1st USCU Enjoys Updated Corporate Headquarters

Expansion Brings Employees Together Under One Roof

Six months of construction came to fruition when 1st United Services Credit Union (1st USCU) moved its 80 corporate and branch employees back into an expanded and updated headquarters at 5901 Gibraltar Drive in July. The credit union first occupied the custom building in 1999. Growth since then had pushed several back-office operations into overflow space elsewhere in Hacienda. Now the entire Pleasanton population is back in one facility, with a redesigned interior that features a friendlier branch design, more collaborative workspace for corporate staff, and a conference room large enough to accommodate all-hands meetings.

"Hacienda Business Park is a great headquarters and branch location," comments Greg Pulliam, Chief Administrative Officer for the credit union, which has been serving residents and employees working in Alameda and Contra Costa counties since the 1930s. With a total of 13 branches from Fremont to Rodeo, easy freeway access and proximity to BART have always been major location considerations, Pulliam notes. Several East Bay branches are within walking distance of a BART station, which makes it very easy for employees to travel from site to site to conduct internal training or make presentations to a variety of groups. The credit union is actively involved in the community through educational and financial literacy programs targeted to different age groups. For example, the Berkeley branch is just half a block from Berkeley High School, a natural audience for the Gen-Y seminar "Teens and Money." 1st USCU also sponsors a financial education class, providing professionally developed materials to teachers at seven high schools in the East Bay.

Adult outreach includes seminars on topics like identity theft and understanding credit reports. A new presentation, "10 Steps to Financial Success," is being given regularly at the branches and employer sites, Pulliam says. The credit union also has programs for youngsters that help them start to think about developing good savings habits.

1st USCU's long history in the area has been accompanied by strong support of local causes. The "Taste of Summer" barbecue fundraiser for Hacienda Helping Hands this past May sparked the interest of more than two dozen employees, whose line dance took top honors for team cheer, while the CIO-led "pit team" crafted award-winning smoked ribs.

"When we first heard about the event, we were very excited about participating," Pulliam relates. "Quite a few of our staff and board members attended and everyone had a good time. Hacienda Helping Hands provides a valuable, much-needed service in the Tri-Valley, and we're eager to hear about what's next."

The credit union is equally attentive to the needs of its own workforce, a commitment that received industry acknowledgment last year with its inclusion as one of "The Principal 10 Best Companies for Employee Financial Security," sponsored by insurance and benefits provider the Principal Financial Group. It was the credit union's overall benefit package - not just standard life, health, and dental insurance and retirement plans, but employee development opportunities and a strong emphasis on wellness, from ergonomics to diet and nutrition - that earned the judges' admiration. The win was a double victory, as 1st USCU selected the Alameda County Food Bank to receive the charitable donation prize from Principal and then matched the contribution itself.

For more information, visit www.1stuscu.org.

Photo: 1st United Services Credit Union's expanded headquarters on Gibraltar Drive.

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