sharia Supervisory
Board composed of scholars who are
experts in Islamic finance.
According to the community bank's
president and CEO, Kelly Skalicky, " At
Stearns Bank, we have always taken
an unusual approach to banking,
creating new pathways to financial
empowerment for those the banking
industry has not served well. "
Mindy Charski is a writer in Texas.
Photos: (top) courtesy Stearns Bank, (bottom) by Caitlin Abrams

Independent Banker - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Independent Banker - January 2025

Contents
Independent Banker - January 2025 - Cover1
Independent Banker - January 2025 - Cover2
Independent Banker - January 2025 - Contents
Independent Banker - January 2025 - 2
Independent Banker - January 2025 - 3
Independent Banker - January 2025 - 4
Independent Banker - January 2025 - 5
Independent Banker - January 2025 - 6
Independent Banker - January 2025 - 7
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