TrueStory: Investing In Spaces That Serve Our Members

By Doug True, CEO

As your not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative, we reinvest earnings back into FORUM to strengthen services for you and your fellow members. This reflects our commitment to the cooperative model and the seven principles that guide it. The third of the seven principles is “member economic participation.” Your participation at FORUM through deposits and loans helps us invest in a better future for you, your fellow members, and our teammates who serve you. We have been prudently choosing these investments in a manner to improve our level of service to you, both digitally and in person. Data from our 165,000+ members shows that both are important. We are currently in the middle of a substantial project to improve the CU Online experience including our internet banking platform and our mobile app. While we continue investing in digital improvements, this edition of TrueStory highlights our investment in your branch network.

We view our network of fifteen branch locations as a vital component in our service to you and the communities we serve. While many transactions are digital, when you need advice, reassurance, or personal service, having a nearby branch and trusted service via one of our teammates matters. We take pride in how our branches look, both from the outside and on the interior. We partner with a local member business, Engledow, to keep the landscaping fresh and seasonal, and they do an excellent job. On the interior, we continually focus on providing a welcoming experience. Our Building Services team regularly visits our branches to help maintain them to our standards. We are also continually evaluating when a remodel transformation is appropriate. We usually have a remodel going on each and every year. We recently completed a transformational remodel at our Broad Ripple location. We are grateful for the patience and support of our loyal Broad Ripple members. This remodel was years in the making as we secured the permits and approvals needed to add north-facing windows and complete the renovation properly. We converted this branch from a Hardee’s restaurant in 2006. We are proud of what we have done with this location and none of it would be possible without the patronage and support of our Broad Ripple members and member businesses. Deciding to renovate after two decades in this location was a purposeful commitment to the Broad Ripple community, ensuring FORUM will remain a constant resource for members in the area, while evolving to accommodate modern financial times. The project scope was focused on transforming both the member and teammate experience through thoughtful, human-centered design elements. The design approach was not limited to aesthetics; it also emphasized accessibility, comfort, transparency, and functionality. If you haven’t visited Broad Ripple recently, please stop by to check it out and say hello.

Our Avon location is next, with construction set to begin any day now. We are excited to apply the same design concepts we leveraged at Broad Ripple to our Avon location. If you have visited Avon, you know the spacious lobby has the potential to better serve you. The completion date for Avon will be this December, and we will remain open to serve you during the remodel. We are also working on a remodel at our Noblesville location, which has a layout similar to Avon’s. Work is expected to begin later this year and finish by March 2027, and like Broad Ripple and Avon, the branch will remain open to serve you during the remodel.

Speaking of our branch network, we have exciting news to share with you. We are in the initial stages of finalizing our sixteenth branch location, which will serve members on the far south side as we join the City of Franklin and their community in late 2027. We already serve 5,400+ households in this area and we are excited to provide them with improved access to their Credit Union and also welcome new members into the cooperative.

Thank you for being a FORUM member. As we celebrate our 85^th anniversary, your Credit Union remains financially strong – in fact, stronger than at any point in our history. This is because of your economic participation in the cooperative, your loyalty to the Credit Union, and your help in spreading the word about FORUM to your friends and family – we thank you.