Nothing says summertime fun like riding bikes, visiting your grandparents’ house and getting your first ATM card.
Wait, what?
“I remember my brother and I throwing those personalized cards in our wallets to show them to kids at school thinking we were so cool,” said Tyler Lipe. “They’d ask us, ‘Where’d you get that? How’d you get that?’”
Where and how Lipe, Regions Bank’s Midwest Consumer Banking executive, and his older brother, Travis, got those cards was thanks to Margaret Jorn, their paternal grandmother.
She’s pretty much always been a second mom to me.Tyler Lipe, Regions Bank’s Midwest Consumer Banking executive
Jorn has been a fixture in Lipe’s life since the beginning.
“My grandparents lived not even a mile from us,” said Lipe of his childhood home in Hillsboro, Illinois, a tight-knit town of less than 6,000 people about an hour northeast of St. Louis. “She’s pretty much always been a second mom to me.”
Jorn has also been a career role model to Lipe, working in the Bookkeeping and Proof departments and as a drive-through teller for four different banks during her nearly 50-year career.
Like clockwork each summer, the Lipe brothers would bicycle to Jorn’s workplace, a community bank of 50-plus employees.
“We were literally there every other day, everyone knew us,” said Lipe, fondly recalling a simpler time 30-plus years ago and the more relaxed atmosphere as a result. “We’d walk in the back door and immediately go to the lunchroom, where there were homemade desserts. After getting cake, we’d head to the basement.”
On one of those days, Lipe asked his grandmother what she was doing feeding a stack of checks through a machine.
“She explained it to us and then took us upstairs to introduce us to the tellers and show us what they did,” he said. “It was like our own personal field trip.”
Lipe was hooked.
My goal when I walk away from a branch visit is to know I’ve made an impact. When I see that light bulb go off for someone, it energizes me.Tyler Lipe
Beginning his financial services career in 2001 with a Springfield community bank while attending Lincoln Land Community College, Lipe transferred to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to earn a bachelor’s degree in marketing. He then joined Regions predecessor Union Planters as a financial services specialist before working his way up to manager at the bank’s Bellemore branch in Granite City.
During that time, Jorn and Lipe’s grandfather, Frank, would regularly drive an hour to not only visit Lipe and his family, but also the Bellemore team.
“She would talk with every associate,” said Lipe. “She’d ask them, ‘How’s everything going? Is Tyler taking good care of you?’ because a piece of advice she shared early on is to make sure you treat people right when you get into a management role.”
In 2011, Lipe took that advice with him when he moved to Jackson, Missouri, following his promotion to a Consumer Banking manager role leading several branches – and again in 2018 with another promotion and move to Hoover, Alabama, to lead 16 branches.
“I love coaching our associates to see potential they didn’t even know they had,” he said. “My goal when I walk away from a branch visit is to know I’ve made an impact. When I see that light bulb go off for someone, it energizes me.”
And this past May, Lipe had the opportunity to return to his roots to coach even more team members.
“I’m a Midwesterner at heart,” he said of heading back to St. Louis to lead the territory. “I was married here, and my kids were both born here.”
He’s thrilled the move has allowed him to reconnect with former teammates and to be closer to Jorn – who’s equally thrilled to have her grandson nearby so she can now dote on his two daughters.
“She cries with joy every time we walk in her house,” said Lipe.
My grandma has always said, ‘Banking is a people business, it’s all about the customers.’Tyler Lipe
Something else Lipe and Jorn share? A passion for customer service.
“My grandma has always said, ‘Banking is a people business, it’s all about the customers,’” said Lipe. “She’s encouraged me to never forget that and to listen and understand their situation since everybody has something they’re going through. Being out in the field to thank our customers is why I love this job. I just love people.”
More Pearls of Wisdom from Jorn:
Be resourceful. Jorn grew up one of nine siblings. After her father died during her sophomore year, Jorn’s mother pulled her out of high school to help at home. Jorn later earned her GED.
“She’s always taken care of people,” said Lipe. “She helped raise her siblings, ironed for everybody and they grew all their own food on the family farm.”
Work hard. Jorn retired from banking twice, only to immediately return to work. And she did it all while helping raise four grandchildren.
“She never took a day off,” said Lipe. “She went across the street to work in the drive-through as a teller. She knew every customer and their families, and they knew her. She also took care of us, and she never complained.”
Have faith. “I’m from a big Catholic family and faith is very important to us,” said Lipe. “I’ve never seen my grandmother miss a day of church, not even while on vacation.”
Focus on the future. Jorn has experienced tremendous loss throughout her life with the passing of her father, a son (Lipe’s father), a son-in-law and her husband of 65 years. Along with her resounding faith, Jorn maintains a mindset of looking forward rather than back.
“She’s always been the person who keeps people moving, especially in difficult times,” said Lipe. “She says you need something to focus on, to put your attention to. Her focus is now celebrating the milestones of her great grandkids like high school and college graduations.”
Send an ecard to thank the grandparents in your life for Grandparents’ Day. 