Getting your remarks beamed to a potential 9 million New Yorkersand “then broadcast around the world” can be a littlenerve-wracking for an Illinois credit union CEO.

“I certainly didn't want to make any mistakes,” confessed FrankPadak, chairman of the Defense Credit Union Council and the mainspeaker at a DCUC-arranged Times Square advocacy promo before theNASDAQ opening bell ceremony last Wednesday.

Thankfully, he said, the NASDAQ staff guiding Padak in anexchange studio “were very supportive and very helpful” as thepresident/CEO of the $760 million Scott CU of Collinsville, Ill.,delivered a brief message in the 10-minute broadcast.

It was carried on cable stations, in worldwide trading officesand to pedestrians on Times Square jumbo screens.

Padak said his twin daughters saw the broadcast later in the dayat a school screening back in Collinsville.

In his NASDAQ remarks Padak said military CUs across the U.S.are committed to supporting soldiers and their families and “are proud to be anintegral part of the Department of Defense family in supporting themorale, welfare and financial readiness of our armed forces.”

Padak along with other leaders of the DCUC were in New York forthe annual three-day conference of the DCUC. Staff madearrangements months in advance for the DCUC group to make a nationally televised NASDAQopening bell appearance.

“We could have been easily bumped in favor of one of thecorporate members but we were lucky,” said Padak, who said he “feltlike a rock star” doing the broadcast standup.