Hooray!
SHORT C O M PA N I E S
SUMMER 2017
Bike MS: MS 150 Ride
On Sunday, June 11, Brian joined
Team Robinson in Hinckley for
the second day of the MS 150
Ride, which is presented locally
by C.H. Robinson, on whose
board of directors Brian serves.
Due to previous commitments,
Brian was not able to do the first
half of the ride on Saturday, from
Proctor (near Duluth) to Hinckley,
although that day was really hot,
with temps in the 90s and a strong
head wind, so he didnt really
mind missing that!
On Sunday, Brian arrived in to help eradicate and find a cure
Hinckley to join approximately for Multiple Sclerosis.
3,000 other cyclists to complete
the second day of the 150 mile ride. Brian found this to be a very
Two hours into the ride, at about worthwhile experience. He would
9:00 a.m., as he arrived in Rush encourage other bikers within our
City, the ride was temporarily companies to participate in the
suspended due to severe weather. 2018 ride, which will take place
The marshals told the riders to on June 8-10, 2018.
take shelter in the basement of
Sacred Heart Church, the local (continued on page 4)
Catholic church. Mass
was just starting and as
Brian had not gone to Inside:
mass yet that day, he Brian P. Short.............................................2
went to mass rather than Benson Parking Update................................3
to the basement. About Austin Update............................................4
20 minutes after mass Brownsdale Update.....................................5
finished, the rain let up Cannon Falls Update...................................6
a little and the marshals Fairmont Update.........................................8
let the riders back on the
Goodhue Update........................................9
course. Brian was now
St. Paul Flight Center Update..................... 10
freezing, but someone
gave him some extra Grand Meadow Update..............................11
plastic garbage bags Le Sueur Update........................................11
which he used to fashion Luverne Update........................................ 12
a jacket. He finished the Pipestone Update...................................... 14
ride about 2:00 p.m. Red Wing Update..................................... 15
in the Century College Shared Services Update.............................. 17
parking lot in White Stewartville Update................................... 18
Bear Lake, where Kathy White Rock Update................................... 19
was waiting for him.
Admiral Merchants Update........................20
Participants in the ride Executive Offices Update........................... 22
raised close to $3 million Eagle Awards........................................... 23
Wellness................................................... 24
Thanks, Congressman Tom Emmer
Brian P. Short
As most of the readers of this
newsletter know, First Farmers &
Merchants Banks offer community
banking services to thousands
of individuals and families in 16
communities in Minnesota. In a few
of those communities, First Farmers
& Merchants is the only bank in
town; in most of the communities,
First Farmers & Merchants faces
very tough competition from other
community banks; while in a couple
of our communities, we also compete
against some of the biggest banks
and credit unions in the world.
It is safe to say that but for the
work of the people of First Farmers
& Merchants Banks and their
colleagues in other community
banks in Minnesota, the economy
of this state would not be as robust
as it is. Small businesses and farms
would suffer.
The First Bank of the United
States was established during the
presidency of George Washington
because our government realized at
its founding that the development
2
of the continental United States
depended on a sound banking
system. The goals of that bank
which was both a bank and a bank
regulator were simple:
1. Establish financial order;
2. Establish credit for governments
and individuals; and
3. Pay off the debt of the federal
government incurred during the
Revolutionary War.
The bank was established with
$10 million of capital, $2 million
of which was to be subscribed by
the United States government.
Unfortunately, the U.S. government
lacked the necessary $2 million.
That problem was solved when the
bank lent the government $2 million
so the government could inject that
$2 million into the bank. As you can
see, governmental accounting has
not changed much since 1791.
A major development in bank
regulation came in 1933 in response
to the collapse of the banking industry
caused by the Great Depression.
Millions of people lost their savings.
The system of deposit insurance
was established and the agency
responsible for that insurance,
the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, was established as
one of the primary bank regulators.
The goal of the FDIC was to bring
stability to the banking system,
improve the strength of banks, and
thus offer protection to depositors.
Because the banking industry
was generally perceived to be
responsible for the 2008-2009
Great Recession, Congress passed a
number of laws which were aimed
both at tightening certain aspects of
bank regulation and punishing banks
generally. The Consumer Finance
Protection Bureau (CFPB) was a
new federal agency created during
that period. Its charge was not to
strengthen the banking system, as
had been the focus of all prior bank
regulation, but rather to protect
consumers from predatory practices
by banks. While no responsible
person would suggest that banks
should be able to abuse consumers,
most banks, especially most
community banks, never engaged in
that kind of activity. Nonetheless, all
in the industry are now saddled with
significant additional regulatory
restrictions aimed at preventing
banks from doing things that most
of us never did, while at the same
time punishing the entire industry.
While community banks the size
of the First Farmers & Merchants
Banks are not technically subject to
the CFPB, the regulatory landscape
we face has changed because of it.
Compliance with all of the new rules
and regulations is challenging and we
have added significantly to our team
in order to insure compliance. We
have a very good relationship with
all of our direct regulators. However,
despite that, compliance continues
to become more challenging.
The First Farmers & Merchants
Banks will face at least ten formal
full exams by state or federal bank
regulators in 2017. Each of those
exams requires significant support
from Marlene Trageser and her
IT team. In addition, half of them
also require significant support from
Mary Benson and her internal audit
and compliance team. Finally, during
each exam, bank leadership devotes
significant time both preparing for
the exam and working with bank
examiners when they are on site. All
of the resources spent preparing for
exams or working with examiners
are resources that are taken away
from our banks customer service
efforts. Some is necessary; all is
not.
In the years since the passage of
the Great Recession legislation,
individual members of Congress have
recognized that regulatory relief must
be provided to community banks.
Those individual members realized
that community banks cannot afford
the millions of dollars which have
to be spent on infrastructure and IT
monitoring in order to comply with
the new regulatory requirements.
Despite that, the Congress as a whole
has failed to act. However, with the
leadership provided by a Minnesota
Congressman, perhaps that will soon
change.
In the July 3, 2017, edition of the
Minneapolis Star Tribune, U.S.
Representative Tom Emmer of
Minnesotas Sixth Congressional
District discusses the glaring need
for regulatory relief for community
Benson Parking Update
On May 6, 2017, Brian
presented Years of Service
awards to employees from
Benson Parking, St. Paul Flight
Center, and Leamington Co.
Tilahun Ayana, accompanied
by Benson Parking Manager Al
Schroeder, received his 5 Years
banks. That newspaper article points
out that in the last 10 years the
number of banks in Minnesota has
declined from 420 to 298. Small,
independent banks, recognizing
they can no longer afford to meet the
requirements of bank regulation, sell
out to industry giants. I worry that in
the near future, unless some relief is
at hand, only the mega banks, Wall
Street behemoths, will be able to
survive. Undoubtedly, that will be
bad for the economy and especially
bad for small businesses and farms
in Minnesota.
Congressman Emmer understands
that. He recognizes that, Small
financial institutions . . . small family-
owned community banks . . . are
what drive our small communities .
. .. Last month, he introduced a bill
to exempt small community banks
and credit unions from many of the
unnecessary requirements of Dodd-
Frank.
Congressman Emmers legislative
proposals are a step in the right
direction. Governmental leaders like
Congressman Emmer who recognize
the role community banks play in
our economy and the burden that
this unnecessary regulation imposes
of Service award, consisting
of a check for $50.00 and a
Short Companies key chain.
Congratulations!
Submitted by: Al Schroeder,
Manager
on them deserve our encouragement
and support. I would urge every
reader of this newsletter to reach
out to Congressman Emmer (there
is a contact page on his website
www.emmervictory.com) to thank
him for his leadership here.
I do not know whats going to
happen with Congressman Emmers
legislative initiatives. I am not
overly optimistic that we will get
complete regulatory relief any time
soon. However, at least its a step in
the right direction; at least this one
legislative leader is trying.
In the meantime, every First
Farmers & Merchants team remains
dedicated to providing great service
to our customers. While the current
regulatory system does not prevent
our teams from doing their customer
service jobs, it does make it more
difficult to do those jobs. Unless
common sense solutions such as
those proposed by Congressman
Emmer are adopted, the ability of
small and mid-size community
banks to operate in the future will
be greatly diminished.
Thanks for all you do.
Brian P. Short
Brian Short, Tilahun Ayana
and Al Schroeder
3
 Bike MS: MS 150 Ride
Bike MS:
MS 150 ride
(continued from page 1)
If you are interested please check
the website, Bike MS: MS 150
Ride 2018 - National MS Society,
and/or talk to Brian. Here is
how the ride is described on the
website.
Ready for the ride
of a lifetime?
Bike MS: MS 150 Ride, presented
locally by C.H. Robinson, is a two-
day cycling journey that will take
you farther than youve ever gone
before. What makes this ride so
special? More than 3,000 cyclists
travel 150 miles from Duluth to
the Twin Cities for one cause:
a world free of MS. Its fun. Its
challenging. Its the best weekend
ride in Minnesota hands down.
Your participation will drive
MS research forward faster, and
deliver services to those who face
the challenges of MS every day so
they can live their best lives.
Ride Details
Date(s): June 8-10, 2018
Start/Finish Location: Duluth to
the Twin Cities
Fundraising Minimum: $300
Age Minimum: 12
4
Updates
First Farmers & Merchants On April 7, customers and
Austin
employees celebrated with CSR
Sandy Kos her retirement from
FF&M after nearly 15 years of
Update service. The Austin office served
coffee and specially decorated
cookies all day while Sandy
The FF&M Austin staff enjoyed
enjoyed the well wishes and many
an evening of civic duty cleaning
up two local Austin parks, making great stories shared by those who
them prettier and safer places to use stopped in to wish her well.
for the community. Under the threat
of rain, the staff collected multiple
bags of garbage and assorted items.
Steve Murley, SVP Commercial
and Ag Lending Officer, won the
award (twice) for picking up the
oddest items: a construction cone
and a smelly, dead squirrel.
Doug Nuckolls and Sandy Kos
Austin staff enjoying an evening of
cleaning up parks
Red Bike Program
The Vision 2020 Walking and
Biking Committee was proud
to announce that 60 cleaned,
refurbished and painted red bikes
were ready to roll out to the Red
Racks throughout the community.
The Austin community benefits
from the access to these free Red Connie Sprung and
Bikes that can be borrowed and Brittney Johnson
then returned to any red rack. To
kick off the season, volunteers
needed to ride the bikes from the
city storage building out to the
various red racks throughout the
city. Connie Sprung, Teller, and
Brittney Johnson, Administrative
Assistant, volunteered to be two of
the riders. (continued on page 5)

