Phil Whitehead

Senior Vice President-Relationship Sales Manager
2 East Main Street, Evansville
pwhitehead@lakeridge.bank
(608) 470-1139

Q: What is your role at the bank?

Phil: As part of the Business Banking team at Lake Ridge Bank, I work with businesses of all sizes to provide financing for new opportunities and ongoing operations. While I have built relationships with clients in a wide range of industries, I have some specialty knowledge in campground and RV park financing. I have also been recognized by Wisconsin Business Development as an Elite SBA 504 Lender, which is a program created with the goal of promoting business growth and job creation through the purchase or upgrade of major assets like facilities or equipment.

Q: Do you have a philosophy of life? Why is it important to you?

Phil: I know it’s an old standby, but I really believe that if people followed “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you,” it would solve a lot of the biggest issues in society today. Personally, it has served me well throughout my professional career. In fact, I have worked with some clients for almost 30 years in part due to the high standards I hold for client relationships. It comes down to learning what people care about and then prioritizing those goals and caring about them too. People can tell if you really care or not.

 Q: How did you get into banking as a career and what do you like about it?

Phil: The way I got into banking is a funny story actually. I had just graduated from UW-Whitewater with a degree in business, and my fiancé decided to apply for a job as a teller while she finished her student teaching hours. I took her to the interview and was waiting in the reception area when the human resources person mentioned they were also looking for management trainees. I got hired from that conversation, but my fiancé did not. She must have forgiven me because we’ve been married for 35 years so far! Plus, she got a different job in retail that fit her school schedule much better, and she has been teaching Pre-K through 1^st grade since 1995. I stayed in banking all these years because I enjoy the people – both clients and coworkers. So many of my coworkers over the years have had a sincere desire to help people reach their goals. It’s inspiring to see the lengths they will go to in order to help others start a new business or get through a tough time in their business operations. And the variety of personalities I get to meet from a client standpoint is really fun too. It’s validating to see how many referrals have come from just treating clients with a sense of partnership in their efforts. It is exactly that attitude that sparked my interest in campground financing. It was an underserved industry that didn’t always feel treated with professionalism. I’ve learned so much over the years about the challenges of owning a campground and how to help owners succeed that has translated to all my clients across industries.

Q: What are the best things about living and working in this area?

Phil: I have lived in South Central Wisconsin pretty much my whole life. I’ve never had any interest in moving away. I grew up in Brodhead, and my wife is from Milton. Since college, we have always lived around the Janesville and Evansville area. We have three sons and a daughter who all enjoyed going to local schools and participating in sports. South Central Wisconsin offers an incredible standard of living with great dining experiences and wonderful recreation areas while still being close to Madison, Milwaukee, and Chicago. We feel lucky to be part of such a great community!