The President’s Perspective

​As we kick off the start of October, it’s important to recognize how important this month is to our industry. Plus, our New Ideas Conference begins today!

Greetings and welcome to October! If you ever attended a high school or college football game you’ve probably joined in with other fans in recognizing the start of the 4th quarter. The sign indicates each team’s belief that a game is won in that crucial final period.

This tradition can be credited to an offensive line coach by the name of Buck Nystrom who was at Oklahoma University in the 1960s. It comes from an eight-stage training and conditioning program the coach invented and instituted there, where his players were required to hold up four fingers at the fourth station, which was the midway point of the arduous conditioning workout. Coach Buck even had a meaning behind the gesture. One finger stands for discipline, another is for effort. Another for toughness and the other is for commitment. And, the thumb at the base of the gesture stands for pride.

Inspired by the tradition as the going got tough, the 1967 Oklahoma Sooners football team then began to incorporate the gesture into their games at the start of each 4th quarter. This tradition moved with Coach Buck to back to his home state in Michigan, where the tradition took off and grew from Michigan State. Today, every football player in America at every level holds up four fingers at the start of each final quarter. Most have no clue to its origins or even its real meaning, other than it’s the final quarter of the game.  

As we kick-off our 4th quarter and gear up to end the year on a strong note, we need to pause and recognize that October is an important month in the credit union and cooperative world. Each year we highlight our cooperative principles by celebrating National Co-op Month. We also commemorate International Credit Union Day on the third Thursday each October, which falls on the 20th this year. International Credit Union Day (ICU Day) exists to raise awareness and celebrate what makes credit unions unique. This year’s theme looks toward empowering your members and community to build a better financial future with your credit union.  

We continue our path towards financial well-being for all, and October 20th is our chance to show Dakotans the many ways we are improving our members’ lives. The Dakota Credit Union Association’s marketing and communications team has everything you need with easy access here. Be sure to take advantage of the free materials including logos, posters, and coloring sheets, and you can also receive customizable assets through the ICU Day Design Bundle for a small fee. 

Finally, October is also known as Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which is a collaboration between government and private industry to raise awareness about digital security while empowering everyone to protect themselves from cybercrime. Be sure to check out the helpful tips our staff has organized in today’s related Memo story.
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DakCU New Ideas Kicks-off today. 
We are looking forward to hosting nearly 80 credit union leaders and business partners as our New Ideas Conference kicks off later today at Black Leg Ranch near Bismarck. This year’s theme, “People – Product – Purpose,” will encompass positive relationship building with your members while embracing those same cooperative principles within your own credit union doors. A ranch style setting, where cooperation is necessary for the success of all, is the perfect backdrop for this experience.  We also excited to have Christopher Lorence, executive director of CUNA’s CU Awareness, LLC, as our facilitator this year. The weather is fine, and the stage is set! In fact, below is a picture from the ranch taken just this morning! 

e-Bike Raffle Drawing Tomorrow
Tomorrow is the final day to get your e-bike raffle tickets purchased as the drawing will be held October 4 at approximately 4:30 p.m. at the New Ideas Conference. As of this morning, 135 tickets have been sold of the 250. These are excellent odds! The prize is a pair of top-rated Ride1UP 700 series electric bikes worth $3,390! Any individual or credit union can buy up to five (5) tickets, shipping to the destination of the winner’s choice is included, and they also get to choose the color. Get your tickets here.

Upcoming Pints & Politics Forums in Aberdeen, Jamestown, and Fargo
There are several chapter Pints & Politics events coming up in the next week or so. First up is Golden Pheasant Chapter on Thursday, October 6 at One Legged Pheasant Brewery in Aberdeen starting at 5:30 p.m. The James Valley Chapter will hold their forum on Tuesday, October 11 at Quality Inn in Jamestown at 5:30 p.m. Finally, Red River Chapter will meet on Thursday, October 13 at Edgewood Golf Course in Fargo at 5:30 p.m. I hope to see a good turnout for these events; they are very useful to help inform legislators and candidates about the credit union difference on our terms!

CEO Town Hall Tuesday October 25th
Be sure to watch for your invite to the next CEO Town Hall Tuesday on October 25th. This virtual meeting will provide updates on our Health Benefits Trust renewals, compliance, and regulatory hot topics, and we’ll highlight our SWAP (State-Wide Awareness Program) outstanding success over this past summer. We will also let you in on a few upcoming events and opportunities that you will want to put on your radar.

Congratulations to Our Dakota CU Rockstar!
Last week, the editorial team of Credit Union Magazine announced their 2022 CU Rock Stars. This is the tenth year they have recognized outstanding credit union professionals, and we were delighted to see Jennifer Walz, VP of Operations at Minuteman FCU in Rapid City will represent the Dakotas this year. Many individuals make a difference for their members and their communities; this is one more way of recognizing those who lead by example with their dedication to their credit union and the industry. Congratulations Jennifer! You can see all the winners and read their stories here.

 Have a great week!

DakCU President/CEO