At Lakeview Bank, giving back means showing up, building relationships, and investing in neighbors year-round.
For Theresa Anderson, it took less than a week to understand what kind of place Lakeview Bank was.
Anderson had just started her role as communication specialist five years ago when she found herself participating in the bank’s Community Impact work during September. She was paired with another employee, and each received $100 with a simple assignment: go into the community and use the money for random acts of kindness.
“My first week on the job, we were working on Community Impact work,” Anderson recalls. “From that moment on, it opened my eyes to all of the things we do in the community. I loved, and still do love, the philanthropic vision of the bank. The generosity.”
That introduction was fitting. At Lakeview Bank, community involvement is not reserved for an annual campaign or a line item in a budget. It is part of how the bank defines its role in the places its employees and customers call home.
“We believe that generosity will always pay itself forward and will work its way back to you,” Anderson says.
Banking Gets Personal
Community banking can sound like a description of size or geography. At Lakeview Bank, it is much more personal.
Customers are also neighbors, local business owners, parents, volunteers and familiar faces. Decisions are made locally by people who understand the communities they serve. Relationships come before transactions.
“It has become our style,” Anderson says. “People do care about advanced products and services, and while we have all of that, we focus less on the products and services and focus more on the people we are serving. We listen. We make decisions locally.”
Sometimes that philosophy is visible in surprisingly simple ways.
Every Friday, Lakeview Bank serves cookies in its lobby. Some customers have made a habit of stopping by on Fridays because they know the cookies will be waiting.
“It’s in the little details sometimes,” Anderson says. “It’s all the small things that we do that touch people.”
For President and CEO Mike Puppe, that personal approach also speaks to the gratitude Lakeview Bank feels toward the people who choose to bank locally.
“We are genuinely thankful for the trust people place in us. That trust is personal, and we never take it for granted,” says Puppe.
Showing Up for Neighbors
That sense of responsibility extends far beyond the bank lobby.
Throughout the year, Lakeview Bank employees give their time to organizations serving Dakota County. Team members regularly volunteer with The Open Door, sorting rescued food at its warehouse and helping with pop-up produce distributions in the spring.
The bank also uses its own voice to spread the word about The Open Door’s work, encouraging others to volunteer, donate and learn about local food needs.
Then there is Clyde.
Clyde is one of 360 Communities’ Survivor Support Dogs, specially trained to comfort people experiencing crisis or the effects of domestic violence. He can accompany survivors through difficult moments, including court appearances, providing a calming presence when stress runs high.
Lakeview Bank sponsors Clyde and helps cover his food and veterinary expenses throughout the year. Employees even had the opportunity to watch him graduate from his training program.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see him at work, and it is amazing what he can do,” Anderson says.
For the team, partnerships like these represent something larger than writing a check. They offer a chance to become participants in the work.
“We don’t want community involvement to happen from a distance,” says Puppe. “When our neighbors need support, we want to be there beside them.”
Investing in What Comes Next
Lakeview Bank’s community work reaches across generations.
The bank sponsors youth development and sports programs, supports veterans and civic organizations, and joins other community banks in honoring local veterans, including serving veterans at the Lakeville Yellow Ribbon Luncheon.
Education is another longstanding focus. Through its annual Legacy Awards, Lakeview Bank recognizes people who reflect the values of integrity, honesty, respect, service, attitude, and professionalism. Awards include scholarships for graduating high school students pursuing college and vocational or trade education, along with recognition for a citizen or volunteer making a difference locally.
These efforts reflect the larger ripple effect of choosing a community bank. Money deposited locally can support mortgages for area families, financing for local businesses and opportunities that contribute to jobs and economic activity close to home.
As Lakeview Bank continues to grow, its approach remains centered on relationships.
“There is a trend toward people wanting the personal attention you get at a community bank,” Puppe says. “It’s all about finding the right fit for each individual, family or business.”
Growth, in that sense, becomes less about getting bigger and more about being able to do more alongside the people the bank serves.
A Season for Gratitude
November naturally invites reflection on what we value and the people who make our communities feel like home.
For Lakeview Bank, that gratitude can be found in a warehouse where employees sort food, at a produce distribution on a spring morning, beside veterans gathered for lunch, in the work of a support dog named Clyde, and across the counter on a Friday when someone stops in for a cookie and conversation.
Anderson says the bank has an ongoing message to get involved, stay involved, and do it in a big way.
It is also a reminder that community is built through repeated acts of participation. A volunteer shift. A scholarship. A local loan. A sponsorship. A conversation. A plate of cookies.
“We’re thankful to serve communities where people care about one another and are willing to participate,” says Puppe. “Our job is to keep finding meaningful ways to participate alongside them.”
For Lakeview Bank, that is what “Because It’s All About Community” looks like in practice.
To learn more about Lakeview Bank, its community partnerships and the people behind the bank, visit www.Lakeview.bank.