Category: Community Partners
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From Farm To City: How ChoiceOne Bank is Championing Michigan Agribusiness
ChoiceOne Bank’s vision isn’t a secret: it’s front and center on its website. “We want to be the best bank in Michigan,” said Adom Greenland, the bank’s chief financial officer. “That means really making an impact in our communities.” ChoiceOne Bank was established in 1898 as a farm bank, and the bank operates in some…
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How Asian Bank Is Providing Personalized Support To Philadelphia’s Small Business Owners
In a word, Tina Miao-Granatt would describe her life as “blessed.” Her family moved from Taiwan to Philadelphia when she was 12 years old. There, her parents owned and operated a successful Chinese restaurant. As the small business grew and grew, so too did Tina’s list of responsibilities, from dishwasher, to busser, to waitress. Although…
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Meet Beardstown Savings, The Community Bank That’s Speaking The Same Language As Its Multilingual Community
Rich Eckert never expected to become the president and CEO of a community bank. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-native aspired to work in collegiate athletic administration, which he did for a short while before moving with his wife to her hometown of Beardstown, Illinois to start a family. However, a chance encounter with the then head executive…
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How Labor Credit Union Is Creating Opportunities And Expanding Its Impact With Dora Financial
Thomas Domingue is passionate about opportunities. More specifically, the CEO of Labor Credit Union is passionate about creating opportunities for those around him. It’s a personal mantra that Thomas has woven through his professional journey, which, prior to joining Labor Credit Union, included 13 years working for various multibillion-dollar credit unions. Unsurprisingly, when Thomas joined…
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How Freedom First’s Affordable Housing Program Is Taking A Non-Conforming Approach To Homeownership
Allison Wolf got her start in the financial services industry as a college student in 1998, when she took a job as a part-time teller in Long Beach, California. Many things caught Allison’s attention during those formative first few years; however, she found herself particularly entranced by the work of the branch’s loan officers. “It…
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How NYU Federal Credit Union Is Forging Partnerships To Support Their Members
Mira Ness comes from humble beginnings: in her words, she was born into a very big family in a very small town in Kazakhstan. Still, Mira found a way to become the president of one of her country’s biggest banks. However, when she moved to the United States with her American husband, Mira found herself…
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Creating an Impact Framework for Impact-Driven Depository Institutions
Impact-driven banks and credit unions provide vital services to under-resourced communities. However, in CNote’s extensive work with these institutions and community finance overall, we recognized the pressing need for a consistent impact framework for the industry. Existing impact measurement efforts have typically centered around either banks or credit unions or have been limited to CDFI-certified…
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How Kaua’i Federal Credit Union’s Rent Relief Program Has Stabilized Local Small Businesses—And Local Culture
The COVID-19 pandemic turned Chef John Paul Gordon’s life upside down. One day, John Paul was an executive chef catering to Kaua’i’s tourists, the next day, he was unemployed. After more than 20 years of being a chef, John Paul felt like COVID-19 stole his identity away from him overnight. Despite wanting to get back…
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How Indian Land Capital Company Is Strengthening Tribal Sovereignty, One Loan At A Time
Rjay Brunkow, an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, has dedicated his career to economic development within Indian Country. Rjay served as an investment banker for Wells Fargo, focusing on government infrastructure, before serving as Solicitor General for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and chief legal counsel for his own…
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New Covenant Dominion Credit Union’s Small Staff Has Big Dreams For The Bronx—And Beyond
Since New Covenant Dominion Credit Union came to life in 2007, Rachel Macarthy has worn many different hats. She served as one of the credit union’s founding board members, and in 2019, she stepped in as the organization’s acting CEO. Despite becoming the permanent CEO in 2021, Rachel has done everything from working as a…