Hooray! Winter 2015 Newsletter

7/25/2019 Hooray! Winter 2015 Newsletter

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Brian P. Short ...........................2Austin Update ..........................4Brownsdale Update ...................4Cannon Falls Update .................5Fairmont Update .......................7Goodhue Update ......................7Grand Meadow Update .............8Le Sueur Update .......................9Luverne Update .......................11Pipestone Update .....................11

Hooray!WINTER 2015

S H O R T C O M P A N I E S

(continued on page 4)

Customer Service WeekOctober 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 EVERYDAYHEROES

Red Wing Update ................... 14Stewartville Update ................. 14White Rock Update ................. 15

Admiral Merchants Update ...... 16Calhoun Towers Update ........... 17Executive Offices Update ......... 18Eagle Awards.......................... 18St. Paul Flight Center Update ...20Wellness ................................. 21News .....................................23

INSIDE:


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year; its been a tough year. It wasalways going to be a challengingyear when compared to 2014,

the best year in the history of ourcompany. It was always going tobe difficult to measure up to thefinancial results achieved that year.However, in 2015 we encountereda number of challenges: significantcredit problems and the continuingproblems faced by all involved withagricultural production, the mainindustry served by First Farmers &Merchants Banks.

I shared with the teams that if wehope to improve, we have to remainoptimistic. It is pretty easy to getdown in the dumps when you workvery hard, as every member of theFirst Farmers & Merchants teamdoes, and the results arent there. Ireminded everyone that we have tobe optimistic about 2016.

Community banking can be a very

challenging business. However, tobe successful, you have to alwaysdo three things:

1. find new quality customers; 2. avoid mistakes; and

3. deliver service to ourcustomers which is better thanthe service they receive anywhereelse.

Of those three elements of successin community banking, the First

Farmers & Merchants teamsexcel in the delivery of customerservice. I have talked to a lot of ourcustomers over the years and I havevisited with a lot of other bankers.Consistently, members of the FirstFarmers & Merchants team rankhigher on customer service thanothers with whom I am familiar.

I am constantly reminded of thiswhen I visit with our customers.

On December 18, I was in Le Sueursampling virtually every variety ofhomemade cookies brought in bymembers of the team, while visitingwith one of our customers. Thiscustomer is a retired managementprofessional who, prior to herretirement, had been responsiblefor a fairly large business in theLe Sueur community. She has hada long and close relationship withmembers of the team in Le SueurThis past summer, she told meshe was visiting her daughter andgrandchildren in Denver. While herdaughter was at work, our customerwas responsible for overseeing thegrandchildren. She had them in hercar and stopped by a bank in Denverto get some money from the ATMmachine. She took her First Farmers& Merchants card inside while thegrandchildren remained locked

in the car. As she was getting hermoney from the ATM machineshe was constantly looking out tomake sure the grandchildren werestill in the vehicle and the vehiclewas still in the parking lot. Shefinished conducting her business inminutes and raced back out to thecar to be with the children.

Later that afternoon, she realizedshe had misplaced her debit card

She immediately went on-line andfound that there had been a numberof unauthorized transactions inher account. Obviously concernedabout this, she immediately calledher personal banker in Le Sueurwho suggested she contact our ITgroup in Pipestone. Our customerwasnt sure whether she was calling

2

2015 First Farmers & Merchants Cookie Tour

Brian P. Short

As many of the readers of thiscolumn know, the First Farmers &Merchants Banks host Christmasopen houses throughout December,inviting our customers in for lightsandwiches, cookies, coffee andcider. I try to attend as many as Ican. This years Cookie Tour beganon December 1, 2015, in Austin,MN and concluded on December22 in St. Paul. In-between thosedates, I visited 14 First Farmers& Merchants offices and receivedone well deserved speeding ticket.The Christmas Cookie Tour isalways one of the highlights of theyear for me, not only because I getto eat delicious, often homemadeChristmas cookies, but also becauseI spend a lot of time not only withhundreds of our customers who are

grateful for the service they receivefrom members of the First Farmers& Merchants team but also withthe folks who deliver that greatservice.

The message I delivered to ourteams was that 2015 has been atough year. It hasnt been a bad


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an employee of First Farmers& Merchants or an outsourcedservice. She called the 800 numberand reached Pipestones CindyKoenders. Cindyis a key memberof the First Farmers & Merchantsdata center team. Cindydid her bestto calmly put our customer at easeby assuring her the money would berestored to her account and that thecard would be canceled so that nofurther unauthorized transactionswould occur. In addition, shetold her that a new card wouldimmediately be on its way. Ourcustomer told me that Cindy, awoman she had never met, wentout of her way to put her at ease and

solve all of the problems she faced.Our customer hung up the phonefrom her call with Cindyand wentback to enjoy the rest of her timewith her grandchildren, knowingthat her bank account issues hadbeen resolved.

It was interesting to me to note thatnot once did our customer have tonavigate a call waiting tree; notonce was she on hold; not oncewas she told to call a different 800

number. Her banker in Le Sueurgave her the direct dial number ofsomeone who could help her withher problem, and that person, CindyKoenders, solved the problem.

Our customer thought that wasremarkable service. I told her thatwas the standard, every day FirstFarmers & Merchants customerservice. We did it for her and wedo it for dozens of other customers

every day.

I am confident that First Farmers& Merchants will get beyond thechallenges we faced in 2015. Wewill do so because we deliver greatcustomer service. We deliver greatcustomer service because it is oneof our core values recognized inour Corporate Mission Statement We always deliver outstandingcustomer service that emphasizes

friendliness, convenience andpersonalization. However, inaddition, we deliver great customerservice because the members ofour team truly like their customers.Dale Roemmich, president of theFirst Farmers branch in Pipestone,observed that during the Pipestoneopen house, customers would comein and sit down and drink theircoffee and eat their cookies. Everytime that happened, a member of theteam came over and sat down andtalked to the customer. They did itbecause they like their customers.The genuine affection that wefeel for all of our customers bigcustomers and small customers is why we are able to deliver greatcustomer service day after day.

I know that every member of theFirst Farmers & Merchants teamcommits him or herself every dayto our mission of delivering greatcustomer service. And becauseof that, we will continue to besuccessful. Yes, there might be

bumps in the road as there werein 2015. But over our career, overthe life of our company, we will

be the winner because we like ourcustomers and put their interestsfirst. We will be the winner becauseof the people of First Farmers &Merchants. All of us can learnvaluable lessons from that.

Thanks for all you do. I hope that

everyone had a great Christmas,and best wishes for a wonderfulNew Year.

Brian P. Short

Opal Heydt, 95 years old, withColleen Tebay in Brownsdale.

Opal still lives in the house thatshe and her husband bought 70years ago. She visits the old

people in the nursing home, most

of whom are younger than sheis. She still drives and was goingto the Messiah at St. Augustines

Church in Austin.

