Earlier this year, I celebrated my 20th anniversary as the CEO and president of Jax Federal Credit Union; a few short weeks later, we unveiled a newly redesigned lobby at our main branch, the culmination of almost a year of work. Both occasions inspired me to reflect on all that has changed since I first arrived in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1997 – not just in our five-county membership area, but also within the credit union industry.

Checking accounts were a novel idea when I took my first credit union job 40 years ago; I never could have predicted that we'd one day offer mobile banking services so our members could manage their accounts any time, anywhere. Technology has presented our industry with new and exciting ways to meet our members' needs. However, we know they still expect personalized service when they visit our branches. The lobby redesign was our way of aligning online convenience with in-person service.

Here are a few lessons we learned along the way: