Credit Union Life with a Touch of Gold

by: Michael Downs, VP of Marketing, Momentum

Integrating one’s brand throughout an organization is certainly easier said than done, but credit unions that successfully “live the brand” understand the powerful influence it can have on financial performance, employee productivity, and member satisfaction.  One credit union that fully appreciates this concept is Golden Plains Credit Union in Garden City, Kansas.  With more than $386 million in assets, 54,000 members, and 145 employees, Golden Plains Credit Union is an example of an organization that continues to invest in making sure every aspect of the credit union reflects its brand message, “Life… with a Touch of Gold.”

In early 2010, Golden Plains Credit Union’s Member-President, K. Erich Schaefer recognized that the organization needed to improve its operations facility to gain greater efficiencies, improve member service, and enhance employee well-being.  He also recognized that all of this needed to be done in a way that reflected and reinforced Golden Plains Credit Union’s brand identity in the community.  He assembled an executive team to evaluate vendors that could not only capture the essence of their culture, but also deliver results on time and on budget.  It was important that the new facility provide functional benefits, and that it also sufficiently reflected the important role that Golden Plains Credit Union plays in the community of Garden City.

“We completed our new brand “look and feel” during the construction,” Schaefer said.  “Incorporating our brand into our new building and our existing branches added energy to the project.”

Over the subsequent months, the executive team at Golden Plains Credit Union worked very closely with their design-build partner Momentum, to fine tune every detail of the new facility.  Every aspect of the building was carefully thought out.  At the end of the initial brainstorming phase, Momentum had sketched a building that the team knew would be a good fit for Golden Plains.  The new building design also supported the credit union’s vision.  From furniture systems, to paint colors, to branded coffee makers, no detail was overlooked.  And in the end, that attention to detail paid off.

“Between our GPCU Building Team and the Momentum Staff, we covered every square foot of the new Headquarters,” Schaefer said.  “Every detail is designed to help us better serve our members.”

In March, Golden Plains Credit Union held the grand opening ceremony for its new headquarters.  The 48,757 square foot, two-story building provides a complete array of financial services, including: 10 drive-thru lanes with 2 ATM’s, a call center, a member coffee café, a large training facility, and 6 teller dialogue stations.  In the lobby, there is a coffee café as well as digital marketing messages. The lobby provides more of a retail look than the traditional financial institution.  The building also features an employee fitness center, which the Board and Building Team believes will support the overall health and wellness of employees.

The investment Schaefer and the Golden Plains Credit Union team made has already begun to pay dividends.   The volume of daily traffic in the branch has increased above their expectations, and employees love coming to work in such a beautiful and comfortable setting.  The response of members has been positive and the entire community of Garden City seems genuinely proud of such a stunning facility.  In many ways, Golden Plains Credit Union has added a touch of gold to everyone’s life.

Michael Downs is the Vice President of Marketing at Momentum, a national design-build firm.  Mr. Downs and the Momentum team work with Credit Unions to facilitate strategic planning, evaluate facilities growth needs, and implement systems for ongoing measurement and benchmarking. Mr. Downs holds both a Bachelors and Masters of Business Administration, completed the ABA School of Bank Marketing at Southern Methodist University, and has more than twelve years of experience working with clients on strategic planning and marketing.  Learn more at www.momentumbuilds.com or connect at www.twitter.com/plandesignbuild