Bertrand goes from taking advice to giving her own

Four banks, eight names, multiple job positions, one woman. For being in the banking industry almost 30 years, one would think Kathy Bertrand, president of First Midwest Bank in Cape Girardeau, graduated with a degree in accounting, not elementary education.

The Cape Girardeau native graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a teaching degree in 1984. After graduating, Bertrand ran into Jim Limbaugh, who at the time worked at Boatmen's Bank at 2001 William St., where First State Community Bank now stands. Limbaugh told her of a job opening at the bank.

She recalled during a phone interview Oct. 31 that during her job interview at Boatmen's, the manager of the bank asked her, "What makes you think you can do this?" to which Bertrand said she replied, "Because I can. How hard can it be?"

Bertrand got the job and became the manager of the loan service department for seven years and then worked in commercial lending for six years. Bertrand stayed with Boatmen's during its transition to Nations Bank and later, the Bank of America.

Bertrand was able to experience working in every area of Boatmen's for a year before she officially took the position as manager of the loan service department. She booked loans, encoded checks, worked as both a teller and loan teller, and also worked in bookkeeping and accounting.

Employees now don't typically see how a bank operates on both the deposit and loan sides of the bank, she said.

"That was invaluable to me. Invaluable," Bertrand said of her hands-on training.

Bertrand then switched banks to work at Mercantile Bank, a more "old-time banking" operation she preferred. During her time at that location, Mercantile Bank became First Star Bank, then U.S. Bank. Bertrand was a commercial lender at the location for about seven years.

Bertrand moved to the Bank of Missouri in 2003, where she stayed as a commercial lender until she received a call offering her the position of president of First Midwest Bank in 2013.

Being offered the opportunity to not only be president of a bank, but to "build a bank from scratch," and pick the site, hire employees and bring in new customers -- Bertrand said she couldn't say "no."

"Not very many people get to do that," she said.

Women in the commercial lending business are rare, and Bertrand worked as the only female commercial lender in Cape Girardeau at Boatmen's, and one of two when she worked at the Bank of Missouri.

Bertrand at the time was told men may not want to do business with her because she is female. To this day, Bertrand has not had that experience.

"I've never had that -- not ever," she said.

Bertrand now is passing the knowledge she gained from her banking experiences, especially what she learned while working at Boatmen's, to her own employees.

"My time at Boatmen's was an amazing time," she said, adding that she was able to learn both sides of the bank, be paid and have fun while doing it. "It's been good; it's been a good ride," she said.

Bertrand is cross-training her employees to learn every aspect of the bank, as she did, and also passing on the same advice she received years ago.

"Kathy, we know you can do it, go ahead and do it. What you decide is good, just make sure you can back it up," Bertrand said she was told early in her banking career.

First Midwest Bank has a temporary location at 1820 N. Kingshighway. Its permanent facility at the same location will be open by the end of 2014, Bertrand said.

First Midwest Bank also has locations in Dexter, Mo., Dudley, Mo., Sikeston, Mo., and Jackson.

ashedd@semissourian.com

388-3632

Pertinent address:

1820 N. Kingshighway, Cape Girardeau, MO