Tiffany paused when asked how long she’s worked at Grand Rapids State Bank: “Wow! It’s been 15 years already.”

“My current job is operations support specialist,” explained Tiffany, “and my primary role is to help balance the bank each day.” Sounds simple, right? As Tiffany explained her duties, it seemed that “balancing the bank each day” is more demanding than it sounds.

Tiffany and her four other colleagues in the Operations Support department are primarily responsible for processing daily deposit, loan and general ledger reports to resolve any variances and ensuring the bank’s accounts balance each and every day. Wire transfers must balance to the bank’s Federal Reserve account daily. All other bank transactions—cash transfers, loan payments, online banking payments and receipts—must also balance “to the penny.”

“We monitor this throughout the day,” Tiffany continued, “and unless something very unusual happens, we’re usually able to walk out the door shortly after the bank closes knowing that we’re balanced.”

Tiffany’s first 14 years at the bank were spent in the Account Services department. Her desk was on the main floor, as opposed to working in the bank’s basement level in her current job. As an account services representative, she fielded calls, e-mails and in-person visits (prior to the pandemic) from customers throughout the day. In that role, her listening skills were at a premium.

“I enjoyed that job, and I enjoy this one, too,” said Tiffany. “There has been a lot to learn about the ‘back end’ of the banking process, as we’re known. I certainly have a more complete understanding of the full bank operations than I used to, but after a year I’m still learning.”

Tiffany moved to Grand Rapids from Grygla, Minnesota, in 2006 when her husband, Darren, a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources employee, accepted a job here. Darren is the wildfire aviation program manager. Their twins, Adele and Finn, are in the third grade.

The family enjoys many outdoor activities, including cross country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, being on the lake, and—at this time of year—collecting maple syrup on their property in Cohasset. “We just finished bottling our second batch of syrup this season,” she added.

“We enjoy living in this area, and I enjoy working with my coworkers,” said Tiffany. “I feel pretty lucky in that regard. I am part of a great team. We work hard, but we have fun at the same time. They don’t seem to mind that I am the only Green Bay Packers fan, either. We share laughs every day, and our team chemistry makes this job something I look forward to every day.”