Business View Magazine l January 2023

142 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 which assists in ensuring their long-term success. “We have had members leave the union because they found a cheaper option, only to return because they couldn’t get personalized service or objective financial advice. When they bank with us, they walk into the branch, and everyone knows them,” “In other cases, we’ll explain to a member their options and help them make a decision that is right for them, even if that decision means leaving us. Our members always know that we’ll give them sound, unbiased advice with no strings attached or misleading marketing. We’ll also help them dig into the fine print of our and other competing offers, so they know they are making an informed decision.” Remillard believes it isn’t necessarily OCCU’s role to be the cheapest rate in town, but rather to offer the best service. “We assist members with things like first-time home buying, estate administration, and other matters that might be unusually difficult, and complex for an individual to navigate independently.“ “We always try to go above and beyond, sometimes to the point where it seems more personal than business, but that’s what a financial cooperative should be. We give the same service and advice we would to our own family members.” As we work towards transitioning to the next generation of members and employees, we’re undertaking several initiatives to help achieve this, as Remillard explains. “The average age of our staff is forty-five yet we have none close to the age as we have been transitioning to the younger generation to fill in more senior positions. The board has been fully supportive, and we are now split down the middle: fifty-two and older making one half and thirty-six and younger the other.” “A lot of us have worked together our whole careers, and at this point, we’ll soon be retiring, and we need to bring in a whole new team to carry forward OCCU,” adds Treen. “Although we consider mergers and amalgamations, we want to remain firmly rooted as a Oshawa Community Credit Union, and we are thankful that our board supports this vision,” she adds. Some senior positions that will fall vacant over the next few years includeTreen’s