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Consumers are Crazy for Coupons

2008-07-14T23:26:00Z

but there are some Caveats.

Last week I asked readers what they were doing, if anything, to save money these days. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal asked its readers a similar question via an online poll, “In light of the economic downturn, have you cut your household spending?” Almost 65% of respondents replied that they have. One way they are doing this: coupons.

From the front page of the WSJ on July 11, 2008, “Consumers’ use of discount coupons is starting to rebound after a 15-year slide.” No longer will I peruse my QFC circulars in shame. Apparently, saving money is in vogue.

If you want to save money too, but are too shy to ask how (don’t think I didn’t notice the lack of comments on my last post!), here are a few websites I’ve run across where you can download coupons or borrow coupon codes.

Coupons.com: Coupons mostly for food and household items.

CouponMountain.com: Coupon codes for retail stores.

SmartSource.com: Grocery store coupons.

Restaurant.com: Buy discounted restaurant gift certificates.

Before you go coupon crazy though, I do have some caveats:

1. Make sure you clip coupons for things you really want or need. I got all excited over a coupon for Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies, bought a huge bag saving all of $0.50, and then realized they were gross after eating about five of them.

2. If you are single or have a small household, don’t buy in bulk. If a coupon offers a discount only when you buy two or more items, really think about how quickly you’ll go through the items and if you have enough storage space. If you do end up buying bulk, remember where you store your purchases so you don’t overbuy.

3. I like to eat mostly whole or organic food, but in order to save money I’ve been buying more conventional and processed food. Unfortunately, I’ve noticed a difference in the way I feel, so I’ll probably switch back to buying more expensive food and focus on ways to save on non-food items. If I don’t take care of myself by eating well, I’ll just end up spending the money I saved on doctor visits or sick days anyway.

Direct Mail: not totally evil

2008-07-07T23:42:00Z

At Verity, we have significantly cut down on the amount of direct mail we send out. I’m starting to wonder if we’re missing out on some opportunities here.

The day Fuji apples went up to $2.99 a pound at my local grocery store was the day I decided to start paying attention to my budget again. It wasn’t soaring gas prices. My commute has always been reasonable and I tend to take the bus or walk on the weekends. No, it was the rising cost of food that snapped me out of my comfortable little bubble; the realization that it would be cheaper for me to eat out at Happy Hour every night than cook myself a decent meal at home.

In an effort to save money and avoid massive weight gain, I came up with a game plan that involved doing something I vowed I would not do until I was retired: I started clipping coupons. And you know those horribly annoying circulars that are indiscriminately shoved into every mailbox? I stopped throwing them away. Last week I saved $15 at QFC by shopping their sales items. I also started opening Val-pak coupons, which are less useful for everyday necessities, but come in handy every once in a while.

I was at a friend’s house this past weekend and noticed a pile of credit card offers on her coffee table. She is trying to lower her credit card rate and is planning to switch cards based on a piece of mail she received.

My car insurance is up for renewal next month. I have received mail from at least four different insurance companies, asking me to compare my current rate with what they can offer. I probably will.

It seems the lackluster economy has given marketers a captive audience of more conscientious spenders. At Verity, we have significantly cut down on the amount of direct mail we send out. I’m starting to wonder if we’re missing out on some opportunities here. Will we also see an increase in giveaway popularity and the use of the word FREE in advertising?

What about you? Are you paying more attention to coupons and special offers? Are you making efforts to save now that you weren’t making a few months ago?

Volunteer At Business Week

2008-06-27T12:05:00Z

When I was a junior in High School, my plans for my life were pretty much to work admin out at “The Area” (aka Hanford, the nuclear reactor in eastern Washington) and marry my high school sweetheart.

For some reason that I can no longer remember, I decided to attend a business camp called Washington Business Week. It was held at Central Washington University.

