New Building Marks Milestone for Credit Union CEO, Bellevue Alum

New Building Marks Milestone For Credit Union CEO, Bellevue Alum

By Dan Silvia, Communications Manager

SAC Federal Credit Union, like Bellevue University, has been a long-time member of the Bellevue community. Led by CEO Gail DeBoer, a graduate of Bellevue University’s MBA program, the credit union recently opened the doors to a new corporate headquarters building at the southeast corner of 72nd Street and US Highway 370. With 94,000 square feet of usable space, the building will house 115 employees.

Gail DeBoer, CEO of SAC Federal Credit Union

DeBoer recently spoke about the new headquarters, the impact of her Bellevue University education and where she, and SACFCU, will go from here.

How important is the new building to SACFCU both in a utilitarian sense and as a milestone of progress and growth? The new building serves as a tangible sign of SAC’s success and stability to our members, our employees and the community. Our focus over the past seven years has been to grow the business with a deliberate and paced strategy. The growth has allowed us to consolidate our operations at the new headquarters in order to reach higher levels of efficiency in our operations, which in turn will fuel more growth.

We were also purposeful in designing the building in order to foster and grow our desired culture. We did this through open and collaborative design that facilitates a culture that focuses on results and member engagement.

Are there some parallels between the growth of SACFCU and the growth of Bellevue University? As an alum, I’ve enjoyed watching Bellevue University grow at such a strong rate. It is interesting to have both of our organizations have such success at the same time. I believe it stems from each having a very clear purpose and identity and not straying away from their mission and producing a product that is of high quality and in high demand.

Leadership is key when you have strong growth and both Bellevue University and SAC have very strong leadership teams in place. Their commitment to their stakeholders is evident in the way they operate and the way they serve their customers.

When you were completing your MBA did you envision yourself as CEO and the growth that SACFCU has enjoyed? I certainly always had the goal of advancing my career and I knew that earning my MBA was a requirement to be the CEO. I also knew there was great potential for growth at SAC but that it would take a different kind of strategy and leader to get us there. I studied leadership and gained the technical skills I needed so that when the opportunity came I would have all the requirements I needed to be successful.

What’s next for you and for SACFCU? Great things are ahead for SAC! We are seeing growth continue to be strong and we are planning for more success for our members and the communities we serve over the next 20 to 30 years. As for me, in the short term I look forward to guiding SAC through the transition with the new headquarters and expanding our reach. I’m excited to bring new technology to the market and really change the way that people access their money and plan for their financial futures. The work that credit unions do to provide education, financial products, convenience and community support is what makes them unique and that is what gets me excited about coming to work every day!