UW Credit Union Opens New Four-Building Corporate Campus

After nearly 30 years at its old headquarters and doubling its employee base, officials with the $5.5 billion UW Credit Union in Madison, Wis., realized they had effectively outgrown the space and needed to plan for something bigger and more sustainable for the credit union’s future in Wisconsin’s capital city.

On Thursday, UW Credit Union unveiled its new four-building campus five miles west of its old headquarters. The new campus brings together the credit union’s mortgage services, consumer lending and Member Solutions Center. According to a statement from UW Credit Union, the credit union has invested $65 million into this new campus, which includes “the latest advancements in sustainability and occupant health” and includes environmentally-friendly elements such as geothermal heating and cooling, solar technology and stormwater management.

During a tour of the new headquarters Thursday, attended by Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, UW Credit Union President/CEO Paul Kundert said, “Madison will always be home. We’re proud of those roots and thrilled that our growth enables us to invest in the community, where our taxes support quality education. In the 30 years since the organization’s last headquarters move, so much has changed. This new campus is a big step in cultivating a work environment that inspires collaboration and convenience.”

The hub of the new campus, according to officials, is the credit union’s Community Building, which was designed and built to tailor to the post-pandemic needs of employees and the community. The building was designed by KEE Architecture and constructed by Findorff.

“Every inch of UW Credit Union’s Community Building was designed with the community, its employees, its members and the environment in mind,” Findorff Vice President of Operations Matt Breunig said. “It benefits regional waterways, it conserves natural resources and reduces air pollution, it’s harvesting clean energy. While these benefits may seem like standard commercial construction features, the sum of these parts is a tremendous leap toward the credit union’s carbon-reduction goals.”

The Community Building includes a patio garden, two rooftop terraces and a courtyard providing nearly 3,000 square feet of outdoor space. The building also has a café and a wellness room with exercise equipment and showers.

According to UW Credit Union, of its 900-plus employees, approximately 600 employees are based in the four-building campus. Employees began moving into the new spaces earlier this spring as construction wrapped up.

UW Credit Union serves more than 351,000 members and has 33 branch locations.