Associate Spotlight – Josh Rardin

What inspired you to pursue your current career path? When I graduated high school, we were in the middle of the Great Recession, and probably because of that, I found banking to be interesting. I was fortunate to be able to take a banking class in college with an adjunct professor who was in charge of the credit department at a community bank in town. Through that class, I got some exposure to different career paths in banking and ultimately started my career with the Department of Financial Institutions in North Dakota. While working there as an examiner, I was able to gain experience in several areas of banking and knew that I wanted to eventually work for a community bank, focusing on the lending side of banking. I moved back to the Brainerd area in 2017 and started my career with the bank as a credit analyst.

What’s a valuable lesson you’ve learned from a work experience, good or bad? Everybody makes mistakes. You always want to do your best, but mistakes happen. When they do happen, the best thing that you can do is own it and try to learn from it. If you use the mistake as an opportunity to learn, it will help you in the long run. Early in my career I made a pretty big mistake with an adding formula in an excel spreadsheet. Thankfully I was able correct it in time, but I have definitely learned how important it is to double check formulas!

If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why? I would love to have dinner with Benjamin Franklin. I enjoy reading biographies about historical figures and read one about Benjamin Franklin several years ago. From founding the first public library and fire department to helping draft the Declaration of Independence, I think that he would have some great stories to tell.

What three words would you use to describe yourself, and why? Inquisitive – I like to know how things work and why, so I find myself continually trying to learn about new things and trying to figure out how they work. Because of this I read way too many reviews and know too much about random things like golf cart batteries and how to do a full rebuild on a kid’s power wheels.

Pragmatic – I tend to be a level-headed, practical person. I like to think things through and find realistic ways to solve problems.

Positive – I would consider myself to be a positive person. I always try to see the best in every situation. You will rarely catch me in a bad mood, and I am always trying to keep morale high. Someone once told me, “Every day is a good day; some are just better than others.” I try to live by that mindset.

What’s something you enjoy doing in your free time, and how does it help you recharge? Depending on the season, I enjoy golfing and have recently gotten back into skiing. Both activities give me a chance to spend time outdoors, relax, and have given me the opportunity to teach my young kids these fun pastimes. Getting outside and being active helps me clear my mind and focus on something completely different from my day-to-day life. This definitely helps me recharge and come back to work ready to take on new challenges.