Leaders Who Listen
We’re passionate about providing the best service around. It’s our pleasure to lead the way forward for Horicon Bank.
Meet Fred F. Schwertfeger
Chief Executive Officer
In 1982, Fred F. Schwertfeger became the Chief Executive Officer of Horicon Bank and Sword Financial Corporation, the holding company of the bank which was started by Mr. Frederick R. Schwertfeger in 1977. Fred graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with an Economics major. He received a Master of Business Administration degree with a Finance major from Northwestern University in 1967. Fred served as a Lieutenant in the US Army Security Agency from 1968-1970 and joined Horicon Bank’s Board of Directors in 1978.
Meet Fred C. Schwertfeger
President
Fred leads strategic planning for Horicon Bank and oversees Marketing, Retail, Human Resources, Wealth Management and Trust Administration. Fred says he enjoys supporting his colleagues in his role. He likes meeting different people and collaborating to find new opportunities for the Bank to serve more customers. He has served on Horicon Bank’s Board of Directors since 2020. Fred is a third generation owner of Horicon Bank. In 2014, he graduated from the UW-Madison’s Graduate School of Banking program. He has degrees in Art History and Visual Culture from the Universities of Oxford, Glasgow and St. Andrews in the United Kingdom.
Some Fun Info About Fred
Experience
Fred has more than 15 years of banking experience. He has been with Horicon Bank since 2006.
Expertise
Marketing | Branding | Workplace Culture | Digital Banking
Extracurriculars
Fred serves as a Board Member for the Museum of Wisconsin Art in West Bend, WI and for Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass in Neenah, WI. When he’s not collaborating over bank strategy, Fred enjoys coaching his daughter’s soccer team and cheering on all the home teams (Packers, Brewers and Bucks)!
Meet Al Schwab
Chief Commercial Credit Officer, Executive Vice President
Al is responsible for the leadership and overall management of Horicon Bank’s credit administration to ensure lending procedures and practices are sound. He leads the bank’s Business Banking Team in the growth and development of local banking markets. Al enjoys getting to know his customers and learning about their business. “Business owners are passionate about what they make and who they serve,” says Al. “It all plays a role in many other aspects of the business community, and it’s fun to see how we can partner with our products and services to make them successful.”
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Some Fun Info About Al
Experience
Al has more than 40 years of experience in the banking industry. He has been with Horicon Bank since 1997.
Expertise
Business Loans | Small Business Loans | Customer Service
Extracurriculars
Al serves on the Beaver Dam Economic Development Board, the Board of Directors for the Dodge County YMCA, and the BDCH Foundation Board, and he volunteers for Church Health Services in Beaver Dam. Al likes any activity that gets him outdoors, enjoying the wonderful State of Wisconsin. He especially enjoys golfing, biking, hiking and fishing.
Meet Dale A. Hans
Mortgage and Consumer Credit Officer, Senior Vice President
NMLS ID: 469854Apply for a Mortgage with Dale A. Hans
Dale manages the origination of retail loans at Horicon Bank. Dale is passionate about creating competitive products for customers, and he oversees the bank’s mortgage and consumer lenders, all diligently working toward the same goal — a better customer experience. Dale enjoys his work because it is dynamic; there is never a dull moment in his day. In more than 30 years of retail lending, Dale says he has “seen it all,” and he likes being able to help resolve the customers’ individual situation. He appreciates the loan process at Horicon Bank, which allows him to provide solutions fit to the customer. Dale is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh, where he earned his business degree.
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Some Fun Info About Dale
Experience
Dale has more than 34 years of experience in the banking industry. He has been with Horicon Bank since 1998.
Expertise
Mortgage Lending | Consumer Loans | New Construction Loans
Extracurriculars
Dale is an active member of the Kiwanis Club of Fond du Lac and serves as a board member of the Fond du Lac chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. When Dale isn’t helping local nonprofits, you can usually find him fishing or studying the history of numismatics.
Meet Mark Nelson
Chief Information and Operations Officer, Executive Vice President
Mark coordinates Horicon Bank’s operational and digital banking systems. He oversees all processing, servicing, operations, Information Systems and eBanking teams to make sure Horicon Bank systems are working effectively to best serve customers. Mark says he enjoys the fast-paced, always changing nature of his role and the opportunities technology presents to offer new solutions to financial pains. He enjoys working in a family-oriented and friendly environment to makes the lives of customers better. Mark earned his Computer Science Degree from UW-LaCrosse and is a graduate of the UW-Madison’s Graduate School of Banking program. He also earned his Certificate of Executive Leadership from the Wisconsin School of Business.
