Branch manager takes on bigger commitment to community service

Aug. 27, 2019

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Cassie Duggan, a branch manager at Wells Fargo & Co.

Name: Cassie Duggan

Age: 30

Hometown: Brookings

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I moved to Sioux Falls to find more opportunities to advance my career and build stronger professional relationships through networking events.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

Sioux Falls offers a strong mixture of culture, business and lifestyle. I can walk peacefully along the falls in the middle of our city one day and tour breweries while listening to live music the next. I’m able to bring my young son to sporting events and introduce him to an incredible variety of food, music and art every day. And although the amenities are endless, Sioux Falls has maintained its strong sense of community and that small-town feel everyone loves — you can’t get that anywhere else.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Hands down, it’s the people and the long-term relationships I’ve built over time. Each day, I’m able to help customers with their financial plans. I check in with them regularly to monitor their progress, help them make adjustments as needed and celebrate their success when they achieve their goals. I also get to lead a team of highly skilled individuals who have become family to me. It’s really satisfying to see them grow and develop in their financial services careers.

How did you get connected to your industry?

When I moved to Sioux Falls, I used a local employment agency to land a phone representative position with Wells Fargo’s student lending division. After three months, my manager encouraged me to apply for a teller job in a community banking branch. He had been with the company for more than 10 years and told me that my personality belonged face-to-face with our customers, not behind a phone. He was right! I started as a teller soon after, and since then, I have worked hard to move up through different community banking roles.

Describe Wells Fargo in three words.

Customer-focused, community-minded, team-oriented.

What’s your favorite way to give back to your community?

I love being in the classroom as a Junior Achievement volunteer, which I’ve done for five years. My focus is financial education, so I get to teach kids about everything from budgeting to entrepreneurship. It’s incredible to see them connect the dots as the sessions progress, and it gives me hope for the future. I also appreciate that Wells Fargo gives me 16 hours of paid community service time each year so I can be in that classroom. We have a great team member volunteer chapter that connects us with opportunities that are a good fit for our skills and interests, like JA is for me.

What’s one business you’d like to see in Sioux Falls that isn’t here now?

As someone who is constantly decorating and redecorating my home, I would love to see IKEA come to Sioux Falls!

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years, my goal is to continue growing my career at Wells Fargo — whether it’s advancing within community banking or exploring another part of the business, like marketing or community relations. Recently, I’ve taken on some larger-scale leadership projects for the annual community support campaign and one of our team member networks. The work has pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit, but I really enjoy the challenge.

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Branch manager takes on bigger commitment to community service

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Cassie Duggan, a branch manager at Wells Fargo & Co.

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