AUSTIN UPDATE
(continued from page 4)
Movie Star in the Making
Austin was the site for the filming
of the new movie, Ahockalypse.
Various local personalities,
including our very own President
Doug Nuckolls, were asked to play
roles in the movie. Doug played
the part of one of the teams mean
coaches. (Thats Doug in the tan
suit coat.) Watch for Doug on the
Silver Screen!
Unsung Service Award
The Brownsdale Charter of FF&M
recently kicked off our new Unsung
Service Award. This award will be
given to recognize an outstanding
but quiet act of service by one of
our employees for a customer, co-
worker or the community.
Why should we celebrate these
Quiet Acts, you ask? Because
service is what makes us different,
its what we at FF&M are known
for taking care of the needs of
others. Celebrating helps to keep
this fact top of mind and is a way to
remind us all of how appreciated we
are by our customers, communities
and each other.
The first recipient of the Unsung
Service Award was Connie
Sprung. Connie organized the
community service project for
the Austin Branch employees
mentioned above, the clean-up
of two Austin parks. Through
her enthusiasm for serving, she
encouraged every Austin Branch
employee to contribute their time
after work, even with the threat of
rain. We collected six large lawn
bags of garbage and dangerous
objects from the two parks,
including (thanks to Steve Murley)
a dead, smelly squirrel.
Connie Sprung and
Doug Nuckolls
A big shout out to Connie! Thank
you for your service!
Keep up the spirit of service; you
never know when your Quiet
Act will be recognized as the next
Unsung Service Award!
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson,
Customer Service Representative
Updates
First Farmers & Merchants
Brownsdale
Update
Unsung Service Awards
As mentioned in the Austin Update,
the Brownsdale charter recently
rolled out its Unsung Service
Award program.
Gloria Richardson, Teller, Sherrie
Carlson, CSR, and Dale Larson,
President, are pictured here as
Sherrie received her Unsung
Service Award. Gloria nominated
Sherrie for the award. This was a
double Act of Quiet Service, as
Sherrie not only served a customer
but also a co-worker all in one act.
Gloria Richardson, Sherrie
Carlson and Dale Larson
A customer in Brownsdale came
in needing coin for weekend
garage sales. Gloria waited on the
customer. When Gloria went into
the vault to get the coin, Sherrie
followed right behind her to lift and
carry the coin for Gloria. Sherrie
didnt stop there, though. Once
(continued on page 6)
5
 Updates
BROWNSDALE UPDATE
(continued from page 5)
the customer was done with the
transaction, without being asked,
Sherrie once again picked up and
carried the heavy bag of coin out to
the customers car, as the disabled
customer would have struggled to
carry the bag.
High five to Sherrie! What a way to
end the week, with a great example
of service well done!
Congratulations, too, to Lana
Hollerud, Teller/CSR, who also
received an Unsung Service Award
this quarter.
Lana sat down one afternoon to
open a new account for a potential
customer. It was a young student,
accompanied by his dad. What
neither of the two sitting at her
desk knew was that Lana was
brand new to opening accounts
and, as she told Patty Tewes, VP/
Operations Manager, later, was
shaking like a leaf during the entire
process. Regardless of her fear of
being new and maybe not knowing
all of the answers, she moved
ahead. During the time she spent
with our newest customer she was
so patient, kind and thorough as
she walked step by step through
everything about the account and
the disclosures she was handing
out. She even added a perfect dose
of humor into the visit which made
the young man laugh. Lana did not
know that Patty could oversee the
transaction taking place from where
she was, but Patty witnessed this
new customer leave the bank with
his dad with the biggest smile and
sense of pride across his face. Lana
made his first banking experience a
very positive one.
6
First Farmers & Merchants
Cannon Falls
Update
Graduations
Amanda Wulf, daughter of Pam
and Greg Wulf (President/CEO),
Lana Hollerud and Patty Tewes graduated from Cannon Falls High
School in June. She was chosen as
A big shout out to Lana! Thank the class speaker at Commencement,
you for your service! and was also selected by the faculty
and staff as a Hall of Fame student.
Keep up the spirit of service you These awards are presented to one
never know when your Quiet female and one male student who
Act will be recognized as the next have taken challenging academic
Unsung Service Award! courses and are ranked in the top
half of their class. Amanda will
Retirement be attending the University of
Minnesota-Duluth in the fall, where
Gloria Richardson (pictured on she plans to major in marketing and
page 5 with Sherrie Carlson and communications.
Dale Larson) retired from FF&M Good luck to Amanda, and
Brownsdale at the end of May after congratulations to Greg and Pam!
28 years of service. Gloria came
to work every day with a smile
and a can do attitude. If anyone
needed help, she was there for
them; if she was needed to go over
to the Sargeant branch and cover
for an employee, she was there;
and she was always willing to fill
in for vacations when needed. If
she was gone for a few days for
Pam, Amanda and Greg Wulf
vacation, customers would ask
about her. Gloria truly loved her
job at First Farmers & Merchants
Bank. We wish her the very best in
retirement!
P.S. Glorias retirement party will
occur in July, so we should have
photos from that in the next issue
of Hooray!.
Amanda speaking
Submitted by: Sherrie Carlson, at Commencement
CSR/Teller (continued on page 7)

