The year was 1934. The country was mired in the Great Depression. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in his second year in the White House. And in Cincinnati, Ohio, seven forward-thinking employees of the State Avenue Kroger Manufacturing Plant, tired of paying usurious rates for loans, joined together to form the Kroger Employees Mutual Benefit Association (KEMBA), a credit union, to serve employees of the factory and packinghouse.
Eighty-five years later, Kemba Credit Union is the sixth largest credit union in Ohio,with nearly $1 billion in assets; more than 100,000 individual and small-business members; and a dozen locations across Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. It has evolved into a full-service financial institution open to nearly everyone in Greater Cincinnati.
Though much has changed since its earliest days, much remains the same, says Kemba President/CEO Dan Sutton.
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Passionate About Service
“Through forward thinking and collaborative innovation, Kemba anticipates and responds to members’ needs. Our number one focus has always been service, to our members and the community. I believe our employees are fully committed to our mission to financially enhance our members’ lives. And I believe that commitment is reflected in every interaction we have with our members, whether in person or over the phone. At Kemba, you are a person and not an account number,” Sutton says. It is this passion and commitment to service that have led to Kemba Credit Union being recently recognized as one of Cincinnati’s Top Workplaces by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
According to Sutton, Kemba Credit Union is a one-stop shop for all its members’ financial needs, offering a variety of savings and loan products, financial planning, real estate services, small-business services and more. “We’re continually enhancing how we deliver our products and services, whether that means adding branches, upgrading our website, oradding new features and functions to our mobile app.
“We are very excited to announce our newest member benefit, Kemba Senior Services.” The new Kemba Senior Services helps simplify members’ transition to Medicare and helps them select appropriate coverage options for their needs.“Kemba Senior Services is a clear example of how we are serving our members every day to bring solutions to them at good prices while educating them along the way,” Sutton says.
Sutton is clearly passionate about the organization he has helped grow and develop for 20 years. He is proud of the many ways the credit union serves its members. He is equally proud of the many ways Kemba supports its diverse communities. Over the past decade, in partnership with its members and the community, Kemba has contributed more than $596,000 to the Freestore Foodbank to help feed hungry families. Kemba collaborates with WLWT Channel 5 and Shred-It to offer free document shredding in support of Earth Day. Over the past 10 years, “Shred Day” has allowed more than 28,000 families to securely shred 2 million pounds of documents. Recycling of these documents has resulted in saving more than 17,000 trees. Other charitable organizations Kemba partners with include the Cincinnati Fire Foundation, Hamilton County Special Olympics, Adopt-A-Class, St. Vincent DePaul, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and others.
“We’re proud of our rich history, and we look forward to serving our members and the community for another 85 years,” Sutton says. “At Kemba, we embody the credit union mission of people helping people every single day. At the end of the day, it’s all about you.”
This content was provided by Financial Service Directory. Kiplinger is not affiliated with and does not endorse the company or products mentioned above.
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