BURNSVILLE, Minn.–As part of “I Love Burnsville Week,” Firefly Credit Union looked to local third graders in the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 to tell them why they love the city they call home.
Students wrote essays following the prompt “I Love Burnsville because…” for the 7th annual “Why I Love Burnsville” essay contest. Three winners were selected by Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz and Firefly representatives. This year, the winners were Jordana McNeal from Harriet Bishop Elementary, Isabella Marks from Vista View Elementary, and Hannah Isenberger from Sioux Trail Elementary. Firefly awarded $50 to contest winners and to their respective teachers to help aid in providing classroom supplies.
“I am glad to be here, and I like where I live,” said first place winner, McNeal of Harriet Bishop Elementary, who noted that Burnsville is a beautiful, peaceful place to live because of the employees who take care of those who live there.
“It is always enjoyable to sponsor this annual essay contest and give back to local schools in the Burnsville community,” said Firefly Credit Union SVP/Chief Marketing Officer Marty Kelly who presented students and their teachers with their awards at the Burnsville City Council meeting June 7. “The students reminds us of the many, many things that make this community such a wonderful place to work.”
Separately, Firefly Credit Union held its Annual Meeting and had plenty of reasons to cheer. In 2015, the credit union celebrated its 90th anniversary of service to the community, added more 7,000 new members, and reached a major asset milestone, adding $58 million in assets to cross the $1 billion mark.
The year was also marked by a comprehensive rebranding effort – Firefly Credit Union is the new name and brand adopted by what was once US Federal Credit Union.
“2015 was a year of remarkable growth and accomplishments for our Credit Union,” said Bill Raker, Firefly’s President/CEO. “Over the past 90 years, Firefly has been constantly evolving to assure our ability to meet members’ changing needs in a fast-paced, technology-driven world. With significant growth in assets and membership, it’s clear our member-owners believe we are going in the right direction and we appreciate the opportunity to be of service.”
Firefly’s Board of Directors reelected a credit union veteran as its Chairman: Sarah Lietz, Director of Projects and Marketing for MEMBERS Development Co. (MDC), has been a credit union professional for 13 years. Lietz joined the industry in 2003 as a Corporate Project Manager for CUNA Mutual Group before moving to MDC, a CUSO that serves as the million-dollar R&D budget for 40+ of the nation’s top-tier credit unions and industry partners. Prior to credit unions, Lietz’ s experience included working in the telecom industry and for KPMG Peat Marwick. She received an MBA from the University of Wisconsin and a BA from Illinois State University.
“I love serving the Firefly CU community as a volunteer,” Lietz said. “It gives me an opportunity to share what I learn through my work with MDC, and my exposure to a large credit union’s board room in turn helps me tremendously with the credit unions I work with every day at MDC.”
“Firefly has an outstanding Board of Directors, and it’s great to have someone like Sarah at the helm,” Raker said. “Her professional credit union work and leadership skills add to the Board’s depth.”