Meet the Locals: Latham Hetland  

By Heather Rule

Latham Hetland grew up in New York Mills, but it was a college assignment at Minnesota State University Moorhead that brought him back to the area.

Though Hetland was happy in Moorhead, he came back to New York Mills for a weekend and happened to be working on an assignment for a business communication class. He needed to write a resume and cover letter for a job that he was potentially interested in. He chose a job opening listed in the newspaper for a position at the local bank.

Satisfied with the resume he wrote, Hetland decided to submit it to Farmers & Merchants State Bank. He ended up getting the job and moved back to New York Mills, where he finished his college degree online.

“I didn’t really know anything about (banking), and then I just sort of fell into it, I guess,” Hetland said.

In addition to his full-time work as a loan officer at the bank, Hetland is the president of the New York Mills Civic & Commerce Association, New York Mills city council member, the chair of the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, past president and Lions member, and owner of the DJ company, Twilight Jams Entertainment.

While it was mainly the job at the bank that brought Hetland back to New York Mills, he’s found a lot of friends and family have also moved back to the area for various reasons. It’s nice to have that network of family and friends all together in the area where they grew up, Hetland said.

What does he love about the area so much? It’s the people and the sentiment that everybody cares about each other and wants to see others succeed.

“People are really invested in what you’re doing,” Hetland said. “That’s super important to me.”

Hetland enjoys seeing the effect he can have on people in the community by helping make decisions that benefit residents’ lives. A lot of the things he’s involved in are focused on growing the community and making the area sustainable.

In his spare time outside of work and involvement, Hetland loves golfing, taking part in various community events and spending time on the lakes.

“Any weekend of the year, there’s something to be doing,” Hetland said. “Any week of the year, there’s something to be doing in our area. If you’re bored, you’re doing something very wrong.”