Having already marked their 75th anniversary with a bang back in March, the Lakeland Credit Union now has another reason to celebrate after being named Alberta's credit union of the year for 2014.
Marked on such areas as financial performance, community involvement, national marketing achievements and both member and staff satisfaction, the Lakeland Credit Union rose above 33 other financial institutions across the province to claim their sixth such title in 13 years.
“It is so very exciting to be recognized once again as the standout credit union in Alberta,” said the organization's VP of Marketing and Human Resources Amber Hughes. “We were surprised, but happy to be acknowledged. The award is representative of the hard work (of our staff) and the commitment of our members to the credit union… We're delighted.”
The institution's CEO Pierre Amyotte lauded the achievement, stating he was “incredibly proud' to work alongside an award-winning team.
“I have a great sense of pride and appreciation for the entire team that works so hard everyday to make the Lakeland Credit Union a great place to bank and a great place to work,” Amyotte said. “This is a big team win – whether it be our board of directors, upper management, financial experts or the members themselves, every single person involved (with this organization) contributes to our success.”
He added, “I'm very happy to be able to celebrate this with our (employees), our members and our community.”
The organization was also presented with the ‘Best Long Term Financial Performance' award for their work and success in 2014.
With over 10,000 members across the region, 85 local employees, and assets increasing to almost $650 million this year, the local institution has continued to grow and expand since its humble beginnings 75 years ago.
The evidence of that growth has been there for all to see over the past few months as the organization is in the process of carrying out a sizeable expansion to its head office along Main Street in Bonnyville.
A locally owned and operated business, the Lakeland Credit Union has long prided itself on its community involvement. In 2014 alone, the organization dished out over $100,000 in donations, while also continuing to role out its financial literacy program to both local youth and adults.
“We have a really strong community profile – we're involved in everything from local 4-H clubs to health galas to sports activities. We're always looking for ways to support our community,” Hughes said. “Take the financial literacy program for example – we started that off small, in a couple of schools in the area and now it's snowballed to the point we're offering it in every community within this region.”
One of the men tasked with delivering that program is Jonathan Berube, member relations coordinator with the local credit union. Having visited several local middle schools over the course of the past year, Berube feels the program is progressing smoothly.
“Our financial literacy program has been so well received in this community – so much so that we've gone from offering it to a few schools here and there to having a presence all across our region,” Berube said. “This is a service that goes so far. We want to make sure everyone in our community is educated on finance and money management, because, it's really an important life skill to have.
Having been with the local credit union now for a few years, Berube said he's been able to see first hand the positive impact the organization has on its local communities.
“Because this is a local business, I feel we put a much stronger emphasis on playing a role in the community (than other large corporations would),” Berube said. “This award really is validation that the good work we're doing here at the credit union is being noticed.”
