Whitefish Credit Union Says ‘Goodbye’ to Doug Hetrick After 29 Years

Contact:
Sue Schenck, WCU Business Development Director
(406) 862-3525
whitefishcu.com

WHITEFISH, Mont., October 12, 2011 – Whitefish Credit Union (WCU) would like to announce the retirement of Doug Hetrick, one of the Credit Union’s longest-serving employees.

Hetrick is leaving WCU after 29 years of outstanding service to the Credit Union and its members. Initially hired as a loan officer, the Whitefish-native worked his way up the ranks to his current position as vice president and branch manager of the Kalispell branch. Hetrick said he’s seen many changes during his nearly three decades with the credit union, and his personal experience has been an overwhelmingly positive one.

“I came to work here on September 20, 1982,” he said. “It was a great day. I had a great job with a good employer at an institution that I absolutely had wholehearted faith in and believed in. Always have and still do. A lot has happened during my time here, but I think the biggest thing is going from a $2 million credit union to a $1.2 billion one.”

Hetrick attributed the Credit Union’s explosive growth to WCU taking care of its members and, in turn, the community at large. He said WCU’s community service and support of clubs and schools are all reasons it will continue to be a community leader and high quality financial institution in the years to come.

The Credit Union won’t be the same with Hetrick no longer there, according to Paul Iversen, WCU’s senior vice president in charge of consumer lending.

“Doug Hetrick is and has been an extremely dedicated individual to country, family and Whitefish Credit Union,” said Iversen. “He is very well liked and respected by fellow employees and the community. At this time in Doug’s life, he needs to spend more time with family and ‘put boots on the ground and a line in the water’. He will be missed, and his shoes will be most difficult to fill in the Kalispell branch. I consider Doug to be a friend, colleague and hero.”

During his tenure with WCU, Hetrick said some of his fondest memories were of the people he worked with. He also enjoyed the opportunity to be creative when helping members with a problem. He called his retirement bittersweet, in a way.

“There are certainly mixed emotions about leaving,” he explained. “I absolutely loved what I was doing and the people I worked with. Still do. I consider everyone there a peer of mine. Everyone there respects and supports each other. We’re family. We have a super organizational structure and fantastic training programs to remain among the best at what we do.”

With his free time, Hetrick has plans to travel with his wife, Cathy, visiting their children and grand children around the country. He also looks forward to performing more community service and playing his baritone horn in the Flathead Valley Community Band, which he’s been a member of for years. Hetrick is the band’s treasurer and librarian.

“I’ve also got about 38 years worth of junk to clean out of my house,” he added with a laugh.

About Whitefish Credit Union:
Whitefish Credit Union is a respected leader in the financial services industry. State chartered in 1934, it has gone on to become the largest credit union in Montana with more than $1 billion in assets. Today, the Whitefish Credit Union manages six branches throughout the state, which serve the financial cooperative’s more than 50,000 members.

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