Behind the Scenes

In this behind the scenes, two GreenStone employees from the Marketing and Public Relations Department speak about how their daily work supports customers and improves the overall customer experience.

Describe how your role carries out the GreenStone mission of supporting rural communities and agriculture. As a cooperative, GreenStone views it’s role through the lens of partnership. This approach relies heavily on effective communication. When we need to connect with an audience, I help craft messaging and look for the most creative way to reach those individuals. In the end it’s about communicating with purpose and creating a connection that supports our collective goals. What do you enjoy most about your role at GreenStone? The marketing team serves as a strategic partner for every segment of GreenStone’s business. As such, the scope of projects I work on is quite vast. This provides me with an opportunity to work as a creative in a variety of ways. More importantly, it affords me the privilege of working with a diverse and talented group of individuals each day. I count myself lucky to be a part of this team. What changes have been incorporated in your role to meet evolving customer needs? In my time at GreenStone, the landscape of marketing and communications has experienced a huge transformation. With the advent of new technologies and social platforms, the ways we communicate has expanded exponentially. This impacts the tools we use and the content we create. Our approach is always shifting and responding to the changing needs of our customers. What do you enjoy doing in your free time? About four years ago I took up running after signing up for a duathlon. What started out as a bucket list item has turned into a year-round addiction. In addition to logging running miles, I enjoy biking and camping in “The Great Lake State” with friends and family.

Describe how your role carries out the GreenStone mission of supporting rural communities and agriculture. As GreenStone’s PR Specialist, I coordinate sponsorships, strengthen programs for our members and develop partnerships with organizations who have a similar mission as GreenStone and our customers.

As the co-chair of our Young, Beginning and Small Farmer (YBSF) Champion Committee, I strive to minimize the challenges many YBSF face by providing a reliable source of credit and preparing our customers for success by helping educate them on critical business practices. A key focus for our committee in 2021 is to strengthen our program from the inside out – ensuring our staff are equipped with the best information to continue assisting and supporting the next generation of agriculture. What do you enjoy most about your role at GreenStone? Being involved with many different projects and programs at GreenStone means I get to connect with GreenStone employees from different branches and departments. Whether I’m working on improving our internal communications, brainstorming with our YBSF champions, or being challenged to transition in-person events to an online platform, my day-to-day role is rarely the same and it keeps work exciting! By working with staff from different roles, I get the chance to learn more about how they support our members and how I can assist them in doing so. This also means that I am constantly shifting gears and learning as I go – something that I love! What changes have been incorporated in your role to meet evolving customer needs? As most of the world transitioned to a virtual format last spring, so did many of the events and tradeshows I support. This challenged us to find creative ways to improve the experience of our customers and members while still connecting with them safely. I’m grateful work alongside GreenStone’s marketing team and improve the experiences of our customers. What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I love the outdoors and in my free time you’ll usually find me walking my two dogs around town, kayaking in mid-Michigan, or visiting local parks to hike trails. With summer around the corner, I’m currently preparing for a garden and plan to spend lots of time these next few months maintaining my garden and landscaping the flower beds around the home I recently purchased. ■

The GreenStone Story:

1. We promise to offer you personalized service. 2. We promise immediate responses to all your requests. 3. We promise honest, fair and impartial treatment. 4. We promise confidential treatment of all information. 5. We promise to provide you accurate information and advice. Known as our Customer “Bill of Rights,” these five represent the commitment we make to our cooperative members. 1. Personal service - We understand no two farms, businesses or households are alike, and each deserves personal attention.

We will work to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with all members, one based on respect, trust and open communication. 2. Immediate responses to all requests - Our staff embrace our Core Four

Values, including putting the customer first by being responsive and building relationship with customers beyond the transaction. 3. Honest, fair and impartial treatment - We treat all customers fairly and honestly while appreciating their individuality and adhering to our thorough and regulated processes. It is our commitment to work with customers to provide the most viable and sustainable solutions for their individual circumstances. 4. Confidential treatment of all information - Our commitment to all customers is to treat member information and affiliation with GreenStone confidentially.

All financial institutions, including

GreenStone, are obligated by law to record certain information as a matter of public record. Beyond what is required, we will never release the names of our customers or comment on the relationship we have with individuals without prior consent. 5. Accurate information and advice – Our staff are engaged in the industries of their customers and bring their experience and education to the customers they serve.

Together, we seek out the best solutions for our customers based on individual service, an unbiased perspective and sound financial metrics.

GreenStone values our customer relationships, and we want you to feel comfortable and knowledgeable with how GreenStone handles your loans and information. A trusted relationship with our customers requires open and transparent communication. Member privacy – as outlined in #4 of our Customer Bill of Rights – is extremely important and can be questioned with the amount solicitations, spam and phishing attempts on us all each day. We want you to know we hold your financial and personal information in strict confidence. Though we keep your information confidential, some customers who may have recently conducted business with us have received solicitations in the mail or email impersonating GreenStone and referencing personal and financial information related to their loan with GreenStone. Naturally, this raises questions on the authenticity of the mailer, as well as the confidentiality of our customer’s information. As explained on page 49 in our Tech Tip, this is one of many types of “spam” targeted at securing your dollars or additional personal information. Using the information required by law to be filed publicly some companies compile public data – primarily register of deeds recordings – and mass mail, or email, solicitations using as much personal information as possible to get you to believe it is legitimate or that you need to take action.

Because some information is required by law to be publically filed, we want to make sure you are aware. All financial institutions, including GreenStone, are obligated to record with the Register of Deeds certain information as a matter of public record when a mortgage loan is written. These public records typically identify the borrower’s name, the lender, and possibly the original loan amount. In addition, public property records can also include: • Ownership history • Property maps • Record of sales listings • Historical tax assessments • Assessed property value • Property square footage and the number of rooms in a dwelling You can be absolutely confident if you receive a solicitation from another lender to refinance your GreenStone mortgage, the lender who sent it did not receive any information from GreenStone about you or your loan. Our commitment to your right of privacy is part of our Customer Bill of Rights as is our commitment to customer satisfaction. As a member of this organization, the protection of your privacy and the security of your personal information are vital to our continued ability to serve your ongoing credit needs. Rest assured, we protect you and your information! ■

As a GreenStone customer you have the right to receive: • Personalized service

• Immediate response to all requests • Honest, fair, and impartial treatment • Confidential treatment of all information