Small Town, Big Dreams: Dollars and Sense from Leaders Dyersburg

Episode 42: Pocket Change Podcast

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Shea:

Hey, this is Shea.

Carrie:

And this is Carrie.

Shea:

Welcome to the Pocket Change Podcast.

Carrie:

Where you'll learn ways to spend, save, and invest, and take control of your financial journey.

Shea:

You know, Carrie, Leaders has branched out of Jackson. We've got branches in different communities in West Tennessee, and we're excited to talk to one of those today, where we're really making an impact and supporting our members on their financial journey.

Carrie:

That's right. We've made such an impact in this particular location that we were actually chosen as business of the year from the Dyersburg chamber.

Shea:

That's right.

Carrie:

So if that gives you a little hint on who we're talking to today.

Shea:

We'll be talking to our Dyersburg team. So we're just so grateful for the impact they've made and how they're supporting our members in that area.

Carrie:

We're excited to welcome our guest, Matt Emison, AVP of Branch Operations in Dyersburg, to the podcast today. Welcome to Pocket Change, Matt.

Matt Emison:

Thank you. I'm happy to be here.

Carrie:

Well, we're happy to have you here with us today, Matt. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to becoming a financial champion here at Leaders.

Matt Emison:

Yeah. So, funny story, I majored in something totally opposite from the financial industry. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in exercise science, and I worked in that field for a few years after college. From that, I moved into outside sales and was working as an insurance agent in Dyersburg before I got hired on with Leaders. I'm originally from Jackson, so I lived here until I met my wife, who is from Dyersburg, and we moved there in 2016. So when I heard that Leaders was opening a branch in Dyersburg, I knew that I needed to apply. Always heard great things about Leaders and what a great organization they were, so I knew I wanted to work here. I was fortunate enough to get hired on as a loan officer, and now I have the privilege of leading a great team in Dyersburg as the branch manager.

Shea:

Yeah, Matt, you do have a great team up there. I know it's fairly new, one of our newer markets, but it's going well. I'll say the same thing about our spouses and our wives. That's why I'm here in West Tennessee; keep us where they're from. I know the Dyersburg community is glad to have you all investing in that area. We want to also ask, what's one of the things that members ask most about when they come into the branch? What's that financial need that they come in with?

Matt Emison:

Well, Shea, everybody loves a great rate, right? That's right. I know I do. That's what we're seeing a lot of right now is people coming into the branch, trying to find that better rate, whether it's on a lower rate for vehicle loans or higher rates for our savings and our certificates. Being a newer market, we have a lot of people come in inquiring on "What is a credit union?" "What is the leader's credit union?" "Are you new or is the branch new?" We answer that question a lot, and then that typically leads into a conversation on what all products that we offer and how we could help them in their financial journey.

Shea:

Typically, credit unions do have great rates that we try to offer to our members, so hopefully we can help a lot of people in the area.

Carrie:

You just mentioned what all products we offer. For our listeners today, could you tell us what services are offered at the Dyersburg Branch?

Matt Emison:

Absolutely. It's funny that you asked that because we have a lot of members that come in and ask, "Now, is this the same Leaders that's in Jackson?" The answer is yes. We are definitely the same Leaders Credit Union as the Jackson branches and all the other branches that we have around the community. We are a full-service financial institution, so we handle anything from opening memberships to individual IRA accounts. Another unique thing about our branch is that we have a mortgage loan officer at the branch, Tammy Ladd. She is actually currently the top mortgage provider in Dyer County, which is huge.

Carrie:

That's awesome.

Shea:

Very connected in the community.

Matt Emison:

That's right.

Shea:

We're glad to have her.

Matt Emison:

Yes, and so if you're looking to buy a home or refinance your current home, you can set up an appointment with her and actually come into the branch and sit down with her.

Shea:

Matt, are there other concerns that members have or anything else they need guidance on when they come in?

Matt Emison:

Absolutely. Yeah. Right now, we're seeing a lot of people seeking financial advice and financial counseling. We've been through a lot the last few years with COVID and inflation, and now we're in an unpredictable economy. A lot of people are worried about their financial situation that they're in. At all of our branches, we have certified financial counselors that they can come in, we can sit down with the member, and go over the credit report and look for ways that we could see might benefit them that they might not have even thought about. We can look at that credit report and see if they have loans that we can consolidate into home equity line or credit, or look at the vehicle that they have and try to lower the interest rate to lower that monthly payment. Just things that they don't think about on a daily basis, but we have that knowledge to provide to them.

