COMMANDER RICK WIERSGALLA

I was born in Milwaukee Wisconsin and was the 3rd of 4 boys.  At an early age my parents moved back to their hometown of Browerville.  I am married to my wife Kate for 51 years - have two daughters Jill and Jody and three grandchildren Kailyn, Kyle and Taylor. We moved to Brainerd in 1979 and Baxter in 1983.  I was in the Army from May 1971 and honorably discharged May 1973.  My military duty was finance specialist while stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. After military service I worked at a finance company for five and a half years prior to entering banking.  I started at Brainerd National Bank (now known as Unity Bank) in September 1979 and remained with the same group until my first retirement December 2016.  Sixteen months later I was asked to go to Polson Montana to assist merging that bank into the Unity Bank group of banks.  Two years later I again retired.  I currently serve on the Unity Bank's board of directors.