Christmas in Sargeant

FF&M Pipestone Open House


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Customer Service Week / Updates

CUSTOMERSERVICE

WEEK 2015(continued from page 1)

We are mere mortals exhibitingsuper-human customer servicecharacteristics;

We are dedicated to serving ourcustomers;

We are sincere do-goodersworking undercover to solve ourcustomers problems;

We work above and beyond tohelp perfect strangers;

We are doing our jobs withrewarding customer results;

We exhibit and observe super-heroes in action every day; Why Because we are Everyday

Heroes.

We have continued to use our CSWpowers and are committed to usingour Customer Service SuperheroPower in 2016.

Submitted by: Pat Gegner, CreditManager, Admiral Merchants

Motor Freight, Inc.

Maria Navarro, Teller, andConnie Sprung, Lead Teller,participated in the Austin CitizensPolice Academy this fall. It ranfor six weeks, for 2 hours each

Tuesday night. We learned thehistory, toured the dispatch center,shot at the gun range, lifted fingerprints, met Sonic, the K-9 unit,handcuffed each other, got to seeall the different types of streetdrugs out there now, and touredthe evidence room. Conniegot topull the pin and throw the handgrenade while Mariagot to use thetaser. We both learned a lot aboutthe Police Department and would

recommend this class if you everget the chance.

Submitted by: Dorene Bednar,Teller, and Connie Sprung, HeadTeller

First Farmers & Merchants

AustinUpdateOn October 3, Dorene Bednar,Teller, and her children, Joshua(7), Jacey (4), and Josey (4),participated in the Pacelli CatholicSchools 5/10K Ride It RaceIt Walk It. It was an absolutelybeautiful day! After the walk, therewere lots of activities for the kidsto do at the Family Fun Festival.


Brownsdale

UpdateOctober started off with excitementfor our Customer Service Week.With treats all week and then acatered meal, Im sure we all gaineda few extra pounds. I am proud tosay that Brownsdale/Sargeant had

100% participation in our postercontest. We had the Mayor ofBrownsdale and the city clerk comein to judge all the entries. Therewas lots of creativity put into eachand every shield. Our winner was

Sherrie Carlson, CSR/Teller. Shewent around town on her off timeand took pictures of people wholive or work in Brownsdale andput them on her Everyday Heroshield.

We all had a wonderfulThanksgiving with each of ourfamilies. And, again, I think weall gained a few more pounds. Imbeginning to see a trend here..

What wonderful weather we hadfor our Christmas Open Houseand the turnout showed that. Withgood food and great customers tovisit with, the day just flew by#atetoomanycookies #ohthelbs

We hope that each and every oneof you had a Merry Christmas anda joyous New Year.

Submitted by: Sherrie CarlsonCSR/Teller


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Updates

(continued on page 6


Cannon Falls

Update

Everyday Heroes!Customer Service Week wasSUPER this year! CannonFalls celebrated with a 4-footsuperhero sub, a souper lunchwith two kinds of soup and fixings,some super foods like fruit,nuts, veggies and protein bars, andalso had chair massages to relaxtheir muscles from flexing theircustomer service skills every day.

Korie Jackson, Teller, won theSuperhero Shield contest whichfeatured all of the Minnesota sportsteams. Remember: You dont haveto be strong to be a superhero, youjust have to be better than you wereyesterday.

Then two became one..On October 8, Kelsey (Glaess)Otte, Credit Analyst, was marriedto her now husband, Tyler. Tylers

proposal was a little unorthodox, butsure made a statement. He proposed

to Kelsey byspray painting,Kelsey, MarryMe? on oneof their barns.The wedding

reception was celebrated on herhusbands family farm and thecouple resides in Rolling Stone,MN. Congratulations to you both,Kelseyand Tyler!

Fundraiser FridaysOctober is Breast CancerAwareness month and the FF&Mteam in Cannon Falls helped theCFHS Student Council with theirfundraiser. Any employees whowanted to dress in denim jeans for

the five Fridays in October had topay $5 to the cause. All in all, weraised $200 to go toward the effortsof the Student Council.

Feed My Starving ChildrenThe FF&M team in CF once againformed a team to help with theannual meal packing event, FeedMy Starving Children. In a 2-hourpacking period, 108,648 mealswere packed, which will feed 297

children for a year. Participantsincluded Cathy Thumann, CSRDeanna Hochmuth, ConsumerLender, Patty Gustafson, CSRMary Mann, Operations, MaryBenson, Internal Auditor, Kris

Bodette, Head Teller, JohnWegmann, Ag Lender, and SteveBodette (Kris husband, alongwith grandkids and daughter MindPagel). Not pictured are LauraQualey, Marketing, Deb NorstadOperations, and Debs daughterNicole Norstad.

Morale & Caffeine BoostWhat do the troops really want whentheyre deployed??? Microwavepopcorn and Keurig K-cups! Theytold us, and the CF team responded

We filled two huge boxes and sentthem off to a local helicopter pilotfrom CF who is over in AfghanistanHe received the packages and senta Facebook message back: HUGEthanks to the FF&M Bank teamfor the great care package andcontinued support for service menand women from the local area!Warmest regards from BagramAirfield, Afghanistan!JesseJohnson.


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Updates

CANNON FALLS UPDATE(continued from page 5)

Carrie Johnson

Briana Davis (continued on page 7)

Lego Robotics DonationThe CF and White Rock AdvisoryBoard made an $800 donationto the First Robotics Club inCannon Falls. The program givesthe students in 8th-12th grade theopportunity to learn about computerprogramming, and build a robotout of Legos to perform a certaintask. Advisory Board memberJoe Coyle and FF&M customerDave Engebretsen are two of thecoaches who help the team preparefor competitions against other

schools in the area.

Its not UGLYits FESTIVE!Friday, December 18 was National

Ugly SweaterDay, anddid we havesome dooziesin CF! Themain branch,ope r a t i onscenter, anda gal fromEcono allsported theirh o l i d a y

spirit loudand proud!

Voting took place throughoutthe day and Luke Cooreman,Commercial Lender, won withhis beautiful Scottie Dog sweatervest! We had everything fromangry Nutcrackers, snowballs,Rudolph with a sequined red nose,

to penguins, poinsettias and polarbears.

New EmployeesBriana Davis (Bri), LoanProcessor, grew up in Red Wing,MN and graduated from Red WingHigh School. She attended WinonaState University and graduatedin 2003 with a degree in HumanResource Management and a minorin Communications. Bribegan herprofessional career as a closer atGoodhue County Abstract Companyin Red Wing where she worked for11 years. Bri lives in Rosemount,MN with her husband Joe, theirtwo children, Nathan(4) and Halle(18 months), and an old dog namedMax. In her limited spare time, Brienjoys yoga, watching movies,

playing games and spending timewith her family and friends. Briisexcited for the opportunity to learna new profession and work at FirstFarmers & Merchants Bank.