Shea:

That also doesn't affect a person's credit score report, so we're able to view that with them and help them out with some other maybe financial decisions they need to make. I think that's important to know, too. Hey, you can take a look at this. We can make some suggestions and give you some advice on some things; no cost, no obligation.

Matt Emison:

That's right, and no hit to the credit. We can do that softball credit.

Shea:

Yeah, definitely.

Matt Emison:

Another concern we see a lot of is people needing to build credit or rebuild their credit. You have that young individual that might not have any credit at all, and they're looking to buy a car in the near future or their first house, but they don't know where to start. They can come in and we can sit down with them and tell them exactly what they need to help get started. It might be the opposite and another individual who maybe went down the wrong financial path, and now they need help rebuilding that credit. Either way, you look at it, we have the products that could help the different individuals.

Carrie:

I think it's important to know that you don't have to be member with Leaders Credit Union to come in and have that financial counseling service offered to you as well. For those listeners that are in that position that they need help with their credit, you can come on in anytime.

Matt Emison:

Absolutely. Yes.

Carrie:

The Dyersburg Branch has been open nearly three years now. What type of growth have you seen in that market?

Matt Emison:

It's been unbelievable. From when we first opened the branch in 2021 to current year, we have grown the memberships fifty-fout percent.

Carrie:

Wow.

Matt Emison:

Yeah. So, opening a branch in Dyersburg was a great decision, and we hear it all the time from the members. Leaders already had a presence in Dyer County with our indirect program and people getting vehicle loans, but they didn't really look at us as being their main financial institution because we didn't have that branch there. Now we're able to help those members move forward and tell them about all the other products that we have, not just the loans, but now that we're there, you can come in and we can tell you about our checking account that's paying five percent APY or our high yield savings. It's been huge.

Carrie:

That's wonderful.

Shea:

What do you tell people? A new community member that comes in, they're not a member of Leaders, what makes us different from other financial institutions?

Matt Emison:

I think definitely the people. Leaders has great employees, not just in Dyersburg, but all over the organization, everybody here is passionate about what we do, and we genuinely care about the member and their well-being. I can speak personally on Dyersburg. When you come in, we want you to feel positive about your visit. When you leave, we want you to find a reason to want to come back in. So we want every experience to be memorable for that member.

Shea:

And to tell other people about it, that they've had a great experience.

Matt Emison:

Competitive rates are great and they're good to have, but having caring and dedicated team members is equally essential.

Carrie:

I agree. Matt, what is the best financial advice you've ever been given that you could share with us?

Matt Emison:

The best financial advice I've been given is probably to make sure you have an emergency fund set up. We talked about it earlier. Life is unpredictable. You never know what's going to happen. So always having at least three to six months worth of living expenses saved up is always a good idea. I've tried to live by that.

Carrie:

That's great advice.

Shea:

You can help people with an account for at Leaders. They can come in, open a high yield savings, or a fast forward savings, or whatever, and earn a great rate while they're building up their emergency fund, right?

Matt Emison:

Absolutely. Yeah.

Shea:

So come on in and see Matt and his team if you're in the Dyersburg area. Then our last question, it is our Pocket Change podcast. So we ask all guests, if you had any extra pocket change, what would you spend it on?

Matt Emison:

Yeah. So I've watched many of your episodes on the podcast, and I knew that you were going to ask this question. So I came prepared.

Shea:

Oh, he brought a prop.

Matt Emison:

I did. I brought a prop. My little boy got me this for Father's Day, and he told me that I needed to start saving so I could take him to Mario World.

Shea:

It's really for him, the pocket change.

Matt Emison:

That's right.

Carrie:

It's always for our kids, right?

Matt Emison:

Always. Any extra pocket change, I'm putting it in my dad bank.

Shea:

There you go.

Matt Emison:

Hopefully I can take me to Mario World.

Carrie:

Well, thank you so much for being with us today on the podcast, Matt. We hope our listeners learned a little bit about our Dyersburg branch, and will come by for a visit.

Matt Emison:

Absolutely. Thank you for having me.