Twin Cities native builds banking career in Sioux Falls

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Tom Ries, a business banker at First Bank & Trust.

Name: Tom Ries

Age: 27

Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minn.

What brought you to Sioux Falls?

I came to Sioux Falls in the fall of 2008 to attend Augustana University. I met my now wife, Jess, while at Augie.  She grew up in Sioux Falls, and her family still lives in town, which made it an easy place to start our lives together.

What keeps you in Sioux Falls?

The combination of great people and seemingly endless opportunities. The genuine kindheartedness and caring of the people of Sioux Falls, paired with a thriving business community, makes it an unbelievable place to live, raise a family and grow a career.

What’s your favorite thing about your job?

Building relationships with the people who have made and are making our community such a great place to live and work. Being able to hopefully add value to their business and play a small role in their success is very rewarding.

How did you get connected to your industry?

I was fortunate enough to be made aware of an open credit analyst position at First Bank & Trust by a friend and now fellow FB&T employee. He spoke so highly of the bank and of the opportunity I couldn’t pass it up. After I was hired as a credit analyst, I quickly realized that I wanted to become a business banker. The opportunity to develop relationships with people within the community on a daily basis was an extremely powerful draw.

Describe your workplace in three words.

Empowering. Adaptive. Passionate.

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

Now that Lyft announced it is filling the much-needed ride-sharing void, I would love to see a Top Golf come to Sioux Falls. The weather would make it tough, but they are building Top Golf Minneapolis right now, so it’s not impossible!

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I would love to be starting a family, growing my portfolio of relationships at First Bank & Trust and helping others succeed the way so many people helped me.

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Twin Cities native builds banking career in Sioux Falls

This week’s Up-and-Comer is Tom Ries, a business banker at First Bank & Trust.

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