Maple Lake, MN — October 28, 2025 — Star Bank has been named one of the nation’s most extraordinary banks by The Institute for Extraordinary Banking™.

The bank was honored with the prestigious Banky™ Award, a national recognition reserved for the strongest community banks that consistently deliver extraordinary impact. This award helps individuals and businesses identify the very best banks committed to serving and strengthening their local communities.

Star Bank has been honored with this national award twice, most recently in October 2024.

We are pleased to welcome Leah Eggert as the newest Customer Service Representative at our Bertha location.

Leah is a lifelong member of the Bertha community and a graduate of Bertha-Hewitt High School. She grew up on her family’s multi-generational beef farm, where she continues to play an active role today. Her agricultural background and involvement in FFA have instilled in her a strong work ethic, sense of responsibility, and deep appreciation for rural community values.

Harvest season is one of the busiest and most meaningful times of year in rural Minnesota. From sunrise to sunset, farmers are in the fields, running combines, moving grain, and managing the many details that come with bringing in a year’s worth of work. It’s long days, longer nights, and a whole lot of teamwork.

Let's break out the crayons, markers, and colored pencil because Star Bank’s Halloween Coloring Contest is here!

We're excited to welcome Barb Hawkins to our team as a Loan Operations Processor in our Maple Lake office. Barb brings a background in both banking and event planning to her new role. She’s previously worked as a teller and an Administrative Assistant, as well as event planning at Holiday Inn. With her diverse background, Barb is a wonderful addition and will be a strong resource for our team and our customers.

We’re excited to introduce James Lindstrom, our newest team member at Star Bank! James joins us as IT Support, serving all 11 of our office locations.

James has been passionate about computers and technology from a young age. He even built his first computer at just 13 years old. That early curiosity led him to study computer technician work at Ridgewater College and build his career in IT support.

[Maple Lake, MN - September 25, 2025] - 

We are excited to share that two of our Star Bankers recently received well-deserved promotions.

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We're excited to welcome our newest team member, Shenoa Larson. With a warm personality, strong background in customer service, and deep community roots, we're proud to welcome her at our Barrett office as a Customer Service Representative.

Shenoa attended Alexandria Technical College for IT, however she's always known her true passion lies in working with people. Over the years, she has built an impressive background in customer service; working in restaurants, call centers, and training roles. Shenoa says, "I love helping people and connecting with them."

The Wahlquist family recently visited the new American Red Cross blood donation site in Blaine, Minnesota, where Star Bank and our founder, Harry Wahlquist, have been recognized with plaques and an official room dedication.

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Last month, Star Bank was proud to host our