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New Main Office in Southwest Louisiana


Headquarters Key Milestone for Credit Union

Lake Charles, Louisiana–based Southwest Louisiana Credit Union broke ground this week on its new main office. The new facility represents the credit union’s continued investment in the community as well as its membership and staff. The Southwest team partnered with Atlanta-based LEVEL5 on the site selection and design-build of the project.

Michael Dronet, Board Chairman for Southwest Louisiana, stated, “We are excited to see our new main office come to life. This building signifies our continued growth, and reinforces our commitment to serving members and the community.”

The location of the new building was selected based on an analysis performed by LEVEL5, which also procured the site on behalf of the credit union. The location and site provide convenience and easy access for members. Furthermore, the building is designed for expansion as Southwest Louisiana Credit Union’s corporate headcount grows.

Ronaldo Hardy, President and CEO said, “This new main office solves several challenges for our Credit Union. First, having the ability to house our entire team and enlarge the building as we grow is essential to our long-term plan. Second, the branch we have created will allow our team to provide even better service and engagement with our membership.”

The new branch within the main office joins the growing trend in banking toward technology automation and optimizing the member experience. Instead of traditional teller lines, the new facility will embrace an open retail environment. The branch’s function and experience are designed to allow staff to dive deeper into relationships with each member.

Mr. Hardy continued, “We needed a solution that developed a new branch, accommodated our current staff level and addressed our long-term back office needs. Moreover, our new building provides the complete experience we want for our members and our staff. The groundbreaking for our new main office represents a key milestone in the growth of our company.”

Jessica LaRocca, Chief Strategy Officer added, “I completely agree with Ronaldo. We chose LEVEL5 as our partner because of the value they bring to the complete design-build process. Few firms in the country can study markets, address headcount, procure real estate, design and construct facilities like their team.”

Financial Institutions all across the country are faced with addressing the headcount growth at the main office. Interested how others are addressing this challenge?

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From the Desk of: Leadership Lessons from our CEO |Planning Your Career

Planning Your Career: Who’s Driving the Bus?

Career building for many young employees can feel like an abstract concept. You’ll often hear the interview question “where do you see yourself in five years?” You might think the correct answer is supposed to be something that sounds good, like, “at this amazing company, working hard!” You may be surprised to hear that’s entirely the wrong answer to give. What that questioner is really asking you about is simple: Your career goals.

Short-term or Long-term?

Setting career goals is often a question of what you should be chasing after: opportunity, or salary? When you’re young and have student loans to repay or a young family to feed, you may decide to focus on salary. Money is important, but simply going to the next highest bidder who offers a larger salary can lead to viewing yourself as a commodity. Leaving one job to take another job for a greater title, without a guiding strategy, can be more fool’s gold. This is why it’s so important to have a plan in place.

Planning a career is what career building is all about – setting long-term goals and short-term objectives. Long-term goals are accomplishments over time, which you proactively manage by meeting short-term, measurable objectives. It takes disciplined thought and follow-through to ensure you meet those objectives. It’s not just motivation, but hard work. How many people have you met (or worked with) who talk about a goal, but lacked the ability to pull it off? It’s likely because those goals either did not align with their long-term objective, or perhaps they had yet to establish any.

Say your goal is to be earning a specific amount of money by a certain year. The way to get there is to set measurable objectives every year. How can you increase your contribution to the organization? Are there training courses you can sign up for? How can you increase your visibility? Did you make any notable achievements in the past year? How are you viewed within the company? Review and revise the strategies you use to build on the positive equity you’ve created.

Contribution Over Charisma

In most cases, simply “doing your job” isn’t enough to separate you from the pack. Opportunities don’t come around that often, so learning to spot them (and knowing which ones have high visibility) is the key. All opportunities come in spurts and sudden gushes. Careers are built on performance and timing. People recognize contribution that is grounded on technical and tactical competence.  This is valued much greater than relationships or charisma.  You must continuously learn and put that learning into practice. If you realize this early in your career, you can then set your five-year goals, because you now know the path to standing out.

