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The Saunders Show - Episode 4 - Piedmont Advantage Credit Union - YouTube
Channel: Saunders Property Management, LLC
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have you noticed that large building on
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the side of Stratford Road just past
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Haines mall that looks a lot like an
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airport terminal well it's not but it
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has a lot to do with winston-salem's
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aviation or history
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let me explain with more than a decade
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of selling real estate in and around the
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winston-salem area one thing that I've
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learned is we are blessed to be able to
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call this place home this show is
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dedicated to showing off some of the
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incredible places and great people in
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this area this is the Saunders show
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everybody my name is Mark Saunders with
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Saunders Realty and today I'm coming
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from Piemonte
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a vantage credit union which is
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headquartered right here in
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winston-salem now if you saw our last
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episode we were at Smith Reynolds
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Airport Piedmont advantage has a really
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cool history here in winston-salem
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originally being set up to service
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Piedmont Airlines at Smith Reynolds
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Airport since then it's grown to service
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their members across the country there
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are a lot of great people here at
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Piedmont advantage Credit Union and I've
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got to know a lot of them because I
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serve on the board here at the Credit
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Union one reason for that is I notice
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how much detail they put into their
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members and their financial wellness
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through education and products and
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investment services for them so let's go
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through and give you a tour of the
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building here and also speak with their
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CEO Judy Thor
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so I'm here today with pay mind
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advantage CEO and really good friend of
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mine Judy Tharp so thank you for taking
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the time and showing us around this
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place so tell me the story of the
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crediting I love history especially
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companies that started and their roots
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are in winston-salem tell me the history
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of the story of him on a bench well it's
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a very cool story
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our crediting started back in 1949 we
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actually started out at Smith Reynolds
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Airport that was the headquarters for
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Piedmont airlines and that's also where
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our credit game got started and we were
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there up until three and a half years
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ago when we moved into this facility
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here at murk mill in Stratford we've
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come a long way since those days but we
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never forget from whence we came we
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still have volunteers who volunteer for
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the credit union that were actually a
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part of that original starting of this
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credit union now I hear you have a long
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history with credit unions how did you
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first hear about credit unions or get
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involved with credit unions in your
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background well it's a cool story mark I
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grew up in a family business much like
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you did so I kind of was an entrepreneur
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at heart so I got really lucky to be
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honest with you in that I answered gonna
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ad in the newspaper to start a credit
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union for the DuPont company in
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Wilmington I pursued that opportunity
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and got the job and Here I am 38 years
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later I would never dream of doing
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anything differently because I love what
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we do for people so one question I get a
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lot when especially working with buyers
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in real estate and we talked about
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getting approved for a loan or anything
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I mentioned credit unions and I think
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there's a big question aren't credit
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unions like banks and banks like credit
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unions what's your thoughts on that
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you're on our board of directors so you
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know that when we meet every month what
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we talk about is what we can do to
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enhance the lives of your members we
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understand that our members own us and
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we will never forget that because that
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is the crux of how
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is different from the bank yeah we are
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owned by the members we serve things are
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changing so fast in today's world with
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the technology and the economy and
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everything where do you see the credit
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union in say five to ten years the
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reason why we exist will never change we
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are here to enhance lives we are owned
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by the members we serve that will not
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change what will change though is the
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way in which we deliver solutions to
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enhance the lives of our members our
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members have changed the way in which
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they do business that will only continue
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to change even more and as those
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generations evolved the way in which
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they expect us to serve their needs will
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change and so we're always there we're
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kind of leading-edge in that respect and
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we'll continue to be that so you've
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mentioned it a couple of times and I
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want to see it because obviously I like
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real estate so can you give us a tour
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let us check out the building awesome so
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right here in the main lobby
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what's different coming from here well
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our goal is to create a member
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experience in the old days people came
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here to do transactions
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those days are are gone pretty much so
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our people you see here are member
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experience advisors so we have music we
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have free Wi-Fi why because we want
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people to come hang out with us and they
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do as you can see back here we have
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newspapers we have seats and coffee and
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beverages and so it's an experience that
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kind of unique right yeah it's just a
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very welcome filling as you as you come
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in with everything being so open and
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here we are on the main level and you
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can see all the way up to the yeah so
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I'm here with Michael Westbrook so tell
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everybody kind of what your role is here
