With a virtual model that's been in place since 1934, Utilities Employees Credit Union continues to build its roster of service.

This time, the $1 billion cooperative in Wyomissing, Pa., is providing services to UGI Energy Services, a company that markets natural gas, propane, heating oil and electricity to approximately 30,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

Employees of UGIES, which is also based in Wyomissing, will have access to UECU's free voluntary benefit program that they can extend to workers and their families to promote financial wellness, reduce company health care costs, and enhance worker productivity, the credit union said.

UECU and UGIES began partnering earlier this year to provide UGIES staff with ongoing financial education, said Janene Naugle, business development associate for UECU.

Since April, UECU representatives have provided a series of lunch-and-learn sessions for UGIES employees on topics such as financial wellness strategies, credit scores, building positive credit history, and retirement planning basics.

“Given UGIES' eligibility for UECU membership as an energy (and) utility company, its human resources division recognized a partnership with UECU would give them a no-cost option for the employee education they wanted to provide,” Naugle said.

Educational sessions are sometimes difficult for UGIES' employees since not all of them are centrally located, Naugle noted. To accommodate them, UECU provides onsite training from industry experts, which is then shared with all staff across the company through video.

UECU and UGIES have plans for presentations on a variety of financial wellness topics to continue throughout the year.

UECU said it has operated without a branch since its founding in 1934.