Without prior planning, you leave your company open to financial disaster, especially if you are forced to close operations for a period of time. In addition, without a proper plan to cope with a disaster situation, your company may face lawsuits from customers, vendors or employees claiming negligence.

Secure Your Facility

One of your main security risks is criminal activity, including vandalism, theft, and violence. Though not all security threats can be avoided, some situations can be prevented with appropriate preparation:

• Advise management and employees to report any suspicious persons or activity in or around the facility.
• Limit the number of unlocked entrances that customers may access. Consider locking any employee-only rooms, and keep any cash in a safe.
• Survey locks, fences, exterior lights, and other physical security devices to ensure that they are in place where needed and in proper operating condition. Establish a monthly inspection of your security perimeter and key protective features of your facility.
• Conduct regular inventories of the warehouse and products on the shelf.
• Pay special attention to areas where you are storing explosive, flammable, or toxic chemicals. These areas should be properly secured and inventoried, with limited hands-on contact with these materials when possible.
• Evaluate critical locations in your facility for proper security, including the electric, telephone and gas units, building entrances, transformers, and outside storage units.
• If your facility has a security/fire alarm system, be sure it is operating properly and that key personnel know how to arm/disarm it.
• Make sure that fire suppression systems are regularly inspected and maintained. Also be sure that a sufficient number of trusted personnel know how to activate, operate, and shut them down.
• Closed-circuit television can serve as an excellent crime deterrent, and when the system is equipped with a recorder it can help solve crimes. You should monitor all areas inside your facility, including areas where money or records are kept, along with the parking lot and area outside your building.
• Review your procedures for issuing facility keys. At a minimum, keep lists of who has been issued keys and have a procedure for handling a situation when a troubled employee is terminated without returning them.
• Discuss security with your local police department. Police departments are often very willing to provide information and support to local businesses.
• Have your local fire department conduct a pre-planned visit to your building. While there, they can identify potential hazards and plan fire suppression priorities.

Prepare for a Potential Disaster

It’s equally important that your business takes steps to protect against disasters:

• Keep copies of insurance policies and other critical documents in a safe and accessible location (e.g. a fireproof safe).
• Evaluate which disasters are most likely to occur in your area, remembering to include the possibility of terrorist activity. Be sure you are prepared for all of the risks you identify.
• Develop a Disaster Recovery or Business Continuity Plan. If you already have one make sure that it is up-to-date. This entails preparing for anything that disrupts your business operations and planning for a backup option. You may consider identifying backups for essential operations, supply chains, personnel, business functions, data processes, distribution channels, and communication methods.
• Have telephone call lists available (include cell phone and pager numbers) for all key personnel so staff members can be contacted during non-working hours from any location. Review procedures for notifying employees that your facility is closed. Remind employees that they should never attempt to enter areas that are closed by police or other emergency responders.
• Consider establishing an alternate method for your phone service if the switchboard becomes unusable (e.g. forwarding incoming calls to a cell phone or remote number).
• Check available emergency supplies such as flashlights, batteries, emergency generators/fuel, patching materials such as plastic sheeting, wood 2x4s, duct tape, spare fire extinguishers, first aid kits, etc.

This Risk Insights is not intended to be exhaustive, nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as legal advice. Readers should contact legal counsel or an insurance professional for appropriate advice. © 2024 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

The post Mitigate Unexpected Risks with Business Continuity Planning appeared first on Choice Bank.

Effective January 1, 2024, nearly all Minnesota employers are required to provide their workers with paid earned sick and safe time (ESST).

Highlights of the law include the following:

• Employees are eligible if they work at least 80 hours in a year in Minnesota;
• Leave accrues at a rate of one hour of ESST for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year;
• Employers that front-load ESST can avoid carryover requirements;
• ESST may be used for reasons related to sexual assault, stalking, public emergencies and public health, in addition to health reasons;
• “Family member” is defined broadly and includes those with the equivalent of a family relationship;
• Employers must comply with notice and recordkeeping requirements; and
• Nonretaliation provisions apply.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) has answers to frequently asked questions and other materials about the law available on its website.

