Dakota CU News & Notes

​Ryan Miller joins Capital CU; Understanding Credit Scores Workshop; a retirement celebration, upcoming chapter events, and more! 

Ryan Miller

CUNA Awards Program Suspended for 2024
As you know, on January 1, CUNA and NAFCU merged to create America’s Credit Unions. As part of this transformative journey, America’s Credit Unions has decided to suspend the CUNA Awards program for 2024. This hiatus will allow time to carefully evaluate the best way to acknowledge the exceptional contributions of our industry, aligning with the vision, mission, and purpose of our new national organization. If you have any questions, please contact Mike Hughes, Affiliation Specialist at 608.231.4866. *NOTE – this does NOT affect DakCU’s 2024 Summit Awards Banquet being held on May 16. All 2023 Dora, Louise, and Desjardins award applications were considered and will be announced at Summit as usual.
 
Q1 Compliance Chat with ViClarity
Ready, set prioritize! Break down NCUA’s 2024 supervisory priorities. Join ViClarity’s compliance officer, Sabrina Ducksworth-Brown, to unpack the regulators’ expectations with your credit union. The Q1 Compliance Chat will discuss key focus areas and helpful tips to get ready for a successful year. Recording will be available following the live event being held on March 20 at 1:00 p.m. CT. Register now.
 
Ryan Miller Joins Capital CU
Capital Credit Union has announced the hiring of Ryan Miller as member onboarding representative at their Northwest Branch, located at 1550 Burnt Boat Dr. in Bismarck. In his role, Miller will be responsible for consumer lending including auto, recreational vehicle and home equity loans; delivery of deposit products such as money market accounts and certificates of deposit; and actively promoting the appropriate high-value products and services to members to help them achieve their financial goals.
 
“I have developed a strong interest in the financial industry since joining it in 2019 and have heard nothing but great things about Capital Credit Union,” says Miller. “The teams are strong, and everyone is very kind and supportive. Capital Credit Union has a strong family feeling and I am proud to be a member of the team.”
 
Born and raised in Bismarck, Miller has four years of experience in financial services. He joins the Capital Credit Union team from Starion Bank where he had worked since 2019. Miller is currently attending Bismarck State College, working toward a degree in business administration.
 
Fundraiser for Tyanna Weeks planned in Minot
Tyanna Weeks (daughter of Brianna Weeks, longtime employee of Aspire CU in Minot) was severely injured on January 31st in a head-on collision with an impaired driver. She sustained life-threatening injuries and has a long road ahead to recovery, including a series of facial reconstruction surgeries. She remains in the ICU and medical expenses are daunting. To assist the family, staff at Aspire organized several fundraisers. The GoFundMe page is available here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyanna-weeks. There is also a silent auction and “Dine to Donate” event planned at Planet Pizza in Minot on Friday, March 22. Find additional details on Tyanna’s story here.
 
Retirement Celebration for Melanie Stillwell
Western Cooperative Credit Union is planning an open house celebration for the upcoming retirement of Melanie Stillwell on Wednesday, March 27. The public is welcome to join them from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Main Branch in Williston, 1300 Bison Drive. Light refreshments and appetizers will be served.
 
WyHy FCU Seeking Branch Manager and Accounting Coordinator
WyHy FCU is a Wyoming credit union with almost $380 million in assets and almost 22,000 members. With branches in Cheyenne, Casper, Rock Springs, Lyman and Green River, WY, their footprint spans the entire state of Wyoming. WyHy is currently seeking a branch manager for their Casper location. This individual is responsible for providing exceptional leadership to a fantastic team and outstanding service to members. They are also seeking to fill an open position on the accounting team, providing exceptional service to both co-workers and members. Compensation for both positions is DOE and includes a generous benefits package. To apply no later than March 23, visit the hiring portal at Work@WyHy. For more information contact HR Director Dorothy Moen at [email protected]  or call 307-638-4229. 
 
SWAP Contributors – FREE Job Postings on Try a Credit Union!
Contributing SWAP members have access to FREE job postings on the Try A Credit Union website! To have a job posted, contact Lindsey Hefta with your job description and she will be happy to assist you. The successful results we are seeing with our state-wide awareness program (SWAP) means we are increasing credit union awareness and consideration of credit unions as a better financial services option for consumers all across the Dakotas! It’s not too late to get on board for 2024. Contact Lindsey to find out how SWAP can reach more consumers in your area.
 
