MILESTONES

Pen Air Federal Credit Union, Pensacola, Fla., celebrates 70 years of service this year. The CU started in 1936 as Pensacola Air Station Federal Credit Union for civil service employees and after 70 years has grown to include a tri-county area of military personnel, nearly 600 select employee groups and their immediate families. Pen Air FCU, which started out of a back room in an existing military building, is now 13 full-service offices strong, with over 30 ATMs. State Employees’ Credit Union, Raleigh, N.C., recently reached a major milestone with its FAT CAT Youth Program by surpassing the 100,000 member mark. To celebrate the milestone, FAT CAT and several FAT CAT members met with Governor Mike Easley at the North Carolina State Capitol. The FAT CAT program, created for children 12 and under, was launched by SECU in November 2000. It began the first of a three-part youth life stages program designed to educate youth on financial topics and assist parents in teaching their children the value of saving and managing money wisely. When FAT CAT members establish their savings account, they receive incentive items as well as a passbook to track their savings. Steel Works Community Federal Credit Union, Weirton, W.Va., recently presented awards to five employees, including one for a quarter-century of service at its Employee Recognition Banquet. Scott E. Winwood, president/CEO, joined Chairman Edward J. Kennedy in presenting the awards to the five employees who celebrated service anniversaries. Irene Mindzak celebrates 25 years of service; Rich Bryan celebrates 20 years; and Mary Walker, Marsha Ford and Dawn Roach all celebrate 15 years of service. This year the Council of Combined Automotive Credit Unions, New York, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in business. Sterlent Credit Union, Pleasanton, Calif., is celebrating 70 years in business. To mark the occasion, the CU held a party at Dave & Buster’s restaurant recently. Those in attendance included Sterlent’s president/CEO, the chairman of the board as well as many employees and guests. The inaugural Manager of the Year award was presented to Sharon Uyeda-McKinsey who manages the CU’s Sacramento branch. Sterlent Credit Union was founded in 1936 by 16 employees of the Pacific Telephone company who met and decided to pool their resources to form a CU. Now, the CU has nearly 16,000 members and $124 million in assets.