2012 Outstanding Women in Banking: Jennifer Sobotta

Jennifer Sobotta is a marketing expert who can keep up with a bank in growth mode. Over the past seven years, Marshfield, Wis.-based Forward Financial Bank has made six purchases and Sobotta has kept up step-for-step. "Our marketing has been ratcheted up since she got here," said Bill Sennholz, president of the $270 million bank. "I looked for someone like her for quite some time.".Last month, Forward Financial announced its sixth acquisition. In a deal that challenged the lawyers and consultants, the $92 million Community Bank of Central Wisconsin in Colby will be broken up and sold to Forward Financial in conjunction with another bank. Under the deal, Forward Financial will purchase all assets from two of the bank's four offices. The third location's assets will be split between the two banks and the fourth location will be purchased entirely by the other bank..While the banks have their work cut out to complete the deal, it is Sobotta's job to explain it to customers. "We have standard press releases for buying a bank," Sennholz said. "But not even the big investment firms have press releases for this type of purchase. Imagine making the customer feel good about the future when they are not even sure which bank they're going to get. Jennifer drafted all the letters from scratch. She has risen to the occasion and done a spectacular job.".Sobotta also had a hand in growing the bank's footprint. Before joining Forward Financial, it was called Marshfield Savings Bank — a name that both tied it to its home town and limited its scope to that of a savings bank. When Sobotta joined the bank in 2010, she led the project to give the bank a brand that would stay with it as it grew. "We needed a name that separated us from a single place and fit a commercial bank. She reinvented the brand," Sennholz said..Sobotta has proven to be an adept marketer. Forward Financial has a money market account through which customers can participate in the bank's charitable giving. For customers who have this type of account, the bank pays 20 basis points to the customer's selected charity. To increase the product's popularity Sobotta focused on the bank's relationships with charitable organizations. They, in turn, market the account to their constituents..The approach paid dividends. Before Sobotta took over the project, the bank was paying $14,000 a year in charitable donations. The program has grown to $76,000 in donations last year; it is expected to result in more than $100,000 in charitable donations this year..The program now accounts for more than 20 percent of the bank's deposits. "Sobotta has been very clever in marketing those accounts. She took it from a sleepy account to a major part of the bank," Sennholz said. "She has done a masterful job marketing to the non-profits and increasing their participation. She has put programs in place to bring customers here through the non-profits.".Sobotta also has taken the time to give back to the industry. She joined the Wisconsin Bankers Association's marketing committee in 2009. There her energy and enthusiasm brought her quickly into the leadership of the group. She served as chair of the committee in 2011 and 2012. "Jennifer has the knowledge and she's looking to share," said Jennifer Hein, WBA's assistant director of marketing. "She's always one of the first to respond to requests for help from the marketers in the industry.".A graduate in business administration from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Sobotta has 17 years experience in marketing. "Sobotta is a true marketer," Sennholz said. "I looked for quite some time for someone to run the marketing of the bank, not just the advertizing. She is one of the few to date who has met my expectations in that respect."Other 2012 Outstanding Women in Banking honorees include:Doris Loen, First Security Bank/Amundson Group, Benson, Minn.Mary Sulser, Buena Vista National Bank, Chester, Ill.Nancy Skophammer, Farmers State Bank of Hartland, Minn.Julie Causey, Western Bank, St. Paul, Minn.