WHITEFISH, Mont. – Whitefish CU, the state’s largest credit union, said its long-time president and CEO Charles Abell will retire next month after 32 years at the helm.
Abell, now 70, joined what was then known as Big Mountain CU in 1965 at 18 and ascended to the top job in 1967.When Abell joined the credit unionit had just $780,000 in assets. It now has total assets of more than $1 billion, with about 57,000 members. The credit union also expanded beyond Whitefish to include offices in five other Northwest Montana communities.
He has been a community leader during that time, spending six years on the Whitefish School Board and serving as chairman of the North Valley Hospital Board. At one time, he was the president of the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, a member of the board of directors at Big Mountain Ski Resort and a board member of the Winter Classic. He was named a Whitefish Citizen of the Century, an honor reserved for only five people in the city's history.
