At the start of July Ken Doleman took the helm of Northern Savings Credit Union as the new CEO, and he says the experience so far has been positive.
“This organization has been really successful, and part of my role is to learn from that success, see what we've been doing right and add my own experience and perspective to that so that we have a strong future to benefit the northwest and the communities we serve,” said Doleman, who arrived in Prince Rupert from Manitoba.
“Northern Savings Credit Union has a great history and a great story, and to be able to help write the next chapter is both a privilege and a challenge.”
With branches in Prince Rupert, Terrace, Masset and Queen Charlotte, Doleman said he will be using his 12 years of experience as CEO of a regional institution to work in bringing the best service possible to each of the communities.
“We have a number of priorities, but the common theme is strengthening the relationship we have and the value we offer to the communities Northern Savings Credit Union serves, including the First Nations communities, with a focus on striving to build for the future...We need to continue to be clearly focused on our members,” he said.
“Another objective is to ensure we offer a suite of financial services for our members, and this is to more seamlessly tie together our core banking services with our insurance and financial advising offerings. It is a holistic view of our members. They need more than our core banking services, and those needs change throughout their lifetime.”
Part of member services will be continuing to develop the co-op model used at the credit union, which Doleman says aligns with his personal principles.
“The co-op model fits the uniqueness of the communities we serve because it has local decisions, a level of autonomy and its focus is responsibly meeting the needs of the local community,” he said.
“As CEO, it gives you a great deal of latitude to develop opportunities for the membership.”
While the credit union may no longer be looking at constructing a new head office, with the piece of land they once owned beside the Inn on the Harbour back on the market, Doleman said it doesn't mean a status quo for the current Third Avenue location.
"The building will be a priority. We had a flood in January, and that may be an opportunity to rethink the look and feel of our main branch downstairs and our head office upstairs. We are committed to investing in our presence here in Prince Rupert,” he said.
“I think there are exciting times ahead for Prince Rupert....Coming from the outside you can see the sense of expectancy and I know there are a lot of groups in the community working hard to see a brighter future.”