Opportunity, promotions, raises and bonuses will never be consistent with year-to-year growth. Sticking to your strategies/objectives and being a constant learner enables you to take on larger projects with more responsibility.  Apply those learnings, put those new skills into action and get faster at doing so makes you a high performer which opens doors of opportunity. This yields results which are tangible.

The Adventure Continues…

If you do this then I can guarantee a career full of adventure. A career that is a lot of work, full of challenges, moments of extreme frustration, but also full of monetary reward, fond memories and a being part of organizations that have a positive impact on people.  The rewards will fill you with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

This has been another article in our “From the desk of” series, special content created just for you, from our CEO Brad Eller. Share it as you wish, in the form of a link, or informally. The intent is to help your people align their career goals with the everyday needs of the organization, creating value.

This is post #3 in our Leadership Series. If you missed the first two, click this link: http://level5.com/learning-self-leadership/

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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From the Desk of: Leadership Lessons from our CEO | Learning Self- Leadership

Have you learned self-leadership?

Psychologists often say that self-awareness first begins when we’re toddlers. Seeing ourselves in the mirror, we eventually move from pointing at our reflection to using those fingers to examine our own features. Self-confidence also begins as early as our first steps. For some, it comes naturally. For others it’s a struggle, but with experience, we know it can be developed.

Self-leadership; however, is a purely adult skill, and it’s possible you’ve never even heard of it. For employees, self-leadership is about learning to internalize what they want and need. There is much confusion about how those wants and needs should be expressed, and to whom they should be expressed to.

Leadership Lessons

In my 30-plus years of leadership, whether as a United States Marine, a businessperson, or as a father, I’ve heard these phrases repeatedly: “I need this.” “I want that.” Someone is looking to someone else to provide them with something. It’s an external question. And that’s the problem with it.

Success comes when people internalize wants and needs rather than externalizing them. Externalizing wants and needs is learned behavior from childhood, because it probably worked! As a grown up, it sends a clear signal that equates to “You’re not ready.” For a raise. For a promotion. For a job itself.

When you ask “I need” or “I want” internally, you’re actually setting goals! With clear goals, you can then develop strategies to accomplish them. These strategies may involve getting help or buy-in from others. We all need support, after all. If an employee comes to you saying they “want” to be promoted, how would you react? Compare that to an employee who tells you their goal is to lead, or to have more responsibility. Wouldn’t you agree there’s much more to work with?

Commodity or Asset?

Having a strategy or a plan to accomplish goals allows for tangible measurements so that they know when or what they’ve achieved. This puts them in a position of, finally, self-leadership. Bingo!

An employee who doesn’t internalize their wants and needs is actually seeing themselves as a commodity available to be traded to the highest bidder. In many cases, their company is glad to see them go. An employee who views themselves as an asset capable of generating success takes the steps necessary toward self-leadership.

“I want” or “I need” should be replaced with “I will.”  Instead of “I want a raise” replace it with “I will earn a raise.”  “I need a vacation” is replaced with “I will take a vacation”. 

“I want” or “I need” is wishful thinking.  “I will” is proactive thinking. 

This mentality, when acted upon, causes others to react to you and places you in the position of self-leadership, which leads to life success.  Self-leadership also assists you in making career decisions that align with your wants and needs over time. 

Building a Career

Just as important, self-leadership will allow you to read your emotional gauges.  We all have different wants or needs.  When these wants and needs are not met we tend to lose our temper, feel sad or upset.  We get emotional.  It is good to feel passionate about your abilities, contributions and performance, but you must step outside of these feelings and assess if you are still on track to achieve your plan.  Remember that you have strategies you’ve developed.  Stick to your plan despite how you feel.  Hopefully, you have measurements that allow you to view your performance that will help you.  This is career building.

This has been another article in our “From the desk of” series, special content created just for you, from our CEO Brad Eller. Share it as you wish, in the form of a link, or informally. The intent is to help your people align their career goals with the everyday needs of the organization, creating value.