I learned lots of things about myself in that fateful summer between my junior and senior year – I learned I actually liked the world of business and I learned I loved college campuses. I also learned that I couldn’t pass the typing test required if I were to stay on as a secretary at Hanford.

The year I graduated from UW and had my first job, I ran into my Business Week Company Advisor (think camp counselor) and he convinced me to return to Business Week as an adult volunteer.

This turned out to be even more personally impacting than attending as a student. In those first few years as a Company Advisor, I learned so much about management. If you can manage ten teenagers for a solid week, most things at the office will seem tame.

I also met many, many mentors; a few of which I still lean on 16 years later! Some of the best and brightest people in my life came from my involvement in Business Week.

In 2001, I even had the opportunity to take the program to Minsk, Belarus. We taught free enterprise in the communist country. Talk about a life changing event! We touched the lives of 135 students in a country that still has an active KGB.

Why am I writing this post today? Well, Business Week has seen a 15% increase in student enrollment this year. That is great news, to be sure.

But that means they need more volunteers.

Please, consider being a volunteer. You will learn a great deal, make invaluable contacts and have a phenomenal time. Here is an excerpt from a letter sent to me from Business Week:

Stan McNaughton, President/CEO of PEMCO refers to Business Week as a “virtual leadership laboratory” and strongly encourages his team members to volunteer. Jim Hutchinson, a dentist in Olympia has been a volunteer advisor for ten years and describes it as the best week of his year, every year. On top of that the Business Week program is developing our work force and helping prepare our youth to meet the needs of the business community.

To find out more about how to volunteer, visit www.wbw.org

You should do it. Seriously.

Ack! Who Posts Fast?

2008-06-27T03:30:00Z

If you’ve got a Velocity Checking account, you probably know that we are paying a crazy 6.75% Annual Percentage Yield this month to celebrate our 75th anniversary.

6.75% APY… that is, if you do the things you need to this cycle – have electronic statements, log on to home banking and have 12 debit transactions post.

The tricky part about June is that it ends on a Monday. Don’t forget, a “cycle” for Velocity ends the second to the last day of the month – in other words, Sunday. And debit transactions don’t post on Sundays.

That means you need to have your debit transactions post by Saturday. Some places can take up to FIVE days to post their debit transactions.

Today I looked at my home banking account. I have this nifty system where I go into “edit” on my account transactions and put a number next to my debit transactions so I can count how many I do each cycle.

Well, when I logged into day, I realized I’m only at 11.

Ack! I could just see myself doing my 12th transaction at a place that takes five days to post and missing my 6.75% APY because of it.

So I did a quick email out to my friends at the branches, asking them who posts the fastest.

Wanna know what I found out?

Gas stations are usually good. 7-11s post almost immediately. Grocery stores (specifically QFC and Safeway) are fast.

So if you are like me and need one more debit transaction, get out there and fill up your gas tank (gulp) or, like I did at lunch, go buy yourself a Snickers.

Happy 75th Birthday, Verity Credit Union

2008-06-19T05:31:00Z

In these times of financial institutions merging, purging and some disappearing altogether, celebrating Verity Credit Union's 3/4 century mark is indeed worth celebrating. It has been difficult to find any historical information about the formative years of our credit union, known as "Postal Worker's Credit Union #8" in 1933. We've Googled. We've searched file archives. We've even looked into those customized "what was happening on your birthday" posters and wouldn't you know it-- they only went as far back at 1934!

If you have any ideas as to where we can find some credit union history, please leave a comment on this post.

While Postal Worker's Credit Union #8 (our original name) wasn't listed as anything significant on the internet, some financial-related events that happened that year include:

The Great Depression in the United States. In March 1933, President Roosevelt mandated a "Bank Holiday" in the United States. Imagine forming a financial cooperative during such dire times.
Congress passed the first federal minimum wage law in the U.S.: 33 cents.
The average household income was $11,342.

Fast forward to today.