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at the credit union hey Mark yeah I'm
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Michael Westbrook financial advisor for
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the membership here offering services
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through kuso financial services and we
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really are different here because we do
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try to understand each individual
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members needs this is not a
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one-size-fits-all strategy
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it's important to me and important for
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us here to understand that our members
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do come first we sit down and develop a
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plan for their investing whether it be
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short term a long term and help them
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achieve their goals
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okay Thank You members come first I keep
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hearing that theme over and over again
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you're gonna hear it more and more as
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you go through thank thanks Marv you
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asked me earlier about what are some of
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the differences one of the differences
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in a credit union and a for-profit
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financial institution is that we have
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wonderful volunteers rather than pay
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directors who govern the organization so
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that's a unique differentiation point in
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a credit union and a for-profit
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financial services well I see the value
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you are providing how I mean really
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members come first I had no idea all of
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that until you asked me to serve on the
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board and I got to learn more and more
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this is our village the village yes okay
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the village was actually named by the
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employees primarily this is kind of a
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hub of our operations right here on this
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board so we're the base here in
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winston-salem but through electronic
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means we service a lot of people
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remotely without
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the village I like that less than five
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percent of our business it's done face
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to face Wow five percent so the rest of
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it is is electronic tell us about so far
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what have you observed as the difference
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in maybe a previous life and here
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working for Piedmont as a little credit
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union there is in the past on the bank
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side maybe the focus is on the
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institution and what's best for the
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profitability and this is more about the
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member experience because they are after
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all our owners we work we work for them
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we wouldn't be here without them yeah
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when we make it about their experience
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and we put them in charge and kind of
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lay options out in front of them for
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them to choose so giving them the power
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I think that's what builds loyalty I
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have a lot of clients to think banks and
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credit unions different different
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products and everything
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tell me about mortgage product
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specifically that y'all have to offer
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it's a common thing we hear that you
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know you think credit union you think a
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karlie you think a credit card but we do
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all the other mortgage stuff too
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from origination to underwriting and
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processing is all done here and a
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50-foot circle
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so there isn't bouncing ideas and
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questions to Texas and Florida you know
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that is such a valid point because when
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I'm working with buyers I tell them
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things that can make this go so much
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smoother is when you're you know loan
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processor and everything is down the
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hallway instead of five states over to
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make the just so much easier and
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smoother transition one-stop shop
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awesome
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aren't so dumb about this place what's
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this what's this Department this is our
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culture
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where we take care of the needs of
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members who call in from all over the
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country so we service greater than 50%
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of marijuana
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we love our call center agent so a
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couple things that y'all mentioned
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throughout the tour and everything is
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how important education is for your
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members and providing opportunities for
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them to learn more about financial
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education and everything so we're in one
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of your classrooms here so tell me kind
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of the idea for the classrooms and what
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some of the events that you hold in here
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we hold webinars seminars on everything
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imaginable as it relates to financial
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wellness such as how to buy a car how to
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buy a house how to retire safely and
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plan for that
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so these rooms are utilized a lot how do
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how do your members find out about the
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classes that are being offered if
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somebody's watching this video and they
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want to find out more in the classes
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house the best way for them to find that
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information well you know social media
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website we always publicize we even send
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out emails to the members about the
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upcoming educational events and what's
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also cool is after those events are held
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face-to-face many of them are also
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recorded so that you can just go to our
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website afterwards and pull them down
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and you are starting to do online
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webinars as well we have yeah awesome
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that's really really great
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one thing that I've noticed while we
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were on the tour of the property as well
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as the interviews is just how great the
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people are here Piedmont advantage
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credit union they really do put the
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members first and they are here to help
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any way they possibly can so next time
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you're on Stratford Road and you see the
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airport terminal be sure to stop in and
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look at all the different ways that they
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can help you reach your personal
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financial needs if you're viewing this
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show on our YouTube channel click the
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subscribe button below or you can visit
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our website at s real Athene al.com this
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is Mark Saunders and I'll see you next
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time
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[Music]
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