Some Fun Info About Mark
Experience
Mark has more than 15 years of experience in the banking industry. He has been with Horicon Bank since 2007.
Expertise
Technology | Digital Banking | Payments
Extracurriculars
Mark serves as Chair of the Payment Advisory Resources Board of Directors, is a Board Member for the Executive Committee on Mid-Atlantic ACH Payments Association (MACHA) and is past Chair of the Wisconsin Bankers Association Technology and Operations Committee. Mark is an enthusiastic Wisconsin Badgers fan. For more than 26 years, Mark and a friend have organized a “Badger Invasion” bus trip to one away Badger football game each season.
Meet Robert Traylor
Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President
Robert leads the Bank’s Facilities department and Finance department, playing a major role in financial decisions at Horicon Bank. Robert earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University before becoming a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the states of Louisiana and Wisconsin. He is also a graduate of UW-Madison’s Graduate School of Banking program and earned his Certificate of Executive Leadership from the UW-Madison School of Business.
Some Fun Info About Robert
Experience
Robert has more than 15 years of banking experience and has been with Horicon Bank since 2016.
Expertise
Accounting | Finance
Extracurriculars
Robert enjoys spending time with his family and coaching, playing, and watching sports.
Meet Rose Petitte
Retail Branch Banking, Senior Vice President
Rose supports, coaches and mentors Horicon Bank’s market managers, branch managers, Customer Support Center and virtual banking specialists. She works closely with employees to help them develop and grow in their careers while deepening customer relationships to grow the bank. Rose enjoys supporting her community in her role and encourages her team to get involved by volunteering as well. Rose earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from UW-Milwaukee and is a graduate of and received an Executive Leadership Certificate from UW-Madison’s Graduate School of Banking. She serves as a committee member on the Wisconsin Bankers Association’s Retail Committee.
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Some Fun Info About Rose
Experience
Rose has more than 40 years of experience in the banking industry. She has been with Horicon Bank since 2011.
Expertise
Sales | Customer Experience | Coaching | Business Development
Extracurriculars
Rose is an active member of the West Bend community. She serves as president of the WB COLUMNS Scholarship Foundation, member of West Bend Noon Kiwanis, co-chair of the WB COLUMNS “Not Just A Walk In the Park 5K”, co-chair of the United Way Washington County campaign and volunteer for Junior Achievement. Rose loves to shop, walk and gets (at a minimum) 10,000 steps every day!
Meet Doreen Hartgerink
Human Resources, Senior Vice President
Doreen supports and mentors a team of Human Resources Professionals in the areas of Payroll, Benefits, Talent Acquisition, Onboarding and Career Development. Doreen enjoys being able to use her talents in a variety of tasks in her role including working closely with managers to provide guidance in personnel and employment matters to help them develop and grow in their careers. She also manages the Bank’s compensation program and redesigned the performance evaluation process to promote greater opportunities for employee engagement, talent management and succession planning. Doreen says she values the way Horicon Bank as an organization truly cares about employees and their families. Doreen earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resources and is a graduate of UW-Madison’s Graduate School of Banking Human Resource Management School. She also participated in the Wisconsin Banker’s Association’s Education and Leadership Focus Group.
Some Fun Info About Doreen
Experience
Doreen has more than 31 years of Human Resources experience. She has been with Horicon Bank since 1998.
Expertise
Employment Law | Performance Management | Compensation Management I Benefits
Extracurriculars
Doreen serves as the Treasurer for REACH Waupun. When she’s not mentoring other bankers, Doreen enjoys spending time with her family (especially her granddaughter!) at her family’s cottage in northern Wisconsin. She loves spending time outside golfing, boating and snowmobiling.
Meet Cyrene Wilke
Chief Information Officer, Senior Vice President
Cyrene leads Horicon Bank’s technology, data and project management initiatives. “I love so many aspects of my work, from developing strategy to leading high performing teams,” said Cyrene. “In recent years, I’ve had the opportunity to focus on nurturing an innovative culture and optimizing technology to improve both the customer and employee experience.” Cyrene is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking’s Digital Banking School and the Center for Exceptional Leadership at St. Norbert College.
Some Fun Info About Cyrene
Experience
Cyrene has nearly three decades of progressive experience in the banking industry working in various roles including marketing, human resources, accounting, credit administration, operations & technology. She has been with Horicon Bank since 2021.
Expertise
Digital Banking | Customer Experience | Risk Management | Process Improvement | Operations | Technology | Leadership | Innovation