Since January of this year, economists have talked about a "short, shallow recession" and "more serious economic decline." Out of curiousity. I looked for a definition of recession versus depression and found this. (Depression or recession, credit unions continue to be a viable option for the consumer. We are better than banks. There, I said it.)
The minimum wage for 2008 is $6.55 (or will be as of July 24, 2008
According to the US Census Bureau, the real median household income in the United States climbed between 2005 and 2006, reaching $48,200.

An official summary of where Verity has been can be read here. Here are some personal recollections from my own 10 years of Verity history:

I began working at Verity (then, NW Federal Credit Union), in 1998. I've experienced a charter change, a name change and a core system change. I've witnessed how these exciting and stressful times have brought my co-workers together and tested our mettle. I've seen how we took care of our members during these transition times. Good people. Hard work. Hmm-- could this be why we've been around for 75 years?
Home Banking was relatively new and marketed to be easy, safe and friendly in 1998. We were one of the first credit unions to offer it. I remember the graphics being whimsical and colorful. (One of these days, I'll dig up some old pages and blog about how our online services have come a long way.) I updated the website using good ol' fashioned HTML and FTP. Today, I don't have to be the only one that can update the website and making a change isn't as tedious as before thanks to content management systems. Today, so many more members are comfortable with online services-- and they expect more. It's not enough to be first-- so Verity continues to improve its online services. Look for a future post about exciting changes ahead for our website and online banking.
Email. I remember using CC:Mail (anyone else?) Courier was your only font and forget about HTML email.
This blog. It wasn't here 10 years ago. Blogs, Facebook,YouTube, MySpace. Social Media has made a huge impact in how we communicate and market to our members over the last 4-5 years and it will continue do so. You can bet that Verity will be fast followers of the next "big" thing.

There are many other staff members at Verity that have been here longer than I have-- and I bet they have some great "history" to share. If you are a staff member reading this, please comment and share your recollections here. If you are a member, please comment and share your history with us. Perhaps it was when we were NW Federal Credit Union. Or, NW Federal Employees Federal Credit Union. Or, (dare I say it) Postal Workers Credit Union #8?

Happy Birthday, Verity. May you have many more!

Vote for Our Friends From the North

2008-04-28T22:35:00Z

Our good friends at Vancity in Vancouver, BC have been nominated for a Webby Award.

Here is a funny video and instructions on voting.

Winning a Webby is quite prestigious and Vancity’s ChangeEverything is well deserving. Please take a moment to vote for them.

Quarterly Breakfasts

2008-04-24T18:57:00Z

Coming together to eat really does create strong bonds.

Once a quarter all of Verity’s employees wake up bright and early to attend our Quarterly Breakfast where we socialize with our fellow employees, hear how the credit union is doing, reiterate what our focuses are, recognize outstanding employees, and eat together.

My favorite part of the Quarterly Breakfast would be the eating part. Kathy K. from our Mortgage Services Department is an outstanding caterer. At yesterday’s meeting she prepared a potato dish, egg dish, home made scones, blueberry/cheesecake muffins, fruit kabobs with pineapple and strawberries, granola, yogurt, watermelon, honeydew melon. To drink we had fruit juices and most importantly at an early morning meeting, plenty of coffee.

Coming together to eat really does create a bond that I’ve felt with no other company I’ve worked with before. I’m happy to be involved with a company that keeps a good dialogue with their employees, lets them know what’s going on, recognizes their strengths, and ~~more importantly~~, feeds them.

Verity has managed to create strong bonds through communication, recognition, and ~~-more importantly~~, food. What do other companies do to create strong bonds and foster good morale?

Knock, Knock, Who's There?

2008-03-31T22:49:00Z

Opportunity! When opportunity knocks, do you open the door? I did.

I take my position on the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce Board very seriously, but in a fun, light, happy-go-lucky kind of way. As a member of the Board, I have a responsibility to provide honest and productive input on the direction the Chamber offers to Businesses in the area.

