CUSO launched to help small credit unions think big
Firm works with credit unions under $100mm to transform leadership and lending
CROSS ROADS, TEXAS (August 20, 2018) — Today, a newly formed credit union service organization (CUSO) is opening its doors for business. Originating from Living in Fulfillment Everyday Federal Credit Union (LiFE FCU), CU Evolution seeks to transform the credit union movement. By giving small credit unions (under $100mm) the strategies and tools to provide exceptional member and employee experiences, CU Evolution’s leadership hopes to start “a movement within the movement.”
“Great leaders and great lenders – those are the credit union people who will transform the movement,” said Deke Alexander, CEO of CU Evolution. “Our hands-on, fully customized programs are built to help today’s credit union leaders and lenders go next-level, and fast.”
Alexander will be joined in the C-suite by Howard Bufe, a credit union industry veteran who most recently helped small credit unions grow through his work with the Cornerstone Credit Union League. “The financial services world, especially when it comes to the lender-borrower relationship, is undergoing intense disruption,” said Bufe. “Status quo leadership and lending will not work for most small credit unions. The time to evolve is now.”
CU Evolution is focused on evolving a credit union’s strategic planning, lending, leadership and marketing capabilities. Programs offered by the CUSO are fully customizable, allowing credit unions to choose the areas on which they want to focus. Those areas can be anything from board leadership, succession planning and culture development to logo design, branding guides and custom marketing campaigns. Services for credit unions in need of lending program consultation will include strategic consultation and staff education.
The small credit unions who partner with CU Evolution will be taken through a three-step process coined “Engage. Equip. Evolve.” The Engage phase signifies an assessment period, which is followed by training and consultation to Equip credit union staff with the right tools to meet its strategic objectives. The Evolve phase provides ongoing consultation and support in the form of lending program consultation, training, leadership development and marketing analytics.
Importantly, CU Evolution team members will provide strategy execution, as well. “We’re not writing up a plan and walking away,” said Bufe. “We see CU Evolution as an extension of a credit union’s own staff, as much a part of the implementation as the planning.”
Proven Track Record of Leadership, Lending Success
Alexander, who served as LiFE FCU’s chief lending officer prior to starting CU Evolution, has more than 15 years of credit union and community banking experience. Under his leadership, LiFE FCU’s lending program grew dramatically in nearly every KPI measured, from number of loans and loan-to-share ratio to fee income and loan yield.
“I was put in touch Deke to talk about a loan product our credit union was looking into, but the connection served me in a much broader perspective,” said Jennifer Schueling, CEO of MECO Federal Credit Union. “Deke began advising, teaching and helping me grow as a CEO. Over the past year, he has been the first number I dial any time I’m in need of strategic guidance. The influential employees of CU Evolution and its subsidiaries can make a huge impact in today’s credit union world.”
Bufe also has extensive experience in the space. Following 11 years at Credit Union Resources, Inc., he joined the league. There, he logged another 16 years as a credit union advocate and consultant, providing professional planning, consulting and training services to more than 100 credit unions in the Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas region.
“Each of these experienced credit union pros understands the daily struggles that confront a small credit union,” said Dustin Fuller, LiFE FCU CEO and a CU Evolution board member. “That knowledge, combined with a contagious passion for advancing the credit union movement will be nothing short of transformational. We can’t wait to see the impact CU Evolution has on the industry.
LiFE FCU Board Member Randy Harper agrees and summed up his expectation of CU Evolution’s impact on the small credit union movement in two words: Focus and expansion. “Deke, Howard and their team will develop the strengths inherit to small credit unions, showing them how to focus on what they do best. At the same time, the CU Evolution team will move its credit union clients out of their comfort zones to expand and evolve, better positioning them for long-term success.”
About CU Evolution
In early 2018, CU Evolution evolved from LiFE Federal Credit Union in Denton, Texas. Just a few months later, Family 1st of Texas Federal Credit Union in Fort Worth, Texas, engaged in the credit union service organization (CUSO) as its second owner. The mission of the CUSO is to facilitate strategy and growth of credit unions through a robust menu of resources to ensure the credit union movement continues to evolve and thrive. To learn more, visit cu-evo.com and follow CU Evolution on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
