Independent Banker - August 2018 - 99

Community Spirit
Building a generation
of community leaders
With support from Investors Community
Bank and others, the Leadership Manitowoc
County program helps up-and-coming
leaders embed themselves in their
community. By William Atkinson
mong a community bank's diff erentiators is
its deep knowledge of the place and the people
it serves. At $1.5 billion-asset Investors Community
Bank in Manitowoc, Wis., Terrilynn Hastreiter
is an agriculture credit analyst. But in 2017, with
her employer's support, she also became chairperson
of Manitowoc Chamber of Commerce's
Leadership Manitowoc County committee.
The Leadership Manitowoc County program
was created in 1987 to build strong leaders and
strong relationships within the community. It
is designed to bring together emerging leaders
from local businesses and other organizations
and help them learn about the community from
diff erent perspectives.
Each year, employers nominate employees to
participate in the nine-month program, which
runs September through May. The committee selects
between 20 and 25 participants each year.
" We recruit members of our community who are
leaders already, but who want to better themselves
and learn more about the community, "
Hastreiter says.
The program encourages participants to network
with their peers and improve their leadership
skills. It culminates with a graduation
and certifi cates.
Participants meet one day each month to visit
various area businesses and organizations. " The
program gives them the opportunity to see the
inner workings of a lot of businesses and organizations
that they may not have known about
before, " Hastreiter says.
Quick stat
750+
Number of
Leadership
Manitowoc
County
graduates since
the program's
inception
A
Each month has a theme: Agriculture, Education
& Diversity, Environment & Health, Government,
History & Heritage, Human Services, Local
Economy, Public Safety and Team Building.
" They travel through the community to focus
on a specifi c subject during their tour, " Hastreiter
explains. " For example, our fi rst topic each
year, which takes place in September, is History
& Heritage, so they will tour various businesses
that are history-focused. "
Nonprofit help
During the year, participants also work in teams
of fi ve or six to develop and complete service
projects for local nonprofi ts, in turn honing their
team-building, collaboration and leadership
skills. " The teams select a local nonprofi t and
come up with a project they want to do for that
organization, " says Hastreiter. " This
can be as diverse as a domestic
violence organization or a
zoological society. "
Participants are encouraged
to be as creative
with their projects
as they wish. While
they are not provided
with any funds, they
are allowed to engage
in fundraising activities
as part of
their projects.
" Then, during
graduation,
they showcase
their
projects,
including
what they
independentbanker.org Q 99
Terrilynn
Hastreiter
http://www.independentbanker.org
Independent Banker - August 2018

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