Because Verity is very active in the community with the Miss Auburn Pageant, the Good Old Days, the Chamber Ambassadors, and Toastmasters to name just a couple activities, as a member of the Chamber Board, I represent Verity’s image to the business community as well.

The President of the Chamber, Nancy Wyatt, has provided me with numerous occasions to grow both personally and professionally by presenting various trainings for Board members.

The bonus is that many of these trainings can be applied directly to my own position at Verity as they provide tips on marketing, sales, relationship building as well as the responsibilities and duties of a Board member.

Perhaps you can imagine the honor I experienced when there was a last minute cancellation for a conference in Couer D’Alene, Idaho by the Chairman of the Board, Dave Aust. His cancellation resulted in my being asked to the all expense paid trip to Couer D’Alene as his replacement. How could I let chamber down? Membership does have its privileges.

There are three things I have to say about my experience: Exceptional, Excellent and Exuberating.

Why? Because first and foremost, the seminar presentations were both informative and fun, and everyone benefited from the experience.

We were taught fresh and innovative methods to market our services by Kordell Norton, author of Throwing Gas on the Fire. Jimmy Caruso, our Zoot Suit Chamber Advocate, energized the crowd with his brilliant chartreuse suit combined with his brilliant musings on what energizes Chamber Membership. Washington native Duane Knapp enlightened us with strategies on how to brand your company so that anyone and everyone would recognize it. In fact, one brand was so infamous that when presented to a very fortunate young lady in the front of the audience, the “ahhs” could be heard around the room. She’d been presented with a blue and white box from Tiffany’s! The third and final speaker was humorous and politically entertaining: Kerry Tymchuk, from the office of Senator Gordon Smith. I learned tidbits of funny information about Bob Dole that I never knew before. I have a new found respect for him after hearing some of Kerry’s accounts of Bob’s character!

Second, the resort service personnel provided to me, and that’s who I can speak for, the best customer service I’ve ever experienced, from the wait staff and turn down service, to the front desk and the two young representatives, Gina and Cassandra. These young ladies provided such exceptional customer care that even one of the presenters commented on the courteous and efficient service received from them. Seriously, these employees take such pride and enthusiasm in ensuring that one’s stay is exceptional that I highly recommend you pamper yourself with a stay at the Couer D’Alene Resort. You will be impressed, I guarantee it!

Third and last, but by no means least, Couer D’Alene is a magnificent place to visit. The pristine lake, the yachts, the fishing, the golfing, the casinos~~ all provide for an incredible encounter in a unique environment. It is a jewel surrounded by mountains and it’s not too far from home, which makes it easy access for a weekend excursion.. If opportunity knocks at your door and asks if you’d like to visit Couer D’Alene, open the door and go!

Who is Socially Responsible? We Are!

2008-03-25T22:04:00Z

Lately, I’ve noticed many of our members want to invest in “Socially Responsible Investments” -also known as SRIs.

According to Investopedia, an SRI is “An investment that is considered socially responsible because of the nature of the business the company conducts. Common themes for socially responsible investments include avoiding investment in companies that produce or sell addictive substances (like alcohol, gambling and tobacco) and seeking out companies engaged in environmental sustainability and alternative energy/clean technology efforts.”

This is now in the forefront my mind, not only when I’m researching investments for my clients who are interested in SRIs, but in my own life. It is why I am excited to share the following with you – there are many folks at Verity who feel the same way.

Check out these posts:

We’re trashy, but in a good way and Just like animal planet.

It’s nice to be part of a financial institution that’s doing what we can to be Socially Responsible.

Money Talks, Sings, Dances and Plays the Harp

2008-03-03T23:49:00Z

80 Thousand dollars! Is that a lot of cash? It seems like a lot of cash to me. And for the small community of Auburn, Washington, it speaks volumes about how we feel about our young ladies, as that was the amount raised in scholarship funds for the twenty-four young contestants competing in the annual Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant.

