Kristy Jerzak

I attribute my success to my strong work ethic, my willingness to advocate for myself, and the lessons I learned from great mentors along the way. I've never been afraid to speak up for what I deserve. About a year into working at Grove Bank, I went to my bosses and said, 'Hey, I want a bigger raise, I want a better position,' and they turned around and gave me one. They said, 'Thanks for speaking up. You have worked hard to get to where you are, and we appreciate all your hard work,' so they gave me the raise I asked for. I also learned early on from my manager at Shopko, Ian Butler, that you can't be too good to get your hands dirty. He taught me how to work side-by-side with my team, and not be the manager up in their office with their door shut, or their nose up to the ceiling. Even when I was a senior team lead at Target, I remembered that I started in Food Avenue and worked my way up over 10 years because I worked hard and did everything. I take every single person as a different person, because I never believed that every person can be managed the same. They all respond differently, and teaching and training people, somebody needs to watch it, somebody do it, somebody needs to read it, and so everybody learns differently. My current boss Tom is an extreme advocate for me, and hearing him and the bank president say, 'God, you're doing a great job, thank you for all your hard work, and thank you for stepping up to the bank when we need help' keeps me motivated. I'm a go-getter and I'm not afraid to push through and break through that glass ceiling.

The best career advice I ever received came from my manager at Shopko, Ian Butler, who taught me how to work side-by-side with my team and not be the manager up in their office with their door shut, or their nose up to the ceiling, or be too good to help with something. He showed me that you can't be too good to get your hands dirty. That lesson has stuck with me throughout my career. Even when I was managing people for so many years at Target and Shopko, I remembered that I started in Food Avenue and worked my way up to senior team lead because I worked hard and did everything. When I was a senior team lead, I would tell my team, 'Hey, I used to work in Food Avenue. I've come this far.' Working hard next to your team shows them that you respect them and that you're not too good to do the work that they do as well. That approach has helped me manage people successfully all these years, and even now at the bank, I still help people sign up for online banking or help them get unlocked from something when the team needs me.

I would say to definitely focus on what position you want and where you want to be to get there, and work hard, and communication is key. I have fought for my position, actually, because I... you know, I think I was there about a year, and I said, 'Hey, I want a bigger raise, I want a better position,' and they turned around and gave me one. They're like, 'You know, our investors, our owners, they just kind of didn't really pay attention, and they said, thanks for speaking up. You have worked hard to get to where you are, and we appreciate all your hard work,' so they gave me the raise I asked for. So, you know, advocate for yourself, and be a strong female, and go get it. I've always hated the glass ceiling sometimes, and it's like, no, push through and break through, get up there!

In my field, I see remote work dynamics and constantly evolving market conditions as ongoing challenges in banking and business development. At the same time, I believe there is significant opportunity in relationship-driven growth, proactive outreach, and leveraging digital communication strategies. As the banking landscape continues to change, I find that professionals who can combine persistence with strategic networking are best positioned to stand out and drive meaningful results.

In my work, I value being a team player, strong communication, and not being too good to get your hands dirty. I believe in working side-by-side with my team and showing them respect by doing the work alongside them. I wear about 85 hats at the bank, and I still help people sign up for online banking or help them get unlocked from something when the team needs me. I'm always hungry and starving for something different, and I want to keep moving up in my life. Personally, I'm a mom that spends a lot of time with my kids' activities. I have two boys, Mason who is turning 12 in June and Brady who is 8, and I have them 50% of the time. We like to go ice skating, we went tubing this weekend, and in the summertime we love to be on the lake. They're very involved in fishing and dirt biking, football and soccer, and all the fun stuff. I love being able to work from home because it gives me the flexibility to be present for my boys. My all-time goal used to be to be a bank president, but I don't know that I could still work from home and do that. So my goal in life now is to be successful, have enough income for my boys and I to be able to do fun things, and be able to work from Florida if I have to and just take a laptop with me. I like to be influential to other people, and I love the relationships that I build with other people.