CU*Answers, a 100% credit union-owned CUSO, held their 2021 Annual Leadership Conference and Stockholders Meeting on June 16th at the JW Marriott Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. 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 “Experienced, Energized, and Engaged.” CU*Answers CEO Randy Karnes introduced the theme to a crowd of nearly 250 participants from credit unions and vendors from around the country. In his opening remarks, Karnes said, “The experience of COVID-19 will likely define a generation of business people who survived this trial, forever changed by balancing the goals of an industry and the plight of the customer-owners who define it. After we take stock of what it means to go on from here, I can’t imagine a generation more energized to engage communities of people, their dreams, and a future based on everyone’s success.”
Karnes continued, “We have the resumes to change it all. We have the energy to see it through, and we have the passion to inspire our entire industry. The party has started, and our party has just the right crowd of people to keep it going and make it a success for the next decade and beyond.”
The day-long conference was attended by 156 leaders from 69 credit unions, along with 42 representatives from 30 vendors and 47 internal staff. Other topics included, “Launching in 2021: A Decade of Evolution Ahead,” “When it comes to lending, where will CU*BASE focus in the next couple of years?,” and “Setting a target beyond your members might be exactly what your members need.”
At a separate session that evening, CU*Answers Stockholders met for the annual board member election and to hear a recap of the CUSO’s financial position and projections for the fiscal year.