Liz Sarauer
Ambitious business graduate making mark early in niche banking service
When Liz Sarauer was a college student, she was offered a promotion at Chippewa Valley Bank in Hayward, Wis., that required her to work full time.
She didn’t turn down the opportunity or quit her studies — she took on both, putting in double duty until she earned her degree the following year.
“I’ve always been driven, and I think a lot of that I can attribute to the way I was raised and being an athlete,” said Sarauer, now 26.
Sarauer is vice president and head credit analyst of bank stock lending for Chippewa Valley Bank, which provides financing to bank holding companies, has numerous Wisconsin locations and has been in business since 1917. She is a selection in BankBeat’s “Outstanding Women in Banking” honors for 2025.
When nominating her, bank CEO Rick Gerber noted that Sarauer’s job includes analyzing bank stock loans as large as $60 million and breaking down the quarterly performance of 75 banking customers in 20 states.
“She’s really good at it and really detailed in what she’s doing,” Gerber said, noting her fast career trajectory.
Sarauer initially thought she wanted to be a lawyer and then decided to major in business. Her parents suggested she look for a summer job after high school graduation to gain experience in and knowledge about the business field.
As happens in a small town, Sarauer called her high school basketball coach because she knew the coach’s father worked for a bank. That networking effort worked out, and soon she was serving as a teller in a summer internship.
“I realized I not only enjoyed the job but also the organization I was working for,” Sarauer said.
She kept returning to the bank in summer and winter breaks as a teller and then in the operations department, which gave her more varied experience.
“I like numbers. I like balancing. I like things that make sense,” Sarauer said. “It’s like puzzles being put together. I guess I just got lucky in the sense that I started this and I realized it was really something I wanted to do.”
When she was offered a full-time job in the credit department after her second year of college, she felt it was worth giving up the rest of a typical higher-ed experience to realize her dream. She attended fall semester in person because she was already enrolled but went online the next semester so she could work full time.
“That March we were all hit with a world of unknown: the Covid-19 pandemic,” Sarauer said. “This was a very memorable time in my career.”
She learned from the staff who were working hard to learn about and fulfill Paycheck Protection Program loans for struggling customers.
“I had so much respect for Denise (Gerber) after watching and hearing all the time and effort she put into making sure that our customers were going to survive in the midst of the unknown,” Sarauer said about the colleague who was the other full-time employee in the credit department that year and is now chief financial officer for the bank.
Sarauer said Rick Gerber and Denise Gerber have guided her, taking chances on her as she has fulfilled her day-to-day responsibilities and as she’s made both mistakes and accomplishments.
“Being a part of our Bank Stock Lending Program and being that we are in so many states, it has allowed me to go places I have never imagined and meet extraordinary customers with inspiring success stories,” Sarauer said. “Hearing the hardships they have overcome and getting to be a part of their story, that is a highlight for me.”
She also appreciates working with other leaders of community banks across the country. There’s never a day when she’s not learning something new about how another bank operates.
“I think it’s exciting because every day is different. Everybody’s situation is different. Every person you’re trying to help has a different story,” Sarauer said. “It’s constant learning.”
When not working, Sarauer enjoys golfing, reading and watching football and other sports. She is in a book club. Sports have been part of her life for a long time, including as a high school swimmer and diver, and later a basketball coach. She recently became engaged and plans to get married next August.
She notes that her bank moves at a fast pace, is quickly responsive to customer needs and “then we stay out of your way unless we need something or you need something.”
Sarauer’s job also includes researching the legal aspects of Chippewa Valley Bank’s loan documentation for loan covenant violations with the banks that are its clients, Gerber said.
“Her ability to read and analyze those things and then her writing skills as a way to memorialize what she’s read and analyzed is very impressive,” Gerber said.
Sarauer acknowledges being a perfectionist who will put in whatever time and effort it takes to get the job done.
“I want to see this bank succeed,” Sarauer said. “I want to see us continue to grow and continue helping other community banks. I think that’s what continues to drive me every day.”