CUSB 135th 'Hoedown' Celebration
Tue, 08/29/2023 - 10:21am
admin
CRESCO - It’s not often a business gets to celebrate 135 years, but if you ever make it to that milestone, why not do it in style?
This past Saturday, as part of the Norman Borlaug Harvest Fest celebration, CUSB Bank heavily celebrated their 135th Anniversary, having started in downtown Cresco back in 1888.
“Thank you for coming out to help us celebrate our 135th year of community banking in historic Downtown Cresco,” stated Scott Thomson, CEO of CUSB at a special program held following the Harvest Fest Parade.
Thomson went on to introduce his wife, Stephanie, who was instrumental in the remodeling of the Cresco Bank over the past several months.
“She is also the conductor of the Thomson family train, that keeps us moving.”
He then went on to introduce his three grown children, updating the crowd on what they are all doing.
“Samantha produces our TicTok video’s and is founder of Welcome Moma LLC,” stated Scott, who was smiling the entire time he was introducing his family and also acquainted the crowd with grandson Teddy, who is often the star of the CUSB videos. “Her husband, Tom Hall, is currently working on his doctorate.”
He continued by presenting his two fifth generation bankers in the family . . .
“John came to CUSB Bank after working at U.S. Bank and is a commercial loan officer in our Osage office,” stated Scott, who showed plenty of pride in his son working at CUSB. “His significant other, Nicole Wagner, is a top sales performer at Access Systems.”
The Banking CEO then commented on Will Thomson, who is another banker, but working in Des Moines.
“Next is our son, William Ian Thomson and his family of Elizabeth Shaw Thomson and their son, Jack Thomson––a name our family is very fond of!”
He explained that William Ian Thomson currently works for Two Rivers Bank and Trust as a Commercial Relationship Loan Officer and that Elizabeth is an attorney with the Frederickson J. Byron Law Office in Des Moines.”
To celebrate, the bank offered a free lunch, serving approximately 2,500 people for three straight hours. They also sponsored three bands, held a “Kiddie Corral” with a Petting Zoo, Face-painting, a Balloon Artist, Rope a Pony, Bouncy Houses and more, plus held BANKO, had Shaved Ice and more!
Asking Lori Bronner, Mike Drees and Katie Ferrie to come to the stage, he had to give some special “thanks” to the threesome.
“Lori Bronner, our Senior Vice President and HR Director, and Mike Drees, President of CUSB Bank, both acted as co-general contractors on our bank remodel project,” stated Thomson, who saw the entire Cresco facility go through a complete updating over the past several months. “They oversaw the day-to-day project and communication with our staff and customers. They had to figure out how to keep the bank open and finding new homes for our staff as the remodeling moved forward. They both did a fabulous job.”
The interior of the bank was completely overhauled, showing a new teller area, new waiting area, every office getting a facelift and so much more.
“With the help of our general contractor, Cresco Building Service and 18 other local and regional subcontractors, we think you will agree––they have done an outstanding job!”
Thomson noted customers will now see a facility that has more ergonomical offices, more privacy and a “very comfortable” waiting area.
“We also replaced our old wallpaper with new wallpaper, which is something my late mother, Fran Thomson, would be happy about!” laughed Scott. “We also added over 75 black and white photos of Cresco from the 1880’s through 1980’s with the much needed assistance of the Howard County Historical Society and Tyler Ferrie.”
Thomson noted that CUSB Bank has been part of Cresco’s history during that time span and was excited about the many photographs of the community, the bank and more. All are displayed throughout the facility.
Another huge announcement was a new CUSB Historic Downtown Cresco Revolving Loan Fund.
“Our bank has been proud to be a part of historic downtown Cresco for the past 135 years and in honor of that fact, the Thomson Family and CUSB Charitable Foundation are each donating $135,000 in honor of our 135th year in business, towards establishing a low interest revolving loan program for businesses in downtown historic Cresco.”
Not forgetting about Katie Ferrie, Thomson did comment about his “Queen of CUSB Bank Celebrations!”
“Katie is our VP of Marketing, who coordinated and managed this event! The planning stages started over nine months ago, and Katie seems to have this unique ability and talent to take on these huge projects without becoming overwhelmed. She leads this even every five years and brings each celebration to a new height each time.”
In closing, Thomson went on to thank the many customers, his “excellent” staff and the entire community.
“It’s really quite simple, it’s not about making the most money, but rather building a better bank and stronger community,” said Thomson. “That way we all win!”
Also getting some time on the stage was Drees, who thanked his many employees for the time and effort they put into the celebration.
“We thank all our current employees and our past employees, who have made CUSB such a great name,” praised Drees. “Also want to thank the Thomson family and shareholders of the bank for giving us bank employees the opportunity to work for a Top of Iowa Workplace, and to be able to serve our community in a way that makes us all proud as an employees . . . so thank you Thomson family!”
Drees also went on to thank the many customers and the community. He told a story that happened that day, where the grill just “didn’t fire up” and after some phone calls, people had pulled through for them.
At the end of the CUSB program, seven huge prizes were drawn, allowing customers a chance to win!
• Cowboy Quilt - was made by Stephanie Thomson. Won by Steve Koshatka.
• Igloo Cooler with $135 gift certificate from Ox & Wren - Duncan Glock.
• Blackstone Grill plus $135 gift certificate to Fareway - Leonard Shatek.
• Solo Stove, 2 Yeti Cups and S’more basket - Aaron Butikofer.
• Loveseat bench with side table - Mary J. Wemark.
• $500 Meat Bundle from Polashek’s Locker - Dayna Ollendieck.
• Canopy & 2 Rocking Lawn Chairs - Harold Huhe.
All in all, the weather was perfect and CUSB Bank had one great day! Next big celebration - 2028 and their 140th!