Mariah Mittlestaedt, LoanProcessor, was born and raised inCannon Falls, and has lived thereher whole life. She just started atFF&M Operations Center in earlyDecember. In her free time she

likes to get together with familyand friends, go antique shoppingand collect vinyl records.

The Data Center added a newemployee to its roster this pastOctober, but she gets to work inher hometown of Cannon Falls

Carrie Johnson, InformationSystems Assistant, has lived inCannon Falls her entire life, is

Mariah Mittlestaedt


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Updates


CANNON FALLS UPDATE(continued from page 6)

married to Mark, and they havethree children: Alyssa(26), Olivia

(13), and William (11). She andher husband recently celebrated themarriage of their oldest daughter inOctober. She enjoys watching herkids in their sporting events, playingsports, spending time with familyand friends, going to her parentscabin, fishing, and gardening. Sheis excited to be part of the FF&Mteam!

Submitted by: Laura Qualey,

Director of Marketing


FairmontUpdateHappy holidays! Fairmont becamethe City of Lights on November 20when the 25th annual Glows Parade

took place. Teller Sara Becker-Sokoloski and her daughtersEmily and Madison participatedin the parade with their churchand Brownie troop. Sara is a GirlScout troop leader and organized aholiday bowling party for 56 girlsthis weekend. She is very good atgetting the girls involved in somefun activity or community project!

Our new, larger Verizon store

opened on October 13. We were thebank of record and were fortunateenough to be able to assist withtheir financing for the improvementproject as well. This is a new 3,000square foot stand-alone building,located right alongside the existingstrip center, which also houses

Maurices and Great Clips on thenorth edge of Fairmont.

On Monday, November 30 AVPDennis Trushenskiworked at theKiwanis Pancake Supper. Thisannual event raises funds that go tohelp benefit projects throughout thecity. Dennis has also been activewith the Kiwanis Koats for Kidsprogram this fall, shopping at therequest of school personnel to helpprovide warm coats and boots forchildren in need.

VP/Ag Loan Officer Michael Lauebegan 16 weeks of classroom andhands-on training for firefighting inDecember. He is a member of theCeylon Fire Department.

We held our annual Holiday OpenHouse on Monday, December 14this year. Even though the morningstarted out with rain showers andwind, we had a good turnout andnice crowd throughout the day.

Dennis Trushenski is countingdown the days to retirement! Heactually started counting aboutthree years ago, and hes only got amonth to go! Hes looking forward

to days of leisure, traveling, andspending time with his childrenand grandchildren. Well have anupdate in the next Hooray! withphotos from his retirement openhouse.

We hope you enjoyed a very special

holiday season with your lovedones and wish you a happy, healthyand prosperous New Year!

Submitted by: Joan MeyerPersonal Banking Officer

Well, I dont know about you, butnow that we finally have all thissnowIm ready for spring! I likethe snow for Christmas, but would

prefer it to start warming up afterthat. Mother Nature has never askedmy opinion about this, however, soI try not to say anything.

Its not every day that you see a huge4-bedroom house rolling down thestreet, in any town, let alone in onethe size of Goodhue. But thatsexactly what we all witnessedback in September! CustomersJerry and Sheila Stehr purchased a

large home here in town and hadit moved to their land out in thecountry a couple miles outside oftown. The home belonged to thelate Doc Sawyer, who left it tohis housekeeper. The housekeeperwas the mother-in-law to our ownDelores Rusch, who was the headteller here in Goodhue many yearsago!


GoodhueUpdate


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Updates

(continued on page 9)Lara Ramthun and Corrine Stehr

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. Shewill be missed, but we know thatfull-time and the loan side is whereher heart truly is. We wish her thebest of luck in her new adventure!

Weve been doing our usual servingat the school concession standagain this season for the basketballgames. It is lots of work, but alwaysa good time! We get to help out ourschool Booster Club and visit withthe customersfrom the homeand opposing teams. Some of usdo more visiting than volunteering,but oh well, it all works out!

I love the whole holiday seasonstarting with Thanksgiving all theway through the New Year! Itsalways busy, but I try to make it busywith helping others and making theholidays wonderful for everyone,

not just my family. At the bank, wedid a food drive in conjunction witha group at school called FCCLA.Cass Ramthun, daughter of LaraRamthun, Teller, was involved in

GOODHUE UPDATE(continued from page 7)

this project and asked if we wouldbe willing to put up a box and sign,and collect food donations for theholiday season. We were more thanhappy to help. The food went to theZumbrota Food Shelf this year.

I did a little project of my own theday before Thanksgiving at ourone-man branch in Bellechester.I brought a big bag of candy towork that day and before I wouldfinish each customers transaction,I made them tell me one thingthey were thankful for.q Eventhe gruffest of customers smiledand very willingly obliged myrequest. It was wonderful to hear

all that they were thankful for. In asmall rural town that does not havequite a booming economyit wasamazing to hear that there werestill things to be thankful for suchas family, good health and goodcrops.

The Monday after Thanksgiving isalways set aside for our Goodhuebranch Christmas decorating. Westayed after work as usual to get

the bank all ready for the holidayseasoncomplete with Christmas

music and plenty of food to goaround. We all had a wonderfulChristmas with the usual get-togethers and over indulgence ofdelicious food and baked goods!Our Christmas Open House wasno exception. The customer wehired to do our baking this yearout-did herself. The cookies and

gathering of friends that day wasvery well receivedand so werethe leftovers.q We were evenserenaded by the Goodhue School5th graders as they went carolingaround town!!

The holiday season is almost overbut the time to bless friends andfamily with the gift of you nevercomes to an end. May this next yearbe one full of many blessingsgiven and received!

Happy New Year!

Submitted by: Lara RamthunTeller


GrandMeadowUpdateOh, the weather outside is frightfulbut the BANK is so delightful, and

since weve no place to go, let isnow... let it snow let it snow.

Finally, a white winter! GrandMeadow made the local newsfor snow fall, although a brownChristmas was A-OK by me, haWe cant really complain, howeverthis fall has been beautiful greaweather for our friends and farmersto bring in those crops!

Looking back over 2015, weve hada lot of changes. People coming andgoing, babies arriving, illnesses andbroken bones, and still our team aFF&M Grand Meadow, Racine andStewartville has hung in there, andwe are pleased that our customers


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GRAND MEADOW UPDATE

(continued from page 8)


Updates

have been there all along withus. Lots of changes, but resilientcustomer loyalty and great customer

service have kept us going strong.Our Customer Service Week thisyear really helped us focus on thekey that makes FF&M so special,

CUSTOMER SERVICE. Ourpeople and the level of customerservice we consistently providedistinguish us from all the rest. Wehad a lot of fun during CSW this

year, with super heroes flying in ontheir red capes, and a lot of positiveresponse from customers made itsuper fun. Thanks to all thosewho put this event together everyyear.

