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Taking the Initiative

When one thinks of a bank, terms like loan, financial planning and checking account come to mind. While all banks provide these services and a wide array of others, it is their employees who must constantly meet a challenge to connect with their respective communities and maintain a positive relationship with their customers through various programs, events and incentives.

While most customer-driven businesses would rate communication as a top priority for success, it is financial institutions that find themselves looking for new and innovative directions to appeal to people who are often longtime, loyal customers.

Itasca Bank & Trust Co. in Itasca provides a model example of this, and its results have backed up the formula.

One of the ways the bank reaches out to its community is through the Women’s InitiativeSM, a program designed to help women maximize their futures through a series of events on financial planning, management and independence.

Formed in 2001, the Women’s Initiative is a series of events and services aimed at the women’s marketplace. According to Diane Middlebrooks, coordinator of the program, the Women’s Initiative was the vision of Jack Mensching, President of Itasca Bank & Trust Co., and John Binneboese, Sr. Vice President.

Over time, Mensching and Binneboese, observed that many of the bank’s longtime customers were retiring, allowing for their daughters to take over family-run businesses. This keen observation on the part of the two men gave them the foresight to start the Women’s Initiative.

“This vision expanded to presenting programs that would help women in all walks of life be successful,” said Middlebrooks.

Itasca Bank & Trust Co. acknowledges that fresh and different approaches, while still delivering the same message, is an effective way to make a positive impact on more people. So, to ensure the point is getting across to its target audiences, the Women’s Initiative employs a plethora of measures from business roundtables to a host of guest speakers – the likes of which have included Diann Burns of CBS News and Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka.

To date, Itasca Bank & Trust Co. has events scheduled well in advance, a confident show of support for the program. And why not; the Women’s Initiative is 4,200 members strong and growing.

“The interest in the Women’s Initiative continues to grow,” says Middlebrooks of the program, which has picked up members from all over the metropolitan Chicago area, and from as far away as Des Moines, Iowa, along the way.

“We plan about six months in advance, so soon we will have new programs posted,” said Middlebrooks, who points out that there is no cost to join. Members are included on a confidential mailing list for its future programs and events, allowing them to pick and choose what they may want to attend.

It is not uncommon for businesses to go the extra mile to make their consumers feel cared for, or to offer them something more that they may not be able to find somewhere else. In Itasca Bank & Trust Co.’s case, the Women’s Initiative is a perfect fit.

To join the Women’s Initiative, to see a list of its upcoming events, or for information on Itasca Bank & Trust Co.’s other programs visit the bank’s web site, www.itascabank.com. You may also
telephone 630-773-0350, ext. 450, to
register or for more information.