We have all been a part of a team – good or bad. Teams are found at work and at play. They can include thousands or just two. On the basketball court, in the orchestra pit, the military combat unit, and the boardroom, dynamic teams are critical to successfully get things done. At Haberfeld, every day we work to harness the power of dynamic teams so that we can help our clients accelerate growth. In this HabChat episode, we talk dynamic teams. Join us as we jump into a subject that impacts us all. You’ll even meet a new member of our HabChat team!

To help our clients reach and engage the best possible prospects while getting the most out of every dollar spent, our Creative Team relies on what we call the three pillars of marketing: Content, Strategy, and Design. Together, these pillars ensure we reach the right people with the right messaging at the right time and in the right ways, all for maximum institutional growth.

 In this special episode, HabChat Producer Jason Ortiz sits in for hosts Patrick and Susan to interview Cory Kibler (Manager of Copy & Content), Tracy Munoz (Senior Creative Strategist), and Gail Dishman (Art Director) about the respective roles they play in creating effective top-tier print and digital marketing for our valued clients.

 We’d also love to hear from you. After you listen, visit haberfeld.com/habchatfeedback to share any questions you have for the Creative Team, and we’ll answer them in a follow-up episode!

A change of leadership is as complicated as it is exciting. In the best cases, there is genuine sadness from bidding farewell to a leader who has spent so many years guiding, directing, inspiring, and shaping an organization. Meanwhile, there is also joy and anticipation in promoting a new leader who is eager to take up the mantle and lead an organization down new roads while honoring the past. 

By this point, you have likely heard that Haberfeld has gone through a significant leadership change. And, as with every healthy leadership transition, there has been much planning, communicating, goal setting, and strategizing to make it as smooth as possible. 

In this new episode of HabChat, hosts Patrick and Susan discuss our recent leadership succession process with Dr. Sean Payant (Haberfeld President) and Achim Griesel (Haberfeld President Emeritus) and all the key factors involved in a seamless and successful leadership transition.

Haberfeld Symposium, our annual gathering of leaders from client-institutions, is the ideal opportunity for the country’s best community bankers to connect with one another, learn from Haberfeld experts and guest speakers, and have a lot of fun! This year’s Symposium took place in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, where HabChat producer Jason Ortiz and Cohost Susan Kubert had the chance to speak with several of our esteemed partners in growth. 

In this special episode of HabChat, you’ll hear insights about our HPG™ strategy and other Haberfeld products that can bring value to your financial institution.

 Our guests in this episode are:

• Ed Martel of Jonestown Bank & Trust (PA)
• Rikiyah Pryor of Citizens Bank (KY)
• Shannalea Taylor of The Bank & Trust (TX)
• Jen Bonham of Peoples Bank & Trust (KS)
• Laura Ketterling of Western Security Bank (MT)
• Frank Turza of Midland States Bank (IL)
• Lori Loffler of Community Bank, N.A. (NY)

 Listen today and hear us LIVE from Symposium 2025!

There are many components to having an engaged and high-functioning team. Of these, two of the most critical are (a) ongoing training and (b) effective and trustworthy branch managers, which means it is especially important for managers to receive continuing education. Whether your branch managers are getting a refresher on conducting the 8-Step Sales Process or learning new principles in leading and motivating teams, this ongoing training plays an enormous role in driving the overall success of your financial institution.  

Join Patrick and Susan as they speak with Haberfeld’s Rachael Houghton (Executive Consultant & Director of eLearning and Special Programs) about the necessity of ongoing training. You’ll also hear from Rachael about this year’s Manager Academy (Sep. 30 to Oct. 2 in Omaha) and what your branch managers can expect to take away from this event. Want to learn more about Manager Academy? Visit https://www.haberfeld.com/manager-academy/ or email Rachael at [email protected].

Let’s face it: It can be difficult to share a new idea with your superiors. This difficulty can stem from fear of judgment, insecurity about your idea’s worth, lack of confidence in presenting your ideas effectively, or any number of other places. 

However hard it can be, sharing ideas is also vital. The fact is, we can’t always expect our leaders to be the ones with great ideas or all the answers; everyone needs to chip in. The doors of communication should be wide open, with leaders actively encouraging new ideas and employees feeling totally comfortable in sharing them. 

At Haberfeld, we have a history of free-flowing ideas among and across every level of our organization, and it has produced some truly extraordinary results. In this episode, Join Patrick and Susan as they speak with Dr. Sean Payant (Chief Strategy Officer) about the importance of sharing new ideas—and how you can build an idea-sharing culture at your institution.

Think about the last time you made a major decision; perhaps moving, changing jobs, buying a new car, planning a vacation, or any number of other significant life choices. How much information did you collect prior to making that decision? 

Whether you gathered a lot of information or a little, collecting at least some data is key to making a choice you’re happy with. When a Financial Institution is in the position of having to make a big decision, the right data can offer a very clear and unbiased picture of what’s going on. In fact, having the right data (and knowing what to do with it) can play a huge part your FI’s success… which is where the Haberfeld Data Team comes into play. 

In this episode of HabChat, Patrick and Susan discuss the importance of data and its crucial role in your FI’s success. Listen in as David Sovey (Chief Information and Data Officer) and Brett Dangler (Vice President, Business Intelligence) tell us why Data truly is #1!

According to a May 2023 Gallup survey, fully engaged customers represent a 23% premium share of wallet, profitability, revenue, and relationship growth over the average customer. In other words, we shouldn’t just be opening new checking accounts and hoping for the best. Fully engaging with new customers after they’ve left the branch is just as important as clearly asking for their business at the start of the process, which means we must have an onboarding plan!  

This is precisely why Haberfeld recently unveiled a new product called Fisionary™ designed to help institutions like yours successfully onboard your new checking customers. In this episode of HabChat, you’ll hear Patrick and Susan’s conversation with Robb Rempel (Haberfeld Executive Vice President) on Fisionary™ and how Haberfeld can help you fully onboard and engage new customers for the long-term.

Have you had the good fortune to attend Haberfeld Symposium? If not, you really should consider attending. I mean, not only do you get the opportunity to see your favorite Haberfeld employee-owners and connect with our AMAZING clients, but you also get to witness the unveiling of the Haberfeld Report! 

The Haberfeld Report is a time-honored annual tradition that offers a look behind the curtain of what Haberfeld is up to along with the trends we’re seeing in the community banking space. In this episode of HabChat, your charming hosts Patrick and Susan speak with Achim Griesel (President of Haberfeld) to unpack some of the highlights in the Haberfeld Report from Symposium 2024 in San Antonio!