Jenni Snow is one of the first people most new INB employees meet. She walks them through the usual HR paperwork. But what she wants most of all is for people to leave their discussion knowing they will be valued just like the people who have been here for years. “All of our employees matter,” she says. She also hopes they go away knowing we are a growing bank, but we want that small bank feeling.

Thanks to her ability to make everyone feel valued – and her innumerable other skills – Jenni was recently promoted to human resources officer at INB.

Jenni joined INB as a teller in 2010 while going to college. She helped out at any branch as needed, but ultimately landed at our South 6th Street location after being stationed at West Wabash for a while.

After Jenni earned her associate’s degree in criminal justice, she realized that she was more interested in banking, so she took a full-time position with INB. Even though her degree is in a different field, she says her college studies helped her be a better banker. She learned about fraud and money-laundering. She took psychology classes that helped her understand human behavior. And she learned to communicate with customers and fellow employees.

Part of the reason she decided to make INB a career is that she saw the potential for career advancement. “Over the years, other staff members were happy to teach me new things. That – and the way management worked with employees to make them better at their jobs – made me feel that INB could offer me a career. I felt I could advance here.” And she was right. Soon after, she became a full-time employee, she was promoted to teller supervisor. In 2016, she joined the Human Resource Department.

On some of her more challenging days, she digs deep to maintain a professional decorum. “When an employee is upset, I need to be able to separate my personal feelings from my professional ones. I always want to be supportive, but I can’t always show my emotions.”

While some days are stressful, one of Jenni’s favorite responsibilities is hosting quarterly employee service anniversary luncheons. “We try to make it very nice for everyone,” she says. She chooses a top-notch location, invites supervisors who are asked to talk about the employee being honored, and beautifully wraps gifts for that extra touch. She says, “This is just one way the bank shows employees we appreciate them. I’m glad I get to be part of each one.”

Today, Jenni says she knows most of INB’s 240 employee. But when she made the switch from our retail environment to our Human Resources staff, she was worried because while she knew employee names, she hadn’t put a face with each name. Now, she says, “I can point out anybody!”

And while HR processes have changed and been streamlined over the years, one-on-one contact is still a cornerstone of INB’s success. And that starts with our employees knowing one another.