Congratulations Val & the other WCU Rockstars!

Weyburn Credit Union (WCU) was nationally recognized with two Achievement in Marketing Excellence (AIME) Awards presented by the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA).  The AIME Awards attract entries from credit unions of all sizes and locations across Canada. The AIME awards recognize the best and brightest achievements in credit union marketing, communications and community relations through a variety of categories.

WCU Wins for Branch Transformation

WCU was honoured with the Branch Design Award for the redesign of Retail Solution Centre led by Val Ness, VP of Human Resources.  The branch renovation undergone in 2018 was a key component of a complete, multi-year organizational structure change. Weyburn found members weren’t coming in to do simple transactions like they once did, as those transactions are increasingly being completed digitally. People are still coming in, but less often and for different reasons. People come in for advice and solutions; they come in to engage with local experts for more in-depth and complex matters. When they do come in, their expectations are high; they want a great experience. WCU needed their branch to reflect the transition to an advice and solution centre environment and they undertook a renovation to transform the environment. The branch renovation speaks volumes about their brand and creates a unique vibe within the community.

WCU Wins for New Culture Code

Missing: Leann Hoffman

The second award WCU was honoured with was the Internal Marketing Recognition/Incentive Campaign Award for their work around culture, once again led by executive Val Ness. WCU has made culture their number one focus. Whether managed or not, every organization has a culture; WCU’s culture had evolved over the years but was not clearly defined or enforced. WCU made plans to move from a good culture to a great one. WCU gathered a focus group of engaged employees and managers to define where the credit union was and where they wanted it to go and assembled it in to a culture code. The culture code is part who WCU is and who they aspire to be.

The awards were presented at the AIME Awards Gala Dinner held during the 2019 National Conference for Canada’s Credit Unions on Monday, May 6th in Winnipeg.

WCU’s Chief Executive Officer, Don Shumlich, says, “2018 was a pivotal year for our Credit Union and we are so proud of the work completed. We saw years of effort and projects coming together seamlessly. I had no doubt the work would be anything less than award-winning with Val Ness taking the lead. She is a very talented and valued member of our executive team.”

“I can’t take the credit all on my own,” said Val Ness, VP of Human Resources. “It was really a team effort and our thanks goes out WCU staff, management and board; Don Baillie in particular was integral to the success of the renovation project. We definitely couldn’t have transformed our branch like we did without the help of our Designer, NewGround, and general contractor, JHC Construction. In fact, upon inspection of the work, Newground commented that they rarely see the caliber of the work completed by John and his team. We want to send our sincere thanks and compliments to John Hulbert on his excellent service. The job was done on time and on budget and they were nothing but professional and accommodating. By the accolades we receive from our membership, they are appreciative too.”