New Breed of CU CEOs Good for CU Industry

I am writing in response to Mike Welch's column of Sept. 29, "New Breed of CU CEOs Have Come on the Scene." It truly is interesting to see new thoughts and ideas come into the credit union industry as long time credit union CEOs retire and new CEOs (some former bankers, which can be a very good thing) come in with a new thought process to grow our business. After working at L.A. Teachers CU (now The California Credit Union) for nine years, I left in 1979 to work at a service company, which at the time was doing data processing for over 130 savings & loans/thrifts. I witnessed the demise of that industry as the business shrunk to 12 clients. I left the company in 1991 and returned to work in the credit union industry, first with the CO-OP Network, then with the credit union division of eFunds. In early 2003, I was recruited by Wescom Credit Union to assist in building their CUSO, Wescom Resources Group. What I love most about being a part of the credit union industry is working with executive management that wants to grow the business and has the mindset that members want personalized service, increased access through technology, and to be treated with integrity and respect. They also recognize that their own staff members are critical to the success of their credit union. Please keep up the great work, as I truly enjoy reading Credit Union Times and in particular Welch's weekly column as they help the industry avoid the, "that's the way we've always done it", rut. Steve French Director, Sales/Marketing Wescom Resources Group Pasadena, Calif.