Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X X V I I N OV E M B E R 1 3 , 2 0 1 7 26 O N T H E R E C O R D B Y R E N E E C O R D E S M ason was previously chief strat- egy offi cer at RouteOne, a web- based credit application management system for car dealers. Six months into his new job, Mason sat down with Mainebiz at the organization's Westbrook headquarters. Mainebiz: Where are all the new members coming from? Todd Mason: ey're coming from all over. We're seeing growth all over the state, predominantly in the population centers in Portland and so on. I think it's new residents coming in, but also the youth market. As kids graduate from high school and go on to col- lege and then go into their adult lives, they're being increasingly attracted to credit unions. MB: Credit unions have been around a long time, so how are they attracting young folks? TM: I think it's the structure of credit unions and what we're all about. Credit unions got started in the early 1900s for mill workers, teachers, railroad work- ers, the unions and all of that. ey didn't have access to fi nancial services, so they rolled their sleeves up and they formed credit unions to help each other out. at sense of community, that sense of sharing, that sense of working together, is still alive today. I think that part of what's attractive to the young demographic is that credit union diff erence, the credit union phi- losophy, of people coming together to help each other out. MB: How did you get into the credit union sector? TM: I was going to be an English professor. My undergrad degree is in English lit, and so I was sending out applications to graduate school to go on and get my doctorate in English literature. At the same time I was sending out job applications, and so I landed at the Michigan Credit Union League doing mid-level technical support and have never looked back. MB: What do you see as the biggest change in the industry since then? TM: Technology is one of the biggest diff erences between now and then – this comes from a guy who cut his teeth growing up through technol- ogy. Back in the mid-'90s, when the web was still very new, I helped credit unions get into that arena. And so you see an evolution from having a website presence to home banking to mobile banking and now to banking on your phone, on your watch, and using Alexa with audio units. at's the evolution. None of the old channels have gone away, but it's just that you keep adding to it, and as a result I think that access to credit unions is greater. MB: Do you see credit unions con- tinuing to grow in Maine? TM: I do see that continuing. Take a look at the way the numbers have been growing historically; the num- bers are only going to continue to go up. I see with the way that the economy is, the way that employment is right now, I see a lot of positives about where credit unions are in the state of Maine and nationally. MB: What's next for the Maine Credit Union League? TM: Our focus on our statewide advertising campaign. Part of that will be reinforcing the benefi t and the diff erence of credit unions, and using our awareness campaign to make sure that consumers not just know about credit unions, but also know that members have access to the full breadth of services. MB: And your outlook for Maine's economy? TM: I'm overall bullish about Maine's economy but I'm very concerned about the rural communities. When you start to get into northern Maine, I'm very concerned about the economies in those areas, but in Maine in general and specifi cally in southern Maine, I'm very bullish about it. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Todd Mason, president and CEO of the Maine Credit Union League, says that credit unions are seeing growth in the youth market as college graduates go into their adult lives. Michigan native Todd Mason succeeded John Murphy as president and CEO of the Maine Credit Union League in April and its technology affiliate Synergent, returning to an industry Mason says he fell into after college and then fell in love with. The Maine Credit Union League represents 57 credit unions and nearly 695,000 members. " " " Align Your Technology with Your Business " Colors Pantone 2747 Pantone 1807 IT Solutions Designed for Your Business Finding the right IT partner is one of the most important decisions your company can make. At WGTECH, making information technology work for your business is our core competency. We develop individualized solutions that help you grow your business, improve operations, and boost efficiency. We're Northern New England's resource for advanced technology – we'd like to partner with you. www.WGTECH.com 207.856.5300

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