This is 2nd post in our Leadership Series. If you missed the first one, click this link: What do you want me to do?

The Universal Banker the Real Gold in the Branch

What Would Motivate Consumers to Bypass the Most Convenient Branch in the World?

Think back 11 years ago. It is the Summer of 2007 and only a select few are forecasting the fall of the financial industry. Maybe even less see that a Senator from Illinois will be our new President in 18 months. And no one knows how Steve Jobs’ brand-new invention, the iPhone, will change the world. The iPhone revolutionized consumer expectation for convenience and experience. This is especially true in banking. As the financial industry recovered from the recession, consumers had been taught that the most convenient branch in the world lives in their back pocket.

The advent of digital convenience created omni-channel banking, the triune relationship between delivery channels:

Physical Branches, Cash Automation and Virtual Branches.

omni-channel

What do consumers want?

In a handful of years, consumers in one voice had communicated we want multiple channels. Few consumers held on to a single-channel approach to banking; preferring multiple ways to communicate with their financial institution of choice. And by 2017, consumers had said we prefer digital channels (website plus mobile) over the physical branch for day-to-day transactions. 

It’s remarkable that in less than a decade from the iPhone launch date, consumers had been reprogrammed

to understand the unique value of a digital branch.

What is so great about a digital branch?

This view (the convenience of a digital branch) is also shared by financial institutions. Thanks to some research from Bain & Co. we can quantify the real value of a mobile banking consumer. The average mobile transaction costs a bank or credit union about $0.10 for each interaction. The average teller transaction (visiting a branch or calling a person) costs at least $4. Therefore, there is tangible value in mobile banking that is unmatched by physical branches, especially for transactions.

What is so great about the branch?

However, consumers still visit branches on a regular basis. Study after study shows that over 50% of all consumers visit branches on a monthly basis, and 60% of consumers visit branches twice year. What’s more, millennials are the most likely demographic to visit branches every month.

 

Bringing the channels together…

So, what’s really going on? A 2018 report by Foresee brings many of the pieces together. In their study, they found that 60% of all bank and credit union new-account journeys start online. (About 35% of consumers go straight to the branch.) Probably not too shocking to hear that people shop online? What is shocking is that over 70% of all consumers end up in a branch during their journey.

The Real Gold in the Branch

Therefore, there must be something intrinsically valuable to a consumer that they would bypass the most convenient branch in the world to visit one further away than their elbow, back pocket, or purse. The ongoing dance by consumers between digital and physical branches explains why physical branches continue to transform at a rapid pace. Consumers use the branch for something they cannot get over a device – a face-to-face personal interaction. Open environments, cash automation, pods, branding, point-of-purchase imagery, and transformative experiences are in place in today’s branch to leverage the high-value opportunity of a face-to-face interaction with consumers.

In 10 years from now will we have fewer branches? Yes. Over the next decade will the branch continue to change? Yes. Will the need for a human experience diminish? No. Because the real gold in today’s branch isn’t in the vault, it is you and your team. We call this the Universal Banker.

Since everything in today’s physical branch is about optimizing the face-to-face interaction with the consumer, then we need a guide to walk us through the process.

How about a three-legged stool?

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Beware the Boogeyman of Design Fees

The F-word you’re likely to hear before construction starts

A creepy clown hiding inside a sewer. A chainsaw wielding crazy man in a hockey mask. A hideous villain who tends to show up at night. If you’re a fan of scary movies, you can probably cite each of those movies by name. In reality, each these are different versions of “The Boogeyman.”

On any construction project, there’s a name for this Boogeyman too: Scope Creep. Any number of unexpected scenarios can cause Scope Creep, from weather delays to scarcity of materials to change orders. That’s not news. Here’s what is. And it has everything to do with that F word – Fees!

Design Fees as Usual?

Design fees typically range anywhere from 4% to 14% of the total construction cost. Almost all design firms and many design-builders will state this fee as their agreed upon terms. We know because it is a part of our history too. It’s considered business as usual. It’s one of the costs of business that owners expect to pay, no different than site procurement costs, when deciding to locate a new branch or main office. (The Art of the Branch: Site Selection Edition.)