The Grand Meadow high schoolfootball team won the 9-man StateChampionship for a third time ina row. 36 yes 36 consecutivevictories! There was plenty ofexcitement around town withfireworks and, oddly, a semi truckhanging in the air by a very largecrane. Our customers and friends atMeyerhofer Steel & Constructionreally know how to raise the roof,

so to speak!!!

The Lions Club once again put onthe Sharing Tree at our bank.We enjoy participating in thisevery year; we have very generouscustomers and employees who helpfill those tags! Its a wonderful wayto give back to the community tohelp make someones holiday veryspecial.

The Holiday Open House wasanother big success. We enjoyhosting our customers and thankingthem for another successful yearThey love getting a chance to visitwith Brianduring these occasions

as he was again able to successfullynavigate the annual CookieTour.

We wish you all a HAPPY NEWYEAR!

Submitted by: Kelly WytaskeCustomer Service Representativeand Assistant Branch ManagerRacine


Le Sueur

UpdateCustomer Service Week wasanother fun week for all. Sue KahleCustomer Service Representativeand Avis Jacobus, Teller, were co-chairs. The theme was EverydayHeroes and we were all given ashield to decorate. We had a loof excellent shields and the staffvoted for their favorite, which wasLoan Officer Terry Mattsons. Weall enjoyed the treats, breakfastand lunch that were provided. It isnice to have a week full of fun andto remember what good customerservice does for our institutioncustomers and each of us. Weare going to continue rewarding

Vicki Holz, Kathy Nagel,Kelly Wytaske and Tabitha Hoffmann


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Updates

LE SUEUR UPDATE(continued from page 9)

our staff with a small treat everymonth of the year to remind usnot to forget how important GoodCustomer Serviceshould be eachand every day!Our local hospital, MN ValleyHealth Care Center, hosted anevent for Breast Cancer Awareness

Month called Linked in Pinkon October 22. The local bankssponsored a booth together andAvis Jacobushelped hand out pinkcarnations to all attendees. We hada pink ribbon with a message tied tothe carnations reminding attendeesto schedule their mammogram.

The staff donated $315.00 tothe Santa Anonymous drive by

paying $5.00 per Friday to havethe privilege of wearing jeansduring the months of October andNovember. During the month ofDecember, the monies collectedwere donated to the Le Sueur

Henderson Backpack NutritionProgram.

This year the staff decided todecorate a float for the Chambersponsored Silent Light Parade onDecember 4. The staff spent anevening in VP/Ag & CommercialLoan Officer Brian Pfarrsshed,putting together our float. Staff

brought lights, pillars and anythingelse they felt we could use forour float. VP/Mortgage OfficerTomand Heidi Obele, BrianandKristan Pfarr, along with students

from Le Sueur Henderson HighSchool, walked the parade routehanding out candy, piggy bank keychains and can coolers.

Our Holiday Open House was heldon Friday, December 18 with Avis

Jacobusand Susan Kahleas co-chairs. The day began at 7:30 a.mwhen we hosted a Chamber CoffeeBreak in our Valley Room withcoffee, cinnamon and caramelrolls, and fruit. The weather wascool and a few snow flurries passedthrough the area, but we had a niceturnout of customers for our OpenHouse. We had a fire going in ourfireplace, which welcomed ourcustomers. We served sausagecheese and crackers, as well ascookies and bars baked by thestaff.

We wish everyone a Happy andProsperous New Year!

Submitted by: Linda GrackRetail Operations Manager

Tom Tellijohn and Dan LaBelle


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Updates


Cris Oeltjenbruns

together a scarecrow for the VetsHome Scarecrow display. It wastitled You dont even need abrain to use Mobile Banking. It isthat easy! from the Wizard of Oztheme of the Scarecrow with no

brain. The bank also gave out candyon Halloween as a part of Trunkor Treat in downtown Luverne.Elaine Hansen, Data Center, JillBuss and Lisa Ehlers dressed upas scarecrows and gave out a ton ofcandy.

The employees of the bank donatedto the Big Buddies instead ofparticipating in a gift exchange

among the employees as theynormally do each year. It wasdetermined we would rather givethan receive, and allow for othersin need to benefit from what wenormally would have spent on agift for one another. We were ableto give them a pizza party as agroup activity, and tickets to a localhigh school sporting event, alongwith some money for concessionsto enjoy with their Big Buddy.

Congratulations to Matt Engesser,son of Mike, for graduatingfrom Dakota State University inMadison, SD with a bachelorsdegree in Gaming Design. Mattwill be moving to Cary, NC to workfor Epic Games Inc. in January.

Congratulations to CrisOeltjenbruns, who has beenpromoted to Ag Loan Officer. Shewill be training with Cliff Boomover the next year as he moves intosemi-retirement.

Submitted by: Tara ZewiskeAuditor, and Elaine Hansen, DataCenter


LuverneUpdateCustomer Service Week, October2015, Everyday Heroes We started off the week with abreakfast and setting the tonefor the week. Each day we sentout the daily e-mail and puzzle,gave out the daily handout, anda treat for the day. On Friday weenjoyed lunch together and votedfor our favorite Hero Shield. Onceagain the creativity was great!qThe 1st place winner was MaryChristensen, Data Center; 2ndplace winner was Lois Leuthold,Teller; and 3rd place winner wasMichael Engesser, President.

The bank participated in two fallcommunity events. Lisa Ehlers,Loan Secretary, Jill Buss, Teller,Jo Buss, Teller, Paulette Richters,Teller, Sandy Clark, Proof, andRyan Wynia, Loan Officer, put

The Southwest MinnesotaHousing Partnership is one of sixorganizations nationally selectedto receive a $3 million grant/investment over a three-yearperiod from ArtPlace AmericaCommunity DevelopmentInvestments, to incorporate artsand cultural strategies into theircore work. Dale Roemmich

President, is a member of theHousing Partnership Board ofDirectors.

The Federal Home Loan Bankof Des Moines recently awarded


Pipestone

Update


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Updates

(continued on page 13)Whitney Norberg

PIPESTONE UPDATE(continued from page 11)

FF&M Luverne/Pipestone a$15,000 Homeownership Fund

Grant. The grant funds are used toassist eligible households with thepurchase of an owner occupiedresidence. The funds can be usedfor down payment and closing costassistance for eligible householdswith income at or below 80% ofthe area median income. Thisis the third time that FHLB hasawarded a home ownership grantto our charter, with grants totalingover $80,000.