CANNON FALLS UPDATE
(continued from page 6)
Mattie Gander
Mattie Gander, daughter of Laura
Qualey (Director of Marketing),
graduated Summa Cum Laude with
her Bachelors Degree in Social
Work from Bemidji State University
in May. She is interning at the
Hazelden Betty Ford Treatment
Center in St. Paul as an addiction
counselor.
Academic Excellence
Nathan Overby (son of Katie
Overby, CSR/Personal Banker)
was honored as an NIACC
student-athlete this past spring for
academic all-region honors with a
3.94 GPA. Nathan plays baseball
for NIACC MASON CITY and
is in the Machinist-Tool and Die
Technology program.
Nathan Overby
Updates
Years of Service Awards
We had a few of our team members recognized for Years of Service in
May by Brian Short and Greg Wulf. Pictured are: John Wegmann
(Ag/Consumer Lender 10 years), Brian Short, Lisa Miller (Teller 5
years), Brenda Jackson (Consumer Lender 25 years), Luke Cooreman
(President/Commercial Lender 10 years), Carna Visagie (Teller/CSR in
WR 5 years), and Greg Wulf. Not pictured is Nancy Schwartz (Teller
10 years) as she was not there the day Brian was there, but she received
her award from Greg shortly thereafter. Congratulations and thank you for
your dedication to FF&M!
Squash Hunger 2017 Recap
We got the final tally from the
Cannon Falls Food Shelf.our CF
branches and Operations Center
collected 174 pounds of food and
$275 in cash donations. Employees
got to wear jeans on Fridays if they
brought in food or money. Great
job, team!
Hoppy Easter!
Grayson Cooreman (son of Katie
and Luke Cooreman) smiles
proudly as the Easter Bunny
(played by his Aunt Jamie Kusilek)
made a personal appearance at the
Cooreman home following her
duties during the Cannon Falls
Annual Easter Basket Hunt.
Grayson Cooreman with the
Easter Bunny
(continued on page 8)
7
Updates
CANNON FALLS UPDATE
(continued from page 7)
John Wegmann and Ed Lorentz
Service Before Self
CF Rotary Club sponsored over
400 volunteers from around
the U.S. who came to the CF
community. The volunteers helped
community members with projects
First Farmers & Merchants
Fairmont
Update
Brian Short was on hand April 10
to present Teller Tami Whitman
with her 10 Years of Service award.
Thank you, Tami, for your dedication
and commitment to FF&M! On
April 20, Brian presented Jessica
McGee, VP/Commercial Lender in
the St. Paul office, with her 5 Years
of Service award. Congratulations
to Jessie as well!
The annual Interlaken Heritage
Days events were held June 2-4
this year. There was a variety of
entertainment, including a car show,
musical entertainment, a parade,
food and activities all weekend
long.
On Saturday, June 3, the Kids All-
American Fishing and Casting
8
Laura Qualey and
Deanna Hockmuth
such as painting, building, fixing,
gardening, etc. Our Advisory
Board Member Joe Coyle was in
charge of coordinating the Service
Before Self event and Rotarian
John Wegmann visited the job
sites and was in charge of feeding
the hungry helpers. Laura Qualey
Andy Noll, Tami Whitman and
Brian Short
Contest took place at Gomsrud
Park in Fairmont. There were
52 contestants with over 100 in
attendance including adults, and
124 fish were caught. This event
is put on by the Bass Seekers of
Fairmont and Kiwanis Early Risers
on the first Saturday in June each
year.
Once again we are sponsoring
several activities this summer,
including a couple of area youth
Eagle Award winner
Brenda Jackson (see page 23)
and Deanna Hochmuth (Consumer
Lender) even contributed some
strength to the mission by hauling/
unloading over 1,000 bottles of
water (donated by FF&M) to the
group to keep them hydrated.
Submitted by: Laura Qualey,
Director of Marketing
Brian Short, Jessie McGee
and Pete LaNasa
sports teams and co-sponsoring
the 17th annual Fairmont Lakes
Foundation Fishing Contest on
May 20. FF&Ms name is on the
Fairmont Cardinal marching band
trailer, and the band will again be
marching in several area parades.
The 2017 Martin County Fair is
(continued on page 9)

FAIRMONT UPDATE
(continued from page 8)
right around the corner and we will
have more to report on that in the
next Hooray! Entertainment is free
to fairgoers due to donations and
sponsorships from area businesses.
June 6-14 found Teller Sara Becker-
Sokoloski on a trip with her Girl
Scout troop to Savannah, GA, home
of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder
of Girl Scouts of the USA. There
were 50 girls and leaders from the
Fairmont and Martin County area
who enjoyed the week of traveling,
sightseeing, and fun!
On June 24 the MOSS club
sponsored Garden Party 2017. Tami
Whitmans acreage was on the list
of places to visit to see beautiful
gardens and landscaping. A lunch
was served at the KC Hall in Fairmont
and proceeds will go towards an
inclusive playground, which features
playground equipment that children
with disabilities can use and enjoy.
FF&M employees also made a
donation to this worthy cause.
The Lions Club fly-in breakfast
was held at the Fairmont Airport on
June 25, with Lions Club member
Adam Smith (FF&M Commercial
Lending Officer) busy mixing batter
for the pancakes all enjoyed! Over
700 people were served and there
was a helicopter giving rides to
those who wanted to get a birds-eye
view of Fairmont.
We hope you are enjoying your
summer!
Submitted by: Joan Meyer, Personal
Banking Officer
First Farmers & Merchants
Goodhue
Update
Ahhh, Fallwhat a beautiful time
of year! Wait, its easy to forget
that its the end of June when the
highs for the past several days have
been in the 60s and low 70s! I
personally love it because I am not
partial to the summer heat, but Im
pretty sure all our farmers would
like a little moisture and heat to get
things going.
April is Teach Kids to Save month,
and here in Goodhue weve
partnered with the school to make a
field trip day out of it with the 2nd
graders. This year we had three
groups walk down from school
and learn all about banking. We
start off with a little question and
answer time, where the kids ask
anything from Do you ever run
out of money? to Who makes
your cookies? A After a tour of the
bank, they go back to school with a
little goodie bag and a cookie. The
kids seem to really enjoy it (and we
dont think its too bad either).
Emily Schmit with 2nd graders
Updates
We wrapped up the school year here
like we always do with the high
school kids coming to clean up our
yard. They do this as a free service
to businesses or townspeople that
have a hard time getting out to do
it themselves. I dont know if they
so much as enjoy doing it, but they
do have fun along the wayand of
course the freshly made chocolate
chip cookies we give them dont
hurt either!
Our high school senior scholarship
winner this year is customer
Taylor Buck. To qualify for the
scholarship, the recipient must
be attending college for either a
Finance or an Ag related field.
Initially out of college, Taylor plans
on becoming an Ag Advocator, but
will eventually consider coming
back to farm with the family.
Emily Schmit, Teller; Marlys
McNamara, Customer; David
Anderson; Ray McNamara,
Customer; and Dianne Pank, Teller
Lara Ramthun, CSR, has worked
several times in the past with the
local United Way, so when they
(continued on page 10)
9
Updates

husband, Neil, celebrated 43 years

GOODHUE UPDATE of marriage; and Katie Brinkman,
(continued from page 9) Teller, and her husband, Andy,
celebrated two years of marriage.
contacted her to see if the bank
would like to partner up with them
on a project, it was definitely a yes.
David Anderson from Goodhue
County Health and Human Services,
with the support of United Way, did
a 100 mile Ride to Restock event.
He rode around to all the towns in
Goodhue County, making a stop
in each one to raise awareness and
funding for the local food shelves. Calvin Ryan is on the far right
Our branch was able to collect food
and monetary donations throughout
the week, which David then turned
in to the food shelves.

