A Credit Union’s New Building Sends a Message to Its Members

Just six years after completing its headquarters in Meridian, http://www.capedfcu.org/ Capital Educators Federal Credit Union needed to expand its presence in Nampa. The company had merged with Canyon Teachers Credit Union, and CEO Brad Hill wanted to better serve the needs of his organization’s membership in a rapidly expanding sector of the Treasure Valley.

We had an existing facility in Nampa, but we needed more space and a more accessible location, he explains.If you’re hard to find, how can you serve your members The credit union was fortunate enough to locate a parcel of land just off I-84 in the Treasure Valley Marketplace; a site with tremendous exposure.   That exposure however, came with a price tag three times that of the four acres the company had purchased just six years earlier for its Meridian headquarters.

The immediate challenge facing Capital Educators Federal Credit Union was to construct a building that would justify the cost of the lot.   In Hill’s mind, this challenge boiled down to a simple premise: “You can’t put a $100,000 building on a million dollar lot.”   Doing so, Hill reflected, would send the wrong statement to its members.   Instead, the credit union wanted a “signature” building that, in Hill’s words, “would maximize the value of its location.”

A Signature Building

When Brad Hill talks about the people his organization serves throughout 15 counties in southwest Idaho, he speaks of “members” rather than “customers”.   “When we talk about a  Ëœsignature building”, we think of it from the standpoint of our membership and their needs,” he explains.   “Even though we operate in an environment where hundreds of thousands of transactions are made online or through a drive-up window, our membership still requires a high level of touch.   We want to provide this through a place where they feel comfortable and cared for.”

To create this environment in its new Nampa facility, Capital Educators Federal Credit Union engaged the design services of ZGA Architects  €“ a firm they had used for their previous three buildings.   Hill gathered together an advisory team comprised of the credit union’s vice presidents.   ZGA’s first concept, Hill candidly recalls, “pretty much got me laughed out of the board room.   It was definitely unique!”   With further input, however, consensus coalesced around the design of a 4,200 square foot that made use of high ceilings and lots of glass to create an open feeling, as well as a large lobby area for members to relax in while conducting their transactions.

For Hill, the choice of a construction company centered around finding a partner that could work seamlessly with ZGA to provide options that would honor the design vision, but reduce costs wherever possible.   As Hill wryly points out, “An architect may want to use gold and platinum as their base materials, but a good construction partner will identify options that will achieve the same effect using stucco!”   To keep maintenance costs at a minimum, Capital Educators Federal Credit Union insisted on tile floors and a metal roof.   “The metal roof represented a $40,000 incremental cost increase,” Hill notes, “but long after I’ve retired, future CEOs won’t have to worry about replacing it.”   As part of its signature look, Hill also insisted on a “massive” roofline to make the new building stand out.

With final drawings in hand, Capital Educators Federal Credit Union selected Kreizenbeck Constructors to manage the construction process , “ a decision based on Hill’s past experience with one of Kreizenbeck’s principals.   “We operate in an industry that values trust, and that value extends to our choice of construction partners,” Hill notes.   In the case of its newest building, trust would be a critical factor: the project was on an accelerated 180-day build schedule timed to coincide with the ending of the credit union’s lease on its current Nampa location.

Due to delays in the permit process, the project began two weeks behind schedule.   In spite of this, the Capital Educators Federal Credit Union’s new Nampa building opened its doors on February 19: two weeks ahead of schedule!   Hill credits this accomplishment with Kreizenbeck’s and ZGA’s ability to work together seamlessly.   “Given the conventional wisdom about the stress that an owner goes through during the construction process, I’m almost embarrassed by how painless it all was,” Hill confides. “We knew the architect was working minute-by-minute with the construction manager, and we only needed to meet once a month to review the status of the build.   During previous projects, we used to meet weekly.”

Looking back, Hill also credits Kreizenbeck for treating his organization in the same manner that Capital Educators Federal Credit Union treats its members.   “We don’t discriminate on the basis of how much business an individual member does with us.   We treat our smallest accounts with the same respect as our largest.   I know that Kreizenbeck builds much larger projects than ours, but we always felt we were the most important project they were working on.   Looking back, I continue to be amazed at what was accomplished.”   Now it’s the credit union’s members’ turn to be amazed.