PLAINS COMMERCE BANK - Key Persons
Meet Allison Maunu. Allison has been in the banking industry for over 8 years. She has served in many roles from teller to loan officer and underwriter, to her current role as a retail banker. With her expansive knowledge in several different areas, Allison has what it takes to meet your banking needs. "I find it rewarding helping each one of our customers and building strong relationships to last for years to come," remarks Allison.
In her free time, Allison enjoys spending time with her family and children, attending her son's sporting events, playing softball, camping, and anything the outdoors has to offer. During the cold South Dakota winters, Allison keeps herself busy doing all sorts of crafts-she has a busy mind and is always thinking of the next project on her list!
Meet Allison Thompson. A native of North Carolina, Allison made the near cross-country trek to attend South Dakota State University. During her time there, she worked in the retail banking department getting her start as a teller and leading into the role of personal lender.
Upon joining Plains Commerce, Allison began her work with the in-house-mortgage team. "I have a passion for lending and seeing the different avenues we can take to positively impact customers' financial situations," remarks Allison.
In her free time, Allison enjoys spending time with her family and cat, Jax.
Meet Amy Shank. Amy joins the Plains Commerce Bank team with four years of retail banking experience. She enjoys working as a Retail Banker because the position allows her to get to know customers. Amy eagerly creates personal relationships with customers and likes being part of the close-knit Mitchell community.
Amy believes the most rewarding part of her job is working with customers and helping them achieve their financial goals.
"I really enjoy the customer/banker relationships that are made," Amy said. She strives to maintain these connections with each customer.
Amy likes living in Mitchell where she's close to family. In her free time, Amy enjoys photography and spending time with her husband, Andrew, and their son, Korbin.
Meet Andrew Kuyper. Andrew has worked in the mortgage and financial industries for over 15 years and there are several reasons as to why Andrew truly enjoys what he does. He loves working with customers as there is nothing like helping someone with the most important purchase in their life, a home. Andrew finds working for Plains Commerce Bank to be very self-fulfilling which is very important to him. At Plains Commerce Bank, Andrew states that he is able to meet with his customers and that the bank is able to process, underwrite and service loans all under the same roof. Andrew hopes this will give his customers peace of mind knowing that he will take care of everything, each step of the way.
In his free time, Andrew enjoys spending time with his wife and their two daughters.
Meet Ashley Wensing. As a recent college graduate, Ashley brings excitement and a passion for learning to her role as a retail banker. "I thoroughly enjoy getting to know each of our customers on a more personal level to help create the trust needed for a successful banking relationship," says Ashley.
While not working, a few of Ashley's hobbies include traveling, attending races in the summer months, and spending time with her family and friends.
Meet Ben Eide. Ben brings not only a wealth of knowledge to Plains Commerce, but also over a decade of experience in community banking. Getting his start within the retail banking department as a teller, Ben has continued to grow in his role leading him to a position as a personal banker and now as the branch manager of our 57th & Sycamore location.
"Whether it's rebuilding credit, buying a new car, or just coming in for a cup of coffee and conversation, the best part of my day is getting to know my customers and helping them achieve their financial goals," remarks Ben.
Ben and his wife, Danielle, have two beautiful children-Pippin and Penny. When not chasing kids around, they enjoy watching Survivor, The Challenge, and football while occasionally reading, playing games, doing puzzles, and golfing.
In his free time, Brent enjoys golfing, hunting, and enjoying the outdoors with this wife and two children.
Meet Brian French. Over the years, Brian has operated his career in business, management and finance on principles, values, and a genuine dedication to exceeding his customer's expectations.
Brian prides himself on being a person you will be able to count on to provide you with amazing service, true integrity, straightforward honesty, accessibility, attention to detail, complete transparency, and an extensive knowledge of every facet of the mortgage loan process.
Meet Cheri Andrews. Cheri has been with Plains Commerce Bank for 25 years and brings with her vast knowledge of many different areas of banking. Starting in the in industry as a teller, Cheri has also worked as a banking assistant and most recently as a retail banker. Cheri looks forward to providing her customers with the knowledge and experience that comes with over two decades of banking.