For the past couple of years, Verity has sponsored a young woman in the Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant as a segment of our community involvement. We, the Auburn branch and Verity Credit Union as a whole, support and cheer for our candidate each year, following her on her journey to winning funds for a college scholarship and maybe even the coveted Miss Auburn Title.

The two day event in February is extremely, and perhaps to some, surprisingly, entertaining. These young women play the harp, sing opera, dance salsa, jazz and modern, perform Broadway numbers and amaze the audience with their talent. I highly recommend attending the event to see for yourself what Auburn’s promoting in this Pageant worth 80 thousand dollars.

This year we were proud to sponsor Camille Meek, an ambitious 17 year old with aspirations of being an advice columnist. Perhaps we’ll someday see “Dear Miss Camille” in our local paper or national magazine.

Camille’s strength lies in her cool demeanor, her exceptional speaking ability, her statuesque posture and her fabulously fun dancing routine set to Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend and Material Girl. She won a $2500.00 scholarship for her appearance in a stunning ice blue satin evening gown and was very comfortable speaking about her platform for mentoring children. She is smart, polite, poised and pretty. She’s got it all.

Camille uses none of the valley girl, “like um, ya know, really?” vernacular that is often heard at the mall. Her Mother taught her at an early age not to use “um” and, um, she doesn’t, and it makes a big difference when speaking with her. She is, like many of the young women in the program, mature and thoughtful about life and her future. However, unlike many of today’s youth, she has a command of English, and that will benefit her greatly in life. As a member of Toastmasters, I commend her for that unique virtue.

In the process of supporting her through the Miss Auburn Scholarship Pageant, this year I personally feel like I’ve made a friend as well. I know whatever Camille chooses to do in her future, she will be a success, and it’s nice to know that Verity played a small role in promoting that future success by supporting Camille’s ambitions. I also know that she will be a tremendous role model for other young ladies. And how do I know that? I have it on authority of my eleven year old niece, Sophia. Sophia, Phia as we call her, looks up to each of the Miss Auburn contestants, particularly Camille, with aspirations of her own for someday wearing that bling-bling sparkling tiara on her own golden head.

Shame On You, Assurity Financial Services, LLC

2008-02-19T00:24:00Z

I’ve always been interested in responsible marketing

I recently opened my home mail to find this letter from Assurity Financial Services, LLC. In bold, large font was this message.

“Your current Adjustable Rate Home Loan has been identified due to a high overcharge risk assessment. For more information on how to collect any refund that may be due to you, please call our office.”

When I called the number, I spoke to a very nice man, who read from a cleverly worded script. The script mixed the ideas that financial institutions are making mathematical mistakes at every turn and that the ‘sub prime lending tactics’ are taking advantage of consumers.

My Adjustable Rate Mortgage is through Verity Credit Union.

The math on all calculations are correct, legal, simple, well documented and clearly communicated.

Verity never got into the subprime market.

Granted, this letter never said either of these things but it certainly tried to imply both.

I asked the fellow on the phone if he had any information about my current loan (besides what is public record). He admitted he did not. I asked him why the letter said my loan had been “identified” if he knew nothing about it. He did not have an answer.

He assured me that, if I send all of my loan docs to him, for $250, they would try to get any monies owed me from Verity Credit Union and would get me into a better loan if possible.

I politely declined and hung up.

Through the years, I have talked to so many people who are concerned when they get letters like these. No, we did not sell your name. Mortgages are public record. No, your loan is not under investigation. They just tried to word it that way. No, we didn’t screw up or try to take advantage of you. They are simply not marketing responsibly.

Verity Named to Training Top 125 List

2008-02-14T19:27:00Z

I also knocked on wood, drank water upside down, and avoided stepping on any cracks that day. I was not going to be responsible for messing anything up.