Covered Employers

Employers with at least one employee are covered by the law. It applies to employee leasing agencies and professional employer organizations if they are the taxpaying employer under state law, and to staffing agencies that supply temporary employees (unless a contract states otherwise).

The state, counties, towns, cities, school districts, and other governmental subdivisions are covered.

Employers with a paid time off or other paid leave policy that may be used for the same purposes and under the same conditions as ESST, and that provides at least as much leave as the ESST law, are not required to provide additional earned sick and safe time.

Eligible Employees

Employees, including part-time and temporary employees, are eligible for ESST if they work at least 80 hours a year in Minnesota for their employer.

The law does not cover airline flight deck and cabin crew members who:

• Are subject to United States Code Title 45, Sections 181 to 188;
• Work less than a majority of their hours in Minnesota in a calendar year; and
• Are provided with paid leave equal to or exceeding the amounts required by the ESST law.

Certain building and construction trade collective bargaining agreements may waive the application of the ESST law.

Accrual and Carryover

Beginning at the start of employment, employees accrue one hour of ESST for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 48 hours per year (unless the employer agrees to a higher amount). “Year” means a regular and consecutive 12-month period, as determined by the employer and clearly communicated to employees. Employers may advance ESST before it accrues.

Unused, accrued ESST carries over into the following year. The law specifies that the total amount of accrued but unused earned sick and safe time for an employee must not exceed 80 hours at any time unless an employer agrees to a higher amount.

Overtime-exempt employees are deemed to work 40 hours in each workweek for purposes of accruing ESST. Employees whose normal workweek is less than 40 hours will accrue the leave based on the normal workweek.

Employers are not required to pay out any unused accrued ESST on separation of employment.

Use of ESST

Employees may use ESST when it accrues, for specific purposes related to the worker’s or a family member’s well-being, including purposes arising from domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. ESST may also be taken for certain public emergency and public health reasons.

Specifically, employees may use ESST for the reasons below:

1. Their own or their family member’s mental or physical illness, injury, or other health condition; need for medical diagnosis, care, or treatment of a mental or physical illness, injury, or health condition; or need for preventive medical or health care.
2. Absence due to domestic abuse, sexual assault, or stalking of the employee or employee’s family member, provided the absence is to:
   1. Seek medical attention related to physical or psychological injury or disability;
   2. Obtain services from a victim services organization.
   3. Obtain psychological or other counseling;
   4. Seek relocation or take steps to secure an existing home; or
   5. Seek legal advice or take legal action, including preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding.
3. Closure of the employee’s place of business due to weather or another public emergency, or an employee’s need to care for a family member whose school or place of care has been closed due to weather or another public emergency.
4. The employee’s inability to work or telework because the employee is:
   1. Prohibited from working by the employer due to health concerns related to the transmission of a communicable illness related to a public emergency; or
   2. Seeking or awaiting the results of a diagnostic test for or a medical diagnosis of a communicable disease related to a public emergency when the employee has been exposed to a communicable disease or the employer has requested a test or diagnosis.
5. The determination by a health authority or health care professional that the presence of the employee or their family member in the community would jeopardize the health of others because of exposure to a communicable disease.

“Family member” is defined broadly to include an employee’s:

1. Child, foster child, adult child, legal ward, child for whom the employee is legal guardian, or child to whom the employee stands or stood in loco parents;
2. Spouse or registered domestic partner;
3. Sibling, stepsibling, or foster sibling;
4. Biological parent, adoptive or foster parent, stepparent or person who stood in loco parentis when the employee was a minor child;
5. Grandchild, foster grandchild, or step-grandchild;
6. Grandparent or step-grandparent;
7. A child of a sibling of the employee;
8. A sibling of the parents of the employee; or
9. A child-in-law or sibling-in-law.

In addition, “family member” includes any of the family members listed in items 1-9 above of a spouse or registered domestic partner, as well as any other individual related by blood or whose close association with the employee is the equivalent of a family relationship.

