Our Stories
Chad
Partner, JC Equity
Member Since 2022
If you drive east on Interstate 64 for a little over an hour, you’ll be in Chad’s hometown of Mt. Vernon, Illinois. But it’s actually St. Louis that he has called home for nearly 25 years, after moving here for a job after college. Both cities have shaped who Chad is and his vision for living a satisfying life. After about five years living here, he moved into the mortgage banking industry, where he learned the ins and outs of real estate lending and capital.
It was during his time as a local mortgage lender that he met his then-client and current business partner Joe, who was focusing on real estate investment in the low-to-moderate-income (LMI) space. Chad was impressed with Joe’s accomplishment of building a great business by using his talent to renovate properties in St. Louis city. “It was invigorating to watch him do that completely independently, with no other resources other than residential lending products,” Chad admires. With Joe’s experience on the real estate side, and Chad’s expertise on the lending side, the two decided to partner: JC Equity was born!
Providing affordable housing is important to Chad, since he grew up in an urban setting, playing sports with friends whose families struggled financially. “Most people don’t understand that the wealth gap in our society creates two economies,” Chad explains. “The wealthiest 2% of the population are recession-proof, but the other 98% are hit hard by recessions.” Ultimately, JC Equity’s goal is to help build a stable community by providing a safe place to live, one that’s clean, comfortable, secure, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They may change the look of the properties they buy, but Chad says, “We don’t change the tenants, because we want the same people who live in that community to stay.
Chad points out that by the tenants paying rent, they’re the ones really paying the bills for the company. So, by keeping costs as reasonable as possible, JC Equity is able to pass on those savings to the tenants, who can then have extra money to invest in what they need to be successful. The key component to that process is having a banking partnership to finance day-to-day operations and support the company’s business plan. Ideally, that partnership “should align with your ideals, be like-minded and have similar values,” Chad lists. He connected with LaTonya and Devera from SLCCU’s Business Services team after receiving a strong recommendation from a community advocate.
Chad says that the credit union cares and does everything it can to make running the business seamless, happy and bearable – which is priceless. “There's never going to be a partner more in alignment with your social vision of helping any community than St. Louis Community Credit Union,” Chad asserts. “Without them, we would have been stuck about five properties ago.”
LaDonna
AVP of Member Experience Delivery, SLCCU
Staff Member Since 2018
LaDonna lives and breathes empathy. “I can relate to a lot of our members, because I can put myself in their shoes quite a bit,” she remembers.
LaDonna’s empathy is what keeps her working at St. Louis Community Credit Union: to be able to help somebody that she can relate to their experience. “We can do different things for members that you don’t see at other financial institutions, because their focus is on getting people in and out the door,” LaDonna observes. “Our staff is able to actually have conversations and get down to what people really need, which develops relationships.” LaDonna believes she’s there to support the staff and help them succeed by giving them the tools to empower the Credit Union’s members to thrive.
And just like LaDonna believes her role is to support the credit union’s staff, she also receives support from the highest levels of the credit union. “I've never worked for a company where you can relate so much to the CEO or senior team and be on a first-name basis where they remember your children and family,” LaDonna praises. “That alone speaks volumes to the type of company we work for. It just makes you feel so loved – like you are literally a part of this family.”
It's that sense of belonging and feeling of being more than just a number that LaDonna encourages everyone to bank with St. Louis Community Credit Union. “We will do our very best to make sure that you can get what you need,” LaDonna promises. “If you want a sense of belonging, where you can come in and feel the love and not feel like you're going to be treated like a number – you need to come and bank with St. Louis Community Credit Union. We are here for you. We have your best interests at heart and we will do our very best to make sure that you can get what you need.”
She goes on to explain that some other financial institutions say they want to help the community, but don’t back up those words with actions. “We find different avenues where we can help members and extend opportunities.” SLCCU cares about its members and the community it serves.
