LONGVIEW, Wash. — With a name change controversy a year old and mostly forgotten, the staff of the $423 million Red Canoe Credit Union was out celebrating a sweet victory this week: capturing nearly all the Washington Credit Union League's marketing medals in its size category.

“I'm pretty proud of the fact that we knew from the start our name change would come in for criticism but we did it right to prepare the membership and the media,” declared Amy Davis, vice president of marketing at the old Weyerhaeuser Credit Union, whose chief sponsor was the wood products giant.

For weeks the “Red Canoe” moniker draw negative reaction from some members and snide comments from media scribes who ridiculed the CU for adopting “a silly, cute name with no financial connection.”