2 minutes
Meet the 2018 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec Top 10
Blaine Bartholomew
AVP/Member Experience
$1 billion Unitus Community Credit Union
Portland, Ore.
Follow Blaine on Twitter: @blainebart.
Connect with him on LinkedIn.
Watch Blaine’s NTCUE video.
Give us the elevator speech about your project (as in how would you describe your project to someone you meet in an elevator?):
My project proposal is centered on this question: Why don’t more people join credit unions?
I have been thinking about this since I joined our industry. Credit unions are a wonderful financial services option, but many people don’t understand why. Being a member owner is the reason! Our members are the focus of every decision we make—as a member-owned financial cooperative, this is in our DNA. This is not the case at every financial institution. At Unitus and within the credit union industry, we need to improve how we convey this difference to our members and the general public. We need a tool to remind our members of this regularly.
My project proposal is to create a Unitus member share account that promotes the benefits of ownership in a number of ways:
- clearly communicates the benefits of being a member owner;
- promotes member saving;
- reinforces the credit union difference; and
- demystifies negative connotations associated with credit unions (e.g., lack of convenience, technology).
With this account, a member’s activity will earn rewards in the form of cash into their ownership account. This promotes saving and reinforces actions they take. We dictate which actions earn rewards, which gives us a tool to encourage our members to explore the benefits of being a member owner. For example, if we believe lack of ATM locations is a deterrent to attracting and retaining members, providing a $2 reward for members the first time they use a CO-OP ATM could be an effective action to incent. Another example could be providing a $5 reward for a member’s first remote deposit on our mobile app. This helps show members we have effective technology. The list of potential actions earning rewards will be tailored to what the credit union is focused on enhancing for their membership. With each reward, we are reminding them of their ownership.
What is your long-term career goal?
My long-term career goals are to continue to learn, challenge myself, provide for my family and make a difference in the world. At this stage in my career, I have not specifically identified where I want my career journey to end, but in the long term, I do see myself progressing toward roles with more decision-making and responsibility.
Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...
…the credit union difference resonates with the average consumer, we attract and retain millennials, and we keep up with companies that are setting our members’ experience expectations.
What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …
Gold stars! I am totally kidding.
I think millennials look at the world very differently than generations before us. Our comfort with change, technology advancement, and focus on social and environmental causes will all bring changes to the credit union movement. We are already seeing some of this occur.
People consider me a leader because …
There are many aspects to being an effective leader. If I had to narrow it down to one thing, I think people see me as a leader because they trust my ideas and actions. A strength of mine is to quickly gain buy-in and trust from people.
Who is your hero and why?
This is a tough one. I had a lot of heroes when I was growing up, but I haven’t thought about this in a while. I would say Martin Luther King Jr. He was an amazing leader during very challenging times. The way he inspired people, created change, and did it nonviolently is truly amazing to me. He was such a great public speaker as well.
Who is a must-follow on Twitter?
@ElonMusk. It is fascinating to see how his companies are changing the world. Also, I love when he reads a customer issue on Twitter, then it’s fixed for all his customers the next day. Amazing.
What is your favorite CUES member benefit? Or, if you are a new CUES member, what benefit are you most looking forward to using?
I am new to CUES, but the access to information looks incredible. Specifically the Members Share, free webinars and CUES Councils look very interesting. I look forward to exploring them further.
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Online voters and a panel of past finalists narrowed the CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec field from 23 to the Top 10 applicants. The challenge, held in conjunction with DDJ Myers and powered by Currency, searches for emerging leaders age 35 and under from within the credit union industry. The Top 10 will blog about their project. And to provide additional value to the competition experience, they’ll each receive an executive coaching session from DDJ Myers, a CUESolutions provider for succession planning, executive recruitment and leadership coaching services. A judging panel of two CUES members and Deedee Myers of DDJ Myers will then score the Top 10’s applications and blog posts, narrowing the competition to five finalists. The five finalists will receive additional coaching, airfare, accommodation and registration to CUES’ CEO/Executive Team Network™, November 5-7, in Nashville, Tenn., where they will give their final presentations. The 2018 CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec will receive further coaching, airfare, accommodation and registration for two CUES’ CEO Institutes, a total prize package valued at $20,000. |