Jessica
Member Since 2013
While Jessica was in graduate school, she was reassessing her banking choices. At that time, the sub-prime mortgage crisis of the late 2000s was happening. Public trust in the overall banking system was obliterated. “I felt like I wasn’t making my own banking choices; the institutions were making them for me,” Jessica remembers. “I felt like I was losing autonomy.”
Jessica knew she wanted a credit union specifically. “It’s more personable. I’m not just a number, I’m a member.” She chose St. Louis Community Credit Union after a friend shared their positive experience with SLCCU. Ten years later, she’s yet to have a negative experience! Jessica says, “Having local people in St. Louis at a company that cares about the people they are working with, is why I chose SLCCU.”
When Jessica wanted to replace the vehicle she owned for 15 years, she knew she’d have to do her research. When she walked into the credit union’s Southtown office, she remembered the staff being super friendly and welcoming…with zero judgement. Jessica had been in the process of repairing some credit issues. When the car shopping process began, she wasn’t sure she would qualify for a loan at all. The SLCCU team walked through all of her options. “It wasn’t a single-transaction conversation,” Jessica says. “St. Louis Community was there with me the whole time throughout the car-buying process.”
It turned out to be longer than she anticipated. Many car-pricing tools, car-buying apps, and spreadsheets later, Jessica finally found a car. The dealership was trying to pressure her into financing the car through them, so she walked away from the table. Jessica took a break from shopping for a while. Then, her car went from bad to worse. Jessica recalls, “I went from ‘I have time to shop around ’ to ‘I need a car, like, today!” With a little patience and a lot of persistence, Jessica finally found her new car and was able to purchase it with peace of mind.
Part of that peace of mind comes with having financed her new car with St. Louis Community Credit Union. Jessica recalled how she never felt pressured or rushed. “SLCCU had my best interests at heart.” She also reflected on how she felt empowered through her shopping and buying process because she had already independently set up her financing and would be able to buy the car she wanted, on her terms. “Since I had a pre-approved loan, I felt like the power was in my hands as opposed to the dealerships’ hands.”
SLCCU believes in empowering its members, no matter the financial journey. The commitment is for the long haul.
Destini
Chief Operating Officer, Fathers & Families Support Center
Partner Since 2009
“SLCCU has just been present in anything that I’ve been involved with as far as the financial education world, community events, being a good community partner period,” says Destini, COO of Fathers & Families Support Center. “Not just a partner in the sense of an organization, but a partner for people within the communities they serve.”
The goal of Fathers & Families Support Center (FFSC) is to improve the lives of children. The organization accomplishes this by equipping parents with necessary life skills that can help them become empowered, financially supportive and involved. “I believe that the Credit Union was the first to approach us to provide financial education and the importance of educating our parents about it,” Destini shares. “From there, it’s been a level of consistency and communication and different supports that [the Credit Union] provides to our organization, as well as our participants who live in the communities that they aim to serve.”
According to Destini, our relationship has brought so much value to FFSC clients, as well as their staff. So much so, that the connection even prompted Destini to become a member of SLCCU. “I remember speaking with a SLCCU staff member who told me it only takes $1 to open an account,” Destini says. “With that $1, I started a saving account. That’s how I’ve been able to discipline myself … having a separate account from a checking account. The credit union’s friendliness, helping the community, how they show up and what they do in the community … that’s what creates those opportunities for others.” “I believe in SLCCU because they believe in the community,” says Destini. “It’s just that simple. They try to offer services that benefit the community and what they could need. I don’t think they hesitate when it comes to that.”
Meagan
Business Analyst, SLCCU
Staff Member Since 2011
When Meagan returned to St. Louis with her family after living in Seattle, she knew she wanted a job with a credit union. She got her start in the industry, and that experience motivated her to continue supporting the credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people.’ Meagan had a wonderful interview with St. Louis Community Credit Union, and Human Resources hired her on the spot! “I want to spend my career making a positive impact in my community,” Meagan asserts. “That aligns very well with what SLCCU was doing 12 years ago, and what they continue to do now.”
