Age: 31.
Job title/occupation/place of employment: President and CEO Benton (Wis.) State Bank.
Volunteer activities: St. Joseph parish council and finance council.
Education: Bachelor of Science from Winona State University in finance and economics. Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Family: Wife, Kate; children, Clare and Juliana.
Person most inspirational to me and why: My father. He, along with his brothers, owned and ran a successful business for more than 40 years, but he always put me and our family first.
Favorite thing to do outside of work: Spending time in the outdoors with my family — hiking, camping and hunting.
One word to describe me: Resilient.
What’s one thing that most people would be surprised to know about you: My favorite TV show is “The Chosen.”
Greatest fear: Not taking advantage of the time we have on earth.
What’s the one thing you are most passionate about in your life: Faith and conservation: Raising my children to be good stewards of the earth.
Scott Freiburger, President/CEO, Benton State Bank
Providing financing for people to make their dreams come true motivates Scott Freiburger.
“To help neighbors in our local communities realize their dream of home or business ownership is very rewarding to me,” Freiburger said.
Freiburger began his banking career at First National Bank of Omaha, Neb., which is where he and his wife lived while she was in graduate school.
Five years ago, he joined Benton (Wis.) State Bank and in March 2022 at age 31, was named president/CEO succeeding Steve Malone who had been in the position for 25 years.
His responsibilities at the 128-year-old community bank include overseeing the direction of the organization, managing overall operations and working with the board of directors to provide value to shareholders and customers.
Freiburger will lead Benton State Bank into its next chapter as it recently was acquired by Madison-based Thompson Kane & Co. with the closing expected later this year. The bank provides services in Benton, Shullsburg and Potosi.
David Bennett, Benton State Bank commercial loan officer, nominated Freiburger for Rising Stars and said “Scott sets the standard for all of us here at the bank and we look to him for his leadership qualities and know he will always be fair with his decision making. He always keeps the employees and customers best interests at heart. In working his way up to being named president/CEO of the Benton State Bank at age 31, if Scott isn’t a Rising Star, I don’t know one.”
Freiburger was a classmate of Bennett’s daughter and the two men have known each other for years.
“He has always been one of the most kind and caring people I know. All of the employees here at the bank know that he will always ‘have our backs,’ Bennett said.
“I enjoy working with our great staff and creating a welcoming, friendly and family-oriented culture,” Freiburger said. “I have been blessed to be surrounded by wonderful people and mentors who have and continue to share advice and help me along the way.”
Freiburger just completed the Graduate School of Banking program at the UW-Madison. He’s active in his church, St. Joseph’s Parish in Southwest Wisconsin where he serves on the parish council, finance council and has been a parish trustee since 2018. Freiburger has been on the board of Cole Acres Country Club since 2018.