For the past five months I have had the first weekend of February circled on my calendar (ok since my calendar is electronic it wasn’t circled but it was bolded). The reason was this was the weekend of Training Magazine’s annual award ceremony where they unveiled, one by one, the companies that were included on their list of Top 125 Training Organizations. Think of it as the Grammy’s but for Training Organizations.

I didn’t attend the event as it was in Atlanta, but I had a plan. I came to work Monday morning and immediately Googled “Training Top 125 2008”. (Random tangent, does anyone know when Google became a verb?) All that came up was the list from 2007. There was Verity rated at 101, our 2007 rating. My first thought was how disappointed I would be if we didn’t rate higher in 2008. I tried to push that thought out of my head as soon as possible so I wouldn’t jinx anything. I also knocked on wood, drank water upside down, and avoided stepping on any cracks that day. I was not going to be responsible for ruining our ranking.

Everyday I Googled the list until finally on February 8th I found it. As I scrolled through the list my heart sank as I approached number 101 and then went past it. To my relief I made it all the way to 125 without seeing Verity’s name. I knew we had made the list and there was renewed hope that I had simply missed our ranking and it was higher then 101.

As I scrolled through the list a second time I spotted Verity at number 62. We had jumped up 39 spots, which I believe was the highest jump of anyone on the list. A big smile came across my face as I realized that we were sitting two spots above a little company called Home Depot who has 3,140 trainers to our 2.

What I find really valuable is reading about the training initiatives other companies are undertaking that is placing them on this list. What are some great training programs you have heard about or witnessed?

On Board -- Not Bored

2008-02-13T19:46:00Z

Marble: Marble floors, marble walls, marble steps, marble restrooms. MARble, MARble, MARble! I was in the Capital building last week in Olympia, Washington for Chamber Day. First impressions: that’s a lot of marble!

The invite from the Chamber President to attend Chamber Day was hard to refuse as I was curious about what goes on at Chamber Day in Olympia anyway. Then, suddenly, shades of Legally Blonde 2, I found myself walking the halls of Legislators, Senators and Governors in the seat of our State Government.

This was my first, perhaps not my last, experience with Chamber Day. And just what does Chamber Day in Olympia entail, you may query. Chamber Day is designated to accommodate the concerns of each of the numerous Business Chambers of Commerce here in Washington State. It provides a forum for businesses, through their respective chambers, to voice opinions on pressing matters from each district. Of paramount importance to the South County Coalition, of which the Auburn Chamber is a member, the #1 item on the agenda was Hwy 167 and the traffic snarl knotting up the highway every day.

Our Chamber Day opened with a continental breakfast and conversation with business people from every corner of Washington State. Following networking and coffee, we were ushered into a suite for an address from Governor Christine Gregoire to Chamber Members regarding the State of the State. Christine was candid and positive, and the crowd seemed to approve of the actions she’d taken on behalf of Washington businesses.

Chamber President Nancy Wyatt then led three of us through the halls of justice to meet personally with Dan Roach and Christopher Hurst, with whom we discussed not only traffic, but also the plight of mechanic and technical jobs and the lack of applicants to fill them. Each legislator took about 15 minutes between committee meetings and bill drafting to devote time specifically to us and address our concerns. It was informative and illuminating to witness our tax dollars at work.

The day seemed to pass in an instant. Long, but none-the-less too short. So as a result of my whirlwind visit, what I would say my fellow chamber members? Go, learn, and meet new people. And to certain fellow Board members I’d say: Chamber Day was not boring for this particular Board Member; in fact, I’m on board with participating again, because I was anything but bored!

Notes From New York City

2008-02-10T14:35:00Z

I recently returned from New York City where I spoke at Online Innovations. The great thing about being the first financial institution with a corporate blog, is that we have the opportunity to attend conferences we would not otherwise been able to afford.

Three things stood out that week, in terms of what I think our members would find useful.

First – Virgin Money.

