ORLANDO, Fla.-Looking to grow? Credit Union Journal officially now has the show!
The Journal has unveiled the line-up for its upcoming Grow Show here, with nearly two-dozen speakers sharing their proven strategies for driving growth.
Kicking off the meeting on May 29 will be an extended afternoon discussion by four experts, representing The Members Group, CO-OP Financial Services, PSCU and CSCU on how to effectively compete in mobile, with insights into what's ahead. The session will include a half-hour of Q&A with attendees.
The next morning, May 30, will kick off a full day of ideas, strategies and blueprints that will run the gamut of credit union operations. The day will begin with a "Toast to Turnaound" presentation from veteran CU leader John Tippets, the former CEO at American Airlines Credit Union who was brought in by NCUA to help turn around North Island FCU in San Diego. Tippets will share the inside story of what it took to get that credit union back on solid ground again and growing.
Tippets will be followed by a turnaround story from the other side of the country when Dan McGowan of Pioneer West Virginia FCU talks of how a new management team has gotten that CU into the black.
Following a short break, CEOs of two of the most successful credit unions in the country over the past few years will talk about what has worked for their operations. Jeff Disterhoft of University of Iowa Community CU and Mark Shobe of DFCU Financial CU will share with Grow Showers how they have grown into and remained peer group leaders.
From those two broad pictures, Grow Show will then move into two unique, community-level ideas, with WestStar CU's Mona Joseph talking about its very successful job fairs in Las Vegas, and GTE Financial CU's Chad Burney offering up details on the "Techs On Tour" program.
More Grassroots Success
Those kinds of grassroots success stories will be followed by two more, when Michael Poulous of Michigan First CU and Amanda Breneman of Maps CU talk about their "Buy Local" initiatives.
Following lunch, credit unions will get inights into lending trends and how to grow loans from Stephanie Christensen of CUNA Mutual Group, who will offer a particular focus on loan-recapture programs.
From there, Grow Show attendees will be offered a look at how one credit union has sought to reach "The Overlooked Majority: Women." Sue Malo of Great Lakes Credit Union will share GLCU's new programs for reaching female members and prospective members.
Discussion will then move to "Brands & Bands Across the Lands," with marketing and branding expert Paul Lucas and First Entertainment CU VP Roy McKinnon sharing their innovative and entertaining perspectives on generating growth.
Day One at Grow Show would not be complete without one of its most popular features, the Big First Day Q&A. Grow Show will wrap up the day by bringing back all of our Day One speakers for an hour of unfiltered and far-ranging Q&A, allowing speakers to not just offer comment on their own sessions, but those of others, as well.
Day Three of Grow Show will send attendees home with even more ideas and strategies. The day kicks off with "Small Budget, Big Imagination," during which Bo McDonald will share some of the creative and effective loan and membership strategies in which he has been involved.
Attendees will then plunge right into a rapidly developing loan channel: Facebook. Social media is rapidly developing into lending media for some cutting-edge credit unions, and in this session Joseariel Gomez, CEO of Shastic, will post insights into how some of the credit unions with which his company works are using Facebook to make loans.
Old School Reminder
From that still developing technology Grow Show will step back for a moment and go "old school" with what was once a pillar for many CUs: SEGs and corporate relations. For Baxter CU it is still a successful pillar, and Eileen Cherry Clark will detail how BCU has made it all work.
For its grand finale, Grow Show will wrap up with advice on making sure all those new members added over the past 18 months are profitable members. In "Get Onboard or Get Derailed," several speakers, including Andy Reed of American Airlines CU will talk about how signing up for membership is just the first step, not the last.
Grow Show is set for May 29-31 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel (at a Holiday Inn price of just $159 a night) in Orlando. For details and to take advantage of Early Bird discounts, visit www.cujournal.com/conferences/credituniongrowth.
