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My name is Michael, and I am CUES.

I learned about CUES from talking to other people in the industry. They all said that CUES was the place to be in terms of resources and networking. A member since 1990, I make sure that all of my executive staff are CUES members as well. Many of them are not familiar with CUES, but I tell them they’ll be part of a network of credit union professionals who are potential resources. I share this same message with my colleagues in the industry, and encourage them to join as well.

I’ve been a CEO the entire time I’ve been in the credit union industry; and I’ve done just about everything in one form or another at the credit union. My first position was as CEO of Syracuse Postal Credit Union in Syracuse, N.Y. At the time, I was an accounting supervisor for the U.S. Postal Service and my boss, who happened to be chairman of the board of directors, came to me and said, “We’re looking for someone to run the credit union. Would you like to do it?” I asked, “What’s a credit union?” He proceeded to tell me what little I had to do and how much they would pay me. I said, “Sure, I’ll do it.” One thing led to another and I loved it so much I ended up leaving the United States Postal Service and the Syracuse Postal Credit Union for a full-time position with another credit union.

Before joining Michigan First, in 2000, I served as president and CEO at two other credit unions. At every organization I have ever been with, I have always thought of it as the last job I would have. And that’s the way I’m approaching my current position. You can’t go any higher at the credit union, but as an organization, we can certainly conquer new territory and grow to new heights—and that’s absolutely what I intend to do here.

We were $290 million in assets when I started; now we’re over $560 million. In the next five years, we intend to grow our assets to $1 billion—that’s our primary target right now. It’s also our goal to double our number of branch locations; and there will probably be some mergers along the way. But that’s about as specific as you can probably get these days because things change so quickly.

The best part of being a CUES member is knowing that there are thousands of other professionals out there in the industry that deal with the same things that I do, and they are available as resources. You can talk about different things. You can get feedback and advice. You’re just not alone. It’s sometimes said that “as a CEO it’s lonely at the top.” It’s not lonely with CUES there for you.

CUES is always there as a resource —from Credit Union Management™ magazine for news and information to the network of professionals I follow on CUES Net™. I’ve come to rely on CUES. If you don’t know exactly who to call about something, you can always call someone at CUES and they’ll put you in touch with the appropriate person. You’re never, ever, ever alone.

My name is Michael from Michigan First Credit Union, Lathrup Village, Mich. and I am CUES.