Gesa CU Opens First Branch in Idaho, Following Larger Trend of Industry Expansion

Gesa Credit Union of Richland, Wash., announced Wednesday it has begun construction of its first branch outside the state.

Gesa ($5.5 billion in assets, 285,003 members) plans to open the full-service, 4,500-square-foot branch in Post Falls, Idaho, in December. Post Falls lies along the Washington-Idaho border and is 20 miles east of Spokane, Wash., where Gesa has six of its 28 locations.

The new branch at 317 S. Beck Road in Post Falls will serve as a hub branch for Gesa’s growing Idaho market as it joins Gesa’s Commercial Loan Center located in Coeur D’Alene.

“We have been serving our members and the communities we call home for 70 years and we are thrilled to bring that same level of attention and support to Post Falls,” President/CEO Don Miller said. “We look forward to spending time in the community, getting to know its businesses and residents and learning where we can add the most value. We chose Post Falls by design and are excited to begin planting roots in the great state of Idaho.”

Other credit unions announcing new branches since April included:

• Eastman Credit Union of Kingsport, Tenn. ($7.6 billion in assets, 309,990 members), which broke ground April 20 for a new branch to open in early 2024 at 1520 West Elk Ave. in Elizabethton, Tenn., 32 miles southeast of Kingsport.
• Superior Choice Credit Union ($837.3 million in assets, 42,464 members), which opened a new branch April 24 in Rice Lake, Wis., its first in Barron County and about 100 miles south of its headquarters in Superior, Wis., on the western tip of Lake Superior. The new 8,000-square-foot building is designed to serve as both a branch for members and space for back-office staff involved with training, community relations and commercial lending. It includes a conference room that will be available for member use at no cost and used for complimentary public financial literacy sessions. This branch is the 13th for the credit union as it expands throughout northwest Wisconsin and Minnesota.
• Allegacy Federal Credit Union of Winston-Salem, N.C. ($2.3 billion in assets, 174,908 members), which announced May 18 that it plans to open a new branch this fall in the Charlotte suburb of Indian Trail. The new branch at 307 Unionville-Indian Trail Rd. will be Allegacy’s fourth in the Charlotte metro.

Allegacy President/CEO Cathy Pace said Allegacy now has more than 8,600 members in Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte is located, and the new branch will be its first in neighboring Union County, which is southeast of Mecklenburg County and part of the Charlotte metro area.

“We are thrilled to continue expanding our footprint into new and thriving communities in the Charlotte metro area,” Pace said. “Our team is ready to continue building relationships with community leaders and welcome new members.”