OLYMPIA, Wash. — Using a CUSO, the $540 million TwinStar Credit Union here has assumed control over Paragon Consulting Group, an Olympia-based management-training firm providing services to CUs across the U.S.
"One of the significant challenges for credit unions today is to find high quality management training programs for our employees," said Marshall Ellison, CEO of TwinStar. "The Paragon Group has been providing this expertise to us and other credit unions for many years, so it was just a natural fit."
The Paragon Group founded in 1995 conducts a variety of strategic and succession planning seminars, forums and training services for CUs. It sponsors the Volunteer Leadership Institute each January with the VLI designed for CU directors involved in supervisory and management committees.
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TwinStar said the CUSO deal was consummated July 1. A spokesman for Paragon referred calls to James This, who co-founded the firm with Bernie Benson.
The Paragon Web site noted the firm's efforts in building leadership skills and "quality client relationships" with CUs as a "nationally recognized consulting firm."
TwinStar with 16 branches serves 72,000 members in Southwest Washington.
On the Web site, Paragon said it helps organizations "evaluate, prioritize and develop their assets to meet the challenges of the future. Since this involves the fusion of the organization's human resources and emerging technologies, we focus on both."
The firm lists various marketing and communication products in addition to its "CEO Evaluator" offering. The 2008 VLI is slated for Jan. 22-25 in Hawaii.
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