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.

Meet Gary Hanson

Gary Hanson is the senior vice president and a director at Heartland Trust Company. He has been an integral part of the growth and success of Heartland Trust over the years. While now enjoying a certain amount of “flex-time,” he continues to be in the office almost every day.

What do you do at Heartland Trust?

Along with ongoing business development responsibilities, I managed the Retirement Services Division at Heartland until 2014. My current responsibilities at HTC include account administration, client relationships, leading the corporate finance team, and serving on the executive committee.      

Tell us about yourself.

I am originally from Crookston, Minnesota, and, except for a two-year break, I have been in the Fargo area since graduating from Moorhead State University in 1972 with an accounting degree. My wife, Ruth, and I live in West Fargo, and our daughter, Rachel Clarke, and family live in north Fargo, while our son, Ben, and family live in south Fargo.     

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 will have a feature on one of our old locations.

Shortly after Heartland Trust opened its doors for business at the same location as Busy Bubbles Car Wash & Laundromat, it was clear the growing company needed more office space.

Heartland Trust Company turns 30 this year. As we celebrate this milestone, we’ll include a feature on one of our old locations in each quarterly newsletter. 

Steve Halverson, chairman of the board and former president, was approved for a charter by the North Dakota Department of Financial Institutions in August 1989 to start an independent trust company. Office space for the upstart trust company was found in the same building as Busy Bubbles Car Wash & Laundromat at 2102 12th Street North in Fargo. Steve’s father, Hans Halverson, owned the building and let Steve use the space for several months while he was getting everything ready. The charter was officially granted on January 18, 1990. Doors officially opened for Heartland Trust Company on January 23, 1990, and as Steve likes to add, “the door didn’t open, and the phone didn’t ring.”

Meet Missy Zarak

Missy is an administrative associate working in the personal trust area. She provides excellent service to clients with trust, agency, and IRA accounts. She has over 30 years of experience in the trust business and has served many clients over the years in various roles.

Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Dickinson, North Dakota, in a large family as one of 12 children. Following graduation at Trinity High School, I finished college at Minnesota State University in Moorhead, Minnesota, and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in legal assistant studies. 

I commute every day from Wahpeton, North Dakota, where I live with my husband, Mark. We have four children who are now all adults: Cole, Cody, Carson, and Carleigh. I have been promoted from mother to grandmother status and I’m now called “Ma Ga” by two beautiful granddaughters. Spending time with my growing family is one of my greatest pleasures.