First National Bank & Trust, a hometown independent bank, announces the promotion of four employees, according to an announcement from Dave Kashian, President and CEO.
“These well-deserved promotions mark significant milestones in these employees’ careers. They also illustrate the amount of talent within the Bank,” said Kashian.
Matt Lutz has been promoted to the position of Controller.
He is responsible for maintaining the Bank’s system of accounting records and a comprehensive set of controls designed to mitigate risk, enhance the accuracy of the Bank’s reported financial results, and ensure reported results comply with generally accepted accounting principles. This includes preparing financial statements, reports for the Board of Directors, management, and regulatory agencies, as well as managing the Bank’s cash position, reconciling Bank investments, and managing accounting accruals and reserves.
Mr. Lutz graduated from Albion College with an undergraduate degree in Economics and Management. He then earned a Master of Science in Accounting Degree from Marquette University before passing the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. Prior to working for First National Bank & Trust, Mr. Lutz worked for Baker Tilly Virchow Krause as a Tax Associate and Leaf, Dahl and Company as a Senior Accountant. He and his wife, Stacy, lived and worked in Chicago for six years before moving back to Iron Mountain/Kingsford in the summer of 2014. He began working for First National Bank & Trust as a Credit Analyst prior to his promotion to Controller.
Russ Kassin has been promoted to Business Banking Manager.
He is responsible for overseeing the business banking department in all areas, from supervising work load, coaching existing bankers, and handling customer and employee issues. He will also be watching expenses and fee collection along with helping grow the commercial loan portfolio.
Mr. Kassin graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in personal finance. He has obtained a Series 7, Series 66, health and life insurance licenses, and has obtained the CFP® designation. He previously worked with Lincoln Financial and Wells Fargo. He has been with First National Bank & Trust for four years and has most recently graduated from the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin. This is a three year intensive program that includes classroom time each August in Madison, WI and several projects each year.
He enjoys his time with his wife, Joy, and their four children (Carter, Lucas, Brayden, and Noah), and plays a very active role in the community. He is involved with several non-profit organizations, e.g. Dickinson Area Chamber Alliance (board member), Economic Development Alliance (Chairman), Junior Achievement (board member and teacher), Care Free Dental (board member), Kiwanis (past President), Iron Mountain Road & Trail (board member)and Dickinson College Community Access Network (board member).
Sandy Meier has been promoted to Vice President.
She is responsible for supervision and oversight of the Accounting/Operations area of the bank. She joined the bank in 1977 and has held many positions, including, Assistant Head Bookkeeper, Assistant Internal Auditor, Chief Internal Auditor, and Assistant Vice President, most recently performing the duties of the Controller.
Mrs. Meier is an Iron Mountain native. She holds two professional credentials, a Certified Community Bank Internal Auditor (CCBIA) designation from the ICBA organization, where she trained over the course of three years in Minneapolis, MN, and a Certified Fiduciary and Investment Risk Specialist (CFIRS) designation, with three years of training and testing by Cannon Financial Institute held at the University of Notre Dame, IN.
In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, Jim; her mother, Jeanette Granquist; and grandchildren, Austin, Lux, and granddaughter, Gatsby. She loves to flower, garden, and truly enjoys volunteering at church and other Christian organizations.
Mikki Hall has been promoted to the position of Personal Trust Administrator.
She joined the bank in 2011 and is responsible for the administration of assigned accounts, usually involving one or more of the following: estates, trusts or agencies. She serves as primary customer contact with customers, attorneys and beneficiaries related to these accounts. She resolves problems, responds to inquiries, and performs non-investment services for customers and beneficiaries. This position may be responsible for business development activities. She will also be in charge of assuring compliance with all Bank policies and procedures, as well as applicable regulations.
“Mikki has been an integral part of our Trust & Wealth Management Department for a number of years now. She has a wealth of knowledge in the Trust business and an even better relationship with our clients. It was an easy decision to promote her in recognition of her talents and what they bring to our department and our clients,” Vice President and Fiduciary Manager Mike Morgan said.
Ms. Hall obtained an Associate’s Degree in Business from Auckland University of Technology. Before joining First National Bank & Trust, Ms. Hall held a client services role at Public Trust, New Zealand’s largest trustee organization. She will be attending Cannon Personal Trust School through Cannon Financial Institute in the spring.
“These employees bring a significant amount of experience and knowledge of financial services and products to our organization and will continue to be invaluable assets as we continue to grow and expand,” said Dave Kashian, President and CEO of First National Bank & Trust.
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