Brenda Wade Schmidt
Moody County Enterprise

Linnea Janssen’s first job at the former Farmers State Bank in Flandreau was to assist others within the office.
Forty-three years later, she is retiring after having worked as branch manager and retail team leader, serving both customers and employees at the First National Bank of Sioux Falls in Flandreau and other nearby communities. Through the years, she moved up in the bank from administrative assistant to consumer lender, followed by Flandreau’s branch manager and more recently overseeing and mentoring employees at five additional branches. It wasn’t until last year that she learned how to be a teller when she needed to help fill in for someone, a job she says everyone should do if they are in banking.
Her last day at the bank is Dec. 31. Because of restrictions with COVID-19, the bank isn’t able to host a reception, but greetings can be dropped off or sent to her home at 315 N. Crescent Ave.
While banking is often thought of as a numbers-oriented business, Janssen has loved it because it is a people-oriented job, too.
 “I think where I find the most pleasure is building the relationships,” she said of a career that has included helping others achieve their dreams, whether it’s customers hoping to buy a new car or employees looking to improve their skills and advance in their jobs.
“You need to be authentic and have that trust and respect in order to build those relationships,” she said. “What I guess that I found I love to do is coach and mentor.”
The word, “relationships,” is one of five values that are part of the culture of First National, a family-owned bank based in Sioux Falls. She stayed with the company after Farmers State Bank merged with First National, because those ideas matched her values. The other four are family, independence and innovation, stewardship and teamwork.
With the merger in 2007, Janssen became the branch manager for Flandreau, and in 2017, she turned that job over to Carla Harris and took the position of overseeing Flandreau, Dell Rapids, Baltic, Brandon, Benson Road and Arrowhead branches. After her retirement, her position will be combined with that of team leader Jeremy Menning in Sioux Falls, and the bank will hire a second person to assist him in that role.

“Linnea has not only been my supervisor, but she has been a personal friend,” Harris said. “She is a very caring person, no matter if it’s work, family, or the community. She is always willing to listen and to help out.”
In the retail manager job, Janssen didn’t have to move, although she needed to travel to the other branches, as needed.
 “The day-to-day really looks like a lot of coaching and mentoring branch managers,” Janssen said. “I’m from Flandreau, and, of course, I still get to serve the community that I love, that I grew up in, and that is important to me, but I get to help other managers figure out and learn how to have those same connections not only with their teammates, but also in their own communities, whether it’s the Sioux Falls branches or the communities we sit in.”
Flandreau businessman Bart Sample, owner of Sparkle Car Wash, said he has appreciated the personalized service from Janssen.
“She has been our partner in Sparkle Car Wash since day one, even when we were second guessing ourselves,” Sample said. “In fact, she helped us put our business plan together and build the business from the word ‘go.’”
She also helped him refinance his home mortgage in order to save money.
“She called me up out of the blue and said, ‘I was looking at your mortgage and you have a 30-year mortgage. I’ve never seen interest rates this low. If we refinance to a 15-year, your payment will only be $50 a month more, but you’ll save a bunch of money in the end.’ So, we refinanced. She was actually looking out for us.”

Moving to town
Janssen, who was born in Boone, Iowa, moved here from Brookings in 1964 when she was in fourth grade. Her father purchased the Moody County Enterprise, and she remembers helping stuff papers, spending Saturday afternoons at the movies and playing outside until the 5:30 p.m. whistle blew, and kids headed home for supper. She graduated from Flandreau High School in 1973 and attended South Dakota State University for an associate’s degree in administrative assistant work. She also later graduated from the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, Wisc.
During her summers in high school and college, she worked at John Shaeffer’s law office and initially thought of becoming a nurse after high school, but she wasn’t too interested in the sight of blood. Instead, she chose a business path.
While she had opportunities to move to other communities during her career, the Janssens stayed in Flandreau in their two-story house by the Big Sioux River.
“We knew that Flandreau was going to be our home always,” she said. “I just never had a desire to leave Flandreau.”
Janssen, 66, and her husband Roger, who have been married 45 years, will continue to live in Flandreau, where she plans to volunteer, pursue hobbies and travel to visit their sons more. Their oldest son, Jeremiah, lives in Boise, Idaho, and Zach is in Albany, Minn., along with his two children, Isaac, 13, and Kylee, 10.

Looking ahead
Janssen hopes to be more involved with her church, Flandreau Methodist, where she was confirmed as a child and has attended since her family moved to town. She also will continue helping with the Boys and Girls Club of Moody County, where she has volunteered and been an advocate over the years
“I’m not going to get too hasty in what I do. I’m going to settle in for the first couple months and see what it’s like,” she said.
That will leave a little time for looking ahead and for reflecting on years of memories that include her first day on the job not knowing what exactly to do, the numerous New Year’s Eves when bank employees spent the evening hand tabulating accounts because computers weren’t in use yet and the day the banks merged with new systems in place. The years have included countless times she’s met with customers that are the people she also sees in church, on the street and at events.
 “I’ve been blessed beyond measure to work in the community where I grew up and to work with a team of employees who are second to none,” she said. “This is the very best community, whether you’re in banking, whether you’re in the service industry. It really is just a great community with great people.”