40 Years and Counting at Lake Ridge Bank: Three Local Bankers Celebrate Milestone Anniversary

February 20, 2026 (MADISON, Wis.) – According to the most recent data gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median tenure of an employee in the USA is 3.9 years. So, Lake Ridge Bank was delighted to celebrate the 40th anniversary—10 times the national standard—of three associates in January: Steve Eager, Katherine Esser, and Betty Nonn.

“It’s an honor to work with all three of these amazing people because of their commitment and dedication to community banking as a vocation,” says Lake Ridge Bank CEO Jim Tubbs. “They don’t just say it; they believe in it.”

Lake Ridge Bank Market President Steve Eager may have been destined for lifelong banking. Eager’s father was a bank president, and generations of his family have been leaders in the industry for more than 100 years. “Growing up watching my family serve the community, I learned what community banking is all about and developed a desire to give back to the community who essentially helped raise me.”

While Eager was “born to bank,” Esser and Nonn developed an interest in banking more gradually—and a bit by accident.

Betty Nonn started working part-time in high school as a teller. Today she is the Senior Vice President-Technology Officer at Lake Ridge Bank. “My advice to anyone starting out is to stay curious and say yes to opportunities that stretch you,” Nonn shares. “Take advantage of training, learn new functions, and never stop building your skills. If you surround yourself with great people and keep challenging yourself, you can build a career you’re proud of—and enjoy the journey along the way!”

Those opportunities to grow and learn and take advantage of new challenges also influenced Esser’s decision to build her long career at Lake Ridge Bank.

“Over the last four decades, the bank has always challenged me with rewarding opportunities to professionally develop within my career,” says Kathy Esser, Vice President and Senior Personal Trust Officer on Lake Ridge Bank’s Wealth Management Team. “Those continued opportunities for growth made it an easy decision to stay loyal to Lake Ridge Bank. It really just came down to the fact that I have loved my job.”

Lake Ridge Bank President Paul Hoffmann says that everyone wins when people with this level of expertise and dedication commit their careers to one place. “Community banking is built on local relationships by people who live here, work here, and invest their time and energy into helping their neighbors succeed,” Hoffmann explains. “When associates grow, develop, and flourish here over decades, everyone benefits. While Steve, Kathy, and Betty may have contributed in different ways, they all had the same vision of building a great bank where our clients can prosper and grow.”

###

Lake Ridge Bank’s mission is to “build prosperous communities, one relationship at a time.” For more than 100 years, this has meant getting to know each of our clients to offer personalized services to meet their specific financial goals. Lake Ridge Bank offers a full line of financial products and services. We focus on offering products and services to make your banking easy. Our business banking and mortgage lenders are trusted leaders in their field with the expertise to provide the right loan at a competitive rate for our clients. As a community bank, we are dedicated to reinvesting in, and making our communities great places to live, work and raise a family. Visit lakeridge.bank to learn more about how we can help you.