CU*NorthWest, a 100% credit union-owned cooperative CUSO, held its 2017 Annual Leadership Conference from June 27th- 29th at the Northern Quest Resort in Airway Heights, Washington. The event brought together credit union leadership from across the country for a briefing on the organization’s overall direction and major projects for the coming year.

This year’s conference theme was “It’s a Cooperative Thing: Cooperatives Rock for Being More Than Just a Brand.” The first day focused on success in the network and peer successes. Day two started with a celebration of the 7 Cooperative Principles, and the agenda for the day revolved around how the cooperative business design gives both the CUSO and its credit unions a unique cooperative advantage. Key topics on the agenda included “Overwhelming Our Retail Cultures,” “Believing that Everyone is a Developer,” and “Manufacturing Insight and Inspiring Data Awareness as a Currency.” On day three there was a focus on table top group discussion and the power of peer network collaboration and cooperation. The event ended with every client credit union in attendance receiving an “It’s a Cooperative Thing” sign to hang in their institution as a symbol of the cooperative business designs they have and the work they do.

The three-day conference was attended by 41 leaders from 24 credit unions, along with representatives from 7 vendors and internal staff. This year CEO Greg Smith was joined on stage by several other cuasterisk.com leaders in the areas of software development, network infrastructure, as well as participants from the 2016-2017 “What Makes Data Valuable?” Boot Camp focus group.