From the President & CEO: Reflections on 2020
Every spring, we invite members to attend our Annual Meeting. This meeting gives us the chance to reflect on the previous year and the opportunity to hear from our valued members. 2020 was one of the most challenging years of our lifetime. However, we came together while staying apart. We faced the fear of the unknown and came together as a community to support each other. The Power of We proved unyielding.
I can’t reflect on last year without first taking the time to express my sincere gratitude in your continued membership and support. For over sixty years, Vantage Credit Union has worked diligently to earn your trust and deliver value. We are constantly looking for ways to evolve and implement new technologies to improve member experiences—in the branches and on your computer or mobile device. We were able to readily adapt during a time of uncertainty because of the trust and support of our loyal member-owners.
I’m proud to provide assurance that the trust you have in our credit union is well-placed. This past year, our credit union continued to grow and prosper. We granted a record amount of loans to our members and helped them through a challenging time. We also took steps toward enhancing the overall Vantage experience by installing additional personal teller machines (PTMs) at many of our branches. PTMs enabled us to continue providing teller access at several branches during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
In September, we completed the move to our new headquarters located in the Missouri Research Park in St. Charles County. Our new headquarters reflects our continued growth and success and demonstrates our commitment to elevating our products and operations to best serve our members. We also completed the remodeling of two branches—East St. Louis and Greenway Chase. These refreshed branches offer a warm and welcoming environment with personalized services and convenient technologies to maximize our member experience.
Though we may be eager to put this past year behind us, I’m proud of our ability to continually support our community in working toward their financial goals no matter the circumstances. We’ll continue to push the boundaries of excellence and ingenuity by listening and responding to member needs, exploring innovative product and service solutions, and taking calculated measures to ensure the safety and value for our members. Because we are community—our common financial needs unite us as one extended family. We are Vantage Credit Union.
Eric Acree
President & Chief Executive Officer