Matt Bradford gives back to community

Matt Bradford grew up in Mantorville and spent a lot of time during the summer riding his bike and fishing at the Mantorville Dam. Since his parents enjoyed camping they did a lot of that on weekends as his dad also really liked to fish. He grew up with two brothers and a sister and two of his siblings still live in the community.
Matt is a 1979 KM grad and while in school he tried a number of different sports but without a lot of success, he said. After his junior year he told his dad he would not be going out for any sports his senior year and his dad promptly “suggested” he apply for a job at the Hubbell House.
Matt started as a busboy and learned to make drinks for the waiters and waitresses to serve their customers before turning 18 and being able to serve the customers himself.
Becoming a banker
Matt attended Rochester Community College for one semester but realized it was not for him. He attended a job fair at Rochester Area Vocational Technical Institute and graduated from their Banking and Finance program in 1981. He served a 30 day internship at the Kasson State Bank and was hired full time by Dick Palmer, the VP of the bank. Matt said he did whatever jobs they assigned him to do starting as a teller and customer service person.  
He later became a full time lender and moved into making consumer, commercial and ag loans. This was also the period of time of really high interest rates when customers could get 5% on Savings accounts, 12 % on their CD rate, and loans might be 17 – 18% interest which almost sounds unbelievable compared to rates now, he said.
Matt was named the bank VP in 2000 and when Dick Palmer passed from cancer in 2004 he was named bank president. His goal was to keep the Kasson bank in good hands that would be available to pass it on to the fifth generation of Palmer’s if that is what they wanted to do. 
Matt feels he has faced some big challenges especially when Dick Palmer passed but working as a team they faced up to the challenge and it continued on. When the Kasson State Bank was sold to Home Federal in 2015 and relocated to the remodeled drive in site that was also a big challenge that was met.   He was not sure how he would be affected when the bank was bought by Home Federal but feels they have treated him very well in the transition. He was offered the position of Market President to oversee operations of Home Federal’s Kasson branch, he said. One of the things that was important with the sale was the bank building on main street would not be sitting empty. They worked with Chris McKern to purchase the building and it has worked out well for both, he said.
Matt said a difference with Home Federal and some of the large national banks is he keeps a personal touch with their customers. He considers himself a character banker as peoples’ character tells him a lot about them. 
When he started, Chuck Palmer, the bank president, told him “if your customer pays back their first loan be ready to give them another when they ask. If they don’t pay it back then don’t give them another one.”   Matt said the key to him for being a good banker is:  Dependability, Availability, Confidentially and Efficient Service.
This year will mark Matt’s 40th in banking and his plans are to continue for another five years. Major changes Matt has seen over the years include technology advancements and increasing banking regulations. While technology allows customers to take care of the majority of their needs outside of the bank, Matt still enjoys getting the opportunity to spend a few minutes in conversation with them.
Raising a special needs child
Matt said he started dating his wife when she was also a KM student. Andrea Hodge and Matt were married in 1981 and will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. Their daughter Kristi was born in 1984. They did not realize it at first but after a couple of years she was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome. It is a genetic disorder that affects normal development appearing in mostly females. Matt said raising a child with a severe handicap has been the most challenging thing they have ever had to do. Being young parents and raising a special needs person can cause a family to go two ways: many times it will break them apart but it really has made them stronger. He has watched with admiration, the love and devotion that Andrea has given their daughter. It has also been very rewarding to him as he said Kristi, without being able to speak a word, has taught him more than anyone who speaks ever could. Kristi was able to stay at home until she was 16 and attended KM schools in their Special Education Department. Matt and Andrea were very complementary of the KM staff as they included Kristi in the things she enjoyed which included music and physical education activities. Kristi then moved to a group home in West Concord for 19 years, where they made a lot of visits and now she is at a new home in Mantorville. It was hard for them to move her to the group home but they also wanted to give their younger daughter a good experience taking part in many athletic activities at KM and college which they really enjoyed attending.   Jennifer is married and a teacher at the Triton school system. She lives near her parents so they get a chance to spoil their granddaughter quite often.
Andrea started her 41st year at Mayo and has worked in several different areas. She has worked a ½ time status for many years and that has worked out well especially when taking care of their daughter at home. She is considering retirement in the next couple of years.
Community Activities
Matt said he enjoys playing golf but said he had never played the game before starting at the bank. Dick Palmer said they would pay for his club membership but when Matt told him he didn’t have any clubs, Dick gave him some. One of the things the Bradford’s have enjoyed has been taking four Rock Legends Cruises, which is a floating rock concert performing music back when they were growing up. Matt said spending quality time with his family members is also a high priority for them. 
Matt has been a member of the KM football sideline “chain gang” for 38 years. Before he started Lyle Rasmussen, Al Hodge, Bob Raddatz and Duke Meyer were the crew for years. When they needed a replacement, his father-in-law, Al Hodge, asked him to join the group. Matt said even though he was not a talented athlete himself, he enjoys attending athletic events and the “chain gang” crew allows him to be close to the action and a chance to see players that he knows or knows their parents. He was recognized in 2018 when named to the KM Hall of Fame for his service to the school district.   
When the city of Kasson started the Festival in the Park, Barb Pike asked him to be a part of the committee and he served as finance chair for 18 years until he felt it was time for someone else to take over that role. He is the current treasurer for the Kasson Chamber of Commerce. Matt has been the auction clerk for over 30 years for the Annual Care and Share Project that has been held in several different locations over the years.    
In 2008 he was named the Kasson Business Person of the year. He was a member of the Kasson Mayo Patient Advisory Board plus several other boards and committees through the years. He served a six year term as a member of the ARC SE MN Board of Directors which provided advocacy to individuals with disabilities and their families. The Bradford’s have talked to many families that are dealing with special needs children to share their experiences and help with any advice.
Matt feels he has really been blessed to have been given the opportunity to advance his career as a small town community banker. He really enjoys helping his clients with their  financial needs while staying active within the community.
 
 
Image: Matt Bradford is a Mantorville native who has gone on to oversee operations at Kasson Home Federal.