Here’s why design-fees-as-usual needs to change.

The costs of design is not a function of construction costs. It is a function of people-hours. It is the creativity, productivity and talent it takes to bring a unique solution to the table. Design has nothing to do with machine and tool rental, hardhats or safety glasses.

“Let’s say you’re building a typical house on Main Street USA, and the designer quoted a fee of 10% of the construction costs. The median house cost in the US is $188,900, so you pay $18,890 as a design fee. But, let’s say you decided to arbitrarily add 10 lbs of gold inlay and fixtures into the design (hey, it’s possible.)” 

“This would add 146 troy ounces to the construction costs. Given the cost of gold, you’ve almost doubled your construction cost, and in the process…(drum roll please)”

“You also doubled your design fee – with little additional effort from the designer!”

What really matters?

To be sure, complexity, size and scope do impact the cost of your design, but so does your ability to state your desired aesthetic…along with your ability to make decisions. Communication skills matter, and knowing what you want really impacts the cost of design.

Applying what you just learned to future projects can only help. Knowing your likes and dislikes. Narrowing down a choice of concepts. Working within the budget (for real, not just a general direction that can be tweaked later). Construction-led design-build is all about designing and building to a budget, so you don’t wreck the Titanic!

Can you get the Fox out of the Hen House?

The problem with agreeing on a design fee as a percentage of construction cost is it offers an incentive to increase costs, indirectly. That’s not to suggest a designer compromises their professional integrity. They don’t. It’s simply that contract commercial terms must align with goals and objectives. So there’s no reason to allow the fox into the hen house!

Let’s try something different.

At the end of the day, all clients are concerned about the budget. At LEVEL5, we have been working to offer a different model to introduce more predictability into the process. A process that marries contract terms with the client’s preferences and needs.

For others in the industry, who are all too happy to reap the fruits of numerous design changes after the fact, this model may seem scary. Not hockey-mask scary mind you, but enough to keep you awake at night.

Everything starts when you decide what kind of facility is right for you.

Perhaps answering these five questions about your strategy will start the conversation.

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The Northeast Credit Union Branch of the Future

New Hampshire Credit Union Grows into Hooksett

Portsmouth, New Hampshire based Northeast Credit Union recently broke ground on its new Hooksett branch. The new facility represents the Credit Union’s latest Branch of the Future. The Northeast team partnered with Atlanta-based LEVEL5 (www.level5.com) on the branch site selection and design-build of the project.

Tim Collia, President and CEO of Northeast Credit Union, stated, “We are excited to see our expansion in the State unfold. This building signifies our continued strong growth and reinforces our commitment to serving members and the community. With this new building, we are creating a new experience for our members that will allow us to serve them with a higher degree of care and expertise.”

The new Hooksett branch joins the growing trend in banking toward technology automation and optimizing the member experience. Instead of traditional teller lines, the new facility will embrace pods in an open retail environment. The branch’s function and experience is designed to allow staff to dive deeper into relationships with each member.

Mr. Collia continued, “We chose LEVEL5 as our partner because of the value they bring to the complete design-build process. Few firms in the country can study markets, procure real estate, design and construct facilities like their team.”

Mike Colvin, EVP and Principal at LEVEL5, shared, “We consider it an honor to be a part of Northeast Credit Union’s Hooksett branch and we look forward to the growth they will achieve through this new project.”

Credit unions across the country are expanding to grow membership and convenience. Canvas Credit Union in Denver recently changed its name and is now rolling out new locations. Their new “branch of the future” certainly is painting a new picture. Check it out.

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The Art of the Branch Site Selection Edition

The Book on Everything About Branch Site Selection

Peruse any business book atop the bestseller lists, and you’ll find a veritable smorgasbord of topics addressing investment strategies, office politics, and personal success. The book with everything you need to know about branch site selection?

Crickets.