Finally, up to one individual annually designated by the employee may be considered a family member for ESST purposes.

Notice Obligations of Employees

Employers may require advance notice of no more than seven days for foreseeable use of ESST. If the need for ESST use is unforeseeable, employees may be required to give notice only as soon as practicable.

Note that employers requiring advance notice of ESST use must provide employees with written, reasonable procedures on how to provide the notice. If the written policy has not been provided to an employee, they may not be denied the leave on that basis.

Documentation

Employers may require documentation from employees that ESST of more than three consecutive days was used for a qualified reason. The type of documentation that may be requested varies depending on the reason for leave.

Employers may not require details relating to domestic abuse, sexual assault, stalking, or an employee’s or employee’s family member’s medical condition. Written statements by an employee may be written in the employee’s first language and need not be notarized or in any particular format.

Notice Obligations of Employers

Employers must give notice to all employees that they are entitled to earned sick and safe time. This includes notice of:

• The amount of ESST;
• The accrual year for the employee;
• The terms of ESST use;
• A copy of any written policy the employer maintains for providing notice of the need to use ESST;
• Prohibition of retaliation against employees who request or use ESST and
• Each employee’s right to file a complaint or bring a civil action if ESST is denied by the employer or if the employee is retaliated against for requesting or using earned sick and safe time.

Employers must supply employees with the notice in English and the primary language of the employee (as identified by the employee) at the start of employment or the effective date of the ESST law, whichever is later.

In addition, any employee handbooks that are provided to employees must include the required notice of employee rights and remedies under the ESST law.

The Department of Labor and Industry has prepared a uniform employee notice for employers to use to meet their notice obligations. On the written request of a covered employer, DLI must provide a copy of the notice in any primary language spoken by an employee in the employer’s place of business. If DLI fails to do so, the employer making the request is not subject to a penalty for failing to provide the required notice.

Recordkeeping

Employers must keep accurate records of all hours worked and ESST taken by employees, and they must include employees’ accrued and used ESST in the earnings statements they are required to provide workers under state law. Records and information about employees’ ESST use must be kept confidential.

Employee Protections and Enforcement

Employers are prohibited from discharging, disciplining, penalizing, interfering with, threatening, restraining, coercing, or otherwise retaliating or discriminating against a person for exercising or attempting to exercise rights under the ESST law. This includes taking action against the worker for requesting or using ESST, requesting a statement of accrued ESST, informing any person of their potential rights under the ESST law, making a complaint or filing an action to enforce a right to ESST, or participating in an ESST investigation, proceeding or hearing.

Furthermore, the law bars employers from allowing ESST use to count against employees as part of an absence control policy or attendance point system.

The statute also makes it unlawful to report or threaten to report the citizenship or immigration status of a person or their family member to a federal, state or local agency for exercising or attempting to exercise their right to ESST.

Employer violations of the ESST law can result in administrative orders for back pay, gratuities, and compensatory and liquidated damages. Repeated or willful violations are subject to civil penalties of up to $10,000 each. Aggrieved employees may also file civil lawsuits against their employers.

The post New Minnesota Earned Sick and Safe Time Law appeared first on Choice Bank.

Understand Your Business Needs

Before diving into the open enrollment process, it’s crucial to assess your business’s unique needs and budget. Take a close look at your employee demographics, their current benefit usage, and any specific health conditions that may require coverage. Understanding these factors will help you select the most appropriate and cost-effective benefit options for your workforce.

Review Current Benefit Plans

Evaluate the effectiveness of your current benefit plans from the previous year. Gather feedback from employees to identify any pain points or areas of improvement. Use this data to make informed decisions when selecting new plans or making changes to existing ones. Keep in mind that a comprehensive benefits package can significantly impact employee morale and job satisfaction.

Communicate Clearly with Employees

Effective communication is key during the open enrollment period. Employees need to understand their benefit options, changes to existing plans, enrollment deadlines, and any associated costs. Utilize various channels such as emails, webinars, or in-person meetings to communicate this information clearly. Encourage employees to ask questions and seek guidance to ensure they make well-informed decisions.