FF&M participated in theannual Chamber Chili CookOff and Service Auction onNovember 20. Mindy Johnson,Loan Assistant, Missy Newell,Information Systems Assistant,and Brooke Legler, CustomerService Representative, enteredthe banks chili in the non-traditional category with theirWhite Chicken Chili. The themeof the event was Blazing Saddles,and the committee decked out thetable with flames, lights, and asmoldering cauldron to add to theambience. The Service Auctionconcluded the evening for thesecond year in a row, organizedby our own Tim Paulson, VicePresident. FF&M had two entriesin the auction, with Tim Paulsonauctioning off his skills at hanging

Christmas lights, and TammyOgdahl, Chief OperationsOfficer, and Linda Erickson,Customer Service Representative,auctioning ten dozen Christmasgoodies baked with love. Theauction generated over $2,400toward projects that promotePipestone.

Pipestones Chamber organizedTrunk or Treat for the Halloweenseason on October 30 in downtownPipestone. First Farmers &Merchants participated andwatched as over 600 pieces ofcandy were handed out the frontdoor of the bank. Cole Paulson

(pictured, standing on chair), son ofTim Paulson, and Austin Johnson(pictured, left, in blue sweatshirt),son of Mindy Johnson, were thetreat givers for the bank, andthey did a wonderful job. Theparking lot of the hardware storelocated next to the bank was thescene of over 30 businesses thatdecorated their trunks and joinedin the downtown fun.

Whitney Norberg, Teller, led thePipestone Area Marching Bandto a successful campaign in 2015

as Drum Major. Whitney wasfeatured in the local newspaperafter receiving the awardalong with Kirk Morgan forOutstanding Drum Majors atboth the Tri-State Band Festival

in Luverne and the Big SiouxReview in Brandon, two majorcompetitions held on September26. Immediately following thebands performance in LuverneWhitney shared that receivingthe award in Luverne was reallyawesome. That was before sheknew the two had also capturedthe same award in Brandon.

The Pipestone ChristmasOpen House was celebratedon December 21. Committeemembers Brooke Legler andBeth Angrimson, Teller

organized a day full of musicand goodies for our customersThe morning included thepreschoolers from NoahsArk singing carols as well as aperformance from the PipestoneArea Jazz Band, featuringour own Whitney NorbergThe afternoon brought HollyVandenberg, a local pianist


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Updates

PIPESTONE UPDATE(continued from page 12)

spreading some cheer. Customerswho attended received a First

Farmers & Merchants Christmasornament. After picking out theirornament, they turned in thesticker on the bottom to receiveanother random prize, whichincluded cash and coin sets.

Dale Roemmichhelped to createa special Christmas for localchildren through the KiwanisChristmas Care Program. On

December 19, from 9:00-2:00,the Kiwanis distributed toys andfood to the eligible families whowere signed up. Each child ina family received one large toyand one small toy. Each familyhad the choice of a number ofstocking stuffers, a handmadequilt and a large stuffed animal.The families were also given a

food box which contained a largeham, a pack of bacon, 10 poundsof potatoes, a bag of apples, a bagof candy, a pound of margarine,a pack of buns, and six cans ofvegetables. The entire bank staff

also helped with the program bydonating their jean money dollarsduring the month of December tothe program. The Pipestone tellerdepartment got in on the actionby playing elves and shoppingfor toys for the event. Throughoutthe year the tellers donated theirown money in various ways andidentified a community projectthat they wanted to support. Ona snowy, cold December eve, thetellers shopped the local stores tobring some Christmas cheer. TheKiwanis Club had over 1,000 toysfor their local drive.

As was stated earlier, First Farmers& Merchants team memberscontinue to make a difference inthe community by wearing jeansand enjoying home cooked foodat staff potlucks. The staff pays

for the privilege of wearing jeanson Friday. Employees also enjoyhome cooked food at potlucksthroughout the year, and thosewho dont happen to cook thatday pay for the meal. All of thosestaff-generated funds are collectedand sent to various charities in the

community. This year the staffraised $1,000 for the PipestoneCounty Relay for Life, $484 forthe United Way of PipestoneCounty, and donated theirDecember funds to the Kiwanis

Christmas Care Program.

Amanda Grooters joined thePipestone team on November 18 asa full-time Teller. Amandalivesin Lake Benton and will be gettingmarried to Aaron Christensen nextsummer. Welcome, Amanda!

DJ Bones, son of Doug andNancy Bones, Assistant NetworkAdministrator, graduated fromSDSU College of Nursing onDecember 11. DJwill be movingto Rochester, MN to work atSaint Marys Hospital in FebruaryCongratulations, DJ!

Dan Hansen, son of Pam andMike Hansen, Vice President &

Sr. Lending Officer, is graduatingfrom SDSU in December with adegree in agronomy and is goingto work for an ag companyCentrol, in January as a regulatoryspecialist. Congratulations, Dan!

Submitted by: Linda EricksonCustomer Service Representative

Tabitha Meza, Beth Angrimsonand Whitney Norberg

Amanda Grooters


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14

Updates


Jessica Lindholm andJulie Eckstrom


StewartvilleUpdateNew EmployeeWe are pleased to announce that anew employee has been hired forthe Stewartville branch. Sabrina

Kingery, Teller/Customer ServiceRepresentative, joined our team onMonday, December 28. Sabrinaand her husband recently movedback to the area after residing inTexas. We look forward to workingwith Sabrina.


Red WingUpdateSeasons Greetings from the RedWing Office! October kicked offwith a BANG! KA-POW! andZAP! during Customer ServiceWeek with the Everyday Heroes

theme! This is always a fun andlively week at the office lots ofgood discussion and fun interactionwith our fellow co-workers. HeadTeller Colleen Phillips was ourgroup leader. She did a wonderfuljob of organizing the festivities

each day. We proudly displayed ourshields in the lobby at the weeksend. Shown is the winning shieldmade by Credit Analyst MissyAnderson. All of our alter egos ondisplay!

We had our Business Bankersand Mortgage Lenders attendand present at the Red WingArea Chamber of CommerceBusiness Expo on October 20.Business Banking Officer JulieEckstrom, Credit Analyst MissyAnderson, and Mortgage LendersDeb Knowlton and JessicaLindholmbrought fun and gamesto help educate the public aboutthe products and services we haveto offer to the community. Itsalso a great chance to see what ourcompetitors are up to and somefriendly networking opportunitiesas well. This event is always wellattended by our entire office, andCSR Lisa MacRae worked as aChamber Ambassadorat the signin table. Thanks, everyone!

In December we had our officedecorated with care by the tellersand front line staff for the holiday

season! We had our annualCookie Day holiday open houseon December 16. Brian Shortwas in the office and able to meetsome new customers as well asthe familiar faces of the Advisory

Board and other business ownersin town. We had a great turnoutthis year, including a special visitfrom Santa and Mrs. Claus!

