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Banker Uses Biblical Principles At Work

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By DAVE NICHOLSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

PLANT CITY - The head of the nation's 18th largest bank told a local audience last week that he balances religion with business.

Dennis Kuester, chairman of the parent company of M&I Bank, said he keeps a copy of the Ten Commandments on the wall of his office and uses biblical principles in his work.

Here are some of the tips and advice he offered Jan. 25 to a gathering of Strategic Marketplace Connections, a Plant City group that advocates that business owners, managers and employees adhere to Christian values.

•Have a daily quiet time for prayer and devotion.

•Approach work, religion and life in general with passion and enthusiasm.

•Have a sense of humor.

•Be humble; "it's always too early to brag."

•Live below your means and be a good steward of your finances.

•There will always be challenges in life. "God carried me a lot of the time."

The Rev. Norm Blanton, a Salvation Army counselor who is in charge of Strategic Marketplace Connections, said he appreciated that Kuester, a Milwaukee executive, took time out of his schedule to visit his organization. Blanton periodically brings in guest speakers, including an August visit by Pat Williams, one of the founders of the Orlando Magic basketball franchise.

Blanton said he would have liked to have seen a larger crowd but he saw "a lot of new people who had not been to one one of the meetings before."
Blanton and his group are holding a weekly event, Plant City Call to Prayer, Tuesdays at the Cornerstone Center, 315 N. Collins St. The center will be open for prayer from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Tuesdays through the week of March 16.

Reporter Dave Nicholson can be reached at (813) 865-4432 or dnicholson@tampatrib.com.

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