Chris Gomez, President/CEO at Heritage Family Credit Union, joined us on the show to share how he and his team are tackling the challenges of the housing market in Vermont with a creative fix -- not leaving the locals out in the cold when it comes to owning a home.

Chris shared some current challenges in the Vermont housing market right now with the lack of housing driving up the cost of homes that lead to very expensive prices, making the affordability for the average buyer a massive challenge. He added how these challenges are impacting consumers in Vermont looking to buy.

Getting to the heart of the conversation, Chris talked about what they at Heritage Family are doing to mitigate these challenges for members, working with local government to facilitate an $8 million dollar loan program called “Roofs Over Rutledge.”

As a result, he addressed how this partnership with the local government facilitating this lending program has benefited Heritage Family, becoming one of the most recognized housing providers in the state of Vermont.

Lastly, Chris commented on lessons learned here and advice for credit unions looking to enhance their mortgage lending efforts this year doing something very similar.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

Local news coverage of the Roofs Over Rutledge:
WCAX Channel 3 News
ABC's Local 22
NBC Channel 5 News

Troy Stang, President/CEO at GoWest Credit Union Association and Zach Forster, VP of Legislative Affairs for Idaho at GoWest, stopped by our show to share their key messages to Idaho legislators during Credit Union Day at the Capitol in Boise, Idaho.

​Troy and Zach highlighted some of those key messages that consisted of economic and community impact from state credit unions, impressive marketshare (72% of Idaho consumers use credit unions), protecting members from fraud schemes, housing solutions to the state's rapidly growing population, and much more.

They also talked about advocacy season being in full swing in Idaho with a lot of engagement and key issues impacting credit unions. One of them is public funds legislation. Credit unions currently serve local governments under the $250,000 federally insured cap.  Why is it essential to remove this cap? And how this legislative change would empower credit unions to address financial service gaps in Idaho’s underserved regions.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details -- and stay tuned for the next stop on the 2025 GoWest Capitol Tour.

GoWest Credit Union Association President/CEO Troy Stang and UniWyo Federal Credit Union President/CEO Dave Krause reported "live" from the Wyoming capitol in Cheyenne to celebrate Credit Union Day at the Capitol.

Troy and Dave discussed top legislative priorities for Wyoming's credit unions for this session, as well as building relationships with the state's lawmakers showing that cooperatives are a “way of life” in Wyoming and how the legislative priorities align with the broader goals of the credit union movement in the region.

In addition, they talked about the advent of electronic titling in Wyoming and how it will modernize the way credit unions serve members in the state -- adding how credit unions are preparing for this shift, and the role GoWest plays in supporting them in this digital arena.

Lastly, Troy and Dave addressed Wyoming's latest credit union economic impact report, sharing such highlights as:

• How essential credit unions are to the state's economy (50% of Wyoming's population being credit union members)
• Showing credit unions as community partners that they are invested in the places they call home and are making communities better places to live, work, etc.
• $178,000 contribution to GDP
• 900 jobs, support 1,700 in the economy
• $15 million in direct financial benefits to members

Much, much more in this conversation with Troy and Dave and the positive impact credit unions are having on the state in many ways. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

Wescom Credit Union’s SVP, Chief Marketing Officer Ashley White joined us on the show to share her Southern California wildfire experience and the credit union's relief efforts for members, staff, and surrounding communities.

With Wescom Credit Union’s headquarters in Pasadena, just a stone’s throw from Altadena and the Eaton Fire, Ashley shared the status of the fires in this area -- as well as her personal experiences during the last week.

She also detailed Wescom's relief efforts for its members, staff, and the surrounding communities to assist and support residents offering Emergency Loans (up to $5,000)*. Wescom is launching a Giving Campaign, matching total donations up to $50,000, to support wildfire relief efforts.

• Emergency Loans: Wescom members, non-members, and the local communities impacted by the fires can visit emergencyloan.wescom.org, call 1-888-4WESCOM (1-888-493-7266) ext. 1240, or stop by any Wescom branch to discuss loan options. 
  • *Loans are subject to approval.
  • *Membership eligibility requirements apply (If they apply they’ll become a member in the process).
• Giving Campaign: The Wescom Foundation (Wescom’s employee-run charitable foundation) has launched a Giving Campaign to support wildfire relief efforts and facilitate the provision of basic needs to those impacted.** Members of the Credit Union can donate via Online Banking or the Wescom Mobile Banking App. But you don’t have to be a member to participate. Community members at-large can donate by visiting wescom.org/donations now through January 21, 2025. 
  • **For donations made from January 8, 2025, through January 21, 2025, Wescom will match up to a total of $50,000 in donations for this promotion. Total contribution up to $50,000 plus member contributed funds. Equal Donations will be given to each of these non-profit organizations: American Red Cross and Direct Relief.

Ashley also talked about the collaboration between the credit unions in the Southern California region to collectively support the affected communities.

Lastly, she discussed lessons learned during this devastating time and how to move forward after such a devastating natural disaster.

Inspiring talk here with Ashley. Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details.

CUES' Senior Director, Meetings & Digital Events Sara Dyer and Currency Marketing's Founder/CEO Tim McAlpine stopped by the show to share the news that the 2025 CUES Emerge program (which is free to enter) is now accepting applications for the next group of industry emerging leaders looking to take that next step up in their careers. But don't dawdle, as applications will only be accepted through February 10, 2025. 

In its sixth year, the CUES Emerge program focuses on developing future leaders in the credit union industry through education and mentorship, enabling participants to learn and create business cases as well as acquire essential leadership skills for that next career step.

Sara and Tim added that the competition aims to foster leadership among the younger generations by highlighting the benefits of participation -- lots of highly valuable education courses and networking/mentoring opportunities that will certainly pay dividends in each of the participants' futures.

And then there's the competition side of the program where participants/competitors provide their researched and refined business case studies to a panel of industry leaders for judging and voting in October 2025 during a live pitch show.

Overall, Tim and Sara shared that this transformative course is custom-designed to accelerate career advancement and empower future credit union leaders to step into leadership roles — again, all at no cost to the participants.

Check it out and let us know your thoughts. And be sure to watch the entire episode below for all the details -- and don't forget to sign up to participate!