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6.10.2010 - Centier Celebrates State Championship

When Centier Bank President and CEO Mike Schrage was a young man, he wanted nothing more than to be the head coach for a championship team. “When I first started my career, I wanted to become a professional athletic coach,” stated Schrage. “As a young boy, I dreamed about leading a winning team to victory.”

Last month, Schrage got his wish as Centier Bank, his family-owned and operated bank, was named the #1 Best Place to Work in Indiana. Headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, Centier was ranked among 70 other Hoosier companies and placed first in the large company category with 250 or more employees. Centier was the only Northwest Indiana company and one of only three banks to make the list.

“We liken this to a homecoming after winning a state championship,” stated Schrage. “This team effort was made possible by each and every Centier associate, and I wanted a way to surprise them and personally thank them for this achievement.”

To celebrate this achievement, Schrage and members of Centier’s senior management team, as well as marketing, human resources, and education departments, hopped aboard a yellow school bus and paraded throughout Lake, Porter, La Porte, and Marshall Counties, making stops at each of its 44 banking locations.

The Centier Rally Bus was a surprise to most bank associates. “We were instructed to decorate our windows announcing our state championship as the #1 Best Place to Work,” said Donya Coty, Schererville branch manager. “All of a sudden, I heard Mike’s bullhorn siren and saw a bus in our parking lot!”

The decorated Centier rally bus was marked with a state championship banner and windows displaying “Honk for Centier,” and “That’s my bank!” As a token of appreciation, Schrage also delivered ice cream treats to the branches from a Summer Song ice cream truck that accompanied the caravan. Once at the branch, Schrage and his rally group cheered each branch in celebration of its state win. Each associate was then informed that they would receive an extended holiday on Columbus Day, this fall.

“I may not have become a professional coach, but I have certainly made a career of leading a winning team,” Schrage said.

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