Kohler man aims to be nation's first deaf bank president
By Troy Laack
Sheboygan Press staff
James Meisser of Kohler is striving for a couple of firsts — to be the first profoundly deaf bank president in the nation and to run the first financial institution to use modern technology to cater to customers with disabilities.
"The speed has picked up in the development of technology, which has also made it very affordable," said Meisser, 48, who has been profoundly deaf since he was born, meaning he has never heard any sound.
Meisser and his wife, Jeanene, are in the process of getting state and federal regulatory approvals as well as raising $20 million in capital to open Lake Shore Bank in Sheboygan in November.
"Jim will be the very first profoundly deaf president and CEO of a bank, which we think is going to be an inspiration to a lot of deaf and hard of hearing," said Jeanene, 50, who will be the bank's chief operating officer and controller.
James can speak and read lips, but he also carries a pocket PC to communicate with others, his wife said from a temporary office at 1414 N. Taylor Drive.
James and bank customers with hearing disabilities will be able to use voice recognition and text screen technology to be clearly understood by others, James said through Jeanene, who interprets some of what he says.
"You can also text message and instant message through the Internet and through wireless," James said.
Tellers also will be trained to communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing, Jeanene said.
"There is so much technology that is breaking down the barriers," Jeanene said. "We are talking to telecomm companies about the options that are available and we are visiting the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing looking at all the technology."
The Meissers will hire about 18 employees in the coming months as well as look for right building for Lake Shore Bank.
Kubala Washatko Architects Inc. of Cedarburg, the firm that designed the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, will draft plans for the bank to accommodate people with disabilities, Jeanene Meisser said.
"They're very innovative," she said. "They're also affiliated with Independence First, which helps to create environments that are very accessible and inviting. We want the bank to look very different, very inviting, one of a kind, not so institutional."
James' success is because he came from an exceptional family, the couple said.
His family moved to the Milwaukee suburb of Shorewood from Cleveland, Ohio, when James was 3.
James' mother, Virginia Meisser, discovered that schools in Cleveland wouldn't mainstream her son in the classroom, but they did in Shorewood.
James not only learned to communicate, but he went on to become a defensive lineman on his high school and college football teams.
"I watched the snap and went to whoever was holding the ball," James said.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, James worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. While he worked for the FDIC in Chicago, he met Jeanene, who has worked in the banking industry for 27 years.
Jeanene's side of the family plays an integral part in the name of the bank.
Jeanene's grandfather, Walter H. Vartan, an Armenian immigrant, founded Lake Shore Photo Engraving in Chicago in 1930. That's why the couple chose the name Lake Shore Bank.
James wanted to found a bank, but he wanted to do it in Wisconsin because his father lives in Shorewood and other family members live in Sheboygan County.
"When we started spending a lot more time up here with your golfing and started seeing people and also seeing the economic development that's happening in Sheboygan, we thought this is a perfect place," Jeanene said.
"The future of Sheboygan is promising," James said.
Just as the Meissers were amazed by Sheboygan, Dirk Zylman of the Town of Mosel was impressed with the couple and accepted their invitation to become a member of the bank's board of directors.
"Jim just has a unique story," Zylman said. "A person who has been profoundly deaf since birth, yet made a very successful career at the FDIC and now is going to take it to the next step."
While the bank will serve the entire community, offering services to those with disabilities is unique, Zylman said.
"This is a separate little niche that's very intriguing," Zylman said. "There's worldwide, certainly nationwide need for this."
