Competition's Best

Middlesex Federal Credit Union
Middletown, CT
Keith Wiemert, President/CEO & Robyn Swanson, Marketing Director

Category 15: Membership Packets, Brochures, or Books
Category 20: Plastic Access Card Design
Category 22: Retail Merchandising

With a new community charter, Middlesex Federal Credit Union faced a familiar challenge: how best to reach out to and meet the needs of the communities it now serves.

The $71 million asset credit union in Middletown, Conn., had a plan to expand its lobby to accommodate more members and to develop a unifying brand. It wasn’t until President/CEO Keith Wiemert attended a conference on retail merchandising that a design plan took shape.

Middlesex Federal contracted with New Ground, Manchester, Mo., to design 3,000 square feet of new retail space at its main office and develop a new name, logo design, and brand image artwork.

California artist Gary Kelley created a piece of art, which provided the credit union with the brand images. All marketing materials include elements of Kelley’s vision of a quaint Main Street scene in New England, “typical of the towns we serve,” says Robyn Swanson, Middlesex Federal’s marketing director.

The new lobby/retail center says to members: Come in, stay awhile—and the credit union will take care of you. Members may visit an Internet café or enjoy free coffee and cookies. Younger members play kid-friendly computer games or read books while parents relax on a comfy couch to watch programming from the Home & Garden Channel or consider loan options.

Meanwhile, member service representatives roam the center talking to members about credit union products and services. “Our cross-sales numbers have increased since the lobby opened, and member satisfaction is off the charts,” Swanson says.

As one of the smallest Diamond Award winners, Middlesex Federal is “beyond thrilled” about receiving this award, she adds. “We’ve made a large commitment to this concept and that commitment is paying off tenfold.”

—Credit Union Magazine