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Mazuma Olathe Branch | Futuristic Beacon, Sitting on a Hill


Team and Technology come together in the Mazuma Olathe Branch of the Future

Today’s financial world is complex and ever-changing. Technology is moving at warp speeds and consumers are often left wondering what to do next. To combat this problem, we are proud to introduce Mazuma Credit Union’s new Olathe Branch. This branch of the future combines people and technology in a model that allows Mazuma to serve its consumers and communities in a completely new way.

Far from the transaction being the focus, this new branch brings the company’s unique culture and experience to Olathe. The branch is small – less than 2,000 square feet – and uses a small staff. But, it makes a big impact through the use of branding and technology. Interactive video and smart ATMs are implemented in the branch and drive-up, to bring efficiency and full-service to the entire community.

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The branch’s staff describes it as a “Futuristic Beacon, Sitting on a Hill”. (Very similar to what they said about the main office!) But, don’t take our word for it! Check out the images above, and watch the video of the finished product. Then, you can decide for yourself.

The Branch of the Future is such a mystery to so many banks and credit unions. Maybe it’s because they don’t know how to define it.

What if it was as simple as a three-legged stool?

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Mazuma Branch of the Future

Mazuma’s Olathe Branch Dismantles Traditional Banking

Mazuma Credit Union (Overland Park, KS) has chosen LEVELto design-build their new Branch of the Future. The branch will be located in Olathe, KS near the Menards, and will represent the Credit Union’s newest approach to branch banking.

“We are very excited to be awarded this project,” said David Lapp, Senior Project Manager for LEVEL5. “The Mazuma Team is listening to their membership and responding with a brand-new member experience using the latest in-branch technologies.”

The branch’s retail lobby and drive-up will utilize Interactive Teller Machine (ITM) technology. Using in-branch automation via ITMs enables Mazuma team members to focus on relationship building and not simply transactions. Furthermore, using ITMs in the drive-up allow for longer hours to the community beyond traditional branch hours.

“For the Olathe Branch, we wanted to dismantle traditional branch culture and service models,” said Brandon Michaels, President/CEO of Mazuma. “For years, routine transactions have left the branch, but not the opportunity to serve members in ways that best benefit them.”

“The Olathe Branch is our latest move toward what our membership wants – convenience with maximum engagement. We worked with LEVEL5 for our headquarters facility built around a culture experience, so when it came time for the Olathe Branch opportunity they were our clear choice. Their expertise with credit unions and in-branch technology are big value-adds for our team.”

The Olathe Branch design is near completion and the project will break ground before the end of 2017. Construction of the branch will conclude in the Spring of 2018. The Olathe Branch is the fourth project LEVEL5 and Mazuma have partnered together.

The branch continues to thrive because consumers highly value human interactions. However, locating a branch is anything, but simple. A new approach to site selection is a key component to take branching from Good to Great. 

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Interest Rates, Loans & Earnings Oh My…My Headcount is Growing!


Headcount increase on the horizon for growing banks and credit unions

Over the last 18 months both the FDIC and NCUA are reporting that loan growth for banks and credit unions are at levels only known before the great recession. Furthermore, thanks to the recent moves by the Federal Reserve, interest rates are increasing for the first time in nearly a decade. Naturally the next shoe to drop is an increase in net income. In fact, the FDIC reported earnings for the nation’s 6,000 banks soared in 2016 – 13% higher than in the previous year.

It would appear that banking is once again growing in favor across America. Pent up demand, a stabilizing economy, interest rate increases and expense moderation are paying great dividends for the stakeholders of banks and credit unions. As written in previous articles, this growth creates 7 Ripples through a Bank or Credit Union’s Main Office. Growth puts pressure on headcount and many financial institutions (FIs) will be faced with expanding their operation’s footprint. Expansion at this scale can be costly, and if not done correctly, will hamstring the organization’s ability to grow, serve their consumers and develop their employees.

Planning the Main Office to a Predictable Outcome

When it comes to planning a Main Office, many FIs jump right over the science to design aesthetic, color pallets, furniture selections and branding. These components of art are certainly important to resonate with the community and your most valuable asset, your people. But before the first pen is lifted to draw or design, a comprehensive personnel forecast is critical…if the goal is a predictable outcome.

Personnel forecast is a look into the future. A personnel forecast is the end result of analyzing the FI’s operational back office. The analysis calibrates and benchmarks the FIs growth to understand the needs of the company. A well-developed personnel forecast, based on peer group analysis and seasoned experience, will help the FI plan for the next 10 to 15 years. This process often includes staff interviews, online surveys and data requests to shine up the crystal ball to gaze into the future.

 

Do your homework, before you design. Without this work, designers are making guesses on the needs of your business, which can lead to insufficient space or too much. However, with an expert analysis, designers can start allocating space to each job function with a holistic view in mind.

 

Job functions, adjacencies and business practice. The continuation of the design team’s work, then groups job functions by department and establishes adjacencies based on how the bank or credit union communicates and manages its team. The facility is stacked or layered based on the interdepartmental communications to create the mass needed to optimize land and establish the right presence in the community.

 

 

Science, Art and Cost. Planning a main office is a dance between science and art during the Preconstruction phase of the project. Preconstruction begins with programming, and that effort starts with the marriage between the science of studying the organization, establishing headcount, and weaving in the art to the designed outcome.

One big question we haven’t touched on yet is Cost…and Cost is King. If cost isn’t a stated priority of the project, then it is implied as import…kinda like oxygen. However, many don’t understand that cost is won or lost in the Preconstruction process – not when the project is bid. But that’s another story…

Until then, here’s a short clip of one FI’s experience driving their main office to a predictable outcome. Planning, corporate vision and process certainly made their project seamless…and predictable.

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