To learn more about Leaders Credit Union, visit leaderscu.com.
If you want to contact the Arlington Branch, visit our branch details page.
Shea:
Hey, this is Shea.
Carrie:
And this is Carrie.
Shea:
Welcome to the Pocket Change Podcast.
Carrie:
Where you'll learn better ways to spend, save, and invest, and take control of your financial journey.
Shea:
So, Carrie, in this new year, we're kicking it off pretty strong at Leaders. We've opened a new branch so far. We're excited to learn more about that today.
Carrie:
That's right. Our brand new Arlington Branch. It's absolutely beautiful, very modern, has lots of fun little features. So definitely come on out and check it out.
Shea:
Yeah, and I think it's a part of our strategic plan to continue expanding into the Greater Memphis area. So this branch in Arlington helps us evolve more into Shelby County.
Carrie:
That's right. It's a full service branch for all the residents around there and our new members.
Carrie:
We're really excited to welcome one of our very own, Brittany Boon, AVP of Branch Operations at our new Arlington Branch. Welcome to Pocket Change, Brittany.
Brittany Boone:
Hello. Thank you. I'm happy to be here.
Carrie:
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to Leaders?
Brittany Boone:
Absolutely, I was raised in Fayette County, not very far from here, and went to school at University of Memphis for journalism with a concentration in public relations.
Brittany Boone:
I worked retail through college, ventured into retail management, did that for years until I had my first child. I decided I needed something a little more family-friendly as far as scheduling went, so I ventured into insurance. Covid happened; stayed home with my oldest, had my second, quickly realized being a stay-at-home mom was not for me. So I looked for another opportunity and decided I wanted something that would work really well, work-life balance-wise. So decided to look for opportunities at financial institutions. I joined an institution and worked in commercial lending for a couple of years, and then was actually recruited on LinkedIn for the position here. So I ran with it, and now I'm here.
Shea:
Yeah, we're glad to have you back in your area where you grew up, close to it at least, in Arlington now. I can understand working in retail. I did that in college, and I was like, this ain't what I'm going to do forever. I mean, it's hard, hard job.
Brittany Boone:
It was fun then, but once I had my first child, I was like, eh.
Shea:
It gives you a little flexibility during the college, but then getting something more steady. We're glad to have you at Leaders, and glad you're here in our Arlington branch. What was your first impression of Leaders? Not hearing about us or maybe not knowing much, what was your impression of the credit union and our culture?
Brittany Boone:
Yeah. Because I was recruited through LinkedIn, I didn't actually know a lot about Leaders. I went through my first interview and then went through a second interview. Karen walked me around. She wanted to give me a tour after that. We walked through our E-Branch, and every person that I encountered was happy and seemed truly excited to be here. The longer we walked around, the more I realized I really wanted to be a part of that. Everybody seemed excited to be at work, and I wanted that. I wanted to be excited to be here, too, after hearing about the mission and what we do here, what our brand is all about. I mean, that's exactly what I wanted.
Shea:
I think it does make a difference when you get to see it behind the scenes for most people, you can get to see our call center and people interacting with members digitally and over the phone.
Brittany Boone:
Absolutely, and I had this idea, this notion in my head of what a call center was and what that looked like, and that is not what I saw here. The positivity, the happiness, the encouragement everybody had. They didn't know me. They didn't know if I was going to work here or not, but the positivity just in the whole building, it really touched me, and it made me want to be a part of that. Also, I was really impressed with how member-centric we seem to be and the fact that it is important to us to get involved in the communities where our branches are established. It's important for us to pour into these communities. It is important to me, not just professionally, but personally, to pour back into a community that is pouring into my own children. I moved my family there, and my kids are in school in Arlington, so being able to get involved with the community and do good in the community, I get a real sense of fulfillment from that.
Carrie:
That's wonderful. Well, speaking of our brand and wanting to be a part of, we just recently opened our new beautiful branch in Arlington. Can you tell our listeners what services we offer?
Brittany Boone:
Absolutely, we are a full-service financial institution. We offer accounts; checking, savings. We offer certificates, loans, credit cards, and we offer mortgages as well. We also offer a multitude of financial wellness tools.
Shea:
We've got some mortgage officers in that branch that members can be with if they're interested.
Brittany Boone:
We do. We have three mortgage loan officers that rotate on site. At any point in time, if you have questions about mortgages, you can pop in and there's somebody there to talk to you.
Carrie:
There's a lot of development around that area, so you definitely need to know a mortgage loan officer.
Shea:
Absolutely. Hopefully, there's lots of people coming into the area and can take advantage of it, not only for home loans, but all their banking needs. So they can meet with member service representatives or talk with a universal banker for their transaction. So everything you need there. So where is the branch located in Arlington?
Brittany Boone:
We are at 5500 Airline Road. It is directly across from Arlington High School.
Shea:
That's a good landmark then, right there across from the high school. So not too far off the interstate, just down on Airline Road and easy to find.
Carrie:
It's very easy to find.
Shea:
We have a special code for our listeners to waive their membership fee. So anyone who wants to join, come on down to the Arlington Branch, and you can stop by the branch or even apply online. What's the details about that?
Brittany Boone:
So to qualify for with Leaders, you just need to live, work, or worship in the area. We would be absolutely thrilled to have you join Leaders.
Shea:
Yes, that's pretty open for qualification. You just live or work in Shelby County and in the area around the branch and come in and join us.
Brittany Boone:
And by the way, the special code is 'ARLINGTON'.
Shea:
Easy enough. For our Arlington Branch, use the code 'ARLINGTON'. If our members are listening or current potential members listening to the podcast, they can mention that code in Branch, and we'll wave that membership fee, or they can visit us online, leaderscu.com, and type in the code 'ARLINGTON', and it'll waive that membership fee.
Carrie:
Why should people choose Leaders for their banking needs?
Brittany Boone:
Leaders being a credit union, we are not-for-profit, and we're member-owned, which means we have higher dividends to pay out on accounts and lower interest rates on loans. We really focus on the education piece. So whether you decide to open an account or open a membership or get a loan through us, we will walk you through the process and really spend time educating you and making sure you understand what you're getting into before any moves are made. I think that's really unique because we're not necessarily worried about chasing goals. We are worried about making sure you're making the best financial decision for yourself.
Shea:
I think that is unique and different because of our structure. Our members are the part owner of the credit union, and so our best interest is their best interest. We want to make sure they're making smart financial decisions, and we can really help them on their financial journey. I think that's really important. You nailed it with that answer. We appreciate that. So, Brittany, since this is a financial podcast, we wanted to ask, what is some of the best financial advice you've ever been given?
Brittany Boone:
Some of the best advice I've been given is to not spend what you don't have and choose investments wisely.
Carrie:
This is the Pocket Change podcast. So I have one last question for you. If you were to find some extra change in your pocket, what would you spend it on?
Brittany Boone:
I am taking the boys for ice cream.
Carrie:
What is your favorite flavor?
Brittany Boone:
I like strawberry ice cream, or really, my kids are going to fight over different flavors, so I just pick one we'll all like,
Carrie:
That's smart.
Brittany Boone:
They're going to eat it anyways.
Carrie:
That's right.
Shea:
It doesn't matter, any flavor, they're going to enjoy it, right? So thanks for being on the podcast today, Brittany. We're glad you're at Leaders, glad you're leading our new team at Arlington. So for all of our listeners out there, don't forget to stop buy our new Arlington Branch at 5500 Airline Road across from Arlington High School and use the code 'ARLINGTON'. If you want to join us and become a member, it'll waive your $25 membership fee. So come on in and see us.
Brittany Boone:
Thank you. We're excited to help everybody.