Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Assets: $740 million
Asset Category Rank (between $500M-$1B): 2
Overall Rank: 11
Assets: $740 million
No. of employees: 196
President/CEO: Steve Swofford
Alabama Credit Union's member-facing slogan "Feel Good About Your Money" mirrors its employee proposition: Feel Good About Your Career.
"We know that if we take care of our employees, they will take care of our members," said Human Resources Director Brandi McKinney. "We work each day to help our employees understand the links between healthy workplaces, healthy communities and healthy families."
To ensure employees are continually educated and inspired, Alabama CU uses High Performance Teams (HPTs). This approach allows employees from a cross-section of departments and levels to provide input on strategic initiatives set forth by the senior management team.
"Learning by application instead of simple classroom training is a great way to reinforce the skills and behaviors that drive success," said McKinney.
Every Wednesday morning, a "Think Tank" training session is offered to all employees and is monitored by HPTs. "When people don't perform as well, we use those experiences as an opportunity to coach for better performance next time," said McKinney. "The employees understand that we are investing a great deal of time to ensure that they are developed to their fullest capabilities."
At Alabama CU, there is no "ivory tower," said McKinney. The senior leadership team, with assistance from HPTs, visits branch locations and various departments to engage in transparent dialogue.
"This has been instrumental in helping employees understand the process behind strategic decision making," said McKinney. "It has been incredible to see how employees flourish when they are given the opportunity to provide their expertise and get recognized for it."
Founded in 1955, the CU currently operates 27 branches and serves nearly 59, 000 members.
