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First Bank Executive Values Community Originally published in U Magazine November 1997 "At night there are about 30 kids on the block, all out playing in one yard or another," Mark Reierson reflects. "I run after my kids and I love the fact that they're growing up in a real neighborhood. I know we made the right decision and I wouldn't trade this for the world." Reierson and his family recently moved to Fargo when Mark assumed his new position as Research Manager for the First Bank Service Center. "I grew up in a real neighborhood in Canton, South Dakota. I remember what it was like-the friendliness and the caring. After graduation from South Dakota State University in Brookings, Mark was working in the credit card industry in Sioux Falls, when he was approached by a competitor with an opportunity to work in Jacksonville, Florida. "It was the right move at the time. I was in banking and credit services and there just weren't the positions available for me in the Upper Midwest. In order to further my career and move up financially, I had to relocate." "Jacksonville was good in many ways. People in the south are very friendly. My experiences at work were good," Reierson stated, "but my wife Kathy and I missed our families. And we missed the environment that we had when we were growing up-surrounded by family and friends and living in an area where you can count on and trust your neighbors." "In Jacksonville it was so different. The crime rate was phenomenally high. We had to keep our doors locked even when we were home. And at night you couldn't leave the windows open to the fresh air. It just wasn't safe to do that." Reierson elaborates, "The other thing I missed was the outdoor activities-you just don't have the hunting and fishing in Florida that we do here. Even though we'd come back for vacations, it just wasn't enough." When Mark learned of First Bank's plans for a Service Center in Fargo, he contacted former colleagues regarding the available opportunities for an experienced professional and found what he was looking for. "We've never looked back," Reierson comments. "I'm working for a progressive company that is really growing. The skill set and the commitment people bring to the workplace is just what we're looking for. You can find skills in lots of places but here you also get dedication and a sense of urgency and a desire to do a good job." "The work ethic here is phenomenal. People understand the important role they play in meeting customer needs. They put themselves in the customer's shoes. They treat people the way they would like to be treated. It's not something you have to teach, it's ingrained." Reierson is happy to be back among family and friends. He's also happy to be living in an area that funds the public education system. "In Florida, area schools just don't offer a comparable education to what you can get in Fargo. In Jacksonville, the teacher student ratio was 1-to-40 instead of 1-to-28. For the kind of public school education I can give my kids here, in Florida I'd be spending $4,000 to $6,000 a year for private school." He laughs, "I know, my kids are still young-Katie is three and Kelli is only one-but this is an important issue and we wanted to deal with it sooner rather than later." Reierson concludes, "It all goes back to family and culture. We wanted to be able to give our kids that sense of security and friendliness that we grew up with. We want them to grow up in this environment because we know how important it is to their future. And, because of the business development in Fargo, I can fulfill both my family and my career goals. Like I said, I wouldn't trade it for the world!" U
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