FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn.–After more than three decades in credit unions, Debbie Mickelson, division president of Electrus Credit Union, a division of SPIRE Credit Union, has retired.
Mickelson was hired by Electrus, then known as Local 292 IBEW Credit Union, in September 1993 as VP-operations. Prior to joining Electrus, she worked for five years at Honeywell Credit Union.
“I was the second management person, working with our CEO, Linda Romine,” said Mickelson. “As Local 292 IBEW Credit Union grew and added new products and services, the credit union needed to add a management position to oversee operations. Fortunately for me, I had the background in operations and compliance that they were looking for.”
A Single Office
In December 2006, Romine retired and Mickelson was named as successor.
Mickelson said that when she began the credit union had a single office in the Towle Building in downtown Minneapolis. In October 2001, Local 192 IBEW CU moved to its current location in Brooklyn Center, Minn., and rebranded itself as Electrus Federal Credit Union to reflect the diversity of its entire membership, which had expanded to include local unions 343 and 160, electrical contractors, their employees, and three generations of family members who work in diverse professions
The name, Electrus, was chosen as a combination of the CU’s heritage, electrical workers, and its core value – trust.
In 2013, the Minneapolis Saint Paul Business Journal named Electrus a “Top 25” credit union in the Twin Cites metro area in in Minnesota.
Broadened Offerings
In November 2019, Electrus CU’s members voted to partner with SPIRE, becoming Electrus, a Division of SPIRE Credit Union. Mickelson said the move was made to broaden offerings to members.
“There are so many touch point options now: digital banking, transfers between banks, remote deposit capture, everything available,” said Mickelson. “SPIRE has been so good to me and very respectful of my position. We chose SPIRE as our merger partner because of their philosophy of giving back and improving lives. Our values of trust, respect, responsibility, commitment, and education are shared by SPIRE, too.”
According to the credit union, between 1993, when Mickelson was hired, and 2019, when Electrus became a division of SPIRE, assets grew to $61.9-million from $29.8 million (107%), and loans grew to $25.1 million from $10.8 million (133%).
Retirement Plans
In retirement, Mickelson said she and her husband plan to tackle their travel “dream list,” which includes Machu Picchu in Peru, and Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches National Parks in the United States. They also enjoy taking in the beauty of the all-American motorcycle road trip, and have a few planned for the summer, SPIRE said.
“What I treasure the most about my career is the ability to help people and helping to make their dreams come true,” said Mickelson, “Credit unions make a difference in improving lives. Throughout my 28-year tenure with Electrus, I was actively involved in our electricians’ apprenticeship program. It was so fun to explain credit unions to them, take them under our wing, and help them with their financial needs going forward.”