Plans for a new location for Consumers Cooperative Federal Credit Union are coming to fruition as officials gathered on Friday morning on the southwest corner of the intersection of West Third Street and Cody Avenue to break ground.
Consumers Cooperative FCU Manager Betsy Marsteller said that the plans for the new location have been in the works for some time, as they have outgrown their current location.
“We’ve been talking about a new build for a while,” said Marsteller. “We searched out some design and build teams. It was Strategic Growth Advisors out of Indiana that contacted us, and we talked. They came out to meet us, and they were a good fit. They had really good plans for the build. Then, they hired Anderson-Shaw as the main contractor, and Anderson-Shaw hires all the subcontractors, is kind of how it works.
“We have outgrown our space,” Marsteller said. “Mainly, our building is too small, and the parking and the drive-thru, and the ATM, it just gets really packed in here sometimes. We’ll have way more room out there for all of that stuff at the new location.”
Marsteller explained that the current timeline is to have the new location operational by June of 2025. She noted that their members will see the greatest benefits from this project.
“That will be the biggest benefit for our members, they deserve it,” said Marsteller. “To come in and have more room, to drive through the parking lot, and you don’t have to sit behind somebody to get to the drive-thru if they are using the ATM. It’ll just be a lot better for business.”
There are currently no plans, Marsteller noted, for their current location, though at this time they do not intend to occupy it as a separate branch after the new location is completed.
Marsteller said that this project has taken a lot of work, and that she is grateful to the Board of Directors for all of their help and support throughout the process.
“Our Board of Directors did a lot of work,” Marsteller said. “It took time to find the right company and the right fit. It really is all about our members. We have had continual growth, and we continue to grown. Kind of like our philosophy of people helping people, and that’s what we do here. Our loan rates and savings rates are always quite favorable for our members, and we garner new members because of our rates at times, also. It’s all about our members; that’s who we are.”
Consumers Cooperative FCU has been at its current location since 1986, Marsteller explained. In 2001, they constructed an addition to the building to provide more space for their needs.
“It’s been a process,” said Marsteller. “I think the biggest process was, we’ve talked and talked and talked about it, but it was just finding the right people to help us through the project. The Board of Directors were all in with Strategic Growth Advisors, so it all worked. That was the hardest part. It will be fun.”