We are wishing everyone in ourFF&M family a safe and joyousholiday season! See you next year

Submitted by: Lisa MacRaeCustomer Service Representative


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15

Updates

STEWARTVILLE UPDATE(continued from page 14)


Babe Nelson


White RockUpdateIt is beginning to look a lot likeChristmas, finally, on ChristmasEve day.

The White Rock gang has been busythis fall with the farmers coming into get notes paid down and/or settingup LOCs for the New Year; alongwith the regular business, training,and more training, it resembles theatmosphere of Santas workshop.

We held our 2nd annual HarvestDecorating contest with the entryfee donations going to the foodshelf. We had a pretty good turnoutof entries and will try again nextyear to spur a little more interest inthe project.

Customer Service Week went welland we all enjoyed the treats, etc.,while, like we always do, practicingcustomer service skills and making

Customer Service WeekHow Are You An EverydayHero? was the theme of our

Customer Service Week, heldduring the week of October 5-9.We enjoyed taking part in thedifferent activities, prizes and treatswe received, exploring our creativeside in decorating our shields, andenjoying the camaraderie shared inworking toward this common goal.Thank you to all those involved inthe planning!

Holiday Open HouseCustomers, management and staff

alike thoroughly enjoyed visitingand being treated to many of ourholiday favorites. We servedchicken salad croissants, Christmascookies, coffee and hot apple cider.The weather was warm for thesecond week in December, andthis allowed many people to attend.Brian Short joined us, visitingwith customers at each location,while enjoying the goodies andthe fellowship. Many customers

commented on how they lookforward to and appreciate thisevent each year. Again this year,the Lions Club Poinsettia SalesFund Driveensured that our bankwas decked out for the open house.The beautiful plants and holidaydecorations added such a festivetouch!

OrganizationsThe afternoon Lions Club collecteditems for Christmas Anonymousthe first week in December. TheStewartville branch again wasdesignated as a drop-off site. We

enjoy participating in this veryworthwhile and rewarding cause.Helping less fortunate childrenhave a Merry Christmas warms allof our hearts!

We hope everyone had a veryMerry Christmas, and we wish youall a healthy, happy and prosperousNew Year!

Submitted by: Jan Cowan, Teller

sure our customers are some of thehappiest customers anywhere.

November was a good volunteermonth, starting out with the annualcommunity gathering for Feed

My Starving Children, held atthe school atrium. Several bankemployees pitched in for anotherrecord breaking packing. CarnaVisagie, Teller/CSR, helped getthe city holiday decorations readyto display one afternoon. She alsovolunteered to bring her husbandand daughter to the Deck theFalls Parade and ride along withGrandma Babe Nelson, CSR, onthe Christmas Train driven by theGrinch a perfect night to paradeand spread some Christmas cheerwhile promoting Cannon Fallsbusinesses.

Our Holiday Open House wasvery well attended. Preparationsincluded hanging things from theceiling and getting the antenna set

Stephanie Lawson andJan Cowan


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16

Updates

WHITE ROCKUPDATE(continued from page 15)


AdmiralMerchants

UpdateAdmiral Merchants had lots of funat the office this holiday season.To celebrate Halloween, the officehosted the 3rd annual costumecontest for employees. There wereprizes for best and most creativecostumes, and treats for everyone aswell. Twenty-three employees gotin the spirit and came to the officedressed in their best costumes, andit was a blast!

Our annual November food drive,coordinated by the Credit andCollections team, was our largest

food drive to date. The food wasdonated to The Shelf of Hopeat Gethsemane Episcopal Church,located just a few blocks from ouroffice at 905 4th Avenue South.Rev. Phil Boelter, Vicar, and thestaff at the food shelf told PatGegnerthat the shelves were very

so that we could have Christmasmusic playing on the radio. IfJulie Benrud Luhman, Audit/Compliance, hadnt made the threeor four dozen extra cookies, wewould have run out. It was a very

good day. Here are a couple ofphotos from the event, including asnapshot of a Christmas Elf leaving

some Christmas cheer (KenzieVisagie, 15 months).

We hope you had a memorableholiday season, and from all of usin White Rock, here is wishing you

all the best in the New Year.

Submitted by: Babe Nelson,Customer Service Representative

empty right after Thanksgivingso they were very grateful for ourdonation. They also posted a thankyou on their Facebook page.

Thank you, Admiral Merchants,Leamington Inc. and especially

Pat, Doug and Brian for lastweeks generous food donation to

Gethsemanes Shelf of Hope.

As well as collecting food, theCredit and Collections team alsoexcels at serving food! Admiralcontractor Barend DeWitand hiswife Lorrainehost a holiday lunchfor the Admiral team in Minneapoliseach year, but since they live inMission, British Columbia, theyhire Pat Gegner and JulieCornelsen to cater the lunchWhat a delicious lunch we all had


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Updates

ADMIRAL MERCHANTSUPDATE(continued from page 16)

The last quarter of 2015 wasvery good 0% vacancy, happyresidents, and the completion ofseveral projects.

Thanks very much to Barendand

Lorrainefor providing this lunch,and toPatand Julieand their teamfor catering it!

Admirals Christmas tree got a treeskirt this year, courtesy of Mrs.Claus!

Over the Christmas holiday,Admiral hada surprisingvisitor. Elf onthe Shelf wasspotted in variousplaces withinthe Minneapolisoffice, including

posing withBrian Short!

In addition toall the holidayshenanigans,

we also havea changewithin theoffice. FreightCoordinatorRob Litzenbergerhas decided toretire after 10 years with Admiral,effective December 31. He says thatbeing in the trucking industry for42 years has made him appreciateall of our agents, drivers, andcontractors even more. We willsure miss him and his positiveattitude here at the office!

Submitted by: Claire Gregory,Receptionist

On December 19 we had our annualholiday party up on the 22ndfloor overlooking Lake Calhounand the Minneapolis skylineApproximately 70 people attendedThe sky was crystal clear so the

views were especially beautiful.

We added an extra boiler to thebuilding to provide backup heat ifone of our two main boilers goesoffline. We also finished the frontconcrete and waterproofing projectThis project really made the frontof the building look more modernwhich is good considering all thenew apartments that have gone inaround us.

Over the last few years, severalthousand new apartment units havegone into operation. The 2016-2017timeframe looks to be challengingas well, with 786 new apartmentunits going in within a one-mileradius of the building.

Nevertheless, considering CalhounTowers is a 53-year old building

we have done exceptionally wellon the market. This could not havebeen done if it were not for BrianShortand Doug Swansonputtingsufficient money into the buildinginfrastructure to keep it viableagainst the new competition.

Life is good at Calhoun Towers.

Submitted by: Steve OcvirekManager

Calhoun

TowersUpdate


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18

Executive Offices 215 Update / Eagle Awards


Executive Offices/215Update

First, we hope everyone who is apart of the Short Companies hada very Merry Christmas, and wewish you all the very best for theNew Year!

