MERRILL, WISC.– Invited to be a speaker at the CU Leadership Convention, Park City Credit Union CEO Val Mindak was taken aback when she was named 2019 Leader of the Year.
“It was a complete surprise to me. It was wonderful and really exciting,” Mindak said. “It is very moving because I’m so committed to Park City and the credit union movement. I’m so passionate about our industry and moving our industry forward to ensure that credit unions continue to be relevant and viable. Our industry brings so much value to consumers.”
Held August 1-3 in Las Vegas, the CU Leadership Convention is designed for directors, CEOs and C-suite leaders within the credit union industry. Now in its 42nd year, an estimated 3,000 credit union leaders were in attendance this year. The Leader of the Year Award is given to just one individual who has demonstrated extraordinary personally or professionally growth resulting in the overall success of their credit union.
Chosen among hundreds of nominations, Mindak is credited with leading the credit union’s outstanding growth, community involvement, which includes the random acts of kindness initiative, Park City Cares, #sharethecare. She also helped to spearheaded the Wisconsin Credit Union League’s Young Professionals Network that focuses on providing career development opportunities, networking and education for credit union professionals under the age of 35, which now has over 700 young professionals statewide.
“We need to expose young professionals to the credit union movement – to fall in love with it, just like I did when I was young,” Mindak said. “Now more than ever, succession planning is critical. We can start lining up the next level of leadership.”
In 2018, Park City reported year-to-year loan and deposit growth of 25.3% and 10.7%, respectively. In June 2019, the credit union reported more than $225.1 million in total assets and approximately 20,000 members.
Mindak currently serves on 11 local, local, state and national boards. Some of her most notable appointments have been to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Advisory Council, Current Chair of the Wisconsin Credit Union League Board of Directors, and a Board Member for the Corporate Central Credit Union’s Board of Directors, Milwaukee.
At the CU Leadership Convention, Mindak’s was also selected as a keynote speaker to champion the credit union’s internal vision. Called i4, credit union staff seek to inspire, innovate, invigorate and impress every day. Company culture and staff engagement are critical to turning members into “raving
fans,” Mindak said. “So often we hear everything is going digital,” Mindak said. “My position is that digital is important, but you must have a great relationship with the member. I don’t believe it is one or the other. It’s a great combination of both. Our new headquarters is a blend of both high-tech solutions and comfortable, personal service.”
Mindak was nominated for the award by the Park City’s board of directors. She thanked the board and the members of the credit union, adding, “None of this would be possible if it weren’t for our members.”