In her free time, Cheri enjoys attending her sons' activities and spending time with her family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Mortgage Division
Meet Chris Vinson. Chris Vinson is the mastermind behind the Mortgage Division at Plains Commerce Bank. From humble beginnings in 2001 to coaching mortgage professionals across the country, Chris has an undeniable passion to help others succeed. With two decades of experience, Chris has developed a team that produces over 5.6 billion in originations a year, focusing on customer experience and state-of-the art technology.
Having a vision, drive and passion for growing the mortgage industry, Chris, along with his mortgage team, has surpassed 25% regional market share and been voted the Sioux Falls Local Best Mortgage Company for eight years running.
Sharing his success, Chris inspires and coaches his own team of Mortgage Bankers along with CEO's and Loan Originators across the U.S. to ensure his team, along with the clients and community banks they serve have the tools needed to succeed.
Chris lives by this quote; "Success isn't about what you accomplish in your life, it's about what you inspire others to do." - Unknown
Meet Chris Wasmund. Chris became the COO of Plains Commerce Bank in 2019.
Chris brings over two decades of financial experience to the team, with an extensive background in credit card and specialty lending.
As COO, Chris manages the back-office support areas of the bank; including our Information Technology, Deposit Operations, Loan Operations, Project Management, and Business Intelligence teams.
"Our daily goal is to make the customer experience better for both internal staff and external customers," Chris says.
He also shares that the best part of his job is implementing change that drives efficiency and improved service for our customers.
When Chris is not busy cultivating a better banking experience, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three sons, coaching or attending sports for his kids, deer hunting, or watching the Minnesota Vikings beat the Packers.
He is also actively involved in the Lincoln High School Booster Club and Sioux Falls Little League.
Meet Cory Marek. A lifelong Michellite, Cory has a passion for the community and helping customers find their dream home. He is a graduate of Mitchell High School and Dakota Wesleyan University, in the field of Math and Business. Being an athlete and a coach has helped him coach his clients through the entire mortgage process-from loan origination through closing-while providing exceptional and memorable service for everyone.
He is committed to providing innovative mortgage solutions in today's highly competitive market. He specializes in conventional loans, Veterans Administration (VA), Federal Housing Authority (FHA), first-time homebuyer programs, and rural development loans.
When not at the bank, you can find Cory spending time with his family. He and his wife Destiny have two daughters, Lydia and Quinn. Cory enjoys playing hockey, baseball, and golf.
Meet Dakota Kalsbeck. Dakota is new to the banking business and is eager to begin her career at Plains Commerce Bank. She looks forward to the change of pace from her previous work.
"Banking is something new for me that I am excited to be getting into!" Dakota said. She enjoys getting to know her customers and building relationships with them.
For Dakota, living in Watertown means she is close to her family, and it gives her the chance to raise her children in the town where she has spent most of her life. Dakota and her husband have been married for 8 years and have 4 children. They also have a 6-year-old lab mix, Chevy.
Meet Devin Malmgren. Devin has always been passionate about helping his customers build personal wealth and gain financial freedom. Upon graduating from Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he started his career in lending. After 8 years in commercial lending, Devin knew it was time to help consumers understand the importance of buying a home.
In today's environment, it is vital to have a Mortgage Banker who is available when you need them most. Keeping an open line of communication with his customers and referral partners is Devin's top priority.
Meet Elizebeth Santillan. With years of experience in accounting and banking, Elizebeth brings her knowledge of the industry to our customers at our 57th & Sycamore location. She enjoys getting to know her customers through genuine conversation which allows Elizebeth to help them more personally with their banking needs.
Meet Eric Stoll. Eric is a Mortgage Banker in Sioux Falls, SD. He has an established sales career in both local and national companies which has allowed his transition to be seamless into the mortgage world. Eric's passion is to go above and beyond his regular duties as a Mortgage Banker and to help borrowers achieve success regardless of their situation and circumstance. He serves his customers with compassion, integrity, and tenacity. Most important of all, he sticks with his customers until he gets them into home ownership.
Eric knows a thing or two about the Sioux Falls community since he was born and raised in Sioux Falls, and attended Mount Marty University, where he earned his degree in Business Management. He was lucky enough to have played four years of baseball while attending college which requires focus, discipline, and deep commitment. Eric continues his baseball career while serving on the Sioux Empire Baseball Association (SEBA) Board and volunteering as head baseball coach for his nephew's team.
