Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

Behind the Walls of FirstMerit

Kent State University
Alexandra Dowell

Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

Being employed at FirstMerit Bank has been a part of my schedule for

the past two years of my life. The people I am surrounded by practically
every day of my life have become some of my best friends. The values and
morals of this company are something that I am very proud of and I hope to
carry with me into future endeavors. First Merit has a "You First" attitude
where their customers and their financial needs come before anything else.
The company has been around since the early 1800's and still practices the
original values and codes of conduct to this day. When the opportunity arose
for me to gain internship experience with this company I could not pass it up.
It would give me the chance to see the company from a whole other
perspective, one that I do not get to see every day. In this paper I am going
to talk about my overall experience as an intern with this magnificent
company and how it has shaped my outlook on my future in the
communications field. First, I want to talk about the culture of this company
and what that looks like, through discussing the values of FirstMerit. I will
also touch base on the mission statement, the physical space of the
branches, and where the main headquarters is located and finally the
extracurricular activities that come with being a part of this company's team.
Second, I will talk about the hierarchal structure of the company and how
this affects the employees, in a positive and sometimes negative way. Third,
I will address my unique role as an intern in the communications department
and what my part did for the company over all. And fourthly, I will talk about
the valuable skills that I gained through this wonderful experience.
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Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

FirstMerit has a distinctive culture for its employees, both inside the
branches and inside the divisions at corporate. The atmosphere is fun and
relaxing, but at the same time everyone is capable of getting their jobs done.
The culture within FirstMerit can be described as a root metaphor. This
means that FirstMerits culture is something that the organization is. This
perspective treats culture as the process of sense-making created and
sustained through communication and interaction (Modaff). I think what best
demonstrates this is FirstMerits mission statement and their values. Their
mission is as follows, "To improve and preserve the financial well-being of our
customers, shareholders and the communities we serve." This "you first"
attitude is exuded in the branches as well as in the corporate buildings.
Every employee is caring and wants to help the customer and their coworkers any way that they can. This is an important quality to have in a
company; team work most certainly does make the dream work. The vision
and values of FirstMerit also help to embed what FirstMerit's culture looks
like. FirstMerits vision states, "FirstMerit will make a fundamental difference
in the local communities we serve by meeting their financial needs through a
combination of products, services and strong, genuine relationships." When
you walk into a branch this is exactly the type of service you receive, you're
greeted warmly and treated like an old friend by the tellers and bankers. The
branch is set up so that when a customer walks in the first person they see is
a teller, of who greets them with a sincere welcome and a smile. During my
internship, I would accompany Raquel, the branch manager and my
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Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

internship supervisor, on sales pitches and business drop-ins. Throughout

these visits, I learned that the type of communication you want to use with
potential clients is friendly, inviting and to remember to have complete openmindedness. This culture that FirstMerit has created is displayed by their
employees on a daily bases and it is what makes the company so successful.
The values of this company reflect the culture just as much as the
mission statement and atmosphere of the company do. The values are
broken down into five words that represent how FirstMerits employees carry
themselves. The first word is Exceptional. This means that their employees
approach every interaction as an opportunity to be exceptional. Whether that
be a teller doing a transaction on the line or being an intern and helping to
redesign a credit card brochure. The next word is transparent, meaning they
listen, they value different points of view and embrace transparency. This
could look like a team working together and making sure everyones opinion
is heard or it could look like a customer explaining why their account is
overdrawn. No matter the situation, FirstMerit listens and takes into
consideration what you, the customer, has to say. FirstMerit is also
responsive because we are driven to respond with urgency. If there is a
problem we will address it right away. We also have continuous
improvement, where we are always looking for ways to better ourselves and
the company. Finally, we have empowerment and accountability, because
that is what FirstMerit strives for. An environment of empowerment with
accountability. FirstMerit trains their employees to perform at the best of
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Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

their ability, we give them the power to be knowledgeable in their craft, but
at the same time they are held accountable for that. To conclude the values
of FirstMerit, we have a "you first" pledge, where we pledge to put our
customers, communities and each other first in everything that we do. These
core values bring the FirstMerit family so close together that we are
considered a sub culture. A sub culture that shares one common goal of
success.
Something else that FirstMerit makes sure our company is known for is
giving back to the community. As an intern and an employee, there are
multiple opportunities for you to participate in charitable work within the
surrounding communities. Through my internship I was able to go with
Raquel to teach and help children understand banking in further detail with
the Junior League. There are also other ways that FirstMerit gives back to the
community, such as our treat truck that sits on the corner at town festivals
and FirstMerit parking lots. This trucks distributes hot chocolate and cookies
in the colder months and popsicles and ice cream treats in the warmer
months. This is an activity that is free to the community and is brought to
them from the kindness of FirstMerits heart. This continues to demonstrate
the message FirstMerit is trying to portray and reflects the culture of the
company in a positive way.
The structure of the management in FirstMerit is very traditional. The
highest position is the president, which is currently Paul Grieg. The positions

Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

of management stem down from there. This is how the corporate levels
work, marketing departments, communications departments and various
others. In the branches, there is a similar structure, but it is closer to a team
base function. Overall the structure of how FirstMerit works can be compared
to the metaphor of the machine. We can be viewed as if we are a machine;
managerial principles, modes of operations, treatment of workers and
communication organization all come together be successful (Modaff). If one
area is not working correctly, then we all fall short. Our order of operation is
very predictable, FirstMerit markets their products through advertising and
public relations. Customers then come into the branches, where we market
to them and encourage them to open accounts and take out loans. If a
person falls short in their area of expertise the machine cannot run.
Another part of the machine that is important is the leadership. During
my internship I was supervised by Raquel Raderchak. She is the manager of
the branch that I collaborated communications for. She is also my boss on a
regular basis. Raquel runs her branch very smoothly, she has trust in her
employees, while her employees also have trust in her. She allows for
flexibility and understanding with her employees schedules and is always
encouraging in times of need. This creates a traditional and charismatic type
of authority (Modaff). Each person that has worked under Raquel, since I
have been with her, establishes a friendship with her that makes them want
to be loyal. We all hate to disappoint Raquel and it makes us work just that
much harder. We all have trust in her decisions because she has
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Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

demonstrated to us that she has the skills and the knowledge to do what
right for our branch. She is a great figurehead for what FirstMerit's culture
and values stand for, for this specific branch.
Many of the higher ups and management of FirstMerit are vital to the
functioning of the corporation, but the lower level positions, like interns, play
a sizable role as well. In the branch the communications role is extremely
important, between Raquel and the staff, between co-workers, and most
importantly between the staff and the customers. In order to make this
process run more smoothly I was assigned projects that would allow
communication to flow more easily throughout the branch.
I wrote newsletters that allowed for better communication between
Raquel and the teller line. The newsletters included what is happening with
FirstMerit that month at the corporate level, the goals of the branch for that
month, when meetings and training sessions would be and the theme and
date of the next Super Saturday. The newsletters were distributed by the first
Monday of every month, giving each employee efficient time to read and
become educated on what to do and expect for that month.
My job was also to address the communication between the customers,
Raquel, and the teller line. More specifically, plan all of our super Saturdays.
Super Saturdays are when the branch celebrates the customer and tries to
promote FirstMerits products more so than usual. For example, on our first
super Saturday, back in January, we introduced the tagline "New year, new
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you! How can FirstMerit better your financial status?" And we had the tellers
give out candies to the customers as well as were candy pins and necklaces
to help intrigue the customer. Our team also raffled off a candy basket that
the customers could enter to win by filling out a credit card application. The
customers really enjoyed the different type of interaction with the tellers and
the candy gave Raquel a great opening into selling products to the
customers who would benefit from them. In the month of March, our Super
Saturday was centered on St Patricks Day. We had gold colored candy for the
customers and I wrote sales slogans like, "How can FirstMerit make the pot at
the end of your rainbow fuller?" Our tellers had a blast and the humor
helped us to build stronger, more durable relationships with our customers.
Among other various projects and communication tasks that I did for
the Belden Village branch, the biggest success that I feel I brought to the
table during my internship is bringing light to the fact that branches are
more successful when there is a higher level of communication.
Communication is a vital part of a company; without it the company, store,
restaurant, or branch will not be on their A game. Communication helps to
send the message to the rest of the workers, helps to get points across and
set an example for how situations should be handled within the company.
This opportunity gave me the chance to see what is behind the walls of
FirstMerit and what makes the exterior view look so clean and crisp. How
marketing, communications and public relations are all intertwined. They all
need each other to make the finished project shine. And most importantly,
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Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

that the umbrella of communications is what makes teams and organizations

come together and work the way that they should. FirstMerit has taught me
that communications helps you to exemplify the image you wish to put out
into the world, and that is something I will carry with me in my personal life
and most importantly my professional life.

Running Head: BEHIND THE WALLS OF FIRSTMERIT

Works Cited
Modaff, Daniel P. Organizational Communications: Foundations, Challenges
and

Misunderstandings. 2nd ed. New York, New York: Pearson: Allyn and

Bacon, 2008. Print.

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