Stay Compliant with Regulations

Small business owners must stay updated on relevant healthcare regulations and ensure their benefit plans comply with all legal requirements. This includes adhering to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) regulations and providing necessary documentation for reporting purposes. Consulting with a benefits expert or legal advisor can be beneficial in navigating these complex compliance matters.

Offer a Diverse Range of Benefits

Apart from health insurance, consider expanding your benefits package to attract and retain top talent. Offer additional perks such as retirement plans, flexible spending accounts (FSAs), dental and vision coverage, life insurance, or wellness programs. Providing a well-rounded benefits package can give your small business a competitive edge in the job market.

Leverage Technology

Consider using benefit administration software or platforms to streamline the open enrollment process. These tools can simplify enrollment, track employee selections, and generate reports more efficiently. Embracing technology can save time and reduce the chances of errors during this critical period.

Provide Personalized Assistance

Every employee’s situation is unique, and some may require personalized assistance during open enrollment. Designate a point of contact within the organization to answer individual queries and guide employees through the enrollment process. This personalized support can help employees feel valued and appreciated by the company.

Open enrollment is a significant time for small business owners to enhance employee satisfaction and showcase their commitment to the well-being of their workforce. By understanding your business needs, reviewing existing benefit plans, communicating effectively, staying compliant, offering a diverse range of benefits, leveraging technology, and providing personalized assistance, you can ensure a smooth and successful open enrollment process for your small business. Remember, a well-executed open enrollment can contribute to increased employee loyalty, productivity, and overall company success.

The post Preparing Your Small Business for Open Enrollment appeared first on Choice Bank.

Today’s workers are less committed to the companies they work for than they were 20 years ago. According to a recent survey from Multiple Generations at Work, 91% of millennials will stay at a job for less than three years—a pace that equates to about 15-20 jobs over the course of their careers.

Turnover can be extremely expensive for employers when lost productivity and replacement costs are taken into account. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, it costs, on average, six to nine months’ salary to replace a salaried employee. This figure can be even higher for management and high-level executives. High turnover can also harm your company’s culture and cause the remaining workers to become disengaged and unproductive.

To combat turnover, employers need to get creative and use recruiting and retention techniques that attract and keep employees engaged. Some of these techniques include offering more vacation time, providing incentives for high-quality performance, and offering paid maternal and paternal leave. Offering on-site daycare, flexible scheduling and telecommuting options are also very popular with employees when deciding whether or not to accept a job offer.

In addition to these incentives, employers need to tailor their benefits packages to match the needs of their employees. According to Employee Benefits News, younger workers desire more feedback from management and the ability to constantly discuss where they can advance. On the contrary, more seasoned workers value assistance with work and family balance, flexible scheduling, and retirement saving options. To retain good employees of all generations, employers should survey their employees to determine what is important to them and create benefits packages accordingly.

Recruitment Strategies

Use the following strategies to help recruit talented workers and to have an edge over the competition:

• Use technology.
  • Use internet-based recruiting and job posting sites and apps to attract individuals to the company. Many individuals, especially younger ones, almost exclusively search for jobs using the Internet.
    • In addition, make sure job posts are mobile-friendly, as millennials are likely to use their smartphones when job searching.
  • Visit websites like Glassdoor, which provide a profile of your company from employees’ points of view. View your company’s page to see what employees are saying and identify strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Use LinkedIn and your company’s website and social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) to post job openings and build your company brand by highlighting company benefits and perks.
• Anticipate future hiring needs.
  • Predict what positions will need to be filled instead of focusing on only the positions that are currently open. This will allow you to plan for expenses and to devise a game plan for how to recruit long before there is a need.
• Offer employee referral incentives.
  • To enhance the appeal of referring friends to the company, provide monetary rewards or other gifts to current employees who refer quality job candidates for open jobs.
  • These programs are generally successful because employees are putting their names on the line by endorsing someone else.
• Tap into the older labor market.
  • Older employees tend to be more experienced and require less training time than their younger counterparts. To attract workers from this age group, employers can offer more generous health benefits for afflictions that affect older individuals, such as care for arthritis.
  • Offering voluntary benefits, such as long-term care insurance and cancer insurance, may also help attract older, talented employees.
• Provide on-the-job perks, such as:
  • Signing bonuses
  • Concierge services
  • Daycare centers
  • Casual dress policies
  • Paid maternity and/or paternity leave
  • Fitness center usage
• Offer a strong benefits package.
  • A robust benefits package plays a pivotal role in attracting and retaining top-tier talent for any organization. It serves as a powerful tool that not only demonstrates a company’s commitment to its employees but also enhances its competitive edge in the job market. By providing these valuable benefits, businesses create an appealing work environment that resonates with prospective candidates, encouraging them to choose their organization over others.

