ORLANDO, Fla. — Fairwinds Credit Union has been named a finalist for the Orlando Business Journal's 2008 Best Places to Work award.

The award, in its fourth year, is presented to companies that create a positive environment through a combination of employee benefits, working conditions and company culture. This year's winner will be announced May 16 and each finalist will be featured in a special issue of Orlando Business Journal.

“In an industry focused on numbers, we know the real value at Fairwinds Credit Union is its people,” said President/CEO Larry Tobin. The $1.7 billion Fairwinds has 145,000 members and nearly 600 employees. In addition to its basic employee benefits package, the CU also provides annual employee bonuses, and since 2003, it has conducted a Holiday Wish program. This program has reunited employees with distant family members, funded a school field trip, and helped an employee pay to ship toys to needy children. Last year, more than 50 employees donated $100 each in bonuses toward a co-worker's wish to pay down debt brought on by her parents' health problems.

“We are like family here,” Tobin said. “And family members take care of each other.”