Eric Skovgard

Host of Fintech Firsthand

In 1994 I was studying Finance at the University of Northern Iowa and needed an internship before graduating. I went to the placement office and picked a posting at a bank I’d never heard of in Reinbeck, Iowa, Lincoln Savings Bank. That internship turned into a 28-year career of building and innovating. The bank grew from $70 million and three locations to $1.8 billion in assets, 17 locations, millions of customers and more than 400 employee-owners.

Our team was one of the first to offer Banking as a Service (BAAS) to Fintech partners, we established the LSB Foundation to deepen our investments in our communities, and we breathed life into a dilapidated John Deere tractor facility - transforming it into a collaborative work environment to serve as our headquarters.

I’ve learned my fair share of lessons over the last three decades. The path wasn’t always easy and there were plenty of roadblocks along the way. I’m far wiser than that young intern driving down a country road from Cedar Falls to Reinbeck. But like that college senior, I still believe my story has just begun. My passion is to inspire and motivate teams to produce amazing results. I look forward to building, growing and leading the next team of great people and amazing businesses.

Eric Skovgard has hosted three Episodes.