I met Asheesh Advani, who was the founder of Circle Lending and is now the president of Virgin Money USA. I love that they help people solidify and make binding or legal, lending between family and friends.

When I first head of this model, I didn’t immediately see the power in it. But when Asheesh presented, I remembered that my first home in Seattle was not possible without a little financial help from our parents. I think many people are the same boat in this market. Then I learned that over 6 million people admitted to borrowing from family and friends in the last US Census. Clearly there is a need.

Second – Wesabe

I’ve known Jason Knight (co-founder of Wesabe) since last year. He has always impressed me as a smart, genuine person who wants to use the power of social media and technology to help people understand and manage their finances.

The day that he presented, he also rushed out to do this interview.

Third – Larissa

All of us interested in social media have been watching Commonwelath Credit Union’s social media campaign with great attention.

Several weeks ago, the facilitator of the Young and Free campaign produced and released a video. It has made it’s way all around credit unions everywhere. It is a nice little clip so I thought I would share it with you.

Interview With Our CFO

2008-02-01T19:57:00Z

There are some really cool peeps here; and I'm not talking about that marshmellowy-bunny-shaped goo that goes out before Easter...I mean our people. I like finding out about people. It's the little nuances that make for a culture.

For example, did you know that Adam in Investments used to be a fire fighter? Or that Vicky in Business Services tracks the movement of our southern resident orca whales (J,K, & L-Pods) on a daily basis? Or that Amber, our Administrative Project Coordinator, once lost an arm-wrestling match with a DJ in mashed potatoes?

That's good stuff.

And here are some excepts from a formal interview I conducted with our CFO, Randy Gunderson:

Tina: Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know.

Randy: When I was in high school and considering a profession, I decided on accounting because my Godfather was in accounting and was very successful. After I got through college, I found out that he was actually in marketing.

Tina: You’ve been with Verity Credit Union for almost 10 years. In our competitive marketplace, what keeps you here?

Randy: This may sound corny, but it’s Verity’s core values and commitments. I’ve worked at companies that have no soul and it’s a pretty empty feeling at the end of the day. There’s a lot more to work than simply a paycheck.

Tina: What is one professional goal you would like to accomplish in the near future?

A kid from Yakima with a CWU education turns out to be a CFO…I’m living the dream! Seriously though, my near term goal is to get more involved with Verity’s mentorship program. I’ve been working with someone lately and find it very rewarding. Next year, I would like to spend at least twice as much time supporting this for myself and others.

Tina: CFOs are often stereotyped as nerdy-numbers-driven-pocket-protecting-geek-types.

Randy: …just don’t tell my kids, they still think I’m cool.

Tina: The other day our CEO said to me that he was glad you were the lead on a project because you have a lot of passion. What are you most passionate about right now?

Randy: Today’s competitive marketplace continues to be a challenge for small and mid-sized credit unions. I feel very strongly that credit unions should partner together and share expertise to provide services that would be too difficult/costly/risky to provide individually. There are a few great credit unions around here that understand this and are working hard to leverage their individual strengths to better all credit unions in our region.

Tina: What is your vision for the future of our organization?

Randy: I think ours is a credit union that “gets it”…see my answer to the previous question. I think that we have the right strategy and the right people to make Verity a real player in the areas that we serve.

Tina: What is your definition of leadership?

Randy: I think the best leaders are visionaries and great communicators. Someone who has a clear idea of where they want to take an organization that can then rally their people to move toward that vision.

Tina: Let’s take it to the next level with this last interview question. It’s a two-part-er: A typical lunch for you is a $2 hotdog from 7-11, a Coke, and a Snickers Bar. What can you identify in that meal that is actually food? Why don’t you ever gain weight?

Randy: I’ve actually graduated up to the $2.99 ham and cheese sandwich from 7-11, although I do like a hot meal once in a while and the hotdog meets that criteria. It’s certainly not diet or exercise that keeps my weight in check, so I’ll call it lucky genes.