I Was Born for This!

I recently took on a role I’ve been preparing for my entire life. While I gained the CEO title at New Market Bank mid-June, that’s not the role to which I’m referring. Earlier this month, I became the 2021-22 chairperson of the Independent Community Bankers of Minnesota (ICBM). I am honored to be just the second woman to serve as chair and to be the first daughter to follow in her father’s footsteps as chair. 

Growing up in a family-owned, community bank, I was often at the bank with my grandpa, Bill Vogel, and my dad, Bob Vogel. They put me to work – as janitor, shredder, statement stuffer, check sorter, and eventually, as a teller. I came to understand through those early years that New Market Bank was much more than a bank to our customers and our community. People came to cash checks and stayed to chat with the tellers, other customers or “Willie” or “Bobby” (my grandpa and dad). It was so cool to realize generations of families in the New Market area grew up with the generations leading the bank. The bank and the community have always been intertwined.  

As I advanced in my early “career,” at the bank, I also gained exposure to ICBM and what has become an industry family. I have fond memories of attending association conventions every year since I was five. As I got older, my sister Karen Ramola and I met and became friends with kids of other bankers or vendors – some of whom we are still friends with today. The relationships my family developed with other members were more than friendships and the conventions more like family reunions than business meetings. My behind-the-scenes experience at the bank, combined with ICBM interactions, piqued my interest in pursuing a career in community banking.

During college, I was fortunate to intern for ICBM, building relationships with community bankers across the state and investing myself back into the association that has meant so much to my family and our business. I helped plan conventions, typed up articles for the monthly magazine, updated the new database and learned the ins and outs of small business accounting, which was my major. I have valued that experience and the relationships I built as an intern as I have volunteered for many association committees in my career. They will continue to serve me well as chairperson. 

My experience working professionally in an independent community bank will also serve me well. Since joining New Market Bank as operations manager in 2002, I have been immersed in the regulatory and operational challenges smaller banks like ours face relative to corporate banks. ICBM has relentlessly fought for the “little guys” and helped us band together to make our voices more powerful. 

My grandpa’s and my dad’s passion for this industry and ICBM greatly influenced my career decisions. They both understood the importance of a strong industry association to represent the collective interests of community banks and were willing to serve the organization. My grandpa served as a district director in 1982 to 1984, and my dad as chair in 1998-1999. I’m honored to continue their commitment to our industry. Perhaps one day, my daughters Kayla, 17, and Emily, 14, will become the 5th generation of our family to share in this commitment. For now, Kayla is content being a student teller and focusing on her senior year of high school. 

I am excited to lead the association in the year ahead. My family, our business, my work experience and my industry service have all led me to this role. You could say, I was born for this!