Recognition of an employee who has significantly contributed to the overall success of Astra Bank…that is the mission of the Shining Star program. This award is given out on a quarterly basis to an employee who has gone above and beyond the call of duty in their day-to-day work. They are also nominated by their fellow peers.  Astra Bank is pleased to announce the three recipients of the “Shining Star” award for the 3^rd quarter of 2018 are Andrea Gentry, Brittany Bennett, and Doug Wiltfong.

Andrea has worked for Astra Bank for almost five years and has helped out in multiple departments. You can be sure you will be greeted with a smile and a “Good Morning” when you come into the bank. Andrea is always eager to help out wherever she can. Andrea enjoys going to football and baseball games, and curling up with a good book in her spare time. There are additional reasons why Andrea was nominated (and chosen) as a recipient for the award. These include:

• Andrea has received positive comments about her customer service and willingness to help with one customer reaching out to her Supervisor stating that they had a positive experience working with Andrea and that her comments were very helpful, professional and she was a pleasure to work with;
• Andrea has been a valuable asset to her department and has shown a tremendous improvement on product knowledge of the RRE processing;
• Andrea works to help with the changes to continue to help the RRE department grow;
• Andrea helps the frontline when they are short staffed, answering phones, runs coin, pulls a drawer, waits on customers and covers lunch hours. She also volunteers for Bank sponsored community events;
• Andrea helps out whenever necessary.  She doesn’t complain and does it with a smile and strives to find the best possible solutions without limiting herself;
• Andrea is willing to do whatever it takes to help with what is needed to get the job done, while continuing to ensure that the tasks of her job and position are not ignored.

Pictured is Andrea Gentry with President & CEO Kyle Campbell

Brittany has been with Astra Bank for two and half years. In her free time, which she will admittedly tell you that she has very little as her son occupies most, okay, all of it, she likes to do just about anything outdoors. She enjoys reading and binge watching a variety of television shows. Brittany has been a wonderful team player and always looks out for the best interest of the Bank. There are additional reasons why Brittany was nominated (and chosen) as a recipient for the award. These include:

• Brittany takes initiative to assist other locations and departments;
• She continues to think of new ways that we can stay competitive with other banks in our market;
• Brittany goes out of her way to help other employees when they are confused or struggling with a process or procedure;
• Brittany takes it upon herself  to make up tests for the location, which keeps everyone up-to-date and identifies areas that need improvement;
• She is always willing to volunteer her time and efforts to try and expand our customer base;
• Brittany went out of her way to help a customer who incurred fraudulent charges on the business debit card over the weekend.  She bent over backward to explain our policies to the customer so that they could gain a better understanding and eliminate some of their frustrations.  She also helped the customer retrieve funds that the customer was unable to dispute.  In this instance, as well as many others, Brittany showed integrity, loyalty and teamwork.  
• Brittany holds herself accountable to the Core Values and demonstrates them on a daily basis.

Pictured is Brittany Bennett with President & CEO Kyle Campbell

Doug has been with the bank for 13 short months, but has made a very positive impact in his time here. He recently accepted the Market President position for Plainville and is excited about the opportunity. When Doug’s not at the bank he enjoys spending time with his family and helping farmers during harvest seasons. He enjoys being an official at all levels of football and basketball games from junior high to the collegiate level. You can find Doug in the stands at any McPherson College basketball games proudly watching his son play, and last but not least, supporting the OU Sooners. #BoomerSooner
There are additional reasons why Doug was nominated (and chosen) as a recipient for the award. These include:

• Doug has done a great job taking over the leadership responsibilities in Plainville;
• Doug has made great strides in driving a positive change to the Lending culture within the location;
• Doug accepted the position of Market President and has done a great job with the staff and keeping up with his other duties and responsibilities;
• Doug gets along well with all the customers and the employees at the Bank;
• Doug has done an outstanding job to help mitigate potential loss to the bank;
• With his short tenure at Astra Bank, Doug has quickly fit in to the culture of the Bank and has demonstrated the Bank’s Core Values.

Pictured is Doug Wiltfong with President & CEO Kyle Campbell

Congratulations on receiving the 3^rd Quarter 2018 Shining Star award!