This past quarter we had a few

celebrations. Calvin Ryan, Ag
Lending Officer, celebrated his Katie and Andy Brinkman
30th birthday a little early by going
out east back in May with his whole
family and running a marathon! Submitted by: Lara Ramthun,
Corrine Stehr, Head Teller, and her Neil and Corrine Stehr Customer Service Representative

St. Paul Flight Center Update

On May 18, 2017, St. Paul Flight
Center hosted the Spirits of Carnival
annual fund raiser. Over 500 guests
attended the event, which was
spearheaded by one of St. Paul Flight
Centers largest customers. This fund
raiser benefits the St. Paul Festival
and Heritage Foundation, which is
the parent company of the St. Paul
Winter Carnival.
A whole host of local food
and beverage vendors were in
attendance, showing their support
for the foundation through
contributions of their products. The
attendees were able to bid on many
silent auction items to benefit the
foundation as well.
This years event was a smashing
success and set a record by raising
over $20,000.
On May 6, 2017, Brian presented
Years of Service awards to employees
Dave Lessard, Scott Gall and
Brian Short
from St. Paul Flight Center, Benson
Parking, and Leamington Co. in
the downtown Minneapolis office.
Scott Gall, accompanied by Flight
Center Manager Dave Lessard,
received his 5 Years of Service award,
consisting of a check for $50.00
and a Short Companies key chain.
Congratulations, Scott!
Submitted by: Dave Lessard,
Manager

10

First Farmers & Merchants
Grand Meadow
Update
Fire up the grills and bring on the
warm weather! Its summertime!
We hope that you all had a wonderful
spring and are ready to get out and
enjoy everything that this summer
has to offer.
Kayla Stockdale
Congratulations to Kayla
Stockdale, CSR and Administrative
Assistant, for winning the banks
quarterly Customer Service MVP
Award as well as the first quarter
Short Companies Eagle Award.
Congratulations, too, to Dave
Feddersen, President, on achieving
5 Years of Service with the bank as
of the end of 2016. Brian presented
him with this award on May 23.
The Grand Meadow branch has
done some extensive renovation
on the apartment located above
the bank office. The construction
started late summer last year. We
are excited to have this project
completed and ready for renters.
With all the improvements, it
should make some family a very
nice home.
Updates
Eagle Award winner
Tabitha Hoffman (see page 23)
First Farmers & Merchants
Le Sueur
Update
Congratulations to Linda Grack,
Retail Operations Manager,
who retired April 21. Linda was
employed a total of 23 years. We
wish Linda all the best in her
retirement.
Meadow Fest took place on the
weekend of June 24-25 in Grand
Meadow with lots of food, games,
activities, a parade, and a street
dance. First Farmers & Merchants
teamed up with the Grand Meadow
Lions to sponsor the largest event
of the weekend, the annual Grand
Meadow Community Chicken
Barbeque. We also partnered with
the Lions to sponsor the coin sand
box. This event, which allows the
children an opportunity to search
through a pile of sand to find
money, is a favorite for the younger
attendees.
Look for more information and
photos of Meadow Fest activities in
the next issue of Hooray!. ~ Have a
safe summer!
Submitted by: Vicki Holz
Teller/CSR (continued on page 12)
11
Updates
LE SUEUR Update
(continued from page 11)
When Brian was in Le Sueur on
April 20 for the Advisory Board
meeting, he presented Teller Avis
Jacobus with a 10 Years of Service
award, consisting of $100.00 and
a set of Short Companies coasters.
Congratulations and thank you to
Avis!
Brian Short, Avis Jacobus
and Brian Pfarr
May 13 was our annual free Shred-
it day for our customers. The Shred-
it truck was parked in our parking
lot so our customers could easily
drop off their personal shredding.
This is an event that our customers
really appreciate and look forward
to every year. We collected a total
of 3,100 pounds!
12
Congratulations to our Le Sueur-
Henderson seniors, Carson Stepka,
Mason Straub and Erika Hoppe.
Each student was awarded a
$500.00 FF&M scholarship.
We paired up with Walgreens to
celebrate Red Nose Day. This was
to raise awareness of children who
live in poverty. 50% of the money
raised is used to help children in
America and 50% goes toward
transforming the lives of children
in the poorest communities in Latin
America, Asia and Africa.
Desi Block, Sue Kahle, Christina
Bauman and Terry Mattson
Martha May, Kathy Harrison,
Kristin Nepper, Avis Jacobus,
Chris Berndt and Brian Pfarr
June was Dairy Month and we
celebrated by offering free ice cream
treats every Friday in the month of
June. On June 23, the Le Sueur and
Scott County Dairy Princesses
Laura Stiles, Rosie Friedges, Greta
Steinhagen and Martha Steinhagen
were in attendance and passed
out root beer floats to customers.
Submitted by: Chris Berndt,
Customer Service Representative
First Farmers & Merchants
Luverne
Update
Congratulations to the 2017 college
graduates of our bank employees!
Jessie Richters (daughter of
Paulette, Teller) graduated from
South Dakota State University,
Brookings, SD, with a degree
in Animal Science. Jessie has
one more semester to complete
before entering the work force in
December.
Andy Stegemann (son of Gayle,
Loan Secretary) graduated from
USF with a Masters in Business
Administration. He is currently
looking for a job in the accounting
field after teaching high school
math for nine years.
Congratulations to the 2017 high
school graduate of our employee!
Michaela VanGrootheest (daugh-
ter of Maryln, CSR) plans to
attend Minnesota West Community
College for Child Development.
Gracie Zewiske (daughter of Tara,
Auditor), along with the Luverne
High School track team, recently
participated in the Minnesota True
Team State finals, placing 2nd under
very wet conditions in Stillwater,
MN. Gracie and her 4x2 relay team
also qualified for the state track
tournament at Hamline University
but did not have a qualifying time
to advance to the finals.
The annual Hospice dinner in April
raised over $89,000 this year. 100%
(continued on page 13)

LUVERNE Update
(continued from page 12)
of the proceeds remain local to
support Sanford Luvernes Hospice
program and the needs of terminally
ill patients and their families. The
bank donated four Twins tickets by
the dugout which raised $575 on the
live auction. Lois Leuthold (Real
Estate Loan Officer) is currently a
Hospice Advisory Board Member.
The bank participated in the
Buffalo Day parade in June by
passing out candy to the crowd.
Those who participated included
Karen Wohnoutka (Data Center),
Tara Zewiske (Auditor), Cris
Oeltjenbruns (Loan Officer),
Mike Schacht (Loan Officer),
Ryan Wynia (Loan Officer, not
pictured), Jill Buss (Teller) and son
Cole.
Karen Wohnoutka, Tara Zewiske,
Cris Oeltjenbruns, Mike Schacht
and Jill Buss and her son Cole
Ryan Wynia and Cris Oeltjenbruns
Updates
The bank participated in the Relay for Life in June which raises funds for
the American Cancer Society. The event raised $30,000 this year. Some
new things were brought to the event this year, including a Glow Run and
Free Throw Shooting contest, and Maryln VanGrootheest (CSR) spoke
as a caregiver. The banks team raised a total of $4,888 which is up from
last year!
Team Photo: Row 1: Mike VanGrootheest (husband of Maryln and Cancer
Survivor), Michaela VanGrootheest (daughter of Maryln), Nancy VerSteeg
(prior employee and Cancer Survivor), Cris Oeltjenbruns (Loan Officer,
Cancer Survivor and Committee Member). Row 2: Lily Ehlers (daughter
of Lisa), Lisa Ehlers (Loan Secretary and Committee Member), Carol
Foster (CSR), LaDonna VanAartsen (Operations), Gayle Stegemann (Loan
Secretary), Jared Schroeder (Data Center) and family. Row 3: Mike DeBates
(Data Center), Maryln Van Grootheest (CSR, Team Captain and Committee
Member), Peg Gacke (CSR), Glen Oeltjenbruns (husband of Cris).
The bank participated in the
Chamber Golf Tournament in
June. This is a fundraiser for the
Chamber of Commerce. The team
representing the bank placed 2nd
in the tournament and included
Tim Nissen (Data Center), Ryan
Wynia (Loan Officer), Mike
Schacht (Loan Officer), and Brian Short, Carol Foster, Paulette
Ethan Bates (President). Richters, Linda Goehle, Ethan
Bates, Peg Gacke, Jo Buss and
Years of Service acknowledge- Gayle Stegemann
ment with Brian and Ethan for
2016 on May 15 included years), and Gayle Stegemann
Paulette Richters (Teller, 10 (Loan Secretary, 40 years). Not
years), Jo Buss (Teller, 5 years), pictured is Tim Nissen (Data
Carol Foster (CSR, 25 years), Center, 5 years), who was on va-
Linda Goehle (Bookkeeping, cation that day and received his
50 years), Peg Gacke (CSR, 10 award at another time.
(continued on page 14)
13
 Updates