Then wed like to thank thefollowing:

Kenneth Lehner, PayrollOffice Administrator, forcompleting what we hope is

his first of many years in theExecutive Offices. In addition toprocessing the payroll for all ofthe Short Companies, Ken hasalso taken over the sports tickets,ordering supplies, stocking thepop refrigerator, and many of themiscellaneous things that come upin the office.

Joy Manthey, for her 12years of service as a mortgage

processor. We wish her the verybest in retirement. While Joywas most recently a member ofthe FF&M Le Sueur team, shewas previously a 215 employeeand frequently visited our office,attended our holiday luncheons,etc.

All of our co-workers throughoutthe Short Companies organization;we enjoy working with all of you,and we are all successful becauseof the combined efforts of all ofus.

All of the Hooray! newslettercontributors; we truly appreciateyour efforts to share what is goingon in your locations.

All those in the Twin Citieslocations of the Short Companieswho participated in our Sponsor-a-Family program and the AdmiralCredit Departments food drive, andall of our colleagues throughout theShort Companies who contributeso much to their communities.

And, nally, thanks to Mrs.Shortand Brianfor providing allof us with meaningful, rewarding

jobs, and for making us feel likea family, despite working innumerous physical locations andmultiple industries.

Submitted by: Nancy Novack,Executive Assistant

~Please mark your calendar~

ANNUAL BANKPRESIDENTS

MEETING

Thursday, March 10

and

Friday, March 11

Conference Center

First National Bank Buildingin downtown St. Paul

Further details, including hotel

information, will be

sent out in the coming weeks

Eagle AwardsAdmiral Merchants

Jeff JohnsonControllerSubmitted by: Admiral Team

We are very pleased to announcethat Jeff Johnson, our Controlleris being recognized as our 4thQuarter Eagle Award recipient.

Jeff joined the Admiral team in

June of 2002 as our Controller andhas overseen a phenomenal amounof changes over the years. Someof the changes made includedscanning of all paperwork andimplementing positive pay withthe bank to ensure only checksweve issued are cleared andonly for the amount written. Jusrecently, the positive pay systemstopped several fraudulent checkfrom being cashed for thousands o

dollars. This year, Jeffand his teamcompleted the implementation oan automated settlement programthat allows all of our customers togo online and look at the detail otheir settlement payment and run

Jeff Johnson


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19

Eagle Awards

EAGLE AWARDS

custom reports that can be used tofile their taxes. Eventually, this will

also eliminate the need for and costof mailing and/or faxing statementsto our customers while deliveringfar more useful information. Jeffis always looking for ways toimprove processes in ways thatincrease accuracy and improveproductivity. Over the years, hehas saved hundreds of thousands ofdollars by reducing expenses for thecompany. Again this year as he didin 2005, he led his team to analyze

our copier usage and costs as wellas the costs of downtime, and maderecommendations to upgrade andreplace the existing copier. This hasresulted in significantly improveduptime and has saved thousands ofdollars in monthly fees and supplycosts.

Jeff is seen as the go to personfor information in general as wellas for information on where data

comes from and how systemswork at Admiral. Despite havinga full plate at all times with hisown assignments, Jeff is alwayswilling to help out in any way hecan, and he can be counted on togo the extra mile to add additionaldata or explanations that will helpthe person needing the data to drawthe correct conclusions.

Congratulations, Jeff, and greatjob!

FF&M Pipestone

Michael HansenVice President &Senior Lending OfficerSubmitted by: Dale Roemmich,

President

Mike has been with our bank forover 28 years and also has previousag lending experience withFarmers Home Administration andPCA. Mike handles a significantportfolio of ag loans, but he is beingnominated for his experience and

expertise in financing wind towerprojects. Mike has been involvedwith and has been originating windtower loans for almost 15 years andwas a part of the original initiativewhen First Farmers started financingwind towers. This includedworking with bank regulators tohelp them understand the nuancesof underwriting these projects, andfinally, working through the initiallending limit constraints when the

regulators were consolidating allwind projects under one lendinglimit. The lending limit constraintsrequired that many of the loansthat were originated had to beparticipated with banks throughoutthe country. As a result of his

expertise, Mikespoke at a numberof area and regional meetingsas well as the ABA NationalAg Lenders Conference. Mikecontinues to use his expertise in thearea of wind projects and recently

originated a multi-million dollarloan for the purchase of an existingwind project with 15 wind towersincluded in the project.

(continued from page 18)


FF&M Red Wing

Lisa MacRaeCustomer Service RepresentativeSubmitted by: Julie Eckstrom,Business Banking Officer

Lisa MacRae, one of Red Wingscustomer service representatives,goes to the extreme to help the

customer in whatever their issuemay be. She gets complimentsfrom customers all the time. Shetreats all of her customers as ifthey were part of her family thewalk to their vehicle for one last

Lisa MacRae

Michael Hansen


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20

St. Paul Flight Center

Mike SchimelpfenigWeekend Line ServiceSubmitted by: Dave Lessard,Manager

Mike joined our team here at theSt. Paul Flight Center on July 21,2015. During our initial meeting, Iknew right away Mikewould be theperfect fit to join our team. Bringingover five years of experience inboth line service and customerservice with him and a wonderful

can-do attitude, Mike was a bighit with our customer base fromday one. Working long hours onthe weekends where days are filledwith either servicing aircraft ordoing many tasks in the hangars

that can only be accomplished onthe weekend, Mikedigs right in andhelps get the job done correctly, ontime, and with a smile on his facethe whole time.

We are very lucky to have Mikeonour team and look forward to hisgrowth in the months to come.

Mike Schimelpfenig

hug, making sure everyone whowalks into the bank knows that it is

Cookie Day on Friday, makingphone calls to figure out the issuefor the customer, and making hercustomers leave with a smile anda great feeling about FF&M Bank.Lisa is deserving of an EagleAward for being the compassionate,quirky, caring, team player that sheis. Congratulations, Lisa!

EAGLE AWARDS(continued from page 19)

Eagle Awards / St. Paul Flight Center Update

St. Paul Flight CenterThe Learning Jet Lands atSt. Paul Downtown Airport

Recently,F e d E xdonated a7 2 7 - 2 0 0cargo jet

that is nowhome tothe Learning Jet here at the St. PaulDowntown Airport. The 727 wasgutted and refurbished into a uniqueclassroom that is now a permanentfixture at the St. Paul DowntownAirport. The Learning Jet is gearedfor K-12 students in the areas ofscience, technology, engineeringand mathematics (STEM) coursesthat meet MN Department of

Education standards.

The curriculum includes multi-modal transportation programsin railway, freight, waterway,bike/pedestrian, and, of course,aviation.