Summit Registration Open
Registration for the Annual Summit is open! This year’s event takes us to Grand Casino & Golf Resort just outside Sioux Falls, SD. Be sure to check out the expanded three-day agenda and new attractions! Register by April 12 for early bird pricing of just $409 per person. For your convenience, a block of rooms is reserved at Grand Casino & Golf Resort under Dakota Credit Union Summit. You must call the hotel directly at 712.777.7777 to receive the special group rate starting at just $124.95 per night.
 
North Central Chapter Meeting
The North Central Chapter has scheduled their next meeting for Thursday, March 14, at the KC Hall in Devils Lake. Meet at 5:30 for social, followed by dinner and business meeting. Program will be special guest speaker Kyle Ternes of Train ND on the topic of Customer Service. Please RSVP to Tiffani Crist at 701-665-1325.
 
South Dakota Central Chapter Meeting
The South Dakota Central Chapter has planned their next meeting for Tuesday, March 19 at the Scoreboard Bar & Grill, 56 3rd St. SE in Huron. Meet at 6:00 p.m., the program will be Frauds & Scams presented by Jody Gillaspie from the SD Attorney General Office. Please RSVP to Dawn Van Ash at [email protected].
 
Red River Chapter Meeting
The Red River Chapter of Credit Unions has scheduled their next meeting for Thursday, March 21 at Fargo Pizza Ranch – Meeting Room – 4480 23rd Ave S A, Fargo, ND 58104. The topic will be cyber security with Steve Bayer. Kindly RSVP to [email protected].
 
Understanding Credit Scores – Special SalesCU Workshop
Credit scores can be somewhat of a mystery, especially if you or a member you are helping feel they have done everything right, but still don’t have a stellar score. Having a less than stellar score can impact a number of things in a person’s life, including access to credit and loans, interest rates and terms, employment opportunities, insurance rates and premiums, and more. 
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This workshop will demystify how credit scores are calculated, and what to do to build a great credit score for you, and your members. Participants will learn: how credit reports and scores started; how a score works and the various scores out there; the 5 scoring factors; how to build a great credit score and fix a poor one; and much more! This session will be presented by Nick Brown, president of SalesCU. Join this 85-minute live virtual workshop on Thursday, March 28, from 12:30 – 1:55 p.m. CT. Register here.
 
SalesCU Training
2024 dates are available for SalesCU workshops. SalesCU training offers practical and proven sales techniques and strategies that actually work in a credit union setting to bring affordable and convenient sales training to our Dakota credit unions. If you want to develop employees who know how to sell in a way that adds value to the member, and sales leaders who are empowered to drive results through developmental coaching and meaningful accountability, we have an award-winning solution for you! Additional information on upcoming sessions available here or contact George McDonald, Chief Officer of Strategic Services at 701.250.3942.
 
Leadership Development
Our iLead@11 DakCU Emerging Leader Program is designed specifically for emerging leaders in the credit union industry, based on the popular Leadership@11 program designed by Eleven Performance Group. It is an ongoing program that allows participants to start whenever they want and determine their own pace. Scholarships are also available; complete the application form found here.
 
Help Us Stay Up to Date with Your Staff
Please help us to make sure that your employees are receiving the Memo and are in our database for other important information.  We strive to bring you the latest important information related to advocacy, compliance, networking and educational opportunities, and more.  Is everyone at your credit union receiving this information?  Be sure we have the names, title, and email address of any new employees.  The more information your staff has, the better for all of us!  Email Shawn Brummer to be added to our distribution list or sign up directly here on our website.
 
In the Spotlight
Do you know someone at your credit union or another credit union, either employee or volunteer, who has an interesting story?  Nominate them for the CU Professionals Spotlight by emailing their name and a brief explanation of why they are “Spotlight” material to Shawn Brummer.
 
Share News
Submit your news to Shawn Brummer. Employee promotions, awards, new products or services, community involvement/recognition, job openings, all are welcome! 

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