Brian Schumacher has already hit the ground running.

Bell’s new market president and wealth management director in Grand Forks, N.D., Brian is leading the bank’s expansion efforts in the northern Red River Valley. A native of Thompson, N.D., and a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., Brian joined Bell from Alerus, where he most recently served as director of consumer banking and wealth management.

Over the next few months, Brian will be building out Bell’s banking team in Grand Forks, which will initially be based in the current Bell Insurance building. Construction will begin later this spring on a new flagship location that will house the Grand Forks retail and commercial banking, insurance, wealth management and mortgage teams, with an anticipated completion date of mid-to-late 2026.

We recently caught up with Brian, who shared why he joined Bell, what he’s looking forward to in the next few months, and why every Bell client should be excited about our growth and expansion in the Grand Forks market.

What made you interested in joining Bell?

There were a few reasons that made this an exciting opportunity for me. First, as a North Dakota native, Bell’s commitment to this state was a huge factor for me. Second, Bell has a reputation for taking care of both its employees and its customers, and a tremendous culture like that is something I want to be part of.

Finally, I’m excited about the opportunity to lead Bell’s expansion in this area. Grand Forks is a $4 billion deposit market, and there will be a huge potential for collaboration among Bell’s different business lines, from wealth management to private banking to insurance, to help serve the needs of our clients. Having Bell Insurance already in Grand Forks is a huge advantage, as the significant commercial and personal relationships they’ve built will provide fuel for our growth and expansion.

What are you looking forward to over the next few months?

When you’re just getting started in a new market like this, you’re playing offense on the field all day, to use a football analogy. So, from both a client and talent perspective, I’m excited to spend each and every day out in our communities here, connecting with and building my network and finding opportunities to help us grow.

Fortunately, as I mentioned, we’re not completely starting from square one – Bell Insurance’s presence here certainly gives us a head start. That team is already out connecting with folks in the community every day. We opened our doors in the Bell Insurance building in early January, and it’s been awesome to hear about our community’s interest in what we’re doing. We’re going to build on that and keep the momentum going.

What does this expansion mean for current Bell clients?

I hope that clients see this expansion as more than just what’s happening in Grand Forks. What I mean is, this expansion represents Bell’s commitment to growth and to making long-term investments in both the wealth management and banking business.

As we grow and expand, we’ll be able to improve our products and technology offerings, and we’ll be able to hire additional skilled professionals to help us serve our clients. All of this will help enhance the experience for every single client, and I think that’s an exciting thing.

This article was published in the Q1 2025 issue of the Bell Wealth newsletter.