The Need for Speed.

For Scott Gartner, life has always moved pretty fast. At the young age of 16, he was grinding his way forward in the amateur skateboarding world until a gnarly grade-4 concussion slowed his roll. Shortly after, he unwittingly completed high school a whole semester early after a clerical error nudged him into an advanced math class. And once in college, he acquired a taste for high-performance sports cars.

“I guess I like adrenaline,” chuckles Gartner, Gate City Bank Project Management Supervisor.

The rush hasn’t stopped since he joined the bank as digital project manager in June 2020. Within six short months of starting, Gartner cruised into his current position. His tenacious spirit and propensity for productivity were obvious to many from day one, and he quickly moved up the ladder. That’s just part of the culture at Gate City Bank – the team believes in you, and something better is always within reach.

Becoming a Valued Team Member.

Gartner has been a proud Gate City Bank customer since his early skateboarding days. Between the bank’s award-winning customer service, the intoxicating smell of freshly baked cookies at most locations and the host of innovative products and services perfect for every life stage, he’s always felt at home here. So when a career opportunity opened up at the company, he was all in.

During his first year at the bank, like many other team members, Gartner worked remotely from home as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. While he normally prefers to work in the office, Gartner greatly appreciated how accommodating, safety-focused and prepared Gate City Bank was amid the outbreak. He had all the tools he needed to hit the ground running and experience success.

Gartner was busy from the get-go, and when he and others eventually returned to the office once it was safe, things didn’t slow down. He greeted colleagues in person near the specialty coffee machine and orientation space that overlooks beautiful downtown Fargo. He continued to sit in on exciting team huddles to digest departments’ strategies. He scheduled one-on-ones with multiple executives.

From day one, Gartner made a point to exchange ideas with everyone – and it paid off.

“I love how everyone at Gate City Bank is treated as an equal,” he says. “And if you want to grow professionally, the bank offers great mentorship and leadership opportunities. That’s also part of what sold me on working here.”

It quickly became apparent that Gartner wields a talent for streamlining complex processes. He’s become instrumental in identifying an objective, assembling the perfect mix of team members to tackle it and making sure everyone remains focused and engaged, all while sticking to set budgets and tight deadlines. It’s his job to identify the who, what and when, providing constant support until a goal is met.

Helping Build Something Better.

On a typical day, Gartner is on the move. His jam happens to be a jam-packed schedule.

The tattooed 30-year-old can be seen jumping from conference room to conference room – laptop in hand, mission in mind – stopping only to refill his coffee mug or hold a lighthearted yet productive side convo before moving on to the next task. If he’s not leading a coding meeting, he’s setting up communication lines for internal development calls. If he’s not sending out follow-up notes, he’s drafting project plans.

Through his work, Gartner has snagged a front-row seat to the bank’s largest initiatives, and played a key role in bringing them to life. One such initiative was Gate City Bank’s website transformation, where Gartner took on responsibility for making sure team members, vendor partners and leaders were continuously aligned. He knew there were many moving parts, and the team had one shot to get it right.

Gartner deploys his institutional knowledge with each Gate City Bank project he accepts. His know-how stems from a former life, one in which he wore many hats and mastered diverse crafts. His background spans a unique mix of industries, including information technology, computer systems engineering, retail management and even filmmaking. This vast experience has made him invaluable to the bank.

Embracing Work-Life Balance and Great Benefits.

While Gate City Bank is a big part of Gartner’s world, his young daughter is his entire universe. She’s his constant shadow, following in his footsteps by regularly digging out his old skateboard. It’s safe to say she’s snatched his wheels – and stolen his heart.

The Fargo native is thankful to work for a family-friendly company that offers flexibility when his daughter is sick, has an appointment or can’t be at day care. And it helps to still have the option to work from home. That wasn’t the case with previous jobs, where he had to sacrifice precious family time.

“It’s mind-blowing how flexible Gate City Bank is with team members,” Gartner says. “My boss is always willing to work with me.”

Healthy work-life balance is just one of many benefits Gate City Bank offers its team members. Some others include a low-deductible health plan (including telemedicine), free vision insurance and a generous PTO package.

Giving Back to Communities.

In addition to being able to spend more time with his family, Gartner appreciates Gate City Bank for promoting a culture of philanthropy. He and other team members are encouraged to volunteer on company time. For each hour they volunteer beyond 10 hours, the bank gifts approximately $29 per hour to a charity of their choice.

For example, in fall 2022, when Gartner received the devastating news that a close friend was hospitalized after experiencing a serious motorcycle accident, he was able to take time away from work to help set up fundraising benefit events. Gate City Bank gave Gartner all the time and resources he needed to support his friend, and more than $20,000 was raised in a number of days.

“It means a lot to me that Gate City Bank puts its support behind you when it comes to helping others,” Gartner says. “The bank genuinely cares about creating a better way of life for community members, including those who are near and dear to you, personally.”

Gate City Bank has become known for going big on giving. The company has provided $40.9 million in philanthropic giving and more than 310,000 hours of team volunteerism to over Over 1,000 charities since 2003.

Racing Toward a Better Way of Life.

Time flies when you’re having fun, and for Gartner, the last two and a half years have been a whirlwind. As he slows down and reflects on his time at the bank, he finds himself wanting to savor the moment.

“Gate City Bank is by far the best place I’ve ever worked,” he says. “I’ve never felt so welcome.”