Test Community Banking Forum: Pre-Session, Networking Reception & Forum

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Test Community Banking Forum: Pre-Session, Networking Reception & Forum

The Community Banking Forum has been designed exclusively for executive officers and board members of community banks. This event will provide you with information on and insight into current topics that are deeply impacting community banks today. The speakers, topics, and value-added information, combined with the opportunity to network with your peers, make this event one you will not want to miss!

In celebration of our 10^th Annual Community Banking Forum, we are hosting one large forum. Please join us for a pre-forum session on Tuesday, October 10, 2017, at Lambeau Field, followed by a networking reception with hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in the Hall of Fame, and for our forum at Lambeau Field in the Legends Club Room on Wednesday, October 11, 2017.

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Agenda

October 10, 2017

• 5:00-6:30 p.m. Pre-forum Session What Is FinTech, and Why Should I Care? Brian Blaha, Wipfli, Michael Busch, Burling Bank, and Chris Rentner, Akouba, Inc.
• 7:00-10:00 p.m. Networking Reception in Hall of Fame – Hors d’ oeuvres and cocktails

October 11, 2017

• 8:00-8:30 a.m. Registration
• 8:30-9:30 a.m. Economic Outlook Dr. Lindsey Piegza, Chief Economist
• 9:30-10:20 a.m. The Benefits of Continuous Process Improvement Sue Kappel, Wipfli, Brett Polglaze, Wipfli, and Jeff Whitrock, Pioneer Bank
• 10:20-10:35 a.m. Break
• 10:35 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Cybersecurity Threats, Trends, and Strategies Mark Scholl, Wipfli, and Byron Franz, FBI
• 12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch
• 1:00-2:15 p.m. Keynote – Making a Game Plan Mark Murphy, Green Bay Packers
• 2:15-2:30 p.m. Break
• 2:30-3:30 p.m. Leaders of Tomorrow Are Developed Today Julia Johnson, Wipfli

Session Descriptions 

Pre-Forum Session

What Is FinTech, and Why Should I Care?
There is an old adage:  “If you can’t beat them, join them!” Discover how a community banker, faced with major change in his client base, looked outside the traditional banking tool kit to replace his client base by not only embracing opportunities with a FinTech company, but taking it one step further. In this pre-forum session, you will get not only a high-level overview on the disruption of FinTech, but options to embrace it and use it to your advantage.

Forum Sessions

Economic Outlook
Chief Economist Dr. Lindsey Piegza will look at the pace of our economic recovery and what it means going forward for overall growth, interest rates, and monetary policy. Piegza will cover macro-economic trends in consumer behaviors and in the financial and banking industries, in addition to new Federal Reserve policy initiatives and potential economic effects of these changes. She also will examine economic growth in the United States as a whole and its effects on interest rates.

The Benefits of Continuous Process Improvement
This session is for senior leadership, executive management, and boards of directors whose job duties include overseeing many or all of the people and processes in a financial institution. We will introduce the concepts, outcomes, and benefits of process improvement events and how to build on these efforts to create a culture of continuous improvement. This session will include a testimonial from a client who has partnered with Wipfli LLP to implement a culture of continuous improvement for his organization.

Cybersecurity Threats, Trends, and Strategies
You can't have a cybersecurity strategy unless you know what you are up against. Cyber threats have evolved from worms, viruses, spyware, and botnets to more targeted cyber espionage such as dynamic ransomware and stealth botnets. Attacks have become blended, involving combinations of both crimeware and social engineering techniques. Many industry experts believe there are even more sophisticated scams to come. This session will discuss cyber threat trends, real-life case studies, and ways your bank can mitigate its risk, and meet regulatory expectations.

Making a Game Plan
Under the guidance of President and CEO Mark Murphy, the Green Bay Packers organization continues to rank as one of the NFL’s premier franchises, with highly successful operations both on and off the field. In this special keynote session, Murphy will share his thoughts on what it takes to build a world-class organization and championship brand, as well as provide details of the exciting recent development of the Titletown District around historic Lambeau Field.