Retention Strategies

Once hired, it becomes crucial to retain good employees. There is a high price tag associated with filling jobs, and high turnover can harm a company’s image as an employer of choice. To keep employees engaged and around for the long haul, consider the following measures:

• Hold managers responsible for retaining workers.
  • Encourage management personnel to establish positive working relationships with the employees that report to them. There should be frequent one-on-one interaction so employees can form a bond of confidence with the individuals in charge. Generally, employees tend to leave their supervisors, not their jobs.
• Offer rewards and appreciation to dedicated employees.
  • Offer cash bonuses or more paid vacation time to employees who exceed their job requirements, as a sign of appreciation.
  • Consider offering bonuses in smaller amounts more frequently to show appreciation for outstanding quality of work.
• Offer telecommuting options.
  • To combat the stress of working and maintaining a family life, offer telecommuting options to allow employees to work from home one or more days a week.
• Offer flexible scheduling.
  • Employees often strain to get everything done and can find value in flexible schedules that allow them the option to come into work later or earlier, depending on what works best for them. Providing a healthy work-life balance is key.
• Offer educational assistance programs.
  • Offer to pay for tuition, books, and other education-related costs for employees wishing to further their education and improve their skill sets.
  • Consider requiring employees to remain at their job for a specified amount of time (for example, 18 months), otherwise they are held responsible for paying back part of the educational costs.
• Use benchmarking resources.
  • Survey wages offered by competitors to ensure that you are offering your employees competitive wages, paid time off, and other benefits. Do so annually, or even more frequently, to keep up with the competitive labor market.
• Develop and promote a clear career ladder.
  • Employees are more likely to stick around if they know what opportunities for advancement are available to them in the near future and they know what they need to accomplish in order to advance.
• Offer deferred bonuses.
  • Instead of offering employees full signing bonuses right away, try offering half of the bonus up front and half later on.
• Communicate with employees.
  • Request regular feedback from employees through focus groups, surveys, etc.
  • Schedule regular performance reviews in which strengths and weaknesses are discussed—employees will feel more like their work matters if you notice things like performance and quality of work and comment on them regularly.
  • Clearly explain the benefits package to employees to help them understand what they’re being offered. Using total compensation statements, for instance, can help increase employees’ awareness and appreciation for your benefits.
• Allow employees to use extra, unpaid vacation days or give them the option to donate sick days to an employee who needs them.
• Offer employees time off to volunteer or organize company volunteer events during work hours. Millennials, in particular, have been found to care strongly about a company’s commitment to helping the community.

However you choose to recruit and retain employees, keep in mind that your competitors are trying to do the same thing. By using these strategies and continually researching new strategies, your business can attract the best and brightest talent, and most importantly retain them, allowing your business to prosper.

This HR Insights is not intended to be exhaustive nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as professional advice. © 2015, 2019 Zywave, Inc. All rights reserved.

The post Recruiting and Retaining Talented Employees appeared first on Choice Bank.

The following products will be intermittently unavailable during the maintenance window:

• Bill Pay
• SecureLock
• Document and Check Images

The following products will be available, however, your balance will not be updated with any transactions made during the maintenance window:

• Online Banking for Businesses
• Online Banking for Consumers
• Mobile App for Businesses
• Mobile App for Consumers
• Debit Cards
• ATMs

If you have any questions regarding this service maintenance, please contact our Help Team at 888.894.1357 or help@bankwithchoice.com.

