3 minutes
Dustin Cole
VP/Indirect Lending
$1 billion Arkansas Federal Credit Union
Jacksonville, Ark.
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Watch Dustin’s CUES Next Top Credit Union Exec 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 is an attempt to get new members that finance cars, boats, RVs and motorcycles with our credit union to take advantage of the other products and services our credit union offers. We get tons of new members that never understand exactly what a credit union is and how we can help them. Our goal is to help educate them, gain their trust and find solutions to their financial needs.
What is your long-term career goal?
I plan to continue my career in the credit union industry. I love the direction my career is taking right now and I can see myself becoming a CEO in the future.
Fill in the dots: The future of credit unions will be bright if ...
We are successful in getting our message out. I find that credit unions are a mystery to a lot of people. Credit unions sell themselves, we just have to get the word out!
What my generation brings to the credit union movement is …
Change! My generation moves at a fast pace and we operate differently than any previous generation. Credit unions have not historically been known as being the most innovative group in the financial services world. We have to change that. We have to do things that set us apart from everyone else in our industry.
People consider me a leader because …
I carry myself with confidence. I am not afraid to challenge the status quo and think differently. I respect everyone and try to treat everyone fairly.
Who is your hero and why?
I don’t necessarily have a “hero.” I have a lot of people that I admire or look up to for one reason or another. A few people on that list would be my mamaw, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Ronald Reagan.
Who is a must-follow on Twitter?
I’m a big sports fan so most of the accounts I follow are sports related. @darrenrovell is one I like a lot. He’s a sports/business guy that breaks down all kinds of financial issues in sports. @deadspin is another one of my favorites.
Does your credit union have Twitter/Facebook/YouTube/Pinterest/LinkedIn/Instagram other social media accounts? Please provide links:
Twitter: @ArkansasFederal
What is your favorite CUES member benefit ? Or, if you are a new CUES NextGen member, what benefit are you most looking forward to using?
I am a new NextGen member! What I’m really looking forward to taking advantage of is the webinars. I know that CUES has lots of experts in the field that can bring a wealth of knowledge to me. I like the webinar setting because it lets me check out a topic and if it interests me. I can spend an hour learning about something I may not have previously known.