Leaders of Tomorrow Are Developed Today
As the qualified labor market continues to shrink, key leaders prepare for retirement, demographic shifts escalate, and employees redefine the workplace, banks need to be proactively engaged in developing and managing their talent. Today’s emerging leaders need to be cultivated and challenged. It is important to establish an intentional, systematic strategy to support and utilize the differences and strengths of each next generation. We will explore the Leadership Effectiveness Loop and how this loop can be used to develop your leaders of tomorrow.

Lodging

There are many hotels within a few miles of Lambeau Field, please feel free to stay at any of them if you need accommodations. For your convenience, we have set up a couple of discounted room blocks with the following hotels:

Tundra Lodge Resort & Conference Center
865 Lombardi Avenue
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54304
Special group rates available: $89/night
Wipfli room block available until Monday, September 25, 2017
Phone reservations: 877.886.3725
Room block code: 22574

Comfort Suites Hotel
1951 Bond Street
Green Bay, Wisconsin 54303
Special group rates available: $90/night
Wipfli room block available until Monday, September 25, 2017
Make reservations at: https://goo.gl/QrGzVf

Speaker Bios

Brian Blaha, Growth Partner, Wipfli 
Brian Blaha is the growth partner on the firm’s leadership team, responsible for the oversight of growth strategy and its execution across the firm. As growth partner, his goals are to focus and prioritize firm growth, drive digital transformation, and align market needs with services and solutions. Before becoming growth partner, Brian was partner in charge of Wipfli’s Westchester office and was the Chicago market leader.

Michael Busch, President of Burling Bancorp, Inc.
Michael Busch is president of Burling Bank and Burling Ventures, wholly owned subsidiaries of Burling Bancorp, Inc. He has more than 20 years of banking experience focused on the areas of regulatory compliance, operations, marketing, client service, and business development. As president of Burling Bank, he is responsible for overseeing bank operations, planning, policies, and practices, as well as managing relationships with governmental agencies, business partners, civic organizations, charities, and media. Michael was previously an independent commodity futures trader on the Chicago Board of Trade and served as Assistant Press Secretary to President George H.W. Bush.

JoAnn Cotter, Partner and Industry Practice Leader, Wipfli 
JoAnn Cotter is an audit partner and the leader of Wipfli’s industry practice.  She has over 30 years of experience auditing and consulting with financial institutions. As a client relationship executive, JoAnn’s key points of focus are proactive communication, value-driven consultations, and education. As the leader of the financial institutions practice, she is responsible for the overall financial results, strategic direction, and development of services within the industry practices, as well as partner and associate development.

Byron Franz, Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Byron Franz is a Special Agent of the FBI and has worked national security matters for over 20 years. He currently serves as the FBI Milwaukee office’s Private Sector Coordinator, where his job is to raise awareness of cyber and insider threats to business, academia, and state/local governments. He holds a B.A. in Russian and a law degree, both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Julia Johnson, Senior Manager, Wipfli
With more than 20 years of diversified human resources and organizational development experience, Julia Johnson works closely with community bank presidents and boards of directors to provide human resources (HR) consulting services. While she has a strong focus on and deep expertise in the financial institutions industry, she also provides services to clients in other industries (e.g., nonprofit, governmental, manufacturing, and health care), enabling her to capture best practices. Julia applies innovative yet practical solutions to help clients achieve success through the talents of their people.

Sue Kappel, Senior Manager, Wipfli
With over 20 years of experience working in a financial institution and over 15 years with Wipfli providing consulting services, Sue Kappel is able to bring hands-on experience to her clients and offer targeted suggestions for improvements in operations processes and workflow, profit improvement strategies, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance, and other special project engagements.

