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!

Imagine for a moment: After making yourself thoroughly indispensable within your institution, you are promoted to a management role. Congratulations! You did it! You’ve worked hard for years and mastered every aspect of your job, and this promotion is very well-deserved. But, once you step into your role, you quickly realize that you are quite unprepared to lead others. You may even feel like you’re just making it up as you go. 

Well, you’re not alone! In fact, this is something most first-time managers experience. Most companies are excellent at training people to handle the operational aspects of the job, but those same companies often place little (to no) focus on the human aspect of leadership. So, what are we to do about it?

In this episode of HabChat, join hosts Patrick and Susan as they discuss this vital leadership issue with Rob Bennetts (Haberfeld Senior Consultant & Director of Cultivate). Tune in today to learn why managers aren’t there to tell people what to do; they’re there to help people grow. You’ll also learn how Haberfeld can help grow your team’s leadership through our Cultivate platform.

Whether we’re seeking personal, professional, or institutional growth, getting there will always be a journey. A financial institution’s journey will involve many factors, but some of the highest drivers for deposit growth relate to having compelling products and a strong culture that promotes innovation. Mid Oregon Credit Union is one such institution, and they’ve seen tremendous growth in their partnership with Haberfeld. This is due in no small part to Mid Oregon’s President and CEO, Kevin Cole, who has been a staunch advocate and guiding light on their path to success. 

Join Patrick and Susan as they talk to Kevin about Mid Oregon’s impressive growth in a conversation that touches on compelling products, strong culture, and how some of the smallest things make the biggest difference.