Fall/Winter 2015 - BankStar Financial

Keeping In Touch
Fall/Winter 2015
Coming soon, as your debit and credit cards
approach expiration, the new renewal cards
will contain an embedded microprocessor chip
in addition to the magnetic stripe. Frequently
called “smart cards,” the new chip technology
adds a new layer of security for your in-person
card transactions. Eventually, as all merchants
convert to “smart card” terminals that can read
the chip, the magnetic stripe technology will
be discontinued.
As you read this, we’re entering the final
stages of our bank construction project at 6th
Street and Campanile Avenue in Brookings.
Naturally, we’re very excited to occupy our
new facility and continue growing with the
community. I want to thank our architect
Perspectives, Inc. and general contractor Clark
Drew Construction for their expertise and
guidance throughout the process. Timely
completion of such a project would be
impossible without them.
Charles Hegerfeld
PRESIDENT/CEO
The new BankStar Financial
building in Brookings is
entering the final stages
of
construction.
An
announcement will be made
in the near future regarding
the details of the move to
the new location on 6th
Street and other events.
It’s important to remember that the enhanced
“smart card” security features work only
for in-person or card-present transactions
where the merchant has the proper terminal.
Transactions that you make online or over
the phone using your “smart card” do not
offer the enhanced security features because
the technology only works if the machine can
physically read the chip on your credit or debit
card.
Recently several of our staff members attended
lending compliance training in Sioux Falls
to keep up-to-date on the myriad of rules
and regulations handed down by our federal
government for the purpose of consumer
protection. Each attendee came back with a
2-inch thick manual of materials that attempt
to make sense of the regulations for making
consumer loans. The long and short of all
this is that obtaining a loan becomes more
complex, takes longer to process and costs
more for the consumer and the lender. Gone
are the days of character loans where a tenminute visit with your banker, who already
knows your background and circumstance,
could result in a closed loan using a single page
document and no other paperwork wanted or
needed. It’s unfortunate, especially for our
smaller communities, where a certain level of
knowledge and trust exists between customers
and their community banker.
Remember also that for online or phone
transactions, it’s always best to use a credit
card instead of a debit card because in the
event of fraud, it’s much easier to dispute the
transaction and get your money back when
using a credit card.
All of the staff members at
BankStar Financial wish
you a joyous holiday season!
124 Elk Street
427 8th Street South
•
Elkton, SD 57026
•
605.542.2681
Brookings, SD 57006
•
605.692.3636
•
605.627.9121
•
303 Kasan Avenue
Member FDIC
•
Volga, SD 57071
ebankstar.com
Employees Recognized for Years of Service
15 Years
10 Years
5 Years
Deanna Wendel
Customer Service Representative
Volga
Kathy McDougall
Loan Administration
Brookings
Barbara Adelaine
Vice President/Mortgage Loan Officer
Brookings
BankStar
Supports
Area Schools
A total of $3,350 was awarded to faculty
members who have account relationships
with BankStar Financial. The funds are
used to reimburse faculty members for
out-of-pocket expenses incurred as they
prepare their classrooms, or for other
special projects.
Chuck Hegerfeld presents check to Elkton Faculty
Faculty members in school districts
who are customers of BankStar, are
encouraged to apply for this award.
Contact a BankStar Associate for an
application and details.
BankStar is proud to support schools
in their communities by helping to
create enhanced student educational
experiences.
2
John Heylens (far right) awards check to Volga Faculty
ebankstar.com
New Employees at BankStar Locations
We are proud to announce the addition of
three new BankStar Financial employees.
Samatha Grooters, an Elkton resident, is a
Customer Service/Operations employee
at our Elkton Bank. Kyle Peters is a
part-time teller at the Brookings Bank.
He is attending South Dakota State
University. Patty Winter is a Mortgage
Loan Specialist. She is based at the
Brookings Bank and will be assisting
with mortgage processing at all locations.
We welcome Samatha, Kyle and Patty
and know that they will a great addition
to the BankStar Team.
Samatha Grooters
Kyle Peters
Patty Winter
We’ve gone mobile!
Using our website on your phone or tablet is now easier than ever!
Visit ebankstar.com on your mobile device today!
ebankstar.com
3
Employees Making A Difference In Their Communities
How did you get involved with the Chamber?
I was relatively new to Brookings when I began
working at BankStar Financial 10 years ago. I was
looking for a way to get involved in the community
and get to know the people of Brookings, so I
became a Chamber Ambassador. This allowed
me the opportunity to visit Chamber members,
attend ribbon cuttings for new businesses in
town, and get to know and form friendships with
my fellow Chamber Ambassadors. In 2007, I
approached the Chamber Executive Director and
Board about starting a new woman’s networking
group in Brookings. After about 6 months of
planning, Women in Leadership and Learning
(WILL) was formed. I served as the Chair of
the WILL Advisory Board for the first 2½ years
and continue to serve as a Board Liaison today. I
joined the Chamber Board of Directors in 2010,
and took over as President of the Board in January
of 2015. It’s been quite a journey!
Name: Julie Puetz
Title: Vice President, Chief Credit Officer
Hometown: Bonesteel, SD
Family: Husband, Curt; Daughters, Vanessa
and Emily; Son, Trevor.
The Question and Answer feature helps readers
learn more about our employees and how they
are making a difference in their communities.
