Del Norte Credit Union Celebrates 65th Anniversary!

DNCU President/CEO Chuck Valenti at the 65th anniversary community-wide celebration Thursday at the Los Alamos Branch at 1000 Trinity Dr. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
 
 
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
 
Del Norte Credit Union (DNCU) is celebrating its 65th Anniversary in Los Alamos.

DNCU is a member-owned, not-for-profit financial institution with six locations in Northern New Mexico including Los Alamos, White Rock, Española, Cerrillos Road, DeVargas North and Santa Fe.

Since DNCU is a not for profit financial cooperative with the mission of improving lives it is a great privilege to lead an organization that works toward this higher purpose,” DNCU President/CEO Chuck Valenti said. “Our employees always do the right thing for our member/owners by giving them unbiased financial advice they can trust. We work hard to uplift the communities we serve and the satisfaction from knowing we are making a difference is what I value most.”

Valenti spoke about the biggest challenge he faces in his role at the helm of the organization.

One of the biggest challenges is to tell our story so the communities know that we are not just another financial institution. I wish I could share all the stories of when we help people get out of predatory lending situations, buy that first home, or plan for their futures, he said.

Valenti descibed what he believes is DNCU’s greatest asset.

DNCU’s greatest asset is and always will be our employees. Each one of them contribute to our success in various ways,” he said. “The culture we have cultivated at DNCU is rooted deep in our values that we call Del Norteño pride, and that culture lives within each one of our employees. They take great pride in knowing they improve lives every day by what they do.

Valenti addressed the community during this major milestone for DNCU.

The Los Alamos community is celebrating our 65th anniversary with us. Our history began right here back in 1954. We were created by Lab employees as a local financial cooperative that would look out for Los Alamos and Northern New Mexico, he said. Our Valero star that you see on our logo was designed to remind us that Del Norte Credit Union was formed for the people of this community and is owned by the people of this community. In return, we value our responsibility as the guiding star that hopes to bring a better future for generations to come.

Valenti also expressed his desire to thank DNCU’s community partners, members, and the DNCU staff on the incredible work that is being done daily to promote the community as a world class destination to live, work, play and stay.

It is an honor to continue to work hard for the people that depend on financial products that make it easy to achieve your dreams. We would like to welcome all of the Los Alamos community to discover our local approach to banking. Buying your first home or car, opening up a savings account for your kids, retirement planning, and everyday banking is what we do, but Improving Lives is what sets us apart. Thank you for trusting us for 65 years—here’s to 65 more! Valenti said.

Back in 1954, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Employees Credit Union began with a mission to bring local financial solutions to Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Over the years, the name changed, but the mission remained. Today, DNCU serves more than 51,000 members across New Mexico with the same philosophy of providing financial services with a hometown approach. The idea that sparked a differentiation factor for DNCU, quickly grew to be the culture instilled in every employee to this day.

The idea that members of the community own their financial institution and play a crucial role in the development of products, ties in with DNCU’s hometown approach, he said. These factors contribute to DNCU’s position as a leader in customer service, in continued growth, and in recognitions by local and national organizations.

Earlier this month, the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce named Del Norte Credit Union, Financial Institution of the Year for the third year in a row.

On a national level, Forbes named DNCU as a Best-In-State credit union in 2018. Other recognitions highlight DNCU’s stellar financial condition. In 2019, DepositAccounts.com, the largest and most comprehensive online publication in the U.S. dedicated to banking and deposits product information for consumers, ranked DNCU among the Top 200 Healthiest Credit Unions in America. DNCU made the cut out of more than 5,000 credit unions nationwide.

In another mark of DNCU’s sterling financial condition and practices, independent rating firm Bauer Financial Inc. has now graded the credit union 5 stars or Superior for 57 quarters running – 15 years of consistent excellence (as of March 2019).

For DNCU, it is not about the recognition, but about the attention to their member’s lives. The DNCU team, comprised of 169 local individuals, continually attend training and learn better ways to serve the community with the help of DNCU’s leaders.

With ambitions to continue its community involvement with the introduction of DNCU LOV Foundation, DNCU remains true to its promise of Improving Lives for years to come.

To date, non-profit organizations like the Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos, Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe, Big Brothers Big Sisters Mountain Region, The Food Depot, Kitchen Angels, Esperanza Shelter, The Family Y, and countless other hardworking organizations have benefitted from DNCU’s commitment to the youth of Northern New Mexico.

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