Sheryl Burns is retiring from Scotia Bank's Winkler Branch after 31 years. Burns was part of the original staff that opened the branch in the Southland Mall the summer of 1985. In that time she's become a part of the fabric of the bank, and a face many customers have looked forward to seeing.

"You get to know the customers by their first name... and they know you," she says.

"Everybody knows Sheryl, she's such a familiar face, and she's helped them in so many ways," Branch Manager Kerri Leroux says. "They're going to miss her so much."

Leroux notes it's important to have long-time employees, for both the customers and fellow staff. "She is our person we can go to, she's been here for a very long time, and has a wealth of knowledge... you can't put a price on that."

In the past three decades the biggest change has been the progression of technology, Burns says, adding at the beginning most of her work was on paper, with only rudimentary computers in the office.

"Technology has really changed the banking system," Burns says. "Right now banking is just awesome, mobile banking, online banking, that's the way it's going."

While she's saw many staff come and go over the years, one other recent retiree had been with her since the beginning as well.

Burns says the thing she will miss the most is the team atmosphere at the branch. "It's a team effort here," she says.