Each year on Presidents’ Day, Alliance Bank employees convene to learn, celebrate, and grow together. The highlight of the day is always the announcement of the Terry Stevens Spirit of Alliance Award. Nominated by their peers, the winner demonstrates the core values of Alliance Bank in their daily actions.
Bank President Shane Pilarski began, “Positivity. Motivation. Readiness to learn. Those are just some of the terms used to describe this year’s recipient.” Shane continued with a quote from a colleague, “This person has always been incredibly helpful and supportive. She puts her team and clients first.”
There were tears and applause as Senior Loan Operations Kim Steele made her way up to accept the award. Shane highlighted Kim’s volunteer service in the community and love for supporting her family. “It’s been my pleasure to work with Kim for almost 23 years as we went through initial employee training together.”
Former Bank President Terry Stevens
In 2012, former Bank President Terry Stevens announced the first Spirit of Alliance Award to recognize a team member who exemplifies service, reliability, and teamwork. When Terry passed away, it only seemed fitting to rename the award after him…a man who himself displayed mentorship, empathy, and servant leadership with confidence and humor. He and Kim shared a sense of humor and enjoyed the occasional bantering about their favorite sports teams.
“Terry and I had a great friendship,” recalls Kim. “We haggled back and forth about the Cubs and the White Sox. He once offered to teach my youngest son how to pitch. He often talked about reading newspaper articles about my son playing baseball in college and always asked how he was doing. He was truly a wonderful man and a great friend. Terry is greatly missed, and I am truly honored!”
