Press
What’s in a Move? For Patelco Credit Union’s Recent Move to Pleasanton, it’s More Than a Few Boxes
Contact: Maggi Aitkens, Organizational Communications Manager
E-mail: maitkens@patelco.org
Telephone: 925-468-6380
Cell: 612-804-7360
Fax: 925-847-3664
On February 21, 2010, Patelco Credit Union moved its corporate headquarters from an early-1900’s brick building on Second Street in San Francisco to one of the new, ultra modern structures in Pleasanton that was initially built to house the influx of high-tech companies into the area prior to the economic downturn.
The move for Patelco represents far more than just shiny new offices for 180 of the company’s 540 employees. In many ways, it reflects Patelco’s strong commitment to do more for its members, not only to earn their business, but to earn—and in many cases, maintain—their trust.
“Of our 41 branches and 270,000 members, approximately 40 percent of our California members reside in the East Bay area, and it’s important that we commit our resources, volunteer activities, and even employment opportunities to the communities where our members live,” said Patelco Chief Operating Officer Carol Highton. “As a non-profit banking institution, our focus has and always will be on the members we serve, and that includes making solid contributions to their communities. It’s just another—and very important—way of defining what we mean when we say we believe in ‘community’ banking.”
On another front, Patelco has used the move to its new, ultra modern, mostly glass office building to catapult itself into the future, technologically speaking. To date, the company has a network of 28,000 ATMs, making it one of the top among both credit unions and banks in California when it comes to ATM access. Online banking; automated bill pay, and numerous back-end technological upgrades are also adding to the mix of new and better products for members, improved accessibility, and simplicity of use.
“We’ve spent a great deal of time this year listening to both our members and potential members to learn what matters most to them,” said Patelco’s Vice President of Marketing Alison Jones, who recently helped launched a new campaign for Patelco that breaks from the credit union’s more traditional look and feel. “Much of what they want centers around technology, which we will continue to improve to enhance the ease and scope of what we offer.
“Nonetheless,” continued Jones, “there are a few, more traditional traits that our members said they really value about us, and those will never change – namely, our focus on service, our involvement in their communities, our sense of integrity, and our strong social values. Those traits will never change, no matter where we go.”