This issue’s Q & A profiles Julie Puetz,
the current President of the Brookings Area
Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
What has the Chamber and its Board of
Directors accomplished in the past year under
your leadership?
It has been an exciting year! We had a very
productive Strategic Planning session that helped
us develop our 5 Key Objectives for 2015 Organizational Excellence, Community &
Member Outreach, Small Business, Leadership &
Development, and Government Affairs.
We rolled out our “Bundle Up” campaign which
clearly communicated Chamber Benefits to our
new and existing members.
We conducted small business focus groups to
understand their unique challenges and developed
a professional development series to meet their
needs.
What do you hope to achieve during the
remainder of 2015? Any future goals or
initiatives you will be focusing on?
There is still much to do! In September, we began
a new monthly leadership development series
called “Leadership Exploration & Development”
(LEAD). It offers a variety of topics including
Workplace Communication, Leading Across
Generations, Social Media, Succession Planning,
and Conflict Resolution.
We are expanding our “Think Local” Campaign
to include specific events like “Think Local –
Wedding” or “Think Local – New Home” which
would highlight Chamber members that could be
utilized in each specific campaign.
In December, we will be rolling out a new monthly
Chamber magazine-style publication that will
include distribution of 20,000 copies throughout
Brookings County. Whew!
What has been your most rewarding experience
while holding this role?
So many things, but I would say the most
rewarding experience has been the collaboration
and cooperation of the entire Board, as well as
our awesome Chamber staff! Having 16 board
members and 4 staff members, all from different
industries and in different stages of their career,
come together for a common purpose and vision
— to promote, connect, enrich and advocate for
the Brookings area business community! Very
rewarding!!
Join us for our Holiday Open House
Thursday, December 17th, 2015
Coffee and cookies will be served at all locations!
4
ebankstar.com
The BankStar building project on 6th Street is
really starting to take shape. The contractors
are advancing on several fronts as they
race against the weather elements and our
approaching scheduled completion date. We
are excited about the relocation and added
space which will allow us to expand our staff
and better serve our customers. The actual
moving date remains undetermined at this
time but we anticipate an early January move.
We’re scheduled to host our chamber friends
in February. Hopefully you will join us for
that combined mixer and building dedication.
Greg Fargen
PRESIDENT/BROOKINGS OFFICE
Our construction project is one of several in
Brookings County. Many are high profile
projects while others are progressing with less
fanfare.
I recently read an article in the October issue
of “Prairie Business” magazine. The article,
written by Rob Swenson, focused initially on
the new Novita Nutrition LLC plant being
constructed near Aurora. The $70 million
plant is scheduled to open late next year. It will
convert distiller’s grain, a by-product of corn
ethanol production, into high quality cattle
feed and corn oil.
The article focused less on the nuts and bolts of
the new plant and more on the entrepreneurial
spirit from which it was born. Swenson goes on
to point out that Brookings has a proven track
record of successful entrepreneurial ventures.
Some are well-known, while others have been
less publicized, but all have prospered from
a local business environment that is built on
leadership and cooperation throughout the
community.
It’s easy to recognize the positive impact
that a Division I University contributes to a
community. SDSU is the largest employer in
the county. They provide high quality athletic
and cultural entertainment and of course their
students live and shop in our community. Less
obvious is the collaborative effort between
academia and the business community to
bring new entrepreneurial ideas to reality. I
concur with Mr. Swenson’s conclusion that
Brookings enjoys an exceptional mix of
business, government and university leaders.
Their combined effort to grow Brookings in
a progressive manner has and will continue to
pay dividends.
Take Control of Your Debit Card
CardValet is ideal for those who want to proactively manage their debit card accounts from their smart phone. Getting started is easy.
Simply download the CardValet app on your mobile device to customize usage settings and alert preferences.
On/Off
When the card is “off,” no
purchases or withdrawals are
approved until the card is turned
back “on.” This can be used to
disable a lost or stolen card.
• When the card is “on,”
transactions are allowed in
accordance with the cardholder’s
usage control settings.
•
5
•
•
•
•
•
Usage
Alerts
Report or restrict PIN and
signature transactions
Detect unauthorized activity
Establish spending limits
Control merchant categories
Use GPS to control purchase area
•
•
•
Realtime alerts
Additional layer of fraud protection
Keep informed of transactions
ebankstar.com
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
IMAGE
PRINTING
PO Box 146
Brookings, SD 57006
ebankstar.com
HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Christmas Eve (Close at Noon)
Friday, December 25, 2015
Christmas Day
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Closed
Friday, January 1, 2016
New Year’s Day
Monday, January 18, 2016
Martin Luther King Day
Monday, February 15, 2016
Presidents’ Day
Friday, March 25, 2016
Good Friday (Close at Noon)
BankStar Insurance Services is pleased to
announce that Kristie Thompson has recently
completed her insurance licensing requirements.
Kristie has been employed by BankStar Financial
(Member FDIC) for over 17 years! We applaud
her efforts as she continues to grow
professionally, and appreciate her commitment
to providing outstanding insurance services to
our local communities.
See Kristie for all your insurance needs.
I N S U R A N C E
Kristie Thompson
Insurance Agent
Not FDIC Insured
No Bank Guarantee
May Lose Value
124 Elk St | Elkton, SD
605.542.6110
ebankstar.com