HabChat

Leading Community Financial Institutions

Community banks and credit unions are the lifeblood of their communities, and the best are always growing. That said, it’s not easy, and there’s no magic pill. Instead, growth is the result of a holistic strategy—and it all begins with leadership. When leaders model the right attitudes and buy-in, it permeates throughout the organization to create the kind of culture that gets results and has fun doing it. That’s why at Haberfeld, we are deeply committed to helping leaders foster environments that make banking rewarding for employees and accountholders alike. In this episode, hosts Scott Friesen and Susan Kubert speak with Haberfeld President Dr. Sean Payant and Sr. Executive VP of Business Development Preston Afrank about their personal leadership journeys, their views on growth, and what it takes to build a culture that delivers. Hint: Almost all of it comes down to taking care of people.

Partner Spotlights

One of the most valuable opportunities is to learn what's working in the real world for other financial institutions. In this special episode, we talk to several Haberfeld 2026 Symposium attendees who came to Omaha, NE to network, learn, and share - not from the "Oracle of Omaha" but from each other. Hear stories of their successes as we chat with them live at our annual Symposium event.

The Creative Core: Part 2

It's an art. It's a science. It’s creative marketing! In “The Creative Core: Part 1,” we spoke with members of our Creative Team about how our three pillars of marketing (Content, Strategy, Design) help community institutions reach and engage the best prospects possible while making the most of every dollar. In this follow-up episode, HabChat hosts Scott and Susan reconnect with Cory Kibler (Director of Copy & Content) and Gail Dishman (Art Director) for a deeper dive into how we produce top-tier omnichannel marketing for our valued clients. Listen now to find out what makes them tick and why our data-driven marketing strategy delivers!

Dynamic Teams

We have all been a part of a team – good or bad. Teams are found at work and at play. They can include thousands or just two. On the basketball court, in the orchestra pit, the military combat unit, and the boardroom, dynamic teams are critical to successfully get things done. At Haberfeld, every day we work to harness the power of dynamic teams so that we can help our clients accelerate growth. In this HabChat episode, we talk dynamic teams. Join us as we jump into a subject that impacts us all. You’ll even meet a new member of our HabChat team!

The Creative Core: Inside the Three Pillars

To help our clients reach and engage the best possible prospects while getting the most out of every dollar spent, our Creative Team relies on what we call the three pillars of marketing: Content, Strategy, and Design. Together, these pillars ensure we reach the right people with the right messaging at the right time and in the right ways, all for maximum institutional growth. In this special episode, HabChat Producer Jason Ortiz sits in for hosts Patrick and Susan to interview Cory Kibler (Manager of Copy & Content), Tracy Munoz (Senior Creative Strategist), and Gail Dishman (Art Director) about the respective roles they play in creating effective top-tier print and digital marketing for our valued clients. We’d also love to hear from you. After you listen, visit haberfeld.com/habchatfeedback to share any questions you have for the Creative Team, and we’ll answer them in a follow-up episode!

The Transition

A change of leadership is as complicated as it is exciting. In the best cases, there is genuine sadness from bidding farewell to a leader who has spent so many years guiding, directing, inspiring, and shaping an organization. Meanwhile, there is also joy and anticipation in promoting a new leader who is eager to take up the mantle and lead an organization down new roads while honoring the past. By this point, you have likely heard that Haberfeld has gone through a significant leadership change. And, as with every healthy leadership transition, there has been much planning, communicating, goal setting, and strategizing to make it as smooth as possible. In this new episode of HabChat, hosts Patrick and Susan discuss our recent leadership succession process with Dr. Sean Payant (Haberfeld President) and Achim Griesel (Haberfeld President Emeritus) and all the key factors involved in a seamless and successful leadership transition.

HabWell

Partner Insights - Haberfeld Symposium '25

Haberfeld Symposium, our annual gathering of leaders from client-institutions, is the ideal opportunity for the country’s best community bankers to connect with one another, learn from Haberfeld experts and guest speakers, and have a lot of fun! This year’s Symposium took place in sunny Phoenix, Arizona, where HabChat producer Jason Ortiz and Cohost Susan Kubert had the chance to speak with several of our esteemed partners in growth. In this special episode of HabChat, you’ll hear insights about our HPG™ strategy and other Haberfeld products that can bring value to your financial institution. Our guests in this episode are: Ed Martel of Jonestown Bank & Trust (PA) Rikiyah Pryor of Citizens Bank (KY) Shannalea Taylor of The Bank & Trust (TX) Jen Bonham of Peoples Bank & Trust (KS) Laura Ketterling of Western Security Bank (MT) Frank Turza of Midland States Bank (IL) Lori Loffler of Community Bank, N.A. (NY) Listen today and hear us LIVE from Symposium 2025!

Growing Your Team

There are many components to having an engaged and high-functioning team. Of these, two of the most critical are (a) ongoing training and (b) effective and trustworthy branch managers, which means it is especially important for managers to receive continuing education. Whether your branch managers are getting a refresher on conducting the 8-Step Sales Process or learning new principles in leading and motivating teams, this ongoing training plays an enormous role in driving the overall success of your financial institution. Join Patrick and Susan as they speak with Haberfeld’s Rachael Houghton (Executive Consultant & Director of eLearning and Special Programs) about the necessity of ongoing training. You’ll also hear from Rachael about this year’s Manager Academy (Sep. 30 to Oct. 2 in Omaha) and what your branch managers can expect to take away from this event. Want to learn more about Manager Academy? Visit https://www.haberfeld.com/manager-academy/ or email Rachael at rhoughton@haberfeld.com .

Idea Sharing

Let’s face it: It can be difficult to share a new idea with your superiors. This difficulty can stem from fear of judgment, insecurity about your idea’s worth, lack of confidence in presenting your ideas effectively, or any number of other places. However hard it can be, sharing ideas is also vital. The fact is, we can’t always expect our leaders to be the ones with great ideas or all the answers; everyone needs to chip in. The doors of communication should be wide open, with leaders actively encouraging new ideas and employees feeling totally comfortable in sharing them. At Haberfeld, we have a history of free-flowing ideas among and across every level of our organization, and it has produced some truly extraordinary results. In this episode, Join Patrick and Susan as they speak with Dr. Sean Payant (Chief Strategy Officer) about the importance of sharing new ideas—and how you can build an idea-sharing culture at your institution.