Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X V I I I A U G U S T 7 , 2 0 1 7 22 E lizabeth Hayes can still remember where she was when her beloved Minnesota Vikings missed a fi eld goal and blew their chances to get to the Super Bowl. She had no control over the outcome. But when it comes to leadership, the president and CEO of Infi nity Federal Credit Union takes control and empowers the staff to do the same. "Don't be afraid to take risks" is one of the values at Infi nity, yet since Hayes moved to Infi nity FCU from her native Minneapolis in September 2014, the credit union's numbers have been anything but risky business. Assets have grown more than 22%, to $340 million. e number of members has grown by 3,000, to 16,000. In late July, the credit union opened a $2 million branch at 29 Baxter Boulevard in Portland, and Hayes says more growth is expected. "We're looking to grow. We're looking to expand," she says. Prior to joining Infi nity FCU, she was execu- tive vice president and chief administrative offi cer at Affi nity Plus Federal Credit union in St. Paul, Minn., which today has assets of $1.8 billion, 180,000 mem- bers and 28 branches. Hayes says credit unions "marry" aspects of com- mercial banking, where she got her start, and the not-for-profi t world, putting members fi rst. From Minnesota to Maine Hayes, a Minneapolis-area native and lifelong Vikings fan , was a history and journalism double major at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. She got her start at National City Bank as a processing clerk and worked her way into marketing, which she enjoyed. ere she met her fi rst professional mentor, Louise Jalma, her boss at National City Bank. She later served as a marketing consultant for Liberty Check Printers, dealing predominately with credit unions. at experience changed the direc- tion of her career. She realized she enjoyed market- ing analysis. She'd go into credit unions and talk to them about strategic planning. " at was not their priority. ey'd say, 'Yeah, but …' It's not that banks don't care about people or care about their customers, but they're a for-profi t model," she says. Credit unions appealed, she adds, to her social- justice side. "I was going down a corporate path before. Now I could marry the two," she says. "I liked the analysis of banking, but now I was in a setting that fosters what's good for people." She joined State Capital Federal Credit Union, which eventually became Affi nity Plus FCU. She spent 16 years there. Rising to executive vice president and chief administrative offi cer, she was ready for a change. Her daughters were heading off to college and it was on one of the campus tours it occurred to her how they were seeking the best "fi t" for her daughter. "I didn't think about fi t when I went to the University of Minnesota. I mean, it was fi ne, but I wasn't thinking about that," she says, adding that it got her thinking about her own situation. "I started to think, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?'" She was ready for a new challenge and initially left Affi nity Plus FCU to do consulting. But recruiters were Listening, learning, teaching B Y P e t e r V a n A l l e n Infinity Federal Credit Union 202 Larrabee Road, Westbrook Founded: 1921 as Telephone Workers Credit Union Top executive: Elizabeth Hayes, President/CEO Employees: 82 Assets: $340 million Branches: Westbrook, Portland, Bangor, Arundel Contact: 207-854-6000 / InfinityFCU.com F I N A N C I A L S E RV I C E S Elizabeth Hayes President/CEO Infinity Federal Credit Union C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 2 4 » Elizabeth Hayes, president and CEO of Infi nity Federal Credit Union, stands near the new Baxter Boulevard branch during construction in April. P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside To lead people, walk beside them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's them … When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!' — Lao-Tzu

• Cover