Human touch to high tech--a banker's world

Northwestern Financial Review, Nov 15, 2001 by Beier, Betty

If the theme "high tech - high touch" weren't already part of a trend-watching best-seller, Robbie Gallinger would have to write that book. A college journalism hopeful turned business/accounting major at the University of Missouri/Columbia in the late 1970s, she knew early on that her life would be a balancing act.

Today, as vice president of operations and cashier at the Shelby County State Bank in Harlan, Iowa, she wears the bank's day-to-day technology hat, yet she loves the creativity of coaching staffers and communicating with the bank's 80 full- and part-time employees and customers of the $190 million institution.

A case in point: the 109-year-old bank got an early lead in setting up a Web site back in 1996, thanks to Gallinger's urging. "We had so much fun brainstorming about it," she recalled, "bringing in lively, fresh and challenging ideas." She's now part of a task force that makes sure the Web site (www.scsbnet.com) continues to portray the bank and its services in a user-friendly way, and is pleased with its increased traffic. "The site is not slick, but it is inviting and it gives visitors a sense of who we are."

"I think that without a Web presence, you're sending a subliminal message that you just aren't `with it.' I realized that fact when I went to a pharmacist recently who wrote out sales in a little spiral notebook. Today with complicated drug interactions, not using technology tells people you're just not working with the right tools." She has also been instrumental in setting up the bank's Intranet, in which each of the bank's seven locations has computer access to the latest policies, procedures and even its electronic employee newsletter, which often publishes articles she writes.

Harlan, Iowa, population 5,200, is the county seat, and is in a competitive banking arena, with agriculture, commercial, retail and residential customers. Gallinger believes in serving those customers with the best in technology, including online banking. "The Internet is a critical delivery channel for information," she said.

A Certified Public Accountant, Gallinger came to the bank in 1992 after working at Deloitte & Touche. She later went to a regional firm, then set up her own accounting practice after her third baby was born.

She credits her work at Deloitte & Touche with preparing her well for banking, helping her understand the systems, methodologies and procedures of a technology-dependent organization. She also gained experience while conducting audits for many small businesses. "Accounting dovetailed nicely with banking," she said, "and I am glad I didn't come here with 20 years of experience in banking, since it allowed me to come in with new eyes to see things that had never been tried before."

Gallinger is the first female employee to be named to the bank's board of directors, and she is one of three executive managers.

"When we strategize about where we want to be two or three years from now, she provides vision," said Roger Claypool, president and CEO of Shelby County State Bank. "We look to her for leadership in so many areas. Actually some other banks call us when they have to make innovative changes to see what we've done. She has done a great job and she's a good leader."

In her spare time, Gallinger likes to read, is involved in her church, does Yoga, and has gone out to elementary schools to talk about banking and saving with youngsters. She and her husband of 25 years, Russ Gallinger, have three children, two of whom are in college and one in high school.

"Like every working woman, I have a lot of challenges, being a banker and having a family to take care of," she said. She also has taken time in recent years to work on what she terms "personal growth" for herself in order to keep her creative edge for her personal and professional life. "If you give everything your best, you can sleep at night!" she said.

By Betty Beier