EAU CLAIRE, Wis. -Corporate credit union-owned CU Business Group and Royal Credit Union recently held an education session on credit unions serving business. The seminar was hosted by Mid-States Corporate, one of eight corporate credit union owners of CU Business Group. Larry Middleman, President/CEO of CU Business Group, gave his views on basic business services, best practices, market segmentation and targeting. Larry Accola, Senior Vice President of Business Services at Royal CU, gave attendees a complete picture of the evolution of Royal's successful business program. "Credit unions need to start by getting the basics solidly in place. You have to walk before you run," commented Middleman. This includes having business loans and credit cards, business checking and other deposit accounts, and package products like merchant bankcards and ACH origination. Accola's presentation highlighted Royal's 22-year history in business lending, mainly focusing on his tenure with the credit union over the last 12 years. Royal's business loan portfolio now stands at $190 million and the credit union has a staff of 14 in the business services area. "It's been an exciting and challenging time for me at Royal. I enjoy talking with credit unions to give them the benefit of our experiences and help them out," stated Accola. "We enjoy doing these kind of sessions to help credit unions do this right," said Middleman.