Luverne Update of Minnesota Highway 23. Mardi

(continued from page 13)
Enerson, Teller, coordinated these
efforts as the committee chair and
enlisted Tammy Ogdahl, Vice
President & COO, Rhonda Smith,
Personal Banker, Dawn Carson,
Loan Assistant, Missy Newell,
Information Systems Assistant,
and Brittani Olson, Teller. Mardi Enerson, Kristin Mulder,
Stacy Welch and Beth Angrimson

Beth Angrimson, Whitney Norberg,

Elaine Hansen and
Linda Goehle
Linda Goehle (Bookkeeping)
and Elaine Hansen (Data Center)
were inducted into the Pioneer
Club in Duluth, MN this June. The
Minnesota Bankers Association
(MBA) is proud to recognize
bankers who have been leaders of
the industry for 50 years or more.
The last person to join this group
from our charter was T. Donald
Cashin.
Submitted by: Tara Zewiske,
Auditor
First Farmers & Merchants
Brittani Olson, Missy Newell,
Tammy Ogdahl, Dawn Carson,
Mardi Enerson and Rhonda Smith
The Pipestone Teller Department
has gone out of their way to brighten
the days of their customers and their
team members over the past few
months. One of our daily business
customers recently had surgery
and the tellers went together to
fill a Miss Ya Basket and hand
delivered it to her apartment. The
customer was overwhelmed by
the gesture and reached out to
both the teller supervisor and Dale
Roemmich, President & CEO, to
extend her gratitude. The tellers
also recently came together to
Kristin Mulder, Linda Erickson,
Brittani Olson and Mardi Enerson
Pipestones bank staff pays for
the privilege of wearing jeans on
Fridays and has historically donated
these funds to various organizations
over the years. The staff decided
as a group to support one of our
customers who recently went through
surgery for a cancerous tumor on
his leg. Luiz Perez had to have his
leg amputated at the knee and the
community rallied around him and
his family during his treatments and
recovery, holding a benefit for the
family. The staff donated $200.00 to
Luiz, pictured here with his family
(Ericka Perez, Luis Perez, Thomas
Perez, Jesus Perez, Maria Lupe

Pipestone
Update
Our staff once again donned
their bright yellow vests to keep
Pipestone County beautiful! On
May 16, the crew made quick work
of a big, dirty job and cleaned
FF&Ms Adopt-A-Highway stretch
support their fellow team member, Perez) and bank staff.
Whitney Norberg, with a project
that she is compiling for her new
leadership role this fall at the
college she is attending. The team
went together to donate and provide
supplies for her venture. The
Pipestone teller teams outstanding
members are Beth Angrimson,
Mardi Enerson, Kristin Mulder,
Whitney Norberg, Brittani The Perez family with bank staff
Olson, and Carlee Popma. (continued on page 15)

14

PIPESTONE Update
(continued from page 14)
On June 8, the Annual Chamber
Golf Classic was held with Mardi
Enerson, along with her husband,
Kevin Enerson, daughter, LeaRae
Enerson, and Dillon Olson
(husband of Brittani Olson),
representing FF&M at the event.
The foursome had a great time and
came within two strokes of taking
the top prize at the event!
LeaRae Enerson, Mardi and Kevin
Enerson and Dillon Olson
The 28th Annual Pipestone
Watertower Festival was celebrated
the weekend of June 24. FF&M
was represented throughout the
event with Mike Hansen, Vice
President & Senior Lending
Officer, and Tim Paulson, Vice
President, setting up for the free
meal and street dance held Friday
evening, Dale Roemmich helping
with the Car Show on Saturday,
and Linda Erickson, Customer
Service Representative, driving the
Watertower Button Designer, Livia
Wallace, in the parade. FF&M also
sponsors the Slayton Community
Band in the parade.
Livia Wallace
Watertower button designer
Years of Service Awards
On April 17, Brian and Dale
Roemmich presented two employees
with Years of Service awards:
Rhonda Smith, Personal Banker
(30 years) and Becky Redenius,
Card Services Assistant (5 years).
Not pictured is Missy Newell,
Information Systems Assistant (10
years), as she was not in the bank
that day and received her award at
another time. Congratulations to all!
Dale Roemmich, Rhonda Smith,
Brian Short and Becky Redenius
Employee News
Mitchell Carson, son of Jon and
Dawn Carson, graduated from
Pipestone Area High School.
Congratulations!
Carlee Popma attends Pipestone
Area High School as a junior in
2017 and was named to the National
Honor Society. Congratulations!
Submitted by: Linda Erickson,
Customer Service Representative
Updates
First Farmers & Merchants
Red Wing
Update
Summer in Red Wing is SO MUCH
FUN! We are always JAM PACKED
with news to share! Enjoy!
April showers always bring May
YMCA Challenge Games!!! I
think we can all agree that Credit
Analyst Missy Anderson has been
an AMAZING TEAM CAPTAIN
for the last three years! Its a big
job to tackle and she is always so
motivating, fun and full of energy.
We salute you Missy, THANK
YOU!! We came in 3rd place this
year, but took 1st place for all the
FUN we had together. Red Wing
really felt the support from all of our
branches that could participate this
year. Here are some highlights.
Scavenger Hunt - Krystyna
Bremer, Julie Benrud Luhman
(White Rock), Elizabeth Cox
and Martha Hanson
Minute to Win It - Amy Engnes,
Krystyna Bremer, Debbie
Knowlton and Melissa Jaenke
(continued on page 16)
15
 Updates
RED WING Update
(continued from page 15)
Kayakers - Paul Drackley,
Melissa Jaenke, Missy Anderson
and Brett Elford
Bowlers - Back: Sumner Boldt,
Colleen Phillips; Front: Dave and
Brenda Deutsch
As the 2016-17 school year drew to
an end, Red Wing Public Schools
Kindergarteners had something
to look forward to: a visit to First
Farmers & Merchants Bank!
On May 10 and 12, the bank
hosted 194 students. They were
introduced to the various machines
and were WOWED at how fast the
coins get counted and wrapped
by our machines. The drive thru
was another super cool area of the
bank where the kids pretended to
be customers and were greeted by
a friendly teller and were given
stickers. At the end of the tour, each
child was given a roll of pennies for
their piggy banks and a coloring
sheet. Thanks to Head Teller
Colleen Phillips for organizing
this event.
16
Left to right: Martha Hanson with
granddaughter Aliyah, Liz Cox
with niece Ava, Krystyna Bremer
with son Maxwell
Congratulations to our 2017
Graduates!!
Ashley Knowlton, daughter of
Mortgage Loan Officer Debbie
Knowlton and Rick Knowlton,
graduated with highest distinction
from Red Wing High School this
year. She was also awarded an All
State Choral Award. Ashley plans
to attend St. Olaf College in the fall
to study Nursing and will also be
continuing in Choir. This summer
Ashley will be working at Pro Act
as a job coach and also competing
in the Miss Red Wing Pageant with
her sponsor being FF&M Bank.
Way to go, Ashley!!
Ashley Knowlton
Relationship Business Banker
Amy Engnes daughter Maggie
graduated from Ellsworth High
School on May 26, 2017. She was
in the National Honor Society
and has been the DARE State
Representative for Wisconsin.
She received the National DARE
Scholarship, which will be
presented to her this July when
they attend the DARE Conference
in Grapevine, TX. Maggie has
had several travel opportunities
through DARE. She has traveled to
Orlando, Salt Lake City, Georgia
and Hawaii, to name a few. She
will be attending Mankato State
University this fall to pursue a
degree in Elementary Education.
Maggie Engnes
(continued on page 17)
Super Bowl LII
February 4, 2018
As mentioned in the last issue of
Hooray!, St. Paul Flight Center is
already planning and preparing for
Super Bowl LII.
If any Short Companies employees
would like to earn some extra money,
I invite you to augment the Flight
Center staff and help us out during the
week prior to the Super Bowl. Currently
anticipated needs are for meet and greet
people, cleaning staff, and drivers.
Please contact Dave Lessard at the
Flight Center (651-227-8108 or
dlessard@stpaulflight.com) if you are
interested.

