RENO, Nev. — Two years into the Sierra Schools Credit Union name change to Clearstar Financial and the credit union is starting to reap the rewards of its new brand identity.
Founded by a teachers' union in 1949, the credit union grew to such an extent over the years that it changed to a community charter.
"Despite spending several thousand in marketing to get the word out that anyone could join the credit union, with the influx of people relocating to Reno from California and the word 'school' in our name, potential members automatically assumed that they had to be a teacher to be a part of the credit union," said Clearstar Financial Associate Vice President Sales/Business Development Kellie George. "To make the most of the population growth happening in the area, we made the decision to remove that hurdle and change our name to be more inclusive."
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George said with a new name came the opportunity for a full rebranding as a way to relaunch and introduce the credit union to the community, so it partnered with St. Louis design-build firm NewGround. Focus group research revealed that in terms of recognition across age groups and among members and nonmembers, the Sierra Schools name was consistently identified as one of the top three financial institutions and that the credit union's education theme still generated a positive response from members. The challenge was to reposition the brand to capture more market share.
"We'd been around for so long in the community that we were well known. So, to sustain that recognition and differentiate ourselves from the competition, we had a moment of clarity that given our school roots financial education would tie our past to where we needed to go in order to accommodate those living in our community now and in the future," said George.
Using the theme of enlightenment and education, NewGround helped position the credit union as an organization that can better equip members with options and the knowledge of what is financially available to them.
The new logo, name and brand design were inspired by Clearstar's two key strengths: that it can make the financial aspect of members' lives easy to understand and that it takes the mystery out of the sometimes frightening realm of how to go about achieving financial goals.
The star image, often associated with education, was used in the creation of the new name and logo with a new tagline, "Banking Made Perfectly Clear," to illustrate Clearstar's ability to make banking clear, easy to understand, approachable and informative.
That clarity extended into the branches. NewGround wanted to convey a simple, clean and clear branch design to reflect the brand. George said the design evokes, in some respects, a minimalist tone, with members at the focus of Clearstar Financial's offering. Instead of a typical sales zone of checking accounts, loans or retirement plans, Clearstar has created an offering around the member's life stage. A definitive feature of its facility is a large merchandising display categorized by key life segments.
In addition, sales and consultation takes center stage within its new prototype branch in Reno. Remote teller units run along the perimeter of the retail space, essentially converting the interior to a true sales center with more personal space for member service representatives to help members with their financial needs and goals instead of just conducting transactions. Branch staff is rotated throughout the day as a way to further build understanding and a force that is comfortable and cross-trained in all areas from opening new accounts to greeting members. George added that it also provides new opportunities during the day and has been a boon to employee morale.
The new brand consistency in the branches has been part of its success in building awareness within the community, said George.
"In the past our branches were built near some high schools, so the color scheme of the branch would tie into the school's colors," said George. "As the community grew the general credit union member didn't get that concept. With each branch looking and feeling different, they didn't know if they were stepping into one our branches. With the new high-tech, high-touch feel of all our branches, consistent color palette and marketing displays, members know right away whether in a strip mall or a freestanding site that this is a Clearstar branch, and it is representative of how our financial institution approaches banking. We're inviting and comforting."
To further reinforce its longtime local flavor, Clearstar has recently tapped members for its marketing campaign. Members are providing testimonials on their "own moment of clarity," while the credit union continues to reinforce it financial education platform.
"We're actually looking at working with a local high school where they will have a student-run financial center empowered by Clearstar but run by students. It will be part of a three- to four-year program. Financial education is so huge in the curriculum now that our platform makes for the perfect partnership," said George.
She added that the credit union is also looking at whether to continue to invest in brick and mortar branches or to support new growth with technology by having footprints locally through 24/7 ATMs with live chat to tellers.
"We're looking at every option and it essentially depends on who is the credit union member of tomorrow and how will they want to bank with us, and that is where we'll be investing," said George.
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