Team Members, Clients, & Communities

Bridgewater’s unconventional corporate culture is driven by the entrepreneurial spirit our people demonstrate every day. This culture has become a true differentiator for how we attract and retain talent, provide responsive service for our clients and support our communities.

Even in a highly competitive job market, our continued focus on people, culture, and growth enables us to attract and retain strong talent. As of December 31, 2025, the team grew to 322 full-time equivalent employees, (11% increase year-over-year) reflecting continued, organic growth following the successful integration of First Minnetonka City Bank in 2024.

Our people remain at the heart of everything we do. Building on our collaboration-focused culture, we are intentional about fostering a supportive, engaging, and inclusive work environment where individuals are encouraged to develop, grow, and connect, regardless of role or location. This focus on how we work together continues to strengthen engagement, collaboration, and long-term retention.

By investing in our teams and the employee experience, we remain well positioned for continued success.

Our commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture has been recognized externally, including honors as a “Top Workplace” by the Star Tribune and a “Best Bank to Work For” by American Banker.

Team Member Development

As an entrepreneurial bank, our environment encourages team members to expand their capabilities, take on new challenges, and grow alongside the business. To support this dynamic environment, we are intentional about investing in learning, development, and career growth opportunities that enable individuals and leaders to build skills, expand capabilities, and progress in their careers.

In 2025, Bridgewater implemented a new Learning Management System, Absorb, to strengthen and scale development opportunities across the organization. The platform supports both individual contributors and leaders through structured learning pathways aligned to role expectations and career development, as well as on-demand access to required and elective learning. We also expanded the use of external training partners to deliver targeted, role-specific learning experiences that address evolving business and leadership needs.

Developing talent from within remains a key component of our people strategy. In 2025, 102 team members were promoted into next-level roles and/or leadership positions, representing approximately 32% of our workforce. This internal mobility supports continued growth, strong performance, and the development of sustainable succession pipelines across the organization.

We continue to support early-career talent through our internship program. In 2025, 15 interns participated in the program, gaining hands-on experience by working alongside team members across the organization. The program continues to serve as a meaningful talent pipeline, with 12 current team members having previously participated as interns.

Bridgewater also maintains a Mentorship Committee that provides opportunities for team members to receive professional guidance, build leadership capabilities, and learn from colleagues outside of their immediate teams.

Through these investments in learning, development, and internal advancement, we continue to strengthen our talent pipeline while supporting long-term organizational growth and succession planning.

Compensation and Benefits

At Bridgewater, we believe fair and competitive pay is foundational to supporting our people, their growth, and the work they do every day, recognizing the importance of equitable compensation in fostering an inclusive and thriving workplace. We are focused on aligning team member compensation with both the performance of the bank and individual contributions. One way we do this is through annual discretionary bonus opportunities available to all team members, regardless of level, in addition to a competitive benefits package that includes comprehensive healthcare (medical, dental, and vision), employer HSA contributions, company-paid life insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, 401(k) matching, a gym stipend, and programs that support overall well-being.

In support of fairness, clarity, and trust, we have also rolled out pay transparency training, reinforcing our compensation philosophy, how pay decisions are made, and how roles are benchmarked within the organization. This investment reflects our commitment to open, informed conversations about compensation and career growth.

We also acknowledge and celebrate a diverse range of holidays to support a workplace culture that embraces inclusion and respects the varied traditions of our team members. The following are considered Bridgewater Bank holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Presidents' Day
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Indigenous Peoples' Day
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas Day

Well Being at Bridgewater

In 2025, Bridgewater continued its commitment to overall wellness, intentionally supporting physical, mental, and financial well-being to help team members thrive at work and beyond. This work is jointly supported by Human Resources and the Health & Wellness Committee, ensuring alignment between day-to-day programming and broader talent, benefits, and culture priorities.

Through this partnership, Bridgewater offered a range of well-being initiatives supporting physical, mental, and social health, including pickleball, a blood drive, a healthy cooking class, the annual step challenge, and monthly healthy recipe sharing. These programs are designed to encourage sustainable habits while fostering a strong sense of community across the organization.

Building on this foundation, Bridgewater hosted an enhanced Wellness Week that emphasized individualized well-being, encouraging team members to engage in activities aligned with their personal needs, whether through physical movement, mindfulness, rest, or reflection. Additional programming included a wellness speaker focused on navigating stress and supporting colleagues in the workplace, as well as the third annual Health & Holidays event, offering a moment of relaxation with therapy pups from a local animal shelter.

In 2025, Bridgewater further expanded its definition of well-being to include financial wellness as a key component of its overall approach to supporting team members. In partnership with HR, the organization introduced 401(k) educational sessions tailored to key career and life milestones, supporting team members in building financial confidence from early career through retirement planning.

Complementing these efforts, Bridgewater’s hybrid working model continues to provide flexibility for most team members while reinforcing the value of in-person collaboration and culture. Together, these initiatives reflect a cohesive, enterprise-wide commitment to supporting the whole person and enabling long-term individual and organizational success.

Team Building Initiatives

Team building and networking is another focus of our culture as deepening relationships help create a more positive work environment. One way we do this is through frequent team member social events, including the following:

• All-team meetings
• All-team training days
• Summer happy hours
• Family Day
• Holiday party
• Take Your Child to Work Day
• Individual department outings

Employee Engagement

Ongoing employee feedback is a critical way for Bridgewater to understand what is working well and where there are opportunities to improve the team member experience. In 2025, Bridgewater evolved its approach by implementing pulse surveys throughout the year, allowing us to track employee sentiment in real time rather than relying on a single, annual engagement survey.

To further deepen understanding, Bridgewater also hosted listening sessions to provide team members with a forum to discuss themes emerging from the survey results, share context, and offer ideas and perspectives that may not be fully captured through survey data alone.

This combination of ongoing pulse surveys and listening sessions creates a more continuous and meaningful feedback loop, enabling Bridgewater to be responsive to both quantitative trends and qualitative insights.

Human Rights Policy

In 2024, Bridgewater adopted a Human Rights Policy that formalizes our commitment to upholding fundamental human rights and fostering an ethical, inclusive organizational culture. The policy affirms that Bridgewater does not engage in, support, or tolerate forced labor, exploited labor, or human trafficking in any form, and reflects our alignment with the principles outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Together with our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Policy, also adopted in 2024, these commitments reinforce Bridgewater’s dedication to a workplace that respects, values, and supports all team members.

Bridgewater also continues to receive recognition for the unconventional and responsive level of service we provide to our clients. In 2025, we were recognized by both Twin Cities Business and Finance & Commerce.

• Twin Cities Business – Business Bank (Silver) / Commercial Lender (Silver)

• Finance & Commerce Reader Rankings – Best Business Bank (Finalist) / Best Small Business Banking (Finalist) / Best Commercial Mortgage Lender (Finalist)