RED WING Update
(continued from page 16)
Mason Engnes
Amys son Mason graduated from
the School of Business at the State
University of Wisconsin, Madison
on May 13, 2017. He received
degrees in Finance and Economics.
Mason has been on the WISCO
sailing team for the past three years
and recently competed at Nationals.
He is currently working full-time
in Edina at Obstacle Academy and
is coaching a group of high school
age students in White Bear Lake.
The team celebrated CSR Melissa
Jaenkes Eagle Award as well!
Pictured top to bottom are:
Brett Elford, President, Lynette
Smerud, VP/Customer Service
Manager, Elizabeth Cox, Teller,
Deb Knowlton, Mortgage Loan
Officer, and Melissa Jaenke.
Submitted by: Lisa MacRae,
Customer Service Representative
First Farmers & Merchants
Shared Services Update
Shared Services Division
The Shared Services Division of
First Farmers & Merchants Banks
was created and will initially
include the Data Center and the
Loan Operations Center. Greg
Wulf and Marlene Trageser have
accepted the positions of Senior
Vice Presidents of 215 Holding
Co. with responsibility for the
Shared Services Division. Greg
and Marlenes first responsibility
is to insure both centers continue to
provide services at high levels while
increasing their effectiveness. They
will determine how those shared
services are to be delivered in the
future and what additional services,
if any, should be centralized.
Working together, Greg and
Marlene will look at all of our
operations to look for those which
can be centralized if efficiency is
to improve but effectiveness not be
diminished.
Elaine Hansen Retirement
Congratulations to Elaine Hansen,
Data Center, who retired on June
15. Elaine has worked in banking
for 50 years as of June 5, 2017, and
she was inducted into the Minnesota
Bankers Associations Pioneer Club
at the June meeting. Her banking
career was accomplished at First
Farmers & Merchants Bank and its
predecessor bank. Elaine started
her banking career at Pipestone
National Bank as a teller. She moved
to the lending side of the bank as a
loan assistant where she worked for
a number of years. Laughter could
often be heard as Elaine helped
loan customers with their loan
advances, payments, and questions.
Elaine paid attention to details and
Updates
customers felt very comfortable that
their transactions were being taken
care of. Elaine transferred to First
Farmers & Merchants, Luverne
where she has worked in customer
service, bookkeeping, and most
recently, the banks Data Center.
As an Exception Items Specialist,
Elaine worked with employees in
all of the First Farmers & Merchants
Bank locations. Elaine has helped
many customers and employees
throughout the years, taking great
care to provide correct information
at all times. Elaine took pride
in her work and her efforts are
greatly appreciated by both bank
employees and customers. Elaine
will be greatly missed!
Elaine Hansen
Human Foosball
Brett Elford (FF&M Red Wing
President), Ashley Trageser
(Information Systems Assistant),
Bri Davis (Loan Processor), Mary
Kriesel (Training Officer), Carly
Anderson (Loan Processor), Mary
Mann (Cannon Falls Operations),
Paul Drackley (FF&M White
Rock President) and Greg Wulf
(President and CEO, FF&M
Cannon Falls) made up the First
Farmers & Merchants Bank Human
(continued on page 18)
17
 Updates
SHARED SERVICES
UPDATE
(continued from page 17)
Brett Elford, Ashley Trageser,
Bri Davis, Mary Kriesel, Carly
Anderson, Mary Mann, Paul
Drackley and Greg Wulf
Foosball team at the Red Wing
Challenge Games. Some of us took
a ball off of the face or were kicked
by a teammate (sorry Bri), but it
was an absolute blast! I recall Greg
Wulf saying he planned on building
a Foosball course in his back yard;
cant wait to play again!
Hastings Sharks
Thank you, First Farmers &
Merchants Bank, for donating to the
Abbeys Ride on the River event.
$15,000 was raised for the Hastings
Sharks, a local Special Olympics
organization. Pictured with the
donation check is Loan Processor
Amy Furlongs sister and brother-
in-law, Kris and Gary Rother, and
Craig Holm, the owner of Cyclebar.
Cyclebar was a major sponsor of the
event and it was a fabulous day!
Gary and Kris Rother, Craig Holm
18
New Employee First Farmers & Merchants
Mike DeBates,
Information
S y s t e m s
Stewartville
Assistant, began
working in the Update
Luverne Data
School is out for the summer, and
Center on April
camping season is here!
11. He was
previously employed by an insurance
The Stewartville Branch is very
company in Luverne for just under
excited to congratulate Stephanie
25 years in the I.T. and Finance
Lawson on her promotion to
departments. Mikes wife, Samantha,
Consumer & Mortgage Lender.
is an insurance underwriter. They
In her new role, Stephanie is
have four children who keep them
completing consumer loans for the
very busy; Zoe is 16, Phoebe is 12,
Stewartville location and residential
Audrie is 10 and James is 9. Mikes
loans for all locations in the Grand
life is centered around spending time
Meadow charter. Stephanie is
with his wife and children. They have
also continuing many of her loan
four dogs, two of which were rescue
assistant duties as well. Thank you,
pets that they fostered and ended up
Steph, for your many contributions
adopting. Mikes family has fostered
and your dedication to First Farmers
a total of six rescued dogs over the
& Merchants! Congratulations on
past three years. Mike is an avid
your promotion!
sprint car racing fan and a Minnesota
Vikings fan.
Birth Announcement
Madelyn Joy Althoff Stephanie Lawson
Loan Processing Supervisor Deb We would like to welcome Lorianne
Graber and her husband, Donald, are Kellogg to the Stewartville Branch.
the proud grandparents of Madelyn Lorianne was hired as a full-
Joy Althoff. Madelyn was born on time Teller/CSR. She has been in
May 3, weighing 6 lbs. 15 oz. and 19 banking for 14 years in the Spring
inches long. Madelyn is the daughter Valley area. Lorianne and her
of Mitch and Angie and little sister to husband, Scott, live near Fountain.
Jackson, age 6, and Jordan, age 4. They have two sons, one daughter
and three grandchildren. In her free
Submitted by: Mary Kriesel, time, she enjoys reading, walking,
Training Officer (continued on page 19)