The Learning Jet is also availablefor rent for groups of up to 50people, providing a unique learningor social environment, and will

hopefully get our youth interestedin careers in aviation.

The Learning Jet is the first of itskind in the nation for engagingstudents in the STEM subjects andactivities by incorporating hands-on activities in the classroomcultivating enthusiasm for learningrelating it to real life experiencesand fostering long-term interest inlearning within the STEM career

paths.

If you have a group that would likea tour, give us a call at the FlightCenter and we would be happy tohelp arrange a visit.

Submitted by: Dave LessardManager


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21

I am very excited to announce our2016 Wellness Program that wasinspired by the Fall Hooray!sWellness article. Brian Shortapproved the program and agreedto help provide a Fitbit to everyemployee who agrees to the programrequirements. The challenge willstart on February 1 and will end onDecember 31.

You will need to commit to thefollowing program requirements ifyou sign up for the Short CompaniesFitbit Challenge 2016:

Short Companies FitbitChallenge 2016

1. Purchase a Fitbit (you pick theFitbit model that works best foryou).

a. The company willreimburse $100 to help towardsyour purchase through payrollat the start of the program.

2. Wear your Fitbit on a regularbasis to track your daily stepsand commit to walking at least

an average of 5,000 steps aday.

a. If your Fitbit stopsworking or has a technologyissue, you will need to resolvewith Fitbit directly.

3. Accept the invitation andparticipate in the ShortCompanies Fitbit Challenge2016 community dashboard onfitbit.com.

a. Access to the ShorCompanies Fitbit Challenge2016 community dashboardis private, and is accessed byinvitation only.

b. Invitation will be sent byHR and is based on the emailaddress your Fitbit is registeredto.


Wellness


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22

c. The Short CompaniesFitbit Challenge 2016community dashboard displayssteps, miles and active minutesonly.

4. If you leave the company orstop participating you willneed to pay back the Fitbitreimbursement for every monthyou are not active through apayroll deduction. ($9.09 per

month) a. If you commit to theShort Companies FitbitChallenge 2016 and are unableto participate during a particularmonth due to a situationout of your control (i.e.,disability or medical), pleaseconnect directly with HR for areimbursement exception.

When you participate in the Short

Companies Fitbit Challenge 2016you will have the opportunity toearn time off. It will be based onmonthly step totals as documentedon the community dashboard. If you reach the goal of 7,000

steps each day you will earn 4hours of time off to be used in2017.

o Your steps must total210,000 in the communitydashboard each month.

If you reach the goal of 8,500steps each day you will earn 8hours of time off to be used in2017.


FITBIT

CHALLENGE(continued from page 21)

Congratulations to all thosewho participated in the F.E.D.program during 2015. Resultsare being tallied, and a reporton the program will be includedin the next issue ofHooray!.

F.E.D.

If you reach the goal of 10,000

steps each day you will earn 12hours of time off to be used in2017.

o Your steps must total300,000 in the community

dashboard each month.

If you complete a 5k race orgreater distance you will earn 4hours of time off to be used in2017.


To earn the time off you must meetthe steps goal every month.

For example, if you have 10months where you walked260,000 steps and 1 monthwhere you walked 220,000steps, you will earn 4 hours oftime off as you did not reachthe 255,000 step goal for alleleven months.

The maximum time off anemployee can earn is 16 hours(12 hours earned by reachingmaximum step goal in thechallenge plus the 4 hours youcan earn completing a 5k raceor greater distance).

Dont delay, purchase your Fitbittoday and send me the emailaddress tied to your Fitbit. HappyStepping!

Submitted by: Augusta Kirk, HRDirector

Wellness

Luke Cooreman and Greg Wulfin Cannon Falls - does this

qualify as weight lifting in theF.E.D. program?

Be sure to note Gregs beard.


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23

News

ANNIVERSARIES BIRTHANNOUNCEMENTS

NEW EMPLOYEES

WEDDINGS

ADMIRAL MERCHANTS

Matt Bunnell 19 yearsMary Alfano 14 years

Wade Larkin 14 yearsRusty Parker 9 yearsShawn Morrison 8 yearsKim Guzman 7 yearsDishon Smoot 2 years

FF&M CANNON FALLS

Tiffany Helgren 27 yearsMary Mann 26 yearsDebra Norstad 23 yearsGreg Wulf 12 yearsNancy Schwartz 9 yearsMadison Rapp 3 yearsLaura Qualey 1 yearMary Benson 1 yearKelsey Otte 1 year

FF&M LE SUEUR

Martha May 41 years

FF&M RED WING

Brett Elford 12 yearsJulie Eckstrom 12 yearsColleen Phillips 12 yearsMelissa Jaenke 8 yearsLisa MacRae 8 years

LEAMINGTON CO.

Kenneth Lehner 1 year

FF&M CANNON FALLSBriana Davis Loan ProcessorMariah Mittlestaedt Loan

ProcessorCarrie Johnson InformationSystems Asst.

FF&M PIPESTONEAmanda Grooters Teller

FF&M STEWARTVILLESabrina Kingery Teller/CSR

FF&M CANNON FALLSCongratulations to Kelsey (Glaess)and Tyler Otte, who were marriedon October 8, 2015.

FF&M LUVERNECongratulations to KarenWohnoutkaon the marriage of herson Joel to Beth on October 24,2015, in Sioux Falls, SD.

FF&M WHITE ROCKJim and Babe Nelson proudlyannounce the marriage of theiroldest granddaughter, AlyssaJohnson, and Adam Langer ofKenyon, MN on October 24, 2015.Alyssais the daughter of MarkandCarrie Johnson (CF Ops Center)

and the niece of Carna Visagie.The new couple, Adamand AlyssaLanger, now resides in Duluthwhile Alyssacontinues her studiesfor CPA and Adam continuesmedical school.

FF&M LE SUEUR

Kevin and Sue Kahle proudlyannounce the birth of anothergranddaughter. Harper JuliannaKahlewas born on December 9 andweighed 8 lbs. 9 oz. Her parents areDustin and Tonya Kahle and bigsisters are Brooklynand Khloe.

FF&M LUVERNE

Sandy Clark proudly announces

the birth of another granddaughterKamryn Ever was born October7 and weighed 8lbs. 12ozCongratulations, Sandyand Tom!

LaDonna VanAartsen proudlyannounces the birth of her firstgranddaughter. Kaylee Harperwas born December 2 and weighed5 lbs. 13 oz. CongratulationsLaDonnaand Darrel!

Paulette Richters became agrandparent again on December20. Xander Chase came intothe world weighing 7 lbs. 12 ozCongratulations to Paulette andRandy!


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Hooray!

SHORT COMPANIES

215 South 11th StreetMinneapolis, MN 55403

(612) 332-4732

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

24

Hooray! Winter 2015 Newsletter

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