Scott Sylvester, who was promoted to Consumers' president/CEO last year, said expanding to Lansing has been a key part of the strategy for the credit union, which ended 2022 with $2 billion in assets and 132,391 members.

"Lansing is a vibrant, growing market with a lot of buzz, especially around the automotive industry," Sylvester said. "It's within an hour of our existing markets and was a next natural expansion of our existing footprint. We have several executives and employees that are graduates of Michigan State."

Scott Sylvester

"We know the area and are excited to join the community," he said. "We are eager to meet the needs of our newest community, from personal banking, business financing and more."

In addition to its Kalamazoo headquarters, the credit union now has 26 branches in 10 counties in southwest Michigan. The greatest concentration of branches is the eight in Kalamazoo County, followed seven in Kent County, which includes Grand Rapids.

"We have a great presence up the lakeshore of Lake Michigan," Sylvester said.

And that presence will be getting bigger.

This month the credit union expects to finalize an expansion of its charter to include the Upper Peninsula. It will be able to serve all Michigan counties through its online banking and mobile app.

This spring, the credit union will open another branch in Kalamazoo County in the Woods Lake community. It is also completing plans for an office space in downtown South Haven, which will be in addition to its Phoenix Street office in Van Buren County. And it plans to add two more Lansing locations in 2024.

The Lansing offices offer a range of services, including new accounts, loans, credit cards, mortgages, investment services and business services.

They have TellerPlus+ technology in both the lobby and drive-thru lanes. The new offices also feature a free coffee bar, wireless banking stations with WiFi as well as loan and member service areas.

The Cedar office features a community event space that can host up to 68 people. Whether divided into two rooms or combined into a single open meeting area, the venue includes a private lobby; wireless, AV presentation and virtual meeting capabilities; and built-in Webex. Future plans include an outdoor patio event space.

Josh Pompey is Consumers' regional manager of the Lansing market. "Since the opening of the Consumers Cedar and Delta offices, we have met so many new people, built lasting relationships and are ultimately helping more people," Pompey said.