Save your Google search. We already checked, and you won’t find that topic on that list. But you will find what you need right here, in this blog post.

We’re calling it The Art of the Branch– Site Selection Edition

Introduction

Branch site selection starts with – not surprisingly – finding a desirable location. But before you put a hard hat on and invite the mayor over for a photo op, here are a few questions you should be asking:

1. The Plot Points

Location is the “where.” A branch is the “what.” Grand opening is the “when.” And the “who” is whomever is writing the check!

That leaves the “why” – Can you build a business case for the branch? In a fin-tech and omni-channel banking world, understanding why to invest in a branch is critical. For banks and credit unions, that’s loans and deposits.

Just as important is the “how.” For branch or main office opportunity to be realized, then the process has to move from strategy into action. Many firms speak to market opportunity or back off analysis for a main office. Even more firms design and construct financial facilities. However, it is taking action on the best location that brings branching, and a new main office to life.

2. The Characters

Brokers – Selecting the best site for a branch or main office opportunity is not a matter of selecting the right broker. Brokers serve a role in choosing the site, but brokers are not the answer. In branch site selection, it’s about realizing business opportunity through the combo of market analysis and real estate procurement.

Landowners – In retail development, few businesses stir the cockles of a landowner’s heart like pharmacies and (you guessed it) banks and credit unions. They know what you know. The correlation of location, and performance, that is realizing business opportunity, is worth a hefty price.

Builders – We cover this group extensively here.

Our Story – You’ve come to the best part!

The process of bringing your branch to market determines its ultimate success. This is where LEVEL5’s real estate procurement process, during site selection, separates itself from everyone else.

What if you could get the property you want, and the owner would not know it was you? You could avoid the premium and have a greater opportunity to perform.

Our proprietary process veils your identity to protect you from the market, the owner and yourself. Our approach also negotiates contracts and performs all due diligence (surveys, environmental, and geotechnical tests). Brokers do not perform any of these services. They don’t study markets to define loans and deposits, they don’t negotiate contracts, and they do not handle due diligence.

A Happy Ending

Since 2011, LEVEL5 has annually procured between $20 and $25 million in property for banks and credit unions across the country. Driving predictability has allowed these institutions to outgrow their peers by a 3x multiple. Since the branch is still location driven, then selecting the best site is key to performance.

Epilogue

When it comes to branch site selection, the approach matters. If the business opportunity in a market can support the branch, then the critical component that takes the opportunity from good to great is how we procure the real estate.

The consumer voice continues to speak loud and clear about the importance of the branch. Listen to what they have to say when banks and credit unions decide to close their branch.

And then check out how one company is using site selection to grow its brand and marketshare.

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Bricks, Clicks and Community Banks Webinar

Maximizing Digital and the Branch Equals Transformation

Our recent webinar on Bricks, Clicks and Community Banks dove into the need for financial institutions to optimize digital and physical channels. Consumers today desire an omni-channel approach (online, physical and automation) because digital channels have redefined the notion of “convenience”. A financial institutions ability to maximize online and mobile banking can have a dramatic impact on performance. Digital transactions cost banks and credit unions about 10 cents per interaction compared to $4 for a transaction with an employee in a physical branch. By automating the routine, then the scale and efficiency provided through online channels is possible in a way that physical branches cannot duplicate.

Consumers and the Branch

Yet, consumers still visit branches on a regular basis, including millennials (generation Y).  In fact, research shows that millennials are the mostly likely demographic to visit a branch to apply for an receive a loan. A 2018 study by Foresee sheds more light on consumer behavior across all channels. Their research looked at customer acquisition throughout their journey to open an account. Foresee uncovered that 60% of all bank and credit union consumers start their journey online (website and mobile) – whereas 35% start at the branch. Not too shocking that most consumers would start their banking journey online. However, 60% of online originators (remember the original 60%?) end up in branch. The main point is more than 70% of all customers end up in a branch at some point in their journey.