STEWARTVILLE
UPDATE
(continued from page 18)
working out, and spending time
with her family. She looks forward
to working with the Stewartville
customers. Welcome Lorianne
we are happy to have you on our
team!
Lorianne Kellogg
Stephanie Lawson, Vicki Holz,
and Kari York volunteered their
time to help pack over 142,776
meals for Food for Kidz on
Saturday, April 1. It was a great
way to get out into the community
and help fight hunger.
Stephanie Lawson, Kari York
and Vicki Holz
First Farmers & Merchants
sponsored a Movies in the Park
event on Friday, June 9, featuring the
movie Beauty and the Beast. This
is an event that is highly attended
by families in the community
and a good way for First Farmers
& Merchants to demonstrate its
support and involvement in our
community.
We hope you enjoy the rest of your
summer with family and friends.
Remember the sunscreen!
Submitted by: Vicki Holz,
Teller/CSR
First Farmers & Merchants
White Rock
Update
Who says White Rock doesnt
know how to have fun? President
Paul Drackley got out of the office
for a few minutes to play a little
catch with his son Josh. Ag Lender
Calvin Ryan is always more than
willing to grill up a few pizzas for
us!
Paul and Josh Drackley
Updates
Calvin Ryan
Last quarter I told you that Auditor
Julie Benrud Luhmans husband
was having surgery on his knee. At
the pre op appointment in March,
they decided his hip was worse than
his knee and rescheduled surgery to
May. His surgery went well and he
is up and running, well, walking
anyways.
Speaking of running, Calvin Ryan
ran a marathon with his siblings
in Maine. Rain, rain, go away!
Come again another day! It rained
for the entire marathon. The coast
would have been gorgeous to run
along had they not been pummeled
with wind and rain. A marathon to
remember!
Calvin Ryan, center
(continued on page 20)
19
 Updates
WHITE ROCK
UPDATE
(continued from page 19)
We had an Easter bunny bag
decorating contest! The kiddos
brought in some pretty cute bunny
bags filled with goodies for the
food shelf.
Paul Drackley, Julie Benrud
Luhman, and Calvin Ryan all did
an awesome job competing in the
Red Wing Challenge Games.
Colleen Phillips (Red Wing), Julie
Benrud Luhman, Paul Drackley
and Debbie Knowlton (Red Wing)
Calvin Ryan and Amy Engnes
(Red Wing)
20
CSR Babe Nelson and Teller
Carna Visagie volunteered as
marshals, making sure their
intersection stayed clear as the
North Star Grand Prix bikers raced
through Cannon Falls.
Emily Iverson and family
My girls and I took a little train
ride (only 40 hours each way) out
to Seattle. We went to the Space
Needle, Pike Place Market, and
Olympic National Park. What a
beautiful place.
We are planning a customer
appreciation picnic for July 14
from 11:00-2:00. We are hoping
for beautiful weather, good food,
and great times.
As they say, those proud of keeping
an orderly desk never know the
thrill of finding something they
thought they had irretrievably lost.
Summer here we come!
Submitted by: Emily Iverson,
Customer Service Representative
Admiral
Merchants
Update
Admiral has been busy the past
few months! The team has been
working on creating a new logo,
and it turned out great. Contractor
Services Director Mike Griffin
worked tirelessly with Brian
Short and many others to create
the guidelines and standards for
the new logo, and has been a major
leader in this project. Tim Neid
and DiShon Smoot, our IT gurus,
have been working to implement
the new logo within our company
website. Receptionist Claire
Gregory has also been working
with the team to include the new
logo on Admiral apparel, which
can be purchased online. You can
reach Claire at 612-843-8168 for
more information on how to order.
Overall, the reactions to the new
logo have been very positive and
its been great to see the hard work
paying off!
We also have a new face in the
Permits Department for the
summer! David McNichols has
accepted a temporary summer
position as Permit Assistant. Most
weeks he will be working afternoons
Tuesday-Friday handling Permit
(continued on page 21)

ADMIRAL MERCHANTS
UPDATE
(continued from page 20)
billing and invoicing. David will
be a senior at Macalester College
studying Applied Mathematics
and Statistics with a minor in
Economics and Computer Science.
David also plays varsity football
and competes in track and field at
Macalester. Welcome, David!
CEO Brian Short, along with other
members of the management team,
traveled to the East Coast on June
21-23 to visit a number of Admiral
agents and one customer. Traveling
with Brian were CFO Jim Bemis,
Sr VP Sales Brent Layton,
Contractor Services Director
Mike Griffin, Brokerage Manager
Tom Bobrycki and Director of
Information Systems Tim Neid.
On the first day, they visited agents
Lane Shoup in Montpelier, OH
and Jim George in New Franklin,
OH. Regional Sales Director Joe
Upholzer joined the group for the
meeting with Jim George. Day
two took the team to New Castle,
DE, where they met with Chris
Donchez and Stephanie Wood at
American Transport Systems, the
customer that controls Admirals
wind turbine blade business. They
continued on to Titusville, NJ to
meet with agent Flo Re; Deer
Park, NY to meet with agents Mike
and Ashley Kiviat; and finally
Massena, NY, where they met with
prospective agent Lori Sutter. On
the final day of the trip, they visited
agent Wendy Meloche in Bolton,
CT, before dropping Brent off in
Johnstown, PA and heading back
to St. Paul.
On June 17, two members of the
Brent Layton, Brian Short, agent
Flo Re, Mike Griffin and Jim
Bemis in Titusville, NJ
Tom Bobrycki, Mike Griffin, Brent
Layton, prospective agent Lori
Sutter, Brian Short and Jim Bemis
in Massena, NY
team participated in Grandmas
Marathon in Duluth, MN. HR
Director Augusta Kirk ran the half
marathon for her sixth time, and
was on day 1,271 of her personal
run streak! Staff Accountant Tony
Reker ran the full marathon for
his first Grandmas experience. His
personal goal for 2017 is to run at
least one half marathon every month
of the year; he is definitely racking
up the finishing medals! Congrats
to both Admiral finishers!
Gus Kirk and Tony Reker
Updates
Tony with his children,
Owen and Ginny
Eagle Award winner
Karen Preusser (see page 23)
On Tuesday, June 27, Admiral
hosted its second annual office BBQ
in the parking lot, and everyone had
a blast! Special thanks to Jen
(Billing/Processing Supervisor)
and Jim Tuttle (Leamington Co.
Controller) for preparing all the
delicious food and to Jim Tuttle
and Ken Lehner (Payroll Office
Administrator at Leamington Co.)
for grilling everything for the
team! We enjoyed yummy burgers,
brats, chicken, salads, and desserts,
along with bean bag tossing in the
beautiful weather. A great time
was had by all, and we are already
looking forward to next year!
Submitted by: Claire Gregory,
Receptionist
21
 Updates
Executive Offices/215 Holding Co. Update
Congratulations to Lynne Benedict,
FF&M Stewartville Advisory Board
member, for submitting the correct
answers to the trivia questions posed
in the Spring 2017 issue of Hooray!.
Obviously, these answers could all be
easily found with Google, so I had
expressly asked that people not do
that, although guesses were certainly
welcome. In her response, Lynne
confirmed that she had not used
Google. Instead, she started with a
couple of the events that she for sure
knew the dates, then just tried to
think through how the other events fit
in. Well, she did a great job, because
she had every one correct! Thanks,
Lynne!
Those of you readers who have been
to our office in Minneapolis and have
seen Brians office know that he is a
collector of many different art forms
reflecting his varied interests, but
certainly two predominant categories
would be Western art and Native
American art. He has personally
met a number of the artists whose
works he has purchased. Recently,
Brian and Kathy had the pleasure
of hosting two Native American
artists, Terrance Guardipee and
Catherine Black Horse, for dinner
when they were in the Twin Cities for
Catherines daughters graduation
from the University of Minnesota
Medical School. Brian and Kathy
met Catherine and Terrance at the
Pendleton Roundup (Pendleton, OR),
and Brian has purchased some of
Terrances ledger art.
Catherine Black Horse
(catherineblackhorse.com) is a self-
taught artist who is known for her
traditional dresses and paintings.
When creating her dresses, Catherine
uses materials dating from the 1800s.
22
Brian and Kathy Short, Catherine
Black Horse and Terrance Guardipee
She regularly uses fine wool, silk,
ribbons, metal sequins, dentallium
shells, real elk teeth and antique
thimbles in her work. Her ledger art
and paintings reflect her Seminole
culture in a fresh contemporary form.
Catherine is enrolled in the Seminole
Nation of Oklahoma.
Ledger art by Terrance Guardipee
that Brian has purchased
Terrance Guardipee
(terranceguardipee.com) is an
internationally acclaimed Blackfeet
painter and ledger artist, consistently
recognized for the traditional
depiction of his Blackfeet heritage
and contemporary innovation
demonstrated in his work. Terrance
was one of the first Native artists
to revive the historical ledger art
tradition, and was the first ledger
artist to transform the style from the
single page custom into his signature
map collage concept. The map
collage concept is based in the ledger
art style, but incorporates various
antique documents such as maps,
war rations and checks, in addition
to single page ledgers. Terrance
utilizes antique documents in all of
his artwork, dating from the mid-19th
century, and typically originating from
the historical and present Blackfeet
homeland of Montana. Terrance is
an enrolled member of the Blackfeet
Nation of Montana.
The work of both Terrance and
Catherine can be found in many
museums across the country, including
the Smithsonians National Museum
of the American Indian.
Brian Short, Sam Tims
and Doug Swanson
On May 9, Brian presented Years of
Service awards to two Leamington Co.
employees. Our engineer, Sam Tims,
was recognized for 50 years, and VP/
CFO Doug Swanson was recognized
for 45 years. Although he was unable
to attend that day, Bob Short has
also achieved 45 years of service and
was recognized later by Brian. We
appreciate Sam, Doug and Bob for all
they have done over the years, and we
depend on their historical knowledge
about our companies.
Submitted by: Nancy Novack,
Executive Assistant

