Independent Banker - June 2022 - 54

When Bella Jones,
17, recently joined
Grinnell State
Bank as a teller,
she followed in
the footsteps of
her grandfather,
great uncle, father
and brother.
the Prior Lake branch-a family tradition dating back to
her grandfather-and Mikayla is also a student teller.
" It's interesting to hear her say her favorite customer
came in today or for her to see the impact her position has
on other people's lives, " says Drentlaw, who was once a
teller, too.
Meeting Gen Z where they are
While Gen Z has a strong sense of community, the
communities Gen Zers prefer to call home are more
suburban and urban than previous generations. Just 13%
of Gen Z lives in rural areas. That's a huge difference from
millennials (18%), Gen X (23%) and baby boomers (36%)
when they were the same age, according to Pew Research.
It's a trend Harrell noticed and took steps to address
beginning in 2010 by relocating and expanding into
more prosperous areas of his state so there would be
more opportunity for growth and his son would inherit a
viable business.
" A lot of banks stay in rural markets and aren't
intentional about trying to move out, " he says. " Their
kids or their spouses may not want to live there, and they
may end up selling to someone bigger. We've been very
intentional about growth strategies, the markets we want
to be in and the markets where my son and his peer group
want to live. "
That's not the only change. " There's a focus on work-life
balance a little more with younger generations, which is a
change from grandfather and dad, " notes Drentlaw. " Seeing
parents work some at home and some in the office shapes
their viewpoint of maybe what they want in the future. "
Growing up as the daughter of a fourth-generation
banker, Maggie Groteluschen had always thought about
becoming a community banker one day, but she had trouble
wrapping her head around how she'd balance the career she
dreamed of with the family she knew she wanted.
" My first introduction to banking was having a parent
who loved going to work every day, " says the fifthgeneration
community banker and personal wealth
manager at $1.7 billion-asset The First National Bank in
Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls, S.D. " His career was demanding,
but very fulfilling. "
To help his daughter realize the possibilities while
still in college, chairman William " Bill " L. Baker gave
Groteluschen the opportunity to shadow five women with
high-level leadership roles in areas including lending,
risk management, operations and-the area where she
eventually found her calling-personal trust.
" I really found a mentor and a passion for a career path I
had no idea even existed, " recalls Groteluschen, who earned
her MBA and juris doctor degrees and spent two summers
working in internal audit and one summer in personal trust
to learn about all the business functions before joining
the community bank full time in 2012. The two worked
together for eight years. When her mentor retired in 2019,
Groteluschen began leading the personal wealth team.
Groteluschen herself is a millennial, but she has a dozen
cousins and second cousins who are Gen Zers ranging in
age from college graduates to junior high school students.
Groteluschen and the leadership at The First National
Bank in Sioux Falls realize there's an opportunity to repeat
the process Groteluschen went through with young family
members who might be interested in a role at the familyowned
community bank. The bank offers internships and
job shadowing to older high school and college students.
" We want to find a way to get [them] as much exposure
" The next generation is
always welcome here,
but we don't push it
aggressively. They must
show interest, engagement
and a willingness. "
-F. Austin Jones, Grinnell State Bank
54 Q ICBA Independent Banker Q June 2022
Independent Banker - June 2022

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