The Gold in the Branch

All the data points to customers believe something more valuable than gold is within the four walls of today’s branch. The real gold are the bankers within a bank or credit union’s facility. Today’s universal banker has the ability to serve consumer’s needs better than ever. So optimizing optimizing the branch is a top priority. Matching consumer needs and the services offered at bank or credit union is sucess.

The process for Branch of the Future and/or Transformation is a Three-Legged Stool. The three legged stool is Function, Experience and Technology. (We’ve written an entire blog post on this topic)

Stories from the Field

To bring the concepts and presentation into a real life context, Shaun Burke – President and CEO of Guaranty Bank in Springfield, MO joined the webinar. Shaun and his team are going through the process of transforming so much at their Bank. He walked the audience through where they have been, where they are today and where they are tomorrow. Some of the evidence of transformation is in the Bank’s new Headquarters which houses their “Branch of the Future”. (You can watch the the headquarter’s story here and download the entire 45-minute webinar below)

As always, there is so much more to be said and done in regards to optimizing the digital and physical channels. This webinar sought to bring together several pieces of the puzzle, and focus on a process to optimize the branch portion.

To download the webinar and watch it at your convenience click below. 

ABA Webinar Download

Is the Fox Guarding the Hen House?

“Very cool.” “Incredible!” “This doesn’t look like a bank.”

Showing the world that a traditional bank doesn’t have to feel like one, today’s financial institutions are finding new ways to wow customers. So much so, it seems like the “design” in most building plans should come first and foremost. To that we say, “slow your roll.”  

How to build a better bank.

Actually, maybe the statement should be revised to “How to build a bank better.” In its simplest terms, every branch or main office project has an owner, a designer and a general contractor. From there are two models to compare:

  1. Design-Bid-Build (aka “Old School”) – This is the traditional model, where the architect and builder are separate. The architect creates a set of blueprints independent of the contractor. It’s on the owner to submit bids and determine who is right for the project.
  1. Design-Build (aka “New School”) – The more modern approach. This is where the owner hires one firm to be responsible for design and construction. This model maximizes value (Download White Paper) and eliminates the owner as the middle man.

Two kinds of Design-Builders

1 – In-House Design (Design Led) – Not all design-builders are the same. Some have design in-house and others don’t. Firms with in-house designers (on staff) lead with design, and not construction. For banks and credit unions this can introduce risk into the equation – especially when cost is king. Risk is not starting the project with a budget. Risk is using the same designers for all projects. Risk is more costly projects.

All firms charge their client overhead costs. Overhead of the business (indirect overhead), which would include costly designers, as well as direct overhead for the project (cost to do the work). These firms also charge a design fee. Sounds a lot like the Fox is now “in” the Hen House.

2 – Out-Source Design (Construction Led) – Design-builders who outsource design are construction led firms. Research shows less than 15% of the total cost of a branch is branding, furniture, fixtures and equipment. So, the key cost buckets are the non-sexy components that no one sees.

By outsourcing design, the cost of the project is lower. Only the cost of the designer (design fee) is assigned to the project. So, there is no double-dip on overhead and design fee. Moreover, by leading with construction, the budget for the project is preserved. The budget is the north star and is what defines what happens next. In this way, designers can be free (freed knowing the budget) to create “beginning with the end in mind”.

Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

Jim Collins in his revolutionary book “Good to Great” characterized great companies as those that focus on their hedgehog concept. Few design-builders, who specialize in banks and credit unions, grew up in construction – it is not their hedgehog. Some of these firms grew up as bank equipment firms, others focus on branding, and nearly all lead with design aesthetic. These firms are not vanguards of budget and branch performance, because it is not in their DNA. They cannot offer what they don’t have.

At LEVEL5, we are a construction-led design-build firm who incorporates data, local market knowledge, and expert site selection to maximize your return on investment. We understand that lowering risk is in on the minds of banks and credit unions night and day.

This is not just our opinion, but the testimony of banks and credit unions across the country. What else is keeping them up at night? Listen to what they have to say in these videos and decide if we are the right fit for you:

Video Story

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