Business View Magazine | Volume 9, Issue 3

103 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 3 FLATWATER BANK as possible when it comes to paying our team members, but we also focus on other benefits as well. Bottom-line, we treat our employees right. When we think of our core values, family is the very first one. We want people to enjoy working at the bank, but we also want them to take advantage of time away and time with family.” Flatwater encourages a community spirit, both within the workplace and in the neighborhoods they serve. Rickertsen adds, “We really encourage people that work here to do great things in our community, do great things with the people that work here, and do great things for our customers. I think that really fills people’s cups and makes them enjoy working here.” When looking back, Flatwater Bank acknowledges the COVID pandemic was a stressful time, yet it provided great experiences for team members and quick adoptions of technology. Although technology features were already in use prior to the pandemic, COVID required more frequent use by the bank and its customers. Seminars offered to customers via Zoom provided financial education during a financially trying time while digital banking features supplied easy access to manage funds. Today, Flatwater regularly uses Zoom to schedule meetings with customers and has seen a dramatic uptick in digital banking usage. Looking ahead, Rickertsen says Flatwater Bank is always on the lookout for possible growth opportunities. He shares, “We have never been a bank that has overstepped in our growth. It has always been very thought out and planned. We’re not a bank that would try to grow to get big enough to sell. As our history has shown, we are in it for the long haul.” He adds that an important focus for the bank is the “why”, explaining, “We exist to enhance the lives of our customers, our team members, and our