First Western Bank & Trust gives back
Submitted Photo First Western Bank & Trust employees participate in the North Dakota State Parade. Pictured from left is Orin Wetzel, Brenda Foster, Cayden Gibbons, Jenna Kluting and Ezra Hagerott.
First Western Bank & Trust gave school supplies, snacks and winter gear to students at Central MIddle School in Minot through its Essentials for Learning program.
First Western Bank & Trust employees participate in Small Business Delivers. Pictured from left are Audra Butler, Ben Bohl, Quaid Frantsvog, Jersey Benson and Zach Burdick.
Submitted Photo First Western Bank & Trust employees participate in the North Dakota State Parade. Pictured from left is Orin Wetzel, Brenda Foster, Cayden Gibbons, Jenna Kluting and Ezra Hagerott.
First Western Bank & Trust gave school supplies, snacks and winter gear to students at Central MIddle School in Minot through its Essentials for Learning program.
First Western Bank & Trust employees participate in Small Business Delivers. Pictured from left are Audra Butler, Ben Bohl, Quaid Frantsvog, Jersey Benson and Zach Burdick.
Trending
First Western Bank & Trust was born in 1964 and raised in Minot. The company today is continuing its focus on giving back to the community that raised it up through programs that support local residents.
First Western prioritizes community-oriented work throughout its branches by holding an annual week-long initiative known as Volunteer Days in memory of its founder J.H. "Jack" Hoeven Jr, according to First Western. While the annual event is only a week long, Marla Gasmann, vice president and Customer Relations manager, said the efforts are year-round.
"The bank goes out to find opportunities for us to help. Like, we've had blankets that we've made for the men's winter survival," Gasmann said. "They set up a whole week where we can go out and volunteer in the community in every region of First Western. Every community we're in, we want to give back and provide those opportunities for employees."
Gasman said employees regularly volunteer with organizations and community projects such as Meals on Wheels, Fjord Folk Fest, the Roosevelt Park Zoo and Minot's Spring Clean-up Week. The Bank provides employees with volunteer time; therefore, they can participate without having to call out of work or use their lunch break, according to Gasmann.
"There are all sorts of opportunities for our employees to be able to go out in the community and help out," Gasman said. "The bank gives time so employees can take volunteer time to go out for an hour and help with meals on wheels for example. It's really important for the bank to provide those opportunities."
First Western recently introduced a first responder program, dedicated to providing benefits to active and retired military members and first responders including police officers, firefighters and EMTs. Gasmann said it is a way to show appreciation to those who serve the community.
"We felt like it was important to give back to the Minot Air Force Base here. We've always felt very connected to the Air Force Base, and we wanted to be able to provide some benefits for those that are either current active duty or past veterans," Gasmann said. "But it's not just the military. We're also talking about the EMTs, the nurses and those who help so many others in the community."
Gasmann said the application to qualify is brief, but once approved, the bank waives fees and includes specialized debit card options. The benefits also include a free box of checks every year, ATM surcharge refunds, a mortgage lending that is $500 off the closing costs and more, according to Gasmann.
"There's a super short application online and if they qualify we have a checking account that has different benefits, but that fee is waived. Then we also have really cool debit cards," Gasmann said. "We have three. One is specific to the Air Force, one that is more for the first responders and then another one that is more generic."
As a Minot native, Gasmann said volunteering in the community has been meaningful, and seeing the community response has been rewarding. She said First Western supports local organizations such as the Scandinavian Heritage Association and the Minot Discovery Center.
"People are so appreciative of how much we help. Even as much as, we go next door to the Scandinavian Heritage Park and help keep it clean," Gasmann said. "We just had our community appreciation event so that was a fun event where anybody from the community could come and partake. It's so important to me as a Minot native. It really does feel good to go into the community and feel that appreciation."