Sponsored by EFCU Financial
In 1934, 178 members invested a total of $941.70 to open the Stanocola Processing Employee’s Federal Credit Union (now ExxonMobil) — the 13th chartered credit union in the United States.
Ninety years and multiple name changes later, EFCU Financial now offers a full range of products and services to almost 70,000 members in the nine-parish Capital Region with $1.1 billion in assets, making it the third largest credit union in the state.
Despite its tremendous evolution, EFCU Financial hasn’t forgotten its origins, maintaining personalized service and involvement in local communities.
“As we’ve grown from a small credit union to a really large credit union, one of the largest in the state, we haven’t lost that personal side to how we serve our members,” says ECFU Financial’s Chief Executive Officer Tom Kuslikis. “I’m particularly proud of our continuous dedication to helping members achieve their financial goals, whether that’s saving for the future, buying a home or auto, and managing their debt.”
Since credit unions are not-for-profit financial institutions, they are known for key services such as low-rate loans and credit cards, high-yield money market accounts, and top-of-market certificates of deposit. EFCU Financial sets itself apart in the mortgage lending arena, Kuslikis says, by building relationships with local realtors and taking a more personalized approach to the process.
“Some of the larger financial institutions are more interested in getting a customer in a loan, where we’ll actually counsel with the member and put them in a loan that will provide the most benefit,” he says. “We’re really trying to help our members manage their finances and want to put them in a product that’s going to work well for them.”
EFCU Financial also prides itself on a lean, efficient organizational structure that makes it possible to give more back to its members. It is consistently ranked #1 in Louisiana for Member Value by Callahan & Associates, a national organization dedicated to credit union research and analytics.
“We’re keeping a low-cost structure, being efficient, and investing in projects that are going to benefit the member,” Kuslikis says. “It allows us to just give more back in the way of higher deposit products and lower-rate loans.”
One of those projects is a new operations center at 3232 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd. in Baton Rouge. The building was once the headquarters for Piccadilly Restaurants and is being renovated inside and out. EFCU Financial’s back office operations will officially relocate from their current Airline Highway office once the construction is complete in late November or early December.
The new operations center will significantly improve the organization’s operational efficiency and ability to serve members while providing a more modern workspace that better lends itself to team collaboration.
“It’s also important to create a great culture and environment,” Kuslikis says. “Creating a space that is fresh and new will encourage team members to want to come to work, to collaborate, and drive further innovation for our organization.”
Looking forward to the future, EFCU Financial plans to continue offering its signature personalized service backed by technology that makes member choices easy and accessible.
“We have over 90 years of experience providing top-notch products and services to those in the greater Baton Rouge community, and we’re excited to continue to build on that legacy,” Kuslikis says.
225) 214-6800 | memberservices@efcufinancial.org | efcufinancial.org
