Fox Communities Credit Union

May 18, 2015
titletown.org
Member spotlight: Fox Communities Credit Union
$1 billion in assets,
priceless member
experiences
Fox Communities Credit Union prides itself
on being a full-service financial institution that delivers the products and services its customers need
– all while maintaining the local feel and flavor that
people in Northeast Wisconsin are looking for.
One way Fox Communities accomplishes
that is by serving as an educational partner and
resource, walking alongside customers no matter
what stage of life they’re in.
That educational focus starts with one-on-one
conversations and goes up to educational seminars on topics ranging from retirement planning or
identity theft. In 2014, the credit union hosted 32
member seminars, attended by 1,100 members, and
92 student classes attended by 2,319 students. The
credit union employs a full-time educational coordinator who manages these and a number of other
learning events. Many of these extend to educating
students while they’re still in school and include
hosting a reality fair for 400 students, participating in three career fairs attended by 3,100 students,
and sponsoring and participating in a money conference with 150 children and adults in attendance.
Fox Communities’ marketing follows suit,
with its newest effort being “Make Life Happen.”
“Through it, we try to convey the feeling that we
are right here with you. We’re steady, we’re local,
we listen to what you have to say and we’re a partner,” said Dave Thone, vice president of internal
operations.
That sense of stability is something the organization has strived to deliver from the get-go and
is evident even among its employee base; there is a
lot of stability in management, front-line staff, the
board and even the credit union’s president, Greg
Hilbert, who has served in that role since 1980. “I
go out into the community wearing my Fox Communities shirt and people stop to talk to me about
a staff person or teller they love who’s been taking
care of them for years,” said Thone.
The 300 or so employees play an instrumental role in ensuring the member experience for the
70,000 members is consistent across the credit
union’s 15 branches, which span nine counties. The
credit union invests in its employees through its
member experience program and training that aims
to ask members about their needs versus product
pushing.
Community support is also key to the credit
union’s mission of enriching its members’ lives.
They participate in numerous collections, drives
and programs including Stock the Shelves, Coats
for Kids and Toys for Tots. “It’s amazing how
much we are able to collect and give back; they
are events that members get very attached to,” said
Cathy Harvath, vice president of marketing and
business development.
The educational sessions extend far into the
community as well; the credit union has hosted
Clark Howard for at least six events, welcoming
to speak to living large on a lean budget, each of
which was attended by upwards of 800 people.
“We’ve hosted Clark, a financial guru, because
members love it. We give out his book, “Living
Large for the Long Haul,” and members can pass
it on to other people because it’s just good, solid
financial information.
Final thoughts:
•
Change with the times in some ways...
Thone is the first to acknowledge that “financials
have really changed and it’s driven by technology”
From left to right: Don Vanevenhoven (VP of Lending), Greg Hilbert (President),
Dave Thone (VP of Internal Operations), Cathy Harvath (VP of Marketing),
Nancy Krahn (VP of Member Service), Bruce Kotarek (VP of Finance).
as people want to make deposits via phone, apply
for loans online, and do their online banking 24
hours a day. He’s quick to emphasize that while
technology is one of the largest growing areas
for them as a financial institution, “security is our
number one priority so our members’ money and
information is safe and sound,” he said. “We want
to keep up with the demands and needs but security
is the first thing we look at in doing so.”
The website hosts a growing library of videos, each of which is just a minute or two in length,
highlighting new products and services and addressing top-of-mind topics. “We’re keeping a
focus not only on technology, but also on communications,” said Thone.
That’s also what has prompted Fox Communities’ social media presence and very recently
revamped website to be a responsive site. Fox
Communities has a commercial lender in Green
Bay and two in Appleton managing more than
3,000 business accounts at the credit union.
•
Don’t change with the times in other
ways. With all the technology available to members – via their smartphones, iPads the Web – Thone
finds that people use it for certain things but still
typically come into the branch for bigger things.
“It’s good to have all those avenues available to
them, and we’re large enough to do so, but not at
the expense of great [face-to-face] service.”
Learn more by visiting FoxCU.org.
Title sponsor:
Monday, June 15, 2015
Details at events.titletown.org
This page, and the information contained within, is brought to you and sponsored by the Greater Green Bay Chamber, 920.593.3400.
May 18, 2015
titletown.org
The shining stars.
Congratulations, again, to our esteemed educators who were recipients of
the 22nd annual Golden Apple Awards on Wednesday, April 22,
at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center.
22nd Annual
Sara Hoffmann,
Pulaski Community
Middle School
oeneveld,
Kari M. Gr
k
Glenbroo
y School
Elementar
Chris Wendorf,
tary
Sunnyside Elemen
Beth Ruh,
Forest Glen
ol
Elementary Scho
Angela Kelly,
iddle School
West De Pere M
Nancy A. Collins,
Amy Daul,
Kim Hoffmann,
Jessica Sherman
ns,
and Jennifer Pari
ive
CESA 7 Alternat
am
High School te
lley View
Ashley Gonwa,Va
ol
Elementary Scho
This page, and the information contained within, is brought to you and sponsored by the Greater Green Bay Chamber, 920.593.3400.