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B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K 2 0 1 6 26 MEDIUM COMPANIES [ 50 - 249 employees ] For employees at Maine State Credit Union—a member-owned fi nancial institution providing a full range of fi - nancial services—the culture is about empowerment. "We believe it's impor- tant that everyone has a voice," said President/ CEO Tucker Cole. "If something is going wrong and not working, we want people to feel it's okay to provide honest and open feedback. Employees are encouraged to try new things, offer new, inno- vative ideas, process im- provements and learn new skills." The organization has spent much time working on those principles for employees at all levels. One way this is achieved is through the Maine State Credit Union "crew"—teams of individuals from all levels of the organization who work together on a particular project. Crew work provides employees with opportunities to interact with people they normally don't see daily, and work on projects outside of their normal areas of responsibility. "Crew work gives employees the op- portunity to develop leadership skills, and learn about different areas of the credit union. I'm always amazed at how well it works," said Cole. Crew work leads to great pride in the organization and its accomplishments. Many employees have worked at the credit union for over 20 years in a variety of roles, thanks to cross-training and e n c o u r a g e m e n t to learn and apply for new roles. Promotions tend to be from within; it's not unusual for someone to have worked in several different departments throughout their career. To that end, the credit union offers numerous programs for professional growth, including development of individual career plans, training opportunities, tuition reimbursement and job shadowing. Overall, Maine State Credit Union promotes a great work/life balance, holds wonderful employee appreciation events throughout the year, and sup- ports countless volunteer efforts. A ma- jor point of pride is Maine State Credit Union's involvement in the Maine Credit Union League's annual Ending Hunger Campaign, in which they are the lead fundraiser. Each spring, em- ployees hold the annual 5k Walk/Run to End Hunger on the Kennebec River Rail Trail, and in the fall hold the Heart and Humor Harvest, a live auc- tion and dinner event with proceeds benefi tting organizations committed to ending hunger within Kennebec and Somerset counties. "Members are our bottom line," said Cole. "With every interaction, we dem- onstrate how our employee-established values support our exceptional service and products." Maine State Credit Union Employee values support exceptional service Maine State Credit Union P.O. Box 5659, Augusta 04332-5659 Top local executive: Tucker Cole, president/CEO Year established: 1935 Maine employees: 76 Website: www.mainestatecu.org Human resources contact: Angela Harvey 207-623-1851 ext. 2102 aharvey@mainestatecu.org # 10 The member service and teller department team at Maine State Credit Union's main branch in Augusta. Thank you to all our employees for making Maine State Credit Union one of the best places to work 4 years in a row. Maine State Credit Union is federally insured by NCUA.