The post Scheduled Digital Banking Maintenance May 14-15 appeared first on Choice Bank.

We sat down with Colleen Karst, Choice Bank Senior Vice President and Mortgage Lending Manager, and Blair Sandy, SVP Director of Residential Mortgage Lending.

#1 Figure out what you can afford first.

Colleen: Don’t go out and fall in love with a home before you know how much you qualify for.  If you’re looking at a $500,000 home and you can only afford $300,000, you’re going to be disappointed. Or, maybe you can afford more. I always recommend coming into the bank first and getting pre-qualified, so you have a good idea of what the payment will be, what you’re comfortable with, and what you can afford.

Blair: Knowing what the loan amount or the purchase price would be for your comfort level is important. That way you have both of those bookends as you begin your search.

#2 The best time to buy is…

Colleen: Up north, the number of lake home listings goes down in fall and winter because it’s hard to move in and out of a place when it’s below zero. So, the more active time to buy is in the spring.

Blair: That said, you may be able to get a better deal when you look in the offseason because fewer people are buying.

Colleen: Right! You’ll have a smaller inventory with fewer homes to choose from, but if the seller is in a bind, you can find those listings and potentially strike a great deal.

Season Summary:

• Spring: Highest inventory to choose from; many people buying at this time.
• Summer: Fast-paced listing and selling; those that are buying want to close right away to get in the home as soon as possible.
• Fall: Number of people listing and buying homes begins to decline.
• Winter: Low inventory of homes and fewest amount of people buying due to cold temperatures; greater potential to get a good deal.

#3 Connect with a realtor who knows the market.

Colleen: It’s important to connect with a realtor who is familiar with different lakes and the niche lake home market. They can give you the guidance that you need. We’re the financing experts, but we don’t always know everything about the area or the market. So it’s important to get in touch with someone who knows that.

#4 Be prepared for hidden costs and maintenance needs.

Colleen: Expect a lot of hidden costs. I learned this from my own experience in buying our lake cabin. It had quite a few problems when we bought it because it hadn’t been well maintained. We quickly learned that it’s best to keep up on basic maintenance on a regular basis so that you don’t have a bigger issue down the road.

Blair: I agree. In fact, the expenses of a second home or a lake property can sometimes be more than the expenses of your primary residence. Here’s something that I’d never thought about:

My father-in-law pays around three times the amount of insurance on his seasonal cabin outside of Bismarck because of the fire code rating. The nearest fire station is over 15 miles away, and the chances of that cabin still standing if it’s on fire are low. Those hidden costs are definitely things to be mindful of.

#5 Don’t forget about equity.

Blair: Something people don’t realize is that they can tap into equity on their primary residence if they are short on funds and want to purchase. People think they have to wait and save up the money for the down payment to put 10 percent down — but we as loan officers can be more creative because we see the whole picture, and can help people figure out the best route for purchasing.

Colleen: For instance, if you’re buying a second home want to put 20 percent down but you only have enough to put 15 percent down, and you have equity in your primary residence, we can do a home equity line of credit for you in a second position or a second mortgage. This way, you can access those funds to get the down payment that you need.

Blair: It can become a safety net for homeowners. The other thing to note is that a second home does require a larger down payment. With a first home, you can get in as little as three to five percent. With a second home, you’re going to need a minimum of 10 percent down in most cases.

Colleen: Another thing to keep in mind is that you are qualified based on all of the obligations of your primary residence, tax, and insurance. You do have to take into account all of the customer’s obligations and make sure they really do qualify for the second home.

Consulting with a financing expert is the best place to begin when looking to buy a lake home—whether it’s your first or last. Contact one of our Choice Home Loan experts today.

The post 5 tips for buying your first lake home appeared first on Choice Bank.

There’s only one question left: Where do you start?

Craig Wendt, Co-Owner and Residential Estimator at Valley Landscaping has six tips for using landscaping to add value to your lake home.

