Naomi is a native of Garrison, North Dakota, and she has called Fargo home since 2002. She works on the trust side of HTC and has been a welcome addition to our team.

Tell us about yourself.

I received both an associate of science and an associate of arts degree from Williston State College. I continued my education and received a bachelor of arts degree in communications from North Dakota State University. Go Bison!

• Dustin Sobolik recently earned his Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. Dustin completed a course of study that encompasses a variety of topics relating to financial planning, including estate planning, insurance, taxes, retirement accounts. The most important aspect of a CFP is that Dustin has a fiduciary duty, which means he must make decisions with his client’s best interest in mind. Congratulations, Dustin!
• Heartland Trust Company employees recently collected several boxes of new children’s socks that were delivered to Early Einsteins Learning Center in Dilworth. Early Einsteins (part-owned by HTC’s Heather Jung, who is pictured kneeling in the center) was participating in a sock drive for Golden Drive Homeless Kids sponsored by the Dilworth Police Department. 
• HTC employees also recently collected a box filled with old phones to donate to the Rape & Abuse Crisis Center (RACC) in Fargo. RACC is always looking for donations, including cell phones and chargers.

Meet Ethan Linder

Ethan is one of our newest employees, having joined the team less than five months ago. He is the administrative associate for Brian Halverson and Gary Hanson’s accounts. He assists them with keeping track of accounts and entering information into our database. 

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Esko, Minnesota, a small town outside of Duluth. I am the youngest of six children and we all live in or around Minnesota. I attended Concordia College and graduated the spring of 2020 with a business management major and an environmental studies minor. I currently live with my girlfriend and one of my brothers in Fargo. 

Two new employees have joined our team. 

In September, Ethan Linder came aboard as an administrative associate on the personal account side. Ethan is a recent graduate of Concordia College where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management and a minor in environmental studies. In his spare time, he enjoys going to the movies, playing hockey, and watching sports.

Steve is the founder of Heartland Trust Company. After working in the trust industry for a regional bank for 18 years, he went off on his own and started North Dakota’s first independent trust company. Thirty years later, he is the CEO and chairman of the board. The company has grown from two people to 25, with over $600 million in assets under management. Steve is very active in the community, spending many years with various local service organizations. He is currently a member of the board for the FMWF Chamber, and an International Director for the Sons of Norway.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
When I’m not at the office, it’s all about family. My wife and I try and spend as much time as we can with the grandkids.

Heartland Trust Company turns 30 this year, and we’ve accumulated a bit of history as we enter our fourth decade. Each quarterly newsletter this year has contained a feature on one of our old locations. This is the final installment.

As a company dedicated to serving our clients and community, we are proud to be celebrating our 30th year of business.

Looking back, we are grateful for the strong foundation Steve laid down and Sheryl Bernier helped carry out. When Gary Hanson and Neil Jordheim joined, business development started to really take off. These four, along with Denise Lies, set the tone for how Heartland Trust Company was going to succeed. Their dedication to building trustworthy relationships, being transparent about business practices, and providing excellent service is a model that lives on. It’s a great way to go about life. Not only do we want our clients to sleep well at night, we want to sleep well at night knowing that we are doing business and life in an honest, genuine manner.

Today, Heartland Trust has 22 employees who have a combined 425 years of experience in the financial industry. Over the years, some faces have changed and more bodies have been needed, but many things have stayed the same.

Sheryl has been with Heartland Trust Company since the doors opened 30 years ago. She started out as
the original operations department. Now the executive vice president and a director on the board, she is
also the manager of the compliance and operations department.

Tell us about yourself.
I was born in Colorado and lived there until I was about seven years old when my family moved to the
family farm near Barnesville, Minnesota. After high school I moved to Moorhead and attended what is
now M State and graduated with a legal secretarial degree. After working at MSUM for about 13
months, I found my forever job in the trust services area – eight years at American Bank and Trust
Company and 30-plus years at HTC. My husband, Spencer, and I raised our family (four sons) in
Moorhead and after becoming empty nesters, we built a home on Star Lake. One Minnesota winter
commute was enough, so we now also rent a townhome in Fargo.

Heartland Trust Company turned 30 this year, and we’ve accumulated a bit of history. Each quarterly newsletter this year will have a feature on one of our old locations.
After about five years in the Lightowler Johnson space, the ever-expanding company was in need of more space once again. HTC found that space a couple of blocks away – the top floor at 120 South Eighth Street. The first floor was home to the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute (NRI).

HTC Team News 

• Missy Zarak has been promoted to the position of Trust Officer. Congratulations, Missy!
• Heather Jung joined Heartland Trust Company as a Retirement Services Administrative Associate. She brings over 13 years of experience assisting plan sponsors, financial advisors, and third party administrators with retirement plans.

• Shara Fischer, Relationship Manager, obtained her Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation. Professionals with this designation concentrate on retirement planning by focusing on client-centered, problem-solving. Congratulations, Shara! 
• The HTC team has opened numerous “satellite offices” since March. These offices include our employees’ kitchens, home offices, living rooms, and spare bedrooms. Here’s a glimpse of how we are working from home to reduce the spread of COVID-19.