WINCHESTER, Va.—In an effort to keep its service levels high and provide career growth opportunities for its Virginia-based employees, the $79-billion Navy FCU is investing $100 million to expand its Winchester operations center in Frederick County.
As CUToday.info reported, the move will create 1,400 new jobs, which Navy’s Susan Brooks, SVP of Winchester operations, said will lead to stronger career paths for its staff.
“Adding these positions here will allow many more employees to continue their careers with Navy,” said Brooks. “We will be adding back office positions in the lending area, such as mortgage processors, loan officers. Also, IT positions—programmers and desktop support, for example. We will add a little more call center support here, but it won’t be a large number of people.”
The project will nearly double Navy Federal’s employee count and physical square footage—adding 180,000 square feet—in Frederick County. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe approved a $2-million grant from the Commonwealth Opportunity Fund to assist Frederick County with the project.
Rapid Growth
Brooks spoke about the rapid growth at its Winchester facility.
“We started here in 2006 with 60 contact center employees. Since that time we have grown to 1,480 employees,” said Brooks. “When we announced we would be adding 1,400 more jobs at Winchester, we made it clear the main reason is to provide the very best service for our growing membership of armed forces personnel.”
Navy Federal has 6.8 million members.
Brooks recognized that Navy could have expanded elsewhere, such as in Pensacola, Fla., where the credit union has built a significant operation and where costs are lower than in many other areas. But Navy FCU chose to expand in Winchester not simply because Virginia-based staff will have more growth opportunities, said Brooks, but also because the type of employees in the area are a great fit for the credit union.
“What we have found in Frederick County are great employees who believe in our culture of service and integrity and are proud to serve members of our armed forces,” Brooks said. “We have a very engaged group at Winchester. I don’t see it as more important to build where it is cheaper. Our team members are our greatest asset. So when you find somewhere that is a good fit with your culture, you expand there when it is time.”
Not A Tough Task
Navy, a Fortune 100 company, has been recognized for its high service levels. But as the credit union grows, is it difficult for a large CU to maintain that level of service and also its culture?
Brooks doesn’t think so.
“Sure that is something you worry about—can you maintain the culture,” said Brooks. “But in our hiring we are doing a lot of behavioral interviewing and we are hiring people who really have service engrained in them. When you do that, and continue to have your leaders show their service mentality, the culture remains no matter how big you get. We have been in this business for 80 years and have gown, but our culture remains the same as it was 80 years ago. It’s not about size, it’s about service.”
Navy FCU is based in Vienna, Va., and has 14,000 employees worldwide.