Stearns Bank has been named one of the Best Banks to Work For in 2019 by American Banker magazine. The Best Banks to Work For program was initiated in 2013 by American Banker and Best Companies Group. It recognizes U.S. banks for outstanding employee satisfaction.

Stearns Bank has a long history of going above and beyond to invest in its employees’ personal and professional growth. Over the past two years, the organization has hired more than 150 new employees to serve its ever-growing customer base and continues to find new ways to diversify product offerings through innovation and hard work.

“At Stearns Bank, we are passionate about helping others achieve their greatest ambitions,” said Stearns Bank President Kelly Skalicky. “That includes our customers, but equally as important, it includes our employees. We are thrilled to be able to provide such generous benefits for our employee-owners. Many of our newer benefits have come from team member suggestions of our team, such as the increase to four days of paid volunteer time because giving back is a top personal value of everyone at Stearns Bank. The success of our business depends on the success and well-being of our team, and we’re so fortunate and extremely grateful to our employees for working hard every day to Get the Job Done!”

“We are proud of the culture that has been fostered by our employees at Stearns Bank,” said Pam Bjerke, Chief Human Resources Officer for Stearns Bank. “Our comprehensive benefits package provides employee ownership in the company, offers unique programs such as family care funding and parenting leave, and encourages career progression, personal wellness, and volunteer opportunities.”

In addition to this ranking, Stearns Bank has received the following recognitions so far in 2019:

• Minnesota’s largest newspaper named Stearns Bank one of the state’s Top 150 Places to work in 2019. The annual list released by the Star Tribune is based on employee surveys.
• Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) ranked Stearns Bank as the nation’s fifth highest performing bank in its peer group, based on a three-year average Return on Assets (ROA).
• American Banker magazine ranked Stearns Bank as the nation’s ninth highest performing bank in its peer group, based on a three-year average return on equity. In both 2017 and 2018, American Banker named Stearns Bank the top performing bank in the nation among banks with $2 billion to $10 billion in assets.