Eagle Awards
Admiral Merchants
Karen Preusser
Legalization Specialist
Submitted by: Admiral Team
The Admiral team would like to
recognize Karen Preusser (pictured on
page 21) as this quarters Eagle Award
recipient. Karen joined the team in April
2016 as our Legalization Specialist and
has quickly become an integral part of
our company. She meshes well with her
teammates and with other departments.
She is very resourceful and is always
willing to research information on topics
she may not be knowledgeable in. She
is organized and efficient and does not
shy away from new tasks. She ensures
our company and contractors remain in
compliance with licensing and border
crossings. This is no small task and is of
the utmost importance to the success of
our company.
Karen uses good judgement in her
decision making, and is always mindful
of Admirals best interests. One example
of this mindfulness is when Karen
discovered an error that had been
occurring for years before she joined our
team, in the way that miles were being
reported to the state of Minnesota for
IRP (International Registration Plan, an
reciprocity agreement among states of the
US, the District of Columbia and provinces
of Canada providing for payment of
commercial motor carrier registration
fees). Karen quickly corrected this error
and changed the way this reporting is
done. This enabled us to file for a credit
from the state of Minnesota for the last
three reporting years. In addition, it
should result in significant annual savings
for the company into the future.
Karen is pleasant to those around her
and is very professional on the phone
with her customers. Karen operates with
integrity and can be trusted to put her best
foot forward at all times. We are grateful
to have Karen on our team. She is very
deserving of this award.
FF&M Cannon Falls
Brenda Jackson
Vice President
Submitted by: Greg Wulf,
President and CEO
Brenda (pictured on page 8) is an
excellent choice for the Eagle Award.
Every day she exhibits the traits of
leadership, dedication, integrity and
professionalism. She has consistently
provided excellent customer service
throughout the years which is proven
in her strong loan portfolio. After 26
years with the bank, Brenda has created
an active, diverse and loyal customer
base. She is always willing to meet the
customer when it is beneficial to them,
even if it is before or after hours. Brenda
has set the bar in selling CL&D (Credit
Life & Disability) insurance, having
penetration in 2016 of over 81%.
Brenda was vital in 2002 when FF&M
purchased the bank from Wells Fargo
and then again in 2010 when FF&M
purchased White Rock Bank. She was
the solid, steady, familiar influence
needed during times of change. Her
unwavering presence has been a big
factor in our growth and success. She
is well liked and respected by her peers
and customers. Many customes walk in
regularly looking for Brenda to steer
them in the right direction.
She has been active in her church, the
Cannon Falls Booster Club and the
Cannon Falls Bears, our local amatuer
baseball team. Most baseball games
you will find Brenda donating her
time in the concession stand. Brenda
is a great employee, teammate, mother,
grandmother, citizen and person. Any
organization would be thrilled to have
Brenda as part of their team. Her
calm deameanor, knowledge and vast
experience are appreciated every day.
She is the perfect representative for First
Farmers & Merchants Bank and a very
worthy Eagle Award receipient.
Eagle Awards
FF&M Grand Meadow
Tabitha Hoffman
Operations Assistant/Asst. Branch
Manager Racine
Submitted by: Pam Wilson, VP/Chief
Operations Officer
Tabitha (pictured on page 11) has con-
sistently demonstrated dedication, integ-
rity and professionalism. Since joining
the team in June 2015, she has impressed
coworkers and management with her ea-
gerness to accept and learn new duties.
Tabitha has a strong work ethic and is a
great team member. Given a task or proj-
ect, she completes it timely and accurate-
ly without complaint. She appears to be
committed to the opportunity to learn
new tasks and grow in her position. The
latest illustration of her dedication toward
exceptionalism is her willingness to step
up and help train new Teller/CSR hires,
while maintaining her other duties.
Tabitha received multiple peer
nominations for the second quarter 2017
Eagle Award. Comments provided in
nominations included:
Tabitha is always willing to help out
She is a hard and dedicated worker
and pushes her coworkers to be the same.
She is great with customers.
If she does not know the answer she
is willing and dedicated toward finding
the answer and educating others .
Tabitha was appointed Operations
Assistant/Asst. Branch Manager of
Racine and takes this challenge with
great pride. Tabitha is respectful of
others and has great customer service
skills. I have witnessed Tabitha assisting
her coworkers and taking her part in
doing what needs to be done to get jobs
accomplished.
I believe Tabitha is an excellent
candidate for the Eagle award and
consistently demonstrates the qualities
which represent the Eagle.
Congratulations, Tabitha!
23
 Hooray!
SHORT COMPANIES
215 South 11th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 332-4732
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
Catch the Running Fever
I was recently sent an article on running
that caught my attention, entitled Is
Running Contagious?
I would say yes, running is contagious.
Why do I believe this? Well, the whole
reason I started running was due to the
fact that I was sitting on the sidelines
cheering for my husband as he ran
marathons. While I was waiting for him
to finish I would get to cheer the half
marathoners and then the really, really
fast marathoners. While cheering for
these committed runners, it struck me
on how diverse the group of finishers
was, and if they could run 13.1 miles, so
could I. I started running because I saw
others run; contagious.
Now that running has become a part of
my daily routine I would have to agree
24
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Cannon Falls, MN
Permit #38
Wellness
with the article even more. There is a
group of friends I do training runs with.
They have a little more flexibility during
the week and they do mid-day runs and
report back to me what they did. More
often than not, I try to fit in that same
distance later in the evening or the next
day, as I know I will be doing a long run
with this group over the weekend and
need to make sure my training tracks
with theirs. You may call it peer pressure,
but I like to think of it as contagious.
know it yet. But dont worry; running is
And of course, I hope that running is contagious and it might just catch you
contagious within our employee group. sooner than later.
Hence the yearly email in June about
Global Running Day, these quarterly Keep getting those steps to earn money
articles, and the Fitbit program. Now of and time off!
course, I realize that not everyone can
run. But I bet there are a few of you out Submitted by: Augusta Kirk
there who are runners.you just dont HR Director