PENROSE, N.C. — Brian Harron, chief financial officer of the $46 million Carolina Mountains Credit Union, knows he has two bright, young daughters but he did not expect his fourth-grader would start doing spreadsheet analyses of the CU's branch operation.
"We've always taught our kids about the importance of education but who could know that Ansley could chart deposit flows for a school science project that won her prizes," said a prideful Harron.
And now with the Carolina Mountains CU exhibit as her entry, nine-year-old Ansley has already walked off with first-place ribbons at her Brevard elementary school, and followed that up by winning second in a county competition making her eligible to vie in the Western Carolina Math Fair in Boone on April 12.
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"I have to say that my wife, Lynn, and I do discuss credit unions at the dinner table but putting together this exhibit on analyzing branch traffic patterns was completely her idea," said Harron.
As far as helping Ansley, Herron said, "I did pull together the teller reports for November and December and she analyzed which days were the busiest at the credit union using Excel to examine the information as she took holidays into account."
"She had to average the data based on the fact that because of some holiday closures, we were open some days of the week more than others during the two-month period," Harron went on.
Beside her father, Ansley also consulted with Diane Rogers, CEO of Carolina Mountains, asking her questions about the importance of such information relating to holiday closures.
Ansley's findings, said Harron, have already confirmed conclusions "that we made some smart decisions about staffing" some time ago, particularly for Fridays and Mondays.
Her analysis also validated the CU's opening of the drive-through for a half-day on Saturdays. "We saw just how much business members did on Saturdays at the drive through, which confirmed how much they appreciate us having added those extra weekend hours."
Harron's other daughter, Faith, a fifth grader, also has a talent for math and science. Her school project about tire inflation and gas mileage earned her a second-place finish in the county science fair.
Ansley, a Girl Scout who likes to play softball, is a wiz on the computer and obviously an outstanding science student, said Harron. One thing for sure, her project taught her a lot about credit unions, such as "how they offer better rates and lower fees," and he added, "it also gave her a chance to learn a little more about what her dad does for a living."
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