John Baur to Retire After 38-Year Banking Career

Celebrating employee retirements are a time of mixed emotions for all of us at First State Bank as we are both happy for our coworkers who are moving on to this exciting new chapter in their lives and a little sad as we are often losing a friend that we, and our customers, enjoy working with.

This is truly the case with John Baur, Vice President - Business Banking in our Marshfield office. John retires on Tuesday, June 1, after a 38-year career in banking and a life of being super involved in the Marshfield community.

John got his start in consumer banking in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1983 eventually expanding his experience to private banking before moving to Marshfield in 1998 to work as Vice President, Business and Private Banking for U.S. Bank. He was Vice President, Commercial Banking for Associated Bank from 2002 to 2015, before joining Pioneer Bank later that year. John transitioned to First State Bank as Vice President – Business Banking when the Pioneer Bank merger took place in February 2020 and has been responsible for business development within Marshfield and surrounding communities.

Over the years, John has continued to be heavily involved in the community serving on committees and taking on leadership roles in numerous organizations for their betterment and that of the community. He has supported the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry since 1999 and has been the chair of its Small Business Council since 2010 and a member of the Firm of the Year Committee since 2019. For more than 20 years, John has also been a member of the Marshfield Noon Rotary, has assisted in various roles with the Marshfield Medical Research Foundation Auction of Champions, and has been a youth coach, referee, and member of the finance committee for the Marshfield Youth Hockey Association. He has also participated and volunteered in countless other organizations and events throughout his banking career.

“We have been extremely proud to have John on our team,” commented Jeff Whitrock, Executive Vice President. “John has not only done a tremendous job of taking care of our business customers; he has always been a leader both within and outside of the bank.”

For this last month, John has been meeting with his customers and introducing them to their new lender, Tony Abney, who joined First State Bank's business banking team in March.

“It’s great to connect with customers one more time to let them know that I’ve enjoyed working with them and to assure a smooth transition,” says John. “I’m looking forward to spending more time at our cottage in Minocqua fishing, golfing with friends, hunting this fall, and traveling with my wife.  It’s been a great and very rewarding career and now I’m looking forward to the next chapter in my life.”

Attend Our Open House

Customers and community members are invited to stop by First State Bank's Marshfield office from 9 am to 2 pm on Tuesday, June 1, for refreshments and to wish John well in his retirement.

Photo - John Baur competing in the See Me Tri 2016 Minocqua Triathlon. Shown with his wife, Karmen.