Meet Garret Reed. Growing up and to this day working on his family's farm, Garret knows what it takes to run a successful operation. Couple that with a degree in Ag Business and a Masters in Economics, Garret is your guy when it comes to your operation's financial success.
"I enjoy working with farmers and ranchers, helping them find the right financial solutions to meet their business needs," says Garret.
When he's not at the bank or in the field, Garret enjoys spending time with his wife and family hunting and taking trips to ride his side by side.
Meet Gina Hegstrom. With 25 years of service at Plains Commerce Bank, Gina has become a staple in our uptown Watertown location. As the banking industry has evolved over the years, Gina's commitment to her customers and their needs has remained constant. "Over the past 25 years, I have created strong relationships with our customers that now many of turned into friendships," remarks Gina.
In her free time, Gina and her husband enjoy a good round of golf and traveling to Mexico during the cold South Dakota winters.
Meet Hank McCall. An Iowa native, Hank has spent the past 15 years immersed in the Sioux Falls community. As the Market President for Sioux Falls, Hank oversees the business development functions for the commercial and agriculture lending departments within the bank's largest market.
In joining Plains Commerce, Hank not only brings strong market knowledge but a passion for creating and curating relationships.
Over the last decade Hank has spent his time navigating the intricacies of the banking and financial world by setting his focus on enhancing the customer experience. "I believe that we are in the relationship business and continuing to focus on building and strengthening relationships with our customers and the communities in which we serve is my #1 priority." Whether customers have a simple question or need to brainstorm a new business idea - Hank's time is your time. With a goal to ensure strong banking relationships across all areas of the bank, Hank and his team will provide a banking experience that customers have come to know and expect from Plains Commerce Bank.
In his free time, Hank enjoys spending time helping his wife Ashleigh coach their daughters in their various sporting activities, finding a body of water to throw a line in, and cheering on the Jackrabbits as they compete for championships.
Meet Heather Koens. Heather grew up in Groton, South Dakota and moved to Aberdeen to attend Northern State University. She is the oldest child of a blended family, with 4 sisters and 2 brothers.
Heather worked as a teller and teller coordinator at a bank in Aberdeen for 5 years before moving to Watertown to work at Plains Commerce Bank. Heather enjoys meeting new people and getting to know customers at the bank. Her experience in the banking world helps her create lasting relationships with her customers.
When she is not working, Heather likes to read, watch movies, play board games and hang out with family.
Meet Isabella Barbee. Isabella grew up just outside of Sioux Falls in Hartford, SD. During the pursuit of her Business degree from the University of South Dakota, she was presented the opportunity to complete the remainder of her education in Arizona, California, and Hawaii of which she accepted. After graduation, she worked as an accountant for a large corporation. Her small-town roots brought her back to Sioux Falls to be closer to her family. Her love for accounting and family is what drew her to the mortgage world.
Isabella started out as a loan processor under Dawn Van Nieuwenhuyzen here at Plains Commerce Bank. On this team is where she found the perfect combination of her love for accounting and her compassion to help families. Bella states, "One of the best feelings is helping families achieve the goal of buying their dream home." She prides herself on delivering a smooth, stress-free experience for every family she helps conquer the biggest investment of their future through homeownership.
From the initial application to the closing table, Bella is there every step of the way. She is available to answer questions, run payments, discuss with realtors, and ensure that you are set up in the absolute best loan program for you. Whether you are a first-time homebuyer, ready to purchase your second home, or refinancing to lower your loan term, Bella will treat you and your financing as her own!
Meet Jared Zimprich. Jared was immersed into the world of agriculture from day one as he was raised on a crop and livestock operation near Hayti, SD. He has continued his presence within the industry not only on the farm but in Ag Banking and crop insurance as well. He states, "I enjoy working with our producers because I am one, and I want to help them plan and find ways to get to where they want to be."
Outside of the Bank, Jared enjoys spending time with his wife and their children, hunting, fishing, and farming
Meet Jason Sundberg. Born and raised in Sioux Falls, Jason is excited to be back "home". He is a Lincoln High School graduate and attended Southeast Vo-Tech. Jason has worked in sales since the ripe age of 14 and has been working to meet the needs of his customers ever since. He has sold everything from men's clothing to electronics and from jewelry to motorcycles.
"My grandpa and step-father were local bankers and encouraged me to enter into the Banking Industry after the birth of my first daughter," says Jason. "It was a great fit as I was able to provide financing for all of my prior customers and was able to stay in contact with friends I had made along the way."
