Mountain American CEO Dames Named CUES 2008 Outstanding Executive

MADISON, Wis. -- Gordon Dames, president/CEO of Mountain American Credit Union in West Jordan, Utah, will be honored by the Credit Union Executives Society as its 2008 CUES outstanding executive.<p>Dames will be honored on Nov. 2 at CUES' annual CEO Network at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas.</p><p>"Gordon Dames is a visionary leader and a long-time champion of the credit union philosophy," said Mark Hawkins, chairman of CUES' board of directors and CEO of Altura Credit Union in Riverside, Calif. "His leadership has been instrumental to the phenomenal success of his credit union, and it is only fitting that he should receive this honor in recognition of his many contributions. This is the first year that nonmembers are invited to attend CEO Network, and I encourage all senior executives to attend this event and join me in celebrating Gordon's achievements."</p><p>Dames has been a chief executive at Mountain American since 1991. He has been a CUES member since 1983 and was named to the CUES Chairman's Roundtable in 2006 by recruiting five CUES members during the year.</p><p>With Dames leading the credit union, Mountain America grew from a struggling institution in 1990, with a $560,000 loss, to a credit union with nearly $2.5 billion in assets today. Mountain America's most recent annual report showed that 2007 was the credit union's 16th consecutive successful year. In 2007, member savings increased by $200 million, membership increased by 26,000 and 13,400 small businesses used the credit union for financial services.</p><p>--lsiegriest@cutimes.com</p>