Wausau Pilot & Assessment
Editor’s observe: Enterprise of the Week is a sponsored function that shares the tales of locally-owned and operated companies within the Wausau space, highlighting the services and products they provide and the methods they contribute to the metro space’s distinctive taste. Learn to function your enterprise by emailing christina@wausaupilotandreview.com.
This week’s featured Wausau-area enterprise is Connexus Credit score Union, which at present has 14 branches open to the general public together with 10 in Wisconsin. Jennifer Eberhardy, Content material Strategist and Copywriter at Connexus, mentioned the corporate is thrilled to announce its funding in a brand new, progressive Connexus department in Rib Mountain on the intersection of North Mountain Street and Hummingbird Lane. Set to interrupt floor in September and open subsequent summer time, this signature department will function trendy facilities together with digital self-service stations to restrict wait time and maximize effectivity; a spacious and comfy hearth ready space; a complete Options Heart for member providers; and extra. The outside will showcase a contemporary, Northwoods architectural type to enrich the Granite Peak backdrop and a five-lane drive-thru with an ATM for 24/7 member and group comfort.
“We’re grateful for the nice and cozy welcome we’ve already obtained from the City of Rib Mountain and look ahead to serving native residents after we open subsequent summer time,” Eberhardy mentioned.
Whereas some credit score unions have stringent eligibility necessities, Connexus membership is open to individuals who make a $5 donation to the Connexus Affiliation, which shall be used for charitable giving. Making use of on-line is fast and simple, too, with and takes only a few minutes to finish. Right here, Jennifer talks in regards to the group’s dedication to creating a distinction in the neighborhood, what makes Connexus distinctive – and what makes Wausau such an important place to do enterprise.
Give me a quick historical past of Connexus Credit score Union – when did all of it start?
Connexus believes in making a distinction within the lives of our members and the communities we serve – a dedication we’ve taken to coronary heart since day one. Based in 1935 as Employers’ Mutual Credit score Union, Connexus began with a easy mission that was fairly novel on the time: to offer residents with a member-owned various to company banks.
In 1975, we celebrated our 40th anniversary with greater than $10 million in property and eclipsed $three billion in property in 2020. At the moment, underneath the management of Boyd Gustke, President & CEO, Connexus has grown to over $4.9 billion in property and almost 650 workers serving greater than 430,000 members throughout all 50 states. Through the years, Connexus has undergone two re-brandings and accomplished 9 profitable mergers whereas honoring our steadfast dedication to the credit score union philosophy of “folks serving to folks.”
What’s the distinction between a financial institution and a credit score union?
Not like for-profit banks which are privately owned or publicly traded by a bunch of people or shareholders, credit score unions are not-for-profit organizations owned and managed by their members. As a result of banks are in enterprise to make a revenue, they typically cost extra charges and provide much less aggressive charges. However credit score unions focus extra on the profitability of their members and subsequently return surplus funds to members within the type of increased dividends, aggressive charges on loans, enhanced providers, and progressive, diversified merchandise. From its early beginnings to current day, Connexus has all the time been dedicated to fostering prosperity for its member-owners throughout the nation.
What’s your group’s mission – and what makes Connexus totally different from different monetary establishments within the space?
In June of 2021, we shared our new imaginative and prescient – an evolution of our earlier mission assertion and a thoughtfully redesigned blueprint for future progress and success. Our imaginative and prescient is to be a nationally related, trusted credit score union, offering distinctive experiences and fostering prosperity for these we serve.
What units us aside from different monetary establishments is that our strategic imaginative and prescient isn’t simply phrases on a web page. Underscored by our values, our imaginative and prescient is on the coronary heart of every part we do. It guides the actions of the group and everybody inside it. We exhibit our dedication to our imaginative and prescient and values in every private interplay, telephone name, and e mail — day-after-day.
What kinds of monetary merchandise do you provide, and what do you concentrate on?
Connexus is proud to return earnings to member-owners via excessive yields for checking accounts and deposit merchandise, in addition to aggressive charges for private, dwelling, and auto loans. Members profit from a multi-channel service mannequin that features a strong Digital Banking platform and extremely rated Connexus App which are obtainable 24/7, a completely staffed and educated Member Contact Heart, Shared Branching, on-line chat help, and department places in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.
One space wherein we actually shine is our member service. At Connexus, we consider in delivering service that isn’t perceived as merely optimistic, however that stands out as really distinctive. By way of our collaboration with industry-leading enterprise companions and our values-driven, day by day interactions with members and workers, we work tirelessly to create journeys which are as easy and fulfilling as their outcomes.
In what manner does your credit score union help the communities it serves? Inform us about these efforts and why it issues to you.
When you requested our members to decide on the tenet of our strategic imaginative and prescient that resonates essentially the most, they’d seemingly select our dedication to fostering prosperity. That’s as a result of Connexus is thought for serving to members fulfill their particular person monetary aspirations by offering excessive deposit yields, low mortgage charges, fewer charges, in addition to generously giving again to the communities we serve via our philanthropic program, Connexus Cares.
Connexus Cares fosters prosperity by giving with objective to organizations that present fundamental humanitarian wants like meals, shelter, and disaster providers, in addition to people who advocate for at-risk youth, seniors, and veterans. For the previous 16 years, we’ve been honored to function the only Presenting Sponsor for the Relay for Life occasion in Wausau, Wisconsin, to boost funds for and help the mission of the American Most cancers Society®. In 2021, we made historical past with our largest single donation to this point, $1 million to Neighborhood Companions Campus, and our most beneficiant annual giving complete of over $2.5 million. We’re nicely on our approach to reaching much more bold giveback objectives in 2022 by empowering our workers to help the organizations they love by utilizing paid, company-sponsored Volunteer Time Off (VTO) hours.
You latterly accomplished a merger with one other credit score union. Inform us about that.
On August 1, we formally accomplished our merger with DeForest-based Heritage Credit score Union (HCU), a partnership that introduced progress and worth to each organizations and made us stronger collectively. We had been proud to supply a task on the Connexus crew to each HCU worker, and the synergy we’ve seen between current and new workers is a testomony to the alignment of each organizations’ tradition and values.
The truest measure of a merger’s success although is the worth it brings to members. We’re thrilled with the optimistic suggestions we’ve obtained from members in regards to the many advantages they’re already having fun with with Connexus, together with our extremely rated Connexus App and strong Digital Banking platform, expanded name heart hours and choices, and aggressive and nationally acknowledged services and products.
What makes Wausau an important place to do enterprise?
For the previous 87 years, Connexus has been proud to play a component in Wausau’s wealthy, 150-year historical past. Over time, we’ve seen town remedy issues via innovation and resilience with out shedding sight of its considerate, forward-thinking plans for future progress. Connexus shares the identical ardour for dreaming large, innovating, and planning strategically, and our dedication to our member-owners’ prosperity is very similar to Wausau’s dedication to bettering the standard of life for its residents. We’re proud to be a distinguished resident of the Hwy 51/29 hall because it continues to develop and look ahead to giving again to residents and partnering with native companies to help town’s financial system and general progress.
