Explosion simply shocking, says one CU marketing professional in New York

NEW YORK – With the sun shining brightly in Times Square last Tuesday, it was hard to reconcile the devastation that occurred in lower Manhattan earlier that morning when two planes crashed into the World Trade Center. “This is an emotional time and it is almost surreal,” said Actors Federal Credit Union Marketing Director Steven Sobotta. “My wife called me to tell me what was happening cause I came to work early and no-one has a radio or television here and I’m just in shock.” As the number one credit union deployer of ATMs in the city, the $53 million credit union recently installed one in the McDonalds just around the corner from the Trade Center-a coup, which Sobotta was particularly proud of. A Wisconsin native, Sobotta often stopped in the World Trade Center to get his shoes polished whenever he had meetings in the area. “I’m almost always down there,” said Sobotta. “I just can’t believe it.” The Trade Center collapsed and according to reports debris and smoke affected a 20-block radius. According to Sobotta, the credit union remained open for members and the only evidence of Tuesday’s events in Midtown Manhattan was the almost eerie silence in Times Square.