That Credit Union Blog

I spent some time on Tuesday with Dan Cwalina from Lormet Community Federal Credit Union.  Lormet is about to open its new main office and I wanted to share some pictures I took and comment a bit on what this credit union is doing.  Lormet began its existence in the 1930s as a steelworker credit union.  Today it has assets of over $100 million and serves all of Lorain County, Ohio.

The new Lormet building has a large lobby, which is perfect for displaying automobiles from local dealers.

There’s a comfortable waiting area and enclosed loan section.  The space is well thought out and designed.  Members will always be dealing with credit union staff as they transact business.  In a day of ever increasing automation, this is definitely a different approach.

The boardroom is very tasteful and modern.

There are training rooms that seat enough people to have educational seminars.  Dan and I talked about setting up something where I might do a presentation later this year.  At this point we just have to pick a topic.

The part of the building that’s generating the most attention is the coffeehouse.  Arabica has a location inside Lormet’s building.

Members will be able to get coffee and spend time in this area in addition to doing their banking.

I had previously used this as an example on Current Issues in Credit Unions as a progressive way to bring people into the credit union.  Here we will see it put into practice.

It takes courage to open up a credit union like this and embrace ideas of using the credit union’s physical structure as a resource beyond mere banking.  I’m impressed by what Dan and his team have done and I can only imagine a favorable result for Lormet in terms of increased membership and demand for member services.