Star Bank Chair and CEO Harry Wahlquist passed away
by Jacqueline Nasseff Hilgert
Harold G. “Harry” Wahlquist, chair and CEO of Star Bank, Maple Lake, passed away July 19, 2024, after an approximately year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Wahlquist, whose career in banking began in 1960, was 85.
He was born in Minneapolis and lived most of his adult life in Edina. He became a community banker through the 1990 acquisition of First National Bank of Bertha-Verndale.
Wahlquist continued to acquire banks in small-town western Minnesota through the 1990s. In 2000, he rebranded his banks to Star Bank. Wahlquist continued to grow his banking franchise by acquisition—even after his cancer diagnosis.
Today, Star Bank operates 11 branches throughout Greater Minnesota and the suburban Twin Cities and has approximately $430 million in assets.
The day before Wahlquist passed, Star Bank announced his daughter, Katie Wahlquist, would serve as president and chief strategy officer, and his son, Andy Wahlquist, would serve as executive vice president and chief operations officer. Both joined the bank in 2010. Wahlquist’s other sons, Kip and Charlie, serve the bank as directors.
Wahlquist’s wife of 60-plus years, Maryalice, preceded him in death in December 2023....
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