TAMPA, Fla. — In a new twist to spreading the word about creditunions, Tampa Bay locals were recently invited to “discover thedifference” at the first Credit Union Expo.

Sponsored by the Tampa Chapter of Credit Unions, the expo,though planned months before the financial crisis made headlines,was created to not only promote credit union services but alsotheir financial stability.

According to chapter execs, the timing could not have beenbetter considering the credit union industry has drawn nationalmedia attention from Time magazine and The Wall Street Journal, aswell as cable news networks like CNN. To organizers, the exposerved as a way to further capitalize on the current wave of mediaattention.

To promote the event, full-page ads, which appeared in majorTampa Bay area newspapers, asked: “With all the bad news about bankfailures and the volatility in the stock markets, is there any goodfinancial news?” The question was followed by an emphatic: “Yes, atyour local community credit union.”

Discover the difference was the theme of the Credit Union Expo,and throughout the day-long event, a few hundred people came out tosee just what credit unions had to offer. The event featured boothsfrom the participating credit unions and free seminars on suchtopics of interest as home and car buying, managing credit wiselyand retirement planning.

Dave Andreychuk, former captain of the NHL's Tampa BayLightning, opened the expo by speaking of community and teamwork asthe very values that form the foundation of the credit unionphilosophy. Several credit union CEOs were also on hand andpresented donations in support of local charities.

“That's really what we're all about,” said Sharmon Goins,president of the Tampa Bay Chapter of CUs. “Credit unions simplycome down to people. We're local, we live and work in thecommunities we serve, and we put the interests of our members firstbecause we're accountable to them.”

She added that beyond providing an alternative, consumers whonever thought financial institutions actually had values alsodiscovered credit union virtues.

“Overall, credit unions have proven to be islands of stabilityamid the turbulence rocking the financial marketplace todaybecause, as a rule, credit unions avoided the risky loans andlending practices which have contributed to the current financialcrisis,” said Goins. “As member-owned financial institutions,credit unions put people before profit and make decisions based onwhat's best for the membership. People before profit. It's adifference Americans are beginning to discover.”

The local credit unions supporting the Credit Union Expoincluded Grow Financial Federal Credit Union, GTE Federal CreditUnion, Pinellas Educators Credit Union, Railroad & IndustrialFederal Credit Union, San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union,Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union, University of South Florida FederalCredit Union, Bay Gulf Credit Union, Florida Central Credit Union,Florida West Coast Credit Union and Suncoast Schools Federal CreditUnion.

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