Nicklason to head Minnesota foundation.Minnesota banker Brian Nicklason was named to lead the board of the Blandin Foundation, whose mission is to strengthen rural Minnesota communities..Nicklason, president and CEO of Woodland Bank, Deer River, began his term at the nonprofit at the beginning of the year. He has been on the board of the Grand Rapids-based foundation since 2007. He succeeds Dr. Mike Johnson, former provost of Itasca Community College, and will serve a three-year term..He began his banking career as a consumer loan officer in 1983. Two years later, he joined the U.S. Treasury Department as a national bank examiner with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency until 1991 when he joined Woodland Bank. In 2000, he was named a Rising Star in Banking by NorthWestern Financial Review..He has a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minn. He also is a board member of United Bankers' Bank, Bloomington, Minn., and has served on the board and as chairman of the Independent Community Bankers of Minnesota.."Strong, vibrant rural Minnesota communities were a passion of Charles Blandin when he founded this foundation 75 years ago," Nicklason said. "I am honored to play this role on behalf of the foundation's very committed, capable and diverse trustees and on behalf of Charles Blandin.".Blandin Foundation's primary geographic focus is Itasca County in north central Minnesota and some neighboring communities. This region was the main base of the Grand Rapids-based Blandin Paper Company when it was owned by Blandin in the early 20th Century..Blandin Foundation's work and giving in the area supports a wide spectrum of partners and initiatives focused on the vibrancy of these communities and the organizations strengthening them..Higher ed champion.For their generous donations to three colleges, O. Jay and Patricia Tomson of Mason City, Iowa, were presented the Award for Philanthropy from the Council of Independent Colleges on Jan. 6 during the annual Presidents Institute in Miami Beach, Fla..O. Jay Tomson is chairman of First Citizens Bank, Mason City, and a past president of the Independent Community Bankers of America..The Decorah, Iowa-based Luther College's Tomson Family Faculty Fellowships, funded by donations from the Tomsons and their bank, benefit faculty members in music, accounting, mathematics and business/economics..The Tomsons committed $1.25 million to Luther to endow a chair within Luther's Richard L. and Judith A. Torgerson Center for Nordic Studies, matching $1.25 million raised by the college. The Tomson Family Endowed Chair in Norwegian Language and Modern Nordic Culture serves as the academic foundation of the center, which will be affiliated with Luther's International Studies Program..O. Jay Tomson, who served as a member of the Wartburg board of regents, was instrumental in creating the James A. Leach Chair in Banking and Monetary Economics at the school, located in Waverly, Iowa. Patricia Tomson's career in social work prompted the couple's challenge grant to create the O. Jay and Patricia Tomson Professorship in Social Work. In 2009, they established the Tomson Social Work Student-Faculty Research Fund to provide summer experiential learning opportunities for social work students..In addition, the Tomsons have generously supported their alma mater, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn., for more than 50 years. Their largest single gift, a commitment announced in 2009, funded the renovation of St. Olaf's old science building into a new home for the education and foreign language departments..Fostering financial literacy.The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction announced a $150,000 statewide grant program to encourage Wisconsin's K-12 school districts to incorporate personal finance education into their curricula..The intent of the program is to support the efforts of individual teachers and school districts to begin new and sustainable financial literacy programs and events..Teachers in K-12 school districts are eligible to apply for awards of up to $10,000. Project proposals that focus on addressing student loan debt or on improving college and career readiness of students through new and creative programs will be given priority..More than 60 percent of Wisconsin school districts require a course in personal finance, up from 25 percent six years ago, said Wisconsin DFI Secretary Lon Roberts..The application deadline is April 20. Award recipients will be notified by May 31 and grant money will disbursed July 1..Like a good neighbor.In February, Sue Sjoselius, director of risk management and marketing at Northeast Bank, Minneapolis, was presented with an award from East Side Neighborhood Services' Executive Director Bill Laden and Vice Chair Harvey Johnson..The award was given to recognize Sjoselius for her long-term commitment, leadership and hard work on East Side's Centennial Campaign. Her efforts helped ESNS raise more than $230,000 to support future programming. As chairperson of the ESNS's centennial gala, she led the planning committee and worked closely with staff to assure a memorable event. ESNS is a nonprofit human service agency that provides social and other services to individuals, families and the communities of primarily northeast and southeast Minneapolis..Branching out.First Community Bank of Hillsboro, Ill., recently bought its second office – and first branch – from First Financial Bank, Terre Haute, Ind. The branch comes with $10.2 million in assets, and the deal will close by the end of the year..What's more unusual about First Community Bank is that it's housed in a former funeral home. The bank was chartered in 1998 and outgrew its first building (a former gas station) within a few years.."We had a little bit of serendipity. The funeral home went out of business a couple years before we needed space," said Tom Gooding, chairman and CEO of the $73 million First Community. After expanding the parking lot and adding an ATM and some drive-ups, the bank took possession in 2001. They left the pillars on the front of the building – from the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis – untouched..The former embalming room is now a supply closet, one that some staff members are reluctant to enter, Gooding said. "I can't say that I blame them," he said..Distinguished bankers.The Colorado Bankers Association honored five people with the annual Banker of Distinction award. The honor is given to representatives of the industry who embody the importance of the community banking spirit by being involved in and dedicated to activities vital to the health of local institutions and people. 2016 honorees are: Harry Devereaux, president and CEO of Home State Bank, Loveland; Tim Laney, chairman, president and CEO of National Bank Holdings Corp., Greenwood Village; Donna Petrocco, president of Valley Bank & Trust, Brighton; Richard Martinez, Jr., president and CEO of Young Americans Bank, Denver, and Mike Matthews, business banking president Rocky Mountain region, Wells Fargo.
