Zia President/CEO Dwayne Herrera, center, gathers with staff to celebrate 65 years in business. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By CAROL A. CLARK
Los Alamos Daily Post
caclark@ladailypost.com
- The community is invited to join in the month-long celebration.
Zia Credit Union at 1001 Central Ave. celebrates 65 years in business this month in Los Alamos County.
“For 65 years, Zia Credit Union has been serving our ever-growing membership. As a northern New Mexican myself, I understand the unique and diverse needs of our community, and that is reflected in the products and services we provide to our members,” Zia CEO Dwayne Herrera said. “Not only that, but with shared branching, online banking and our mobile app, our members can access their accounts wherever they go. It is truly remarkable how far we have come in 65 years with what we can offer to our members. It will be interesting to see what Zia has to offer 65 years from now.”
On March 15, 1955, a group of approximately 200 individuals from Zia Company, support contractors for the Los Alamos National Laboratory, organized and founded Zia Credit Union. The contractors felt they needed their own financial institution. At that time it was established as a special interest group, a common practice for that time in the credit union movement. Management of the newly-founded Zia Credit Union chose to become a state-chartered credit union.
In 1975, management at Zia Credit Union decided to expand its field of membership by not just serving a special interest group, but serving all those living, working, or worshipping in Los Alamos County. The reason for this change was to enable Zia Credit Union to grow and offer better services to its current members, while at the same time including new members.
In 1995, management at Zia Credit Union expanded its field of membership again by not just serving Los Alamos County, but also serving people living, working or worshipping in Rio Arriba County. In 2008, this was again expanded to include the greater Pojoaque Valley, as well as Santa Fe and Taos counties.
The mission of Zia Credit Union is to empower generations of northern New Mexico families to achieve their dreams through personalized service, education and lending, with its members’ best interest at heart. With branches in Los Alamos and Española, Zia Credit Union serves around 12,000 members. From savings and checking accounts to auto loans, mortgages, visa credit cards, and even financial education, Zia Credit Union offers competitive rates and friendly, local service.
“I am proud to be part of an institution that is such a legacy in our community,” Marketing/Business Development Manager Laura Loy said. “Besides steadfastly serving our members for 65 years, Zia Credit Union also is a great supporter of the community by offering financial support and other contributions to local organizations and by participating in public service activities.”
While Zia Credit Union is locally-based, its members are covered nationwide. Members have access to their accounts 24/7 through online banking and the mobile app, and the locally-staffed call center is available Monday through Friday.
In addition, as a part of CU Anytime, Zia Credit Union can offer its members access to 30,000 surcharge-free ATMs and more than 5,000 shared branches nationwide.
“We want to invite the community to help us celebrate our 65 years in business with events at all of our branches throughout the month,” Loy said.
At the Los Alamos branch, these include:
- Thursday, March 5, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Birthday cake in the lobby;
- Monday, March 16, 3:30-5 p.m. – Meet Zia’s executive team and enjoy fresh baked cookies; and
- Thursday, March 26, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Spin the wheel to win a prize (everyone is a winner!).
For information about all the events, visit https://www.ziacu.org/65.
For more information, visit www.ziacu.org or contact Laura Loy at marketing@ziacu.org or 505.663.3583.
Customer Marcus Shamy shows of the prize he won spinning the wheel in the lobby of Zia Credit Union as part of the month of festivities underway celebrating the 65th anniversary of Zia Credit Union. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Customer Ubaldo Barela spins the wheel in the lobby of Zia Credit Union to win a prize. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
