Advantis Credit Union, Portland, Ore., has been honored for the third consecutive year in the small company category by the Portland Business Journal for outstanding corporate philantahropy. The Advantis GROW Community Fund was established to facilitate the improvement of life in local communities by assisting small- to moderate-size local nonprofits that serve the underprivileged, at-risk children, education, the arts or enhance community spaces. Advantis has awarded over $100,000 to nonprofits in the first two inaugural years of the GROW Community Fund.
Amplify Credit Union, Austin, Texas, President/CEO Paul Trylko was named one of the Austin Business Journal’s 2012 Best CEOs. A winner in the nonprofit category, Trylko was among six central Texas CEOs who were honored for a strong record of innovation, outstanding performance and leadership roles in the philanthropic, civic or political arenas. In 2011, on the heels of the global financial crisis, Trylko led Amplify to the most successful year in its 45-year history. The credit union earned revenue equal to 300% of the year’s goal and grew member deposits by nearly $20 million. He also reinstated employee profit sharing for the first time in seven years and led the credit union to make its largest single-year investment ever in giving back to the Austin community. Amplify Credit Union was also acknowledged by the Austin Chamber of Commerce with the Customer Service Award at the 2012 Greater Austin Business Awards. That award honored Amplify as an organization dedicated to outstanding customer service and satisfaction in all aspects of sales and service.
Congressional Federal Credit Union, Washington, said that the Metropolitan Area Credit Union Management Association announced that Robert Hess, former president/CEO of the credit union was the recipient of its 2012 lifetime achievement award. Hess was nominated due to his contributions to the credit union industry. The award ceremony took place last month at MACUMA’s annual leadership conference in Hershey, Pa. Throughout his 38-year career, Hess served as a mentor to young credit union employees, impacting the choices and paths of many. He's has also served as NAFCU chairman and board member and Federal Reserve Consumer Advisory Council member. He is also credited with being an influential force in bringing shared branching to the Washington-Baltimore area. Hess also served on the board of directors at UniTrust Financial, CUMA and MACUMA , where he was chairman from 1980-81.
Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, Lowell, Mass., announced that Steve Jones, vice president-community development, was named a 2012 Credit Union Hero by Banker & Tradesman. The award is designed to recognize credit union professionals who go above and beyond to better their institution and their community. The Credit Union Heroes award celebrates those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the industry and the community, giving freely of their time, energy and resources for volunteerism, community service and charity.
Rogue Federal Credit Union, Beaverton, Ore., announced that Jackson Jones, a volunteer director for the past 44 years, has been named the 2012 Northwest Credit Union Foundation’s volunteer of the year for his outstanding service representing the credit union’s 53,000 members, his leadership in the credit union movement and his continued commitment to the credit union philosophy. A volunteer at the credit union since 1967, Jones has learned that his duties often intersected with those of regulators, lawmakers and CEOs. For his commitment, Jones was presented the Summit Award in the Volunteer of the Year category at the Northwest Credit Union Association’s annual business meeting.
San Diego County Credit Union, San Diego, announced that Nathan Schmidt, executive vice president of marketing and business development, has been selected by SD Metro, a news magazine covering the San Diego region, for a 40 Under 40 award. The honor signifies that Schmidt is one of the San Diego community’s top 40 business professionals under the age of 40. Schmidt has led the credit union through several successful initiatives that have expanded benefits and services to customers and contributed to growth and revenue gains for the credit union, said Teresa Halleck, San Diego County Credit Union president/CEO.
Tower Federal Credit Union, Laurel, Md., said that NAFCU has recognized Cyndy Scott, the credit union’s senior vice president of marketing, as the credit union grassroots activist of the year with the presentation of the 2012 Paul Revere Award. The award recognizes individuals who regularly and effectively carry the credit union banner, just as Paul Revere was a messenger and symbol for American patriots before and during the Revolutionary War. It is based on the number of grassroots contacts made by individuals. Scott has served as head of Tower FCU’s marketing division since 2000. She was an outspoken voice for credit unions in the debit card interchange debate and has actively participated in numerous meetings with Maryland lawmakers in the current legislative session.
Trumark Financial Credit Union, Trevose, Pa., was one of eight nominees recognized by the Bucks County Youth Council for promoting financial literacy in local high schools. The credit union maintains a student branch at William Tennent High School that encourages young people to begin financial relationships and educates them on the value of saving money. Student tellers operate the in-school branch under the supervision of a TruMark Financial employee and receive hands-on experience in a financial setting. Demonstrating its commitment to financial education, TruMark Financial employees conducted 120 presentations reaching 3,031 students at 14 local high schools through its financial literacy program in 2011. Credit union employees educated students on topics such as establishing a savings account, budgeting, the potential of credit card debt, investing, identity theft, and job interviewing techniques.
Unitus Community Credit Union, Portland, Ore., was recently honored as one of Portland’s most generous companies for its philanthropic giving last year. The award marks the third straight year Unitus has been recognized by the Portland Business Journal at its annual corporate philanthropy awards luncheon. Unitus currently partners with several community organizations such as SnowCap Community Charities, Good Neighbor Center and Credit Unions for Kids. Recently, Unitus held its annual “Wine on the Willamette” fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network, raising nearly $60,000 for Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland. In addition, Unitus is committed to completing a random act of kindness each month in one of its communities. Past efforts have included, among other things, establishing an emergency food pantry for one local community and a sock and hat drive for the homeless. Separately, Unitus Community Credit Union’s Brian Irvine was honored as the credit union professional of the year by the Northwest Credit Union Association. Irvine serves as a vice president and chief information officer at Unitus. NWCUA chose Irvine for its most prestigious individual award for his forward-thinking leadership in helping position Unitus as a technological leader among credit unions. Irvine, who received the award at NWCUA’s annual convention in Vancouver, Wash., credits Unitus’ leadership with creating an outstanding culture that sees IT as a strategic value-adding partner and proactively created a relationship with IT that inspires technology leadership. In his tenure, Irvine has been instrumental in launching initiatives that have transformed Unitus’ online capabilities and improved internal processes for better resource allocation and efficiency. n