And while Meagan was determined to work for a credit union 12 years ago, she was open to the possibilities regarding the type of work she wanted to do. “One of the great things about working for a credit union is that there are always opportunities to be had, and you never know what’s going to come up for you,” Meagan says. She started at SLCCU as a teller in the operations department. After continuing work in operations as a member service representative, then teller supervisor, Meagan made the transition to the learning and development department as a trainer. Now she works in the IT department and has been there for seven years. Her unique background with several departments within the credit union enabled her to understand each area’s needs and provide solutions that ultimately help everyone at the credit union accomplish their work.
“Even though I’m no longer working directly with members, the work I’m doing today in developing programs, products and services does make a direct impact,” Meagan reflects. “I still remember many of them and how their stories touched me, changed my perceptions and how I view the world. Lifting up one person helps that person play a role in their community.” Meagan’s adjusted worldview is why she values the credit union and her role there. “The fact that St. Louis Community made a conscious decision to target communities that were underserved, that was vital and important to me because those are the folks that are often overlooked when we're talking about financial services in the mainstream,” Meagan admires. “That is so powerful knowing that we've helped thousands of folks in the St. Louis area. Money only lasts so long, but the impact of what we're doing – that will go on.”
Jenny & Adam
Members Since 2022
Home is what you make of it. For St. Louis transplants Jenny and her husband, Adam, the region has provided fertile ground to plant roots, work, and make a better place for all. “We live in South City, just north of Tower Grove Park with our three rescue chickens: Dragonette, Florence, and Josephine,” shares Jenny. Per Adam, “Our three chickens are famous at my work. People are delighted to hear stories about them, or at least they tell me that.”
In addition to tending to home and their flock, both feel that they play a role in building a stronger St. Louis through actions both small and large. Adam believes, “From my perspective, banks do a lot of good in the world. But from the perspective of a local community, it’s kind of like an unfocused good. I wanted to work with St. Louis Community Credit Union so that we could have our money going to serve the people of St. Louis directly and not have it be spread out.”
In mid-2022, Adam and Jenny opened a Community Impact Deposit (CID) account by moving a portion of their savings to the Credit Union. “It’s nice to have a bit of extra return, but what feels more meaningful to me is that fact that the amount that we have in savings at St. Louis Community Credit Union is actually being put to good use for people,” states Adam.
Aside from knowing that their savings are doing good for communities they care about, Jenny likes that St. Louis Community Credit Union goes beyond finance. “You also do a lot of things as the credit union. You have the mammogram vans, for example. And the events you do where you’re promoting awareness about different issues and providing resources to the community. I know that y’all are doing really great stuff. That’s what we wanted to support with our savings. It was definitely an easy decision for us.”
S.J.
Member Since 2019
“I know how hard it is for people with barriers to access banking. To have an organization actively trying to tear down those barriers so that people who are unbanked can become banked and who partner with other organizations, that’s really valuable to me, and that’s the kind of place I want to put my money. That’s why I’m at St. Louis Community Credit Union,” says S.J.
S.J.’s relationship with the Credit Union began when the Benton Park branch opened in South City. “It’s 0.3 miles from my house. I walk there. I bike there. It’s easy to pop by, and I’ll pick up cash now and then.” Aside from having a convenient place to keep their savings, S.J. has been surprised by their relationship with staff. “Over time, I met the tellers there and they’re so great. They know me. They’ll be like, ’What are you doing this weekend?’ It’s kind of funny to think that you can just build up rapport with them. For me, that has not been a part of how I bank.”
For St. Louis Community Credit Union’s staff, knowing our members, providing ease of access through branches and digital tools and creating a sense of belonging is key to achieving our mission. Whether using us as a place to save, like S.J., or getting a checking account to start over, St. Louis Community Credit Union is here to assist everyone in their unique financial journey.
“Sometimes I have to share with my friends that, ‘You don’t even know what a privilege it is to have access to a bank account and all the doors that it can open for you, and all the doors that you don’t even realize could be closed’.” We couldn’t agree more with S.J. We see you. We hear you. We’re here for all your financial needs.