Kevin P. - Senior VP - Treasury Management

Hello, I’m Kevin Pleasant. I started my banking career 31 years ago at the bottom of the corporate ladder. My first job was as an administrative assistant in the Trust department for Richfield Bank & Trust Co. I eventually worked my way up to a Trust Officer position before leaving the department to join the commercial banking team in a role created just for me – Civic Banking. My time in this role was cut short due to an acquisition by M&I Bank. It was with M&I that I was given the opportunity to become a treasury management salesperson and I have remained in this field in various sales, sales management, and project management roles with M&I Bank, BMO Harris Bank, and for the last four years, MidwestOne Bank. No wonder I like marathons; this career of mine has been a marathon run and not a sprint!

Like so many others, I love to run. I took up running later in life and I was in my mid-thirties when I took it to an extreme and became a marathon runner, all 6 foot, 4 inches and 230 pounds of me. I’ve always been very involved in athletics, mostly team sports. But as my twins, Trent and Taylor, were growing up I found that difficult to continue. So, running seemed like a natural outlet for me to continue to get my athletic fix and balance the needs of my family. Two decades later, I continue to run and enjoy the health benefits of this form of exercise. These days, my race of choice is a much shorter 5k where at the end of the run my reward is a craft beer - cheers!

Last year, I made my professional acting debut for the employee recruitment video for MidWestOne Bank. (Check it out https://www.midwestone.bank/careers) My agent, RJ Lang, head of mortgage banking, did all of the negotiating and luckily my schedule was open. Okay, the real reason was they asked me. For some reason they thought I was natural choice for the role, maybe this should be my new “side hustle”!

I learned that acting is exhausting work. I practiced my lines 20 or 30 times right up to the time of my “performance”. From that experience, I gained a new respect for those that have a gift for that profession. It was also a good reminder of how important it is to do my homework and be prepared for anything that may come my way. Practice is synonymous with preparation. This is especially true today where more and more transactions are taking place digitally. Human connections are sought out by customers during those critical moments in time when technology alone cannot create a solution or solve an issue that is unique to that individual or company. As bankers, we must be ready to perform at all times!