Keeping it Local: How NICC Launched Roger Huinker’s 50-Year Banking Career

As Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) celebrates its 60th anniversary, it honors the stories of alumni who built successful careers right here in the community. For 1972 graduate Roger Huinker, NICC was the launchpad for a remarkable local banking career that spanned exactly 50 years and five days.

The Perfect Fit at the Perfect Time

Growing up on a small family farm south of Cresco, Roger's plans were shaped by necessity. When his father was injured, Roger needed an affordable, high-quality college option close to home so he could continue helping out on the farm. The Calmar campus, located just 15 miles away, had an Accounting Specialist program that caught his attention. Having enjoyed the "numbers game" in high school, Roger enrolled in the fall of 1971.

At the time, the College was just four years old and known as Area One Vocational-Technical School. The campus was much smaller, centered around the Max Clark Hall. Roger spent his days juggling accounting classes and chores on the family farm. But he always made time for the College basketball team, where he built lifelong memories alongside his childhood neighbor and lifelong friend, Lynn McCormick.

"We had a winning season," he says. "It was a lot of fun. I'm really pleased that the NICC has begun to offer more sports again."

Today, Roger still knows exactly where to find his 1971 and 1972 NICC yearbooks, preserving the black-and-white snapshots of those winning seasons and the early days of the College.

A Half-Century in Community Banking

Roger's career began before he even walked across the graduation stage. Between his first and second years, influential accounting instructor Bill Wermers helped connect him with an internship at Decorah State Bank. That summer stint seamlessly transformed into a part-time job during his second year, where Roger balanced his studies with working weekends at the drive-in bank. Upon graduation in 1972, he joined the bank full-time.

"It was a great because I had the opportunity to learn from the ground floor in the bookkeeping department first. Then I advanced into the financial side of the bank. And I was in that area of transition into computers. Back in '72, we got our first calculator," Roger notes. "I got to experience a real transformation of technology."

Roger went on to spend 32 years at that first institution, guiding the bookkeeping and financial departments through an era of massive technological transformation. Over the decades, he rose through the ranks from bookkeeping to cashier, eventually advancing into the investment and trust divisions.

Roger later crossed the street to join Decorah Bank & Trust. He spent another 18 years there as a trust officer, helping local families navigate estate planning before retiring in May 2021.

Giving Back and Staying Home

Roger's relationship with NICC didn't end when he received his diploma. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he returned to the Calmar campus as an adjunct instructor, teaching adult education and leading "Principles of Banking" courses for new bank employees across Northeast Iowa. He's also stayed connected to the College through annual alumni golf tournaments over the decades. Roger also spoke at a NICC commencement ceremony in 2006 and was an inaugural member of the NICC Alumni Hall of Fame in 2007.

When reflecting on what NICC means to the region, Roger points to its affordability, accessibility and the vital technical skills it provides to students who want to build a life in the area.

Today, Roger is proud to still call Northeast Iowa home as he enjoys a well-deserved retirement in Decorah. Looking back on his journey for the college's 60th anniversary milestone, he credits his start to the foundation he built decades ago. Because of NICC, he was able to successfully pursue a career in banking that he truly loved, serve his neighbors and remain rooted in the community he always cherished.

"Because of the College, I went on to have a successful career in banking, which I truly love," Roger says. "And I had the opportunity to stay local. I have always appreciated that very much."