Mark Murphy, President and CEO, Packers
Mark Murphy, possessor of extensive experience in professional football and sports administration, is in his ninth year as the Packers’ president and CEO. Under his guidance, the organization continues to rank as one of the NFL’s premier franchises, with highly successful operations both on and off the field. On the field, the team has compiled a 90-50-1 overall record (.642), made seven straight playoff trips, and earned a victory in Super Bowl XLV. Off the field, the club continues to perform well in its business efforts, which allows the organization to support football operations. The fan experience at Lambeau Field, a top priority for the organization, continues to be ranked among the best in sports. Among Mark’s first Packers initiatives was to update the organization’s strategic plan, a process involving all the leadership positions of the organization, including the Executive Committee and football operations. The process created core objectives to serve as a backdrop for all key business decisions.

Dr. Lindsey Piegza, Chief Economist, Stifel Fixed Income
Dr. Lindsey Piegza is the Chief Economist for Stifel Fixed Income. She specializes in research and analysis of economic trends and activity, world economies, financial markets, and fiscal policies. In addition to more than 13 years of professional experience, she has published academic papers in prestigious journals such as Harvard Business Review and in textbooks from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Often quoted in the business press, Lindsey is a regular guest on CNBC, Fox News, CNN, and Bloomberg, as well as national radio and other business news outlets. She is also a highly sought-after speaker across national and international forums.

Brett Polglaze, Senior Manager, Wipfli
Brett Polglaze is a senior manager in Wipfli’s manufacturing and distribution team with over 15 years of experience in using, implementing, and managing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions. He has led all aspects of Microsoft Dynamics AX ERP implementations, serving as project manager, business analyst, solution designer, lead functional consultant, trainer, and every role in between. Brett leverages his experience and passion for solution design to assist clients in creating the optimal software solutions for their business.

Chris Rentner, Founder and CEO, Akouba, Inc.
Chris Rentner is a successful serial entrepreneur and currently is the founder and CEO of Akouba, a cloud-based technology lending platform for regulated financial institutions. He has overall responsibility for the vision, growth, and strategy of Akouba. Furthermore, Chris maintains Akouba's relationships with organizations such as FIS, D+H, Bank Director, the ABA, and government agencies including the CFPB.

Mark Scholl, Partner and Illinois Market Leader, Wipfli
Mark Scholl is a partner and leader of the firm’s information technology services within the financial institutions practice. With more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in all aspects of technology services, primarily for financial institution and health care clients. In addition, Mark has an internal leadership role as the Illinois market leader, responsible for oversight and growth. 

Mike Vesel, Partner and Financial Institutions Practice Leader, Wipfli
Mike Vesel is an audit partner and the partner in charge of Wipfli’s financial institutions practice. As the leader of the financial institutions practice, he is responsible for the overall financial results, strategic direction, and development of services within the practice, as well as partner and associate development. Mike’s recruiting and strategic planning experience helps him to understand and provide value in a variety of client situations. His clients value his experience and responsiveness, and they often call him first when they have questions.

Jeff Whitrock, President and CEO, Pioneer Bank
Jeff Whitrock was born and raised in Wisconsin Rapids and currently lives in Plover, Wisconsin. He graduated from St. Norbert College, and started his banking career with Firstar/USBank and worked there for 12 years. He became the President and CEO at Pioneer Bank in 2005. He attended the Graduate School of Banking 2008-2010, was a WBA board member from 2011-2015, and is currently serves on the board of numerous community non-profits. 

*National Registry of CPE Sponsors: Wipfli LLP is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.learningmarket.org.

Full event: 7.5 credits. In accordance with the standards of the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, CPE credits are based on a 50-minute hour.

Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None
Instructional Delivery: Group - Live
Course Level: Basic
Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge and Applications
Program Cost: No fee

Learning Objectives:

- Review of recent changes in the financial industry.
- Discuss the impact of changes on the financial industry.
- Explore the increasing important role of leadership and governance in a financial institution.

For more information regarding administrative policies, such as program cancellation or complaint policies, please contact Mary Boortz at 715.858.6677 or mboortz@wipfli.com.