Tracy Schwind’s career path has been a circuitous one that, in part, has been driven by her constant desire to learn and try something new.
From selling cars as a 20-something at the former Lujack’s in Davenport and for a short time in Dallas to her present marketing and human resources roles at Northwest Investment Corp., she has been a trailblazer, a brand specialist and a problem-solver.
“I haven’t had a straight path, I’ve had a lot of positions,” the SVP and chief experience officer told the QCBJ from her Northwest Bank Tower office that overlooks the dealership (now Smart Automotive) that helped launch her career.
At just 15, she was hired to file repair orders by her father Tom Hopkins, Lujack’s service manager, and later added night and weekend switchboard operator duties.
After college and her time in Texas, she returned home and to Lujack’s, where she stayed 22 years before landing at Northwest Bank & Trust in September 2009. Along the way, she filled roles in marketing and public relations, management, human resources, strategic planning and employee engagement and recruitment.
“I didn’t grow up thinking this is what I’m going to do,” she said. “It’s something I fell into, a path I just kept following.”
With the recent sale of the Slavens family’s Northwest Bank, she transitioned to the investment corporation that owns the family’s remaining businesses.
“I love the constant challenge of learning new things, finding new ways to do things,” she said, adding that her latest quest is exploring artificial intelligence (AI).
That trait led her and Lujack’s colleague Debby Stafford back in the 1990s to convince their boss Pete Pohlman to let them job share – decades before it was a workplace norm. Ms. Schwind was finance manager and Ms. Stafford marketing manager.
After the birth of son Ben, Ms. Schwind was filling in just a few days a month. “Debby came to me and said ‘I feel like you’re ready to work more, and I want to work less.’” So they split the marketing job to give each time with their young families. That arrangement lasted nearly a decade until Ms. Schwind’s youngest, Sarah, was in elementary school.
“It was really unusual at that time,” she reminisced. “We had people come to us during that time, and since that time, and say ‘OK, tell us how you made it work.”
That experience was training for navigating future unchartered waters, such as helping shepherd Northwest Bank through the global pandemic from her marketing and HR role. “It was all the little things … And from an HR position it was a lot, a lot, to try to figure it out all at the same time,” she said. “We were able to find ways to keep our staff safe while still being able to serve our customers appropriately. There were a lot of forward-thinking things that we did. It was a good team effort.”
That dedication to helping people sparked Diane Nelson, CEO of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, to nominate her friend. “Tracy is a constant champion for girls in eastern Iowa and western Illinois, navigating challenges and changes throughout our council with the consistent dedication to do what’s best for today’s girls,” Ms. Nelson, a 2024 QCBJ Women of Influence, wrote.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have lots of people like Debby (Stafford) that have been in my life that I’ve learned from,” Ms. Schwind said. “My mom Loxie Hopkins is a big community activist and so I learned a lot from her about the importance of getting involved and being a person who wants to make a difference.”
She also has had the support of her husband Matt Schwind, a managing broker of NAI Ruhl Commercial Co., Bettendorf office.
“I love the opportunity to help if I can, to help somebody work their way through something,” said Ms. Schwind, whose life and career have been filled with such moments.
WORDS OF WISDOM
One of the things I’ve learned as I’ve gone through my career is you have to take time for yourself … There are times you feel like ‘I can be a really good career woman. I can be a really good mom. I can be a really good wife. I can be a really good community member.’ But once you’re doing all that, when do you ever just have time for yourself? There’s just the self-care piece of it.”
Bio:
Childhood hometown: Born in Freeport, Illinois, her family lived in nearby Shannon and Lena before relocating to Davenport.
Residence: Davenport.
Family: Married to Matt Schwind, they are parents of Ben (wife Liz) and Sarah.
Education: Davenport Central High School Class of 1980; attended University of Iowa. Certified Financial Marketing Professional (CFMP) from American Bankers Association, 2021.