Since transitioning to the financial field over 20 years ago, Jason has worn many different hats. "I've held the positons of Teller, Personal Banker, Branch Supervisor, Branch Manager, Senior Vice President, Market President and now VP Business Banker with Plains Commerce Bank," Jason says. "I have served on the front line, originated consumer-commercial and mortgage loans, managed multiple branches, opened new branches, closed underperforming branches, and everything else in between."
When Jason is not at the bank, he and his wife enjoy junking and refurbishing old items to create new treasures for their home. "We are the wannabe Chip and Joanna," says Jason. "I am also a gearhead at heart and have owned 110+ vehicles since I started driving. I prefer the old muscle cars over newer technology." He and his wife often frequent local cars shows and cruise nights. In fact, Jason met his wife at a car show!
The couple moved to Owatonna, MN in late 2015. "My wife is originally from MN and wondered what it would be like to be closer to where she was raised," says Jason. "The move was a great experience but confirmed loud and clear that Sioux Falls/Harrisburg is where home really is. We are excited to be back in Sioux Falls!"
Jason is the proud father of 4 beautiful daughters: Alexis, Hannah, Makayla, and Isabella.
Jason volunteers his time for Junior Achievement, Harrisburg Growth Initiative, Hartford Area Development Corp, Habitat for Humanity and several other boards that support the local community.
Meet Jean VanErmen. With 17 years of experience in the financial services industry, providing the best customer experience to our customers is Jean's number one priority. Working at both Sioux Falls locations, Jean enjoys getting to know the customers on a first name basis. "I hope to make each customer feel like they are walking into a small town bank, one that offers products similar to the big banks," she says.
In her free time, Jean spends her time with husband and two grown children. She is an avid reader and also enjoys scrapbooking and walking her black lab.
Meet Jeremy Huber. Jeremy is here to make the mortgage process as simple and straightforward as possible whether you're buying your first home, upgrading, downsizing or refinancing. Customers may be surprised at how easy applying can be when done correctly. You could be closing in 30 days or less and before you know it, you'll have a mortgage that fits your lifestyle and a new home to go right along with it.
Jeremy has been in the mortgage industry for years and has been known to provide high quality service. He's worked for a few places but says there is no one he'd rather work for than you. Jeremy states that he has always lived life to the fullest and truly wants to see you live your dreams.
Meet Jerry Hageman. Starting with Plains Commerce Bank just over 5 years ago, Jerry was not new to banking. Financing runs in his family. With this financial background and the knowledge Jerry has from growing up in rural South Dakota, he looks forward to providing his customers with the proper financing options for their ag and consumer lending needs.
Jerry and his wife have two children and in his free time Jerry enjoys boating and hunting.
Meet Jill Luque. Jill has worked in a multitude of areas within the banking industry over the past 17 years. From Product Development to Personal Banking to Marketing and now to her current role in as Market President. And as a 2018 graduate of the Graduate School of Banking in Colorado, Jill brings a wealth of knowledge to several different areas within Plains Commerce Bank.
Providing an exceptional customer experience from the minute a customer calls, visits the bank's website, or walks through their local branch doors is what Jill enjoys most about banking.
"At Plains Commerce, we exemplify relationship-based banking in all areas which allows our customers to share their ‘big-live moments' with our bankers and staff turned friends. We are blessed to have an amazing team of Retail, Ag-Business, and Commercial bankers in our branches! No one works harder for our customers than our team of Plains Commerce bankers and behind the scenes support staff," remarks Jill.
Meet Josh Soodsma. Josh became the CFO at Plains Commerce Bank in 2016.
Josh held previous experience with over 7 years of public accounting experience with an accounting firm in Sioux Falls, SD and has earned his CPA license. Josh earned his BA in accounting and finance from Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA. Josh manages the financial and accounting operations of the bank. Josh enjoys being involved in various Sioux Falls community organizations including Junior Achievement and the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce.
When Josh isn't managing the financial and accounting function at Plains Commerce Bank, he enjoys spending time with his wife and their two children. He also enjoys many activities including hunting, basketball, golf, and cheering on the Green Bay Packers.
Job Titles:
- Retail Banking Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Business Banking Service Specialist
Job Titles:
- Retail Banking Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Construction Loan Mortgage