Press
New Operations Center for Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union
Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union (AACFCU), established in 1966, recently completed their new Operations Center in Daleville, AL. The 42,500 square foot building was contracted to NewGround, Inc. located in St. Louis, MO. NewGround has been a partner with AACFCU in several of their branch locations including most recently a motor branch in Enterprise, AL and a full service branch in Troy, AL.
The AACFCU has seen significant growth over the last decade and ran out of space keeping all departments from being housed in one location. Employees were scattered among several locations prior to the new building. The new Operations Center houses information services, digital records, human resources, member care, call center, titles, indirect lending, compliance and fraud, marketing, accounting and administrative staff.
During the design phase of the building, several features were important to the Credit Union. First, a functional space allowing for future growth. Next, management thought it was important for employees to learn the history of the founders of the credit union industry. Last, it was also necessary to have a comfortable employee lounge area for meals and breaks, along with a state-of- the-art employee fitness room.
The building will accommodate 150 employees as it is currently configured. There are many well-sized cubicles, offices for managers, storage areas, work rooms and smaller location-specific break rooms for coffee and food storage. Managers were brought in during the building planning process and asked about their department’s needs. It was important to the board of directors, the executive staff and the builders to know this building would serve the needs of the staff for many years to come. This building and the design planning allows for future growth both on the interior of the building as well as the exterior lot. At the back of the property is space for a future branch, when needed. The building also has a drive-thru ATM since it resides in a high traffic area and the branch for this community is a couple of miles away.
Four founders of the credit union movement are honored along a history wall in the executive suite as well as having a conference room named after each of them. Friedrich W. Raiffeisen is considered the founder of the credit union movement. Alphonse Desjardins assisted with the opening of over 150 credit unions, including the first, St. Mary’s Cooperative Credit Association, in New Hampshire. Edward Filene is acknowledged as the father of the United States credit union movement. Roy F. Bergengren was a United States lawyer whose mission was to have laws governing the operation of credit unions established in every area where credit unions existed. This history wall also depicts how the movement has grown over time through a historical timeline and interesting pictures. CUNA was extremely helpful in assisting AACFCU with securing the pictures for the wall and the meeting room plaques.
The lounge area is spacious and well decorated. A sports theme with the top three area college team’s memorabilia is displayed around the room and is complimented by four wide screen televisions. The kitchen is lined with sleek up-to-date microwaves, a large double door refrigerator, ice maker and two dishwashers. Quartz counter tops and a counter top bar to eat your lunch or snack at complete the picture. A breezeway with ceiling fans and outdoor televisions are also available for those nice southern days giving one the chance to sit outside and enjoy fresh air.
The employee fitness room has separate men and women’s locker rooms complete with shower area. The common workout area has three state-of-the-art treadmills with headphone jacks and personal televisions, an elliptical, a stationary bike, two adjustable benches and free weights, two weight stations and two flat screens televisions for employees to watch while exercising. The fitness center is open from 6:30 am until 10:00 pm 7 days per week.
Quality touches have been used to finish the building. The lobby is adorned with a mural that depicts all of our service areas. Helicopters remind one of the home of Army Aviation which is Fort Rucker. The beach shows one of the beauties we see when visiting our branches along the Emerald Coast. The USS Alabama is a landmark for our locations in Mobile, AL. An old antebellum house is a feature of DeFuniak Springs, FL. The Boll Weevil Monument can be seen in Enterprise, AL. The lush, green farm land can be seen throughout our service area along with the replica of a bull which is a landmark in Troy, AL. This is a one-of-a-kind mural that is currently in two of our locations. It causes quite a bit of conversation by all who get the opportunity to see it.
The staff of Army Aviation Center Federal Credit Union is fortunate to have a board of directors and executive management team with the foresight to construct a beautiful location that not only houses all operational departments in place but provides a wonderful workspace. One can see when touring the building the pride the employees take in their departments. The Operations Center will be kept in good shape for many years to come.