#1 Invest in your outdoor living areas.

The best part of being at the lake is spending time outside: playing outside, cooking outside, eating outside, sleeping outside. So why not put some time and money into creating an outdoor living space that is just as luxurious and inviting as indoors?

“Outdoor living areas such as paver patios and outdoor kitchens add a lot of value along with items such as fire features, curb edging and plants,” Craig said. “These patios allow customers to enjoy their outside living experience to the fullest.”

#2 Keep it simple.

When taking on a lake landscaping project, the instinct can be to transform your backyard into an outdoor oasis complete with palm trees, an array of boldly colored flowers, and ornate water features. However, Craig advises, “more is not always better. Landscaping can become too much and overwhelm the area rather than enhance it.”

Sticking to a simple design—some well-pruned shrubbery, assorted perennials for color, and perhaps a few trees to add shade and vertical interest—will result in a yard that is more beautiful, adds more value, and is easier to maintain.

#3 “Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share…”

Adding value to your lake home doesn’t have to cost boatloads of money, either. It can be as simple as keeping your lawn neat and tidy.

“Taking care of the yard is the cheapest and best thing anyone can do for their home,” Craig said. “This includes watering, fertilizing, spraying for weeds, mowing and just general maintenance.”

#4 …especially in the fall.

Believe it or not, fall is fast approaching—which means that lawn maintenance is more important than ever. There are few sights more beautiful than the reds and golds of fall foliage reflecting off of a crystalline lake, but those leaves can cause some serious issues for your lawn come spring.

“Fall cleanup is very important,” Craig said. “Things as simple as making sure the leaves and miscellaneous debris are cleaned up out of the landscaping can make a big difference.”

While a few stray leaves here and there won’t hurt your grass, a thick layer of fallen leaves can deprive your lawn of its most vital nutrient: sunlight. What’s worse, if that layer of leaves is covered in mounds of snow for five months of the year, you run the risk of growing snow rot—a fungal disease that can damage or kill grass after the snow melts. So make sure to rake up those leaves this fall! Besides, who doesn’t love jumping into a good leaf pile?

#5 Know when to call in the pros.

Curating a beautifully landscaped property is definitely something to take pride in, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. Hiring a professional landscaping service will ensure that your project is completed properly and in a timely manner—especially if it is a project that you are unfamiliar with.

“People often try to do things themselves, which can result in improperly or unprofessionally done landscaping,” Craig said. “This can not only look bad but cause issues with the lawn in the future.”

#6 Partner with a bank you trust.

While working with the right landscaper will help you add value to your lake home, partnering with the right bank will help you make the most out of your investment. For this, Craig and his team at Valley Landscaping trust Choice Bank.

“We have found it particularly helpful to work with banks that understand our situation and take a personal interest in what we are trying to accomplish,” Craig said. “A lake home is a good investment that you can actually enjoy.”

Consulting with a financing expert is the best place to begin when looking to elevate your investment in your lake home. Contact one of our Choice Home Loan experts today.

The post 6 tips to add value to your lake home appeared first on Choice Bank.

As an all-state center midfielder for Woodbury High School, Caitlin’s quick feet (and quicker thinking) set her apart on the soccer field. She went on to share her talents with both Iowa State and the Minnesota State University-Mankato, receiving the accolade of NSIC Newcomer of the Year—the first in Mankato’s program history.

“Choice Bank is a treasure for us, and not just for financial support,” Amy said. “If we have ideas we want to bounce off of somebody, it’s always, ‘Call Choice Bank first and see what they have to say.’ They are so good to us, and we are so grateful for their partnership.”

From providing youth with the tools they need to succeed to helping their community endure during a pandemic, the Thielen Foundation has a lot to be proud of in their first two years.

“This was a start-up foundation. We didn’t have a checking account, we had nothing, and we built it up from day one,” Amy said. “To come this far in a short amount of time and to formalize some really strong partnerships, to be as financially sound as we are early on, is something that makes me really happy.”

