KANSAS CITY, Mo.–The NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs have moved their commercial banking business to CommunityAmerica Credit Union.
The move comes approximately one year after the team and the credit union entered into a separate sponsorship agreement, as CUToday.info first reported here.
CommunityAmerica will now handle all of the Chiefs business banking needs from game day treasury management to payroll, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.
With $2.6 billion in assets and 220,000 members, CommunityAmerica is by far the largest credit union based in the Kansas City area. It reports 754 full-time-equivalent employees.
The Business Journal noted CommunityAmerica CU has been making a major push into commercial banking since October of 2016, having hired away the CEO of a local bank to lead the effort.
CommunityAmerica signed a sponsorship agreement with the Chiefs about the same time it brought in Pam Berneking, who saw it as a huge opportunity for developing the credit union's commercial banking business.
‘Blank Sheet Approach’
“What we did was take a blank-sheet approach, and we started with the Chiefs, asking them what they really need and want, what services they currently use, and ask how we could make that better,” CACU’s Berneking told the Kansas City Business Journal. “We asked them what was on their wish list, and that wish list became our guideposts. We wanted to build that. Their needs were for a provider to offer the best, most efficient, most user friendly, most flexible tools, and partner that with people who are highly attentive to the needs of the business and focused on delivering. By building that, we now have something we can offer others as well. We can deliver that same approach and those same tools to businesses of all sizes throughout Kansas City.”
CommunityAmerica became the official banking partner of the Chiefs in 2017, sponsors Gate F at Arrowhead Stadium, and has also built “The Huddle,” which is a gathering area on the concourse in the corner of the end zone where fans can assemble and still see the game. It also launched a Chiefs checking account that pays 1% cash back on purchases.
“We hit the ground running with a fantastic partnership and as a result, became acquainted with CommunityAmerica’s sophisticated offerings for businesses,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in a release.
“It became apparent their solutions were exactly what we needed from a banking relationship,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan told the Kansas City Business Journal. “CommunityAmerica’s capabilities have not only met, but exceeded our expectations.”