Jim Hartlieb will tell you that some of the most important keys to success in his career require no special talent: discipline, hustle, reliability, and responsiveness. For Hartlieb, who has spent more than 30 years in commercial banking and now serves as President & CEO of First Business Bank, that's a disarmingly simple answer. He'd be the first to acknowledge it. "It's simple," he said of the way First Business Bank works with clients and builds its culture. "But it's not easy."
Behind that simplicity is a story that starts long before his career in banking. It traces back to a small town in Illinois, four competitive brothers, and a legendary college football coach who knew exactly what he was doing.
Growing Up In Woodstock, Illinois
Hartlieb grew up in Woodstock, Illinois, a town of about 10,000 at the time, just south of the Wisconsin border. It was a classic small-town upbringing: a downtown square, tight-knit schools, and a close, supportive family that ran on love, discipline, and high expectations.
Both of Hartlieb’s parents were steady, hardworking people who led by example. His mother was a career kindergarten/grade schoolteacher, and his father was a school administrator who later managed a commercial landscaping company. He describes his mentors as an accumulation of people that he’s encountered throughout his life.
"I’ve been very fortunate to be surrounded by great teammates, colleagues, and leaders — and I’ve learned from all of them," Hartlieb said. The habit of learning from every leader he encounters is one of his most consistent traits.
In school, math came naturally to him, eventually pointing him toward finance. The most memorable education in the early years was more about character: learning what it means to be reliable, trustworthy, and working to be the best you could be.
Four Brothers, Two Universities, One Competitive Backyard
Hartlieb was the third of four brothers, all born within eight years. Competition was naturally built into their home. Growing up, all four sons played the same sports: football, basketball, baseball, and track. The older brothers set the standard the younger ones wanted to live up to.
"We never really talked about it, but they definitely served as a source of motivation — it was always the bar to jump over," he said. "They had a lot of success, so it definitely drove me to be as good as I could be."
After high school, all four Hartlieb sons played Division 1 college football. Three of them, including Jim, played at the University of Iowa, while the fourth played at Wisconsin.
Their parents navigated the complex logistics as best they could, dividing and conquering across multiple games and cities, sometimes the same day. One weekend stands out: the oldest brother, Chuck, a quarterback at Iowa, threw seven touchdowns in a single game at Northwestern, setting a Big Ten record that still stands today. Their parents weren't there — they were at Jim's high school playoff game.
"It was just one of those things," he said with a laugh. "They did the best they could."
That dynamic of brothers who inspired each other, while ultimately pulling in the same direction, helped to shape how Hartlieb thinks about building strong teams today.
Lessons From The Quarterback Position
Hartlieb was a four-year letter winner under legendary coach Hayden Fry, a Marine, psychology major and a big proponent of the value of teamwork: getting the right people on the team, providing proper training to do the job, and demanding high-level execution that creates success and trust amongst the team.
Hartlieb bought into this philosophy. “Banking is similar,” he said. “If everyone on our banking team — from the person preparing the loan documents, to the person processing the deposit receipt, to the client-facing staff — doesn’t execute at a high level, we will likely have a poor client experience, and if you don’t trust your teammate, success is much harder to come by.”
Another Haden Fry philosophy was a bit more unusual. In critical moments, occasionally Fry would call a "check with me," putting full play-calling authority in his quarterback's hands. No play sent in from the sideline. The decision belonged to the quarterback alone.
"He was giving ownership to me as the leader," Hartlieb said. "He knew that if it was my idea, my teammates and I were going to do everything possible to own the result."
He applies that same philosophy at First Business Bank. When strategy shifts or a new direction takes shape, Hartlieb pulls his team into the process early, because people execute best when they help to build the plan.
"If we have input into it, we're going to own that idea,” he said. “You get to a better outcome because we're going to do everything we can to make it successful."
Balancing a Big Ten program with a finance degree also left him with an appreciation for discipline. "If I didn't study, I got a bad grade,” Hartlieb said. “If I didn't study enough film, play calling and execution were poor.” The feedback loop was immediate. That habit of connecting daily effort to long-term outcomes never left him.
Finding His Footing In Madison
After graduating from Iowa with a degree in finance, Hartlieb began building his commercial banking career before landing in Madison in 1998. Before he moved, he'd only ever visited the city to play football or to watch a game. He knew Coach Barry Alvarez, by then a family friend who had recruited both Jim and his brother, and one attorney in town. That was the entirety of his network.
"You have to trust your instincts, have good habits and, although there are rarely immediate results, you have to trust that success will follow,” he said. He built his presence in the Madison market the same way he'd built everything else: one relationship at a time, consistently, over years.
That experience gave him a genuine appreciation for what it takes to grow in a new market. When he thinks about First Business Bank's expansion into Kansas City, he draws on exactly that: the patience, persistence, and process — trust it takes to become known and respected somewhere you're starting from scratch.
Joining A Team Built To Win
Hartlieb joined First Business Bank in 2009, during the Great Financial Crisis. Having competed against the bank for years, he'd come to know its people well and respected them.
When the time came to make a move, First Business Bank was the clear fit: commercially focused, high-caliber, and built around a culture of genuine care for clients and colleagues.
“We didn't really talk about culture back then, but I enjoyed and respected everyone that I met,” Hartlieb said. “Having lost to them so many times, I had a good sense that I was going to be with a team that could win.”
The early years required him to keep proving himself, which he welcomed. He became President in 2015 and President & CEO in 2023, a progression he describes as a natural expansion of responsibility. Reporting to Dave Seiler, President & CEO of First Business Financial Services, Inc., the bank's parent company, Hartlieb oversees First Business Bank's four market locations across Wisconsin and Kansas City, as well as the Private Wealth team. “No one here gets caught up in titles,” he said. “The focus is on what we do, not what we’re called.”
The Accomplishments That Matter The Most
Asked about his notable achievements in nearly two decades at First Business Bank, Hartlieb talks about taking pride in the development and success of others.
"When I think about someone who started at the bank in an entry-level role, and their progression to their current role, that's what I take pride in,” he said. For some, growth has meant stepping into leadership. For others, it's meant deepening their expertise and client impact.
Along with employee development, Hartlieb is proud of the bank's positive momentum, which demonstrates a clear upswing he attributes directly to the people the bank attracts and the culture they work to preserve. New team members who arrive from other banks often pull him aside and ask: "Is it always like this? Are people always so nice and willing to help here?" He finds that “outside” perspective meaningful and a good reminder of the importance of culture.
A Sense Of Responsibility That Goes Beyond the Bank
At this stage of his career, Hartlieb is energized by his responsibility to help lead the bank on a strong upward trajectory through the parent company’s CEO transition. "I feel a responsibility to our employees, clients, and shareholders to continue on the path we're on," he said. "That's not pressure. That's energy."
His community involvement reflects the same sense of purpose. Hartlieb serves on the board of Folds of Honor, has supported WayForward Resources, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, Easter Seals, and Second Harvest Foodbank. In 2025, he began a three-year term on the Wisconsin Bankers Association's Board of Directors. Giving back, he said, has always been core — for him personally and for the bank as an institution.
Outside The Office, The Same Values Still Matter
Hartlieb recharges with golf, exercise, and travel with his wife to see his three kids. He has also stayed quietly present in the lives of a few young people he coached in youth sports years ago who needed someone in their corner.
From a four-boy household in Woodstock to the quarterback position at Iowa to a career helping to build one of the most respected business banks — Jim Hartlieb would tell you his game plan hasn't changed much. Show up. Do your best. Take care of the people around you. Trust the process. The results speak for themselves.