To support programs that help youth achieve their full potential in life, please visit www.thielenfoundation.org/donate/.

The post The Thielen Foundation: Helping Youth Achieve Their Full Potential appeared first on Choice Bank.

This is the reaction police officers get all too often, avoidance. But it shouldn’t be.

Police officers serve the communities that we love with passion and pride. They provide us with safety and ease of mind.  Police put their lives on the line every day, so that we don’t have to. These are the things we should be remembering every time we see an officer.

It is with that thought in mind in which we put together a plan to show our thanks for the work and sacrifice police officers selflessly put into our communities. For National Police Week, everyone at Choice Financial decided to collect notes of gratitude and post them where officers would see them. We collected over 10,200 post it notes with words of admiration, appreciation and thanks.  We gathered notes that said things like “We ♡ you”, “Thank you for being there”, and “You are the bomb (squad)”. We plastered the notes on more than a dozen squad cars, police stations and courthouses across North Dakota and into Minnesota (with permission of course). Some of our communities even delivered donuts, gift baskets and high fives. But our people first enthusiasm wouldn’t let this message stop with National Police Week. We also featured local law enforcement at our recent Go Hawaiian for Hospice event as guest celebrities.

Next time you see an officer, don’t avoid them, appreciate them and all they give of themselves for the community. Treat them like the heroes that they are.

The post 10,200 Notes of Thanks appeared first on Choice Bank.

The MARC program is a loan product designed specifically for manufacturers. It offers a powerful combination of flexibility, long repayment terms, and high funding limits to help businesses thrive in today’s competitive landscape.

“The SBA MARC Loan Program is a major resource for manufacturers. It gives them access to flexible, long-term working capital that’s tailored to their unique needs, whether they’re scaling operations, reshoring production, or taking on new contracts,” said John Hicks, SBA Business Development Officer Sales Manager. “At Choice Bank, we’re excited to help our manufacturing clients leverage this new tool to grow and compete in today’s evolving economy.”

What Is the SBA MARC Loan Program?

The MARC loan is a subset of the SBA’s 7(a) program, tailored to meet the unique needs of manufacturers. It can be structured as either a term loan or a revolving line of credit, making it one of the most versatile working capital solutions available.

How Can Funds Be Used?

MARC loans are designed to support both short- and long-term working capital needs, including:

• Inventory purchases
• New projects or customer contracts
• Accounts receivable financing
• Reshoring production and supply chain improvements
• They can also be used in conjunction with SBA 7(a), 504, and conventional loans, offering manufacturers a full suite of financing tools.

Why Consider a MARC Loan?

• Specialized Focus: Unlike general SBA loans, MARC loans are exclusively for manufacturers, which means less competition and more targeted support.
• Longest SBA Working Capital Terms: The MARC line of credit offers up to 20 years of financing—double the term of other SBA working capital products.
• Streamlined Process: Loans under $2 million are less restrictive, with no borrowing base certificate (BBC) or collateral audit required.

Key Features:

• Loan Amounts: Up to $5 million
• Guarantee: Up to 85% for loans ≤ $150,000; 75% for loans > $150,000
• Terms: Up to 10 years
• Lines of credit: Up to 20 years (10 years revolving + 10 years repayment)
• Interest Rates:Variable: 10.25% to 13.75%
• Fixed: 12.25% to 15.25%
• Eligibility: Must fall under NAICS codes 31-33 (manufacturing sectors)

If you’re a manufacturer looking to expand, take on new customers, or bring production back to the U.S., the SBA MARC Loan Program could be the right fit.

Contact Choice Bank to explore how this new financing option can support your business goals. As an SBA Preferred Lender (PLP) in Minnesota and North Dakota, Choice Bank has the authority to approve, originate, and close most SBA guaranteed loans, which means you get your funds faster. At Choice Bank, our local experts provide quick and personal responses.

Talk to our SBA Lending Team

Give us a few details about your business and our SBA Lending Team will reach out to you shortly.

The post SBA MARC Loan Program: A Game-Changer for Manufacturers appeared first on Choice Bank.