CU Direct Announces Formation of New North American Credit Union Automotive Marketing Council

Council to Help Company’s 1,100 Credit Unions Identify Marketing Strategies to Generate Opportunities for Expansion and Continued Loan Growth

Ontario, Calif. | April 1, 2014

CU Direct (www.cudirect.com), the nation’s leading provider of lending, automotive and strategic solutions to the credit union industry, has announced the formation of its North American Automotive Marketing Council.

CU Direct’s new marketing council will take a leadership role in identifying strategies that meet the needs of a rapidly changing automotive environment and identifying opportunities for credit unions to expand market presence and increase auto lending. The volunteer council includes marketing executives and leaders from a dozen CU Direct partner credit unions from across the U.S. and Canada.

“The mission of the new council is to foster the creation of proactive solutions that meet the evolving needs of consumers, credit unions and the automotive industry, as well as to enhance support of CU Direct’s credit union partner base, and generate increased loan growth for member credit unions,” stated Marci Francisco, senior director, automotive marketing & business development at CU Direct.

“One of the great strengths of credit unions is the synergy we gain by working together for the greater good of our members,” said LJ Tarman, vice president, marketing and public relations, NuVision Federal Credit Union. “The collaboration of this council will help us provide even more benefits for all credit union members by developing new opportunities within the ever-changing lending landscape.”

The council will also take a lead role in promoting CU Direct’s automotive products and services to the credit union marketplace, and act as a liaison with CU Direct’s executive team, providing thought leadership on marketing methods and strategies for enhancing the credit union community’s success in the greater automotive space. The inaugural meeting of the newly formed council is slated for May.

“I feel privileged to join this dynamic team of credit union professionals, as we work together in helping our peers develop products and services that help them generate more loans, while effectively managing the indirect channels,” said Andrea Pruna, vice president, marketing at Northeast Credit Union.

“The marketing council will ensure that our CU Direct programs are implemented full-circle within our credit unions. I’m honored to be a part of the council” noted Glenda Burkett, vice president, marketing at Credit Union of America.

Members of CU Direct’s North American Credit Union Marketing Council include: Stephen Black, vice president, marketing, at Seattle, Washington-based BECU; Glenda Burkett, vice president, marketing, at Wichita, Kansas-based Credit Union of America; Tammy Gallegos, vice president, marketing, communications and service quality, at Riverdale, Utah-based America First Credit Union; Matt Kaudy, vice president, marketing and business development, at Upper Marlboro, Maryland’s NASA FCU; Marc L’Ecuyer, market manager, consumer products, at Levis, Quebec, Cananda-based Desjardins Group; Andrea Pruna, vice president, marketing, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire’s Northeast Credit Union; Cathy Rios, vice president, marketing, and Stacy Fifield, SVP-CLO at Vacaville, California’s Travis Credit Union; Mike Schnably, senior vice president, sales & marketing, at Exton, Pennsylvania-based Citadel FCU; Greg Stroud, vice president, sales & marketing, at San Antonio, Texas-based Security Service FCU; Heather Summers, senior vice president, marketing, at Westminster, California’s LBS Financial Credit Union; L.J. Tarman, vice president, marketing & public relations, at Huntington Beach, California-based NuVision FCU; and Keith Troup, vice president of lending/CLO at Olympia Washington’s Washington State Employees Credit Union.

About CU Direct

For more than twenty years, CU Direct has been a lending technology leader, helping credit unions fund $211 billion in loans. More than 1,100 credit unions rely on CU Direct’s solutions to generate loans, create efficiencies, and grow membership. From CUDL, the industry’s number one auto lending platform, to the industry’s revolutionary Lending 360 Loan Origination System, and Lending Insights dynamic analytic tools, CU Direct develops the technology that helps credit unions advance their lending programs and overall portfolio success. 14,000 auto dealers nationwide use CU Direct’s automotive solutions to connect with credit unions and their members to drive sales and increase their bottom lines. For more information, visit www.cudirect.com. Connect with CU Direct on Twitter and LinkedIn.