MONTEREY PARK, Calif. — East Los Angeles residents are learning about credit unions with the opening of the first credit union branch courtesy of E1 Financial Credit Union.
Community, civic and industry leaders were on hand to congratulate E1 Financial's entrance into unincorporated East Los Angeles, an area that has not seen a new financial institution open in over 20 years. The opening of the East Los Angeles branch comes at a time of increasing redevelopment and financial opportunities for the area.
With a long standing history of community engagement, E1Financail plans to provide its future members with the resources to increase their financial literacy and fulfill their financial dreams.
As her first item of business, State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero officially opened her membership with E1.
"I now know what E1 stands for," the Senator stated. "It stands for East L.A.'s first credit union. E1 helped fill the community's need for greater financial services."
She complimented the credit union on its convenience of locating a branch directly below her district office.
As part of the ribbon cutting ceremony, the California Credit Union League presented certificates of appreciation to Sen. Romero and L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina for their dedication to the redevelopment of the East L.A. community and their support of credit unions.
LEVEL5 Named One of Atlanta's Fastest-Growing Companies
ATLANTA — LEVEL5, a consulting and facilities development firm specializing in financial institutions, has been named one of Atlanta's 50 fastest growing companies by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
As part of its 13th Annual Pacesetter Awards, the newspaper placed LEVEL5 as the 28th fastest-growing private company in Atlanta, ranked by its weighted average growth index.
Founded in 2004, LEVEL5 has developed, designed and implemented growth strategies for financial institutions throughout the United States. The company works with its clients and analyzes its business plans and key indicators of performance to develop a strategy for an institution's particular needs. LEVEL5′s five-step approach includes strategic consulting, real estate acquisition, integrated design, construction management and branding. The end-to-end, integrated approach is credited for much of the company's growth. The process minimizes risk and allows financial institutions to respond to changing conditions from the initial concept through to completion and occupancy.
To qualify for inclusion on this list, companies must be privately held, based in the 20-county metro Atlanta area, not be a subsidiary of another company, established first quarter 2005 or earlier; have experienced a two-year growth in sales of more than 50% and 2007 revenues between $1 and $300 million.
"There has been tremendous growth in financial institutions reaching out to their customers in order to deliver more personal service," said J.F. Kassler, president/CEO of LEVEL5. "With that comes a need to initiate unique delivery processes to facilitate that service. Our expertise in designing creative and effective retail design solutions allows us to facilitate that for our clients."
American Heritage Expands in Philly
PHILADELPHIA — American Heritage Federal Credit Union has opened the doors to its 21st branch.
The new facility will serve American Heritage members who work in the Social Security Administration Building of Philadelphia. The new branch is a direct result of a member request.
When an out-of-state credit union terminated full-time service at the Social Security Administration Building, Beverly Wilmer, already a member of American Heritage contacted American Heritage CEO Bruce Foulke, who worked with the Social Security Administration leadership to make the branch a reality.
The 1,700 square-foot Spring Garden branch features an internet caf?(C), free coin counting machine and surcharge-free ATM access to meet members' quick cash needs during building hours.
Magazine Singles Out Blackhawk
JANESVILLE, Wis. — Blackhawk Community Credit Union's Janesville-Eastside branch remodel was recently named one of 30 Top Projects of 2007 by Wisconsin Builder magazine.
The project posed a unique challenge for designer/contractor La Macchia Group of Milwaukee. As the location was the busiest of BHCCU's five branches, it was imperative that operations remain available to members while the entire building was replaced.
To achieve this goal, the old building was cut in half, and temporary walls erected as part of the old structure was demolished. While the initial half of the new facility was built, the branch operated out of what remained of the old offices. Staff then moved to the new portion of the building, while the remainder was completed and the two sections eventually joined.
The project, which encompassed 7,100 square feet, took nearly 14 months to complete.
–mdigiovanni@cutimes.com
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