Pelican State CU Celebrates Merger with Member Celebration and Give-aways
June 1, 2018
LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA – Pelican State Credit Union ($347.8 million in assets) merged with St. Jules Credit Union ($10.2 million) in December 2017, welcoming four employees, 2,627 members and a branch in Lafayette, Louisiana, to its financial family. Knowing that St. Jules CU had a vibrant heritage, Pelican uniquely sought to preserve and champion its story.
The Grand Opening Celebration of Pelican’s new St. Jules branch took place on May 9, 2018, and included a crawfish giveaway and ribbon cutting ceremony. Over 150 members joined in the festivities as they dined on 500 pounds of crawfish, corn and potatoes and entered to win a 55-inch Smart TV.
Guests also enjoyed a “spaghetti supper” spin-off, similar to St. Jules CU’s traditional Annual Meeting menu, and the first look at a newly installed wall mural in the branch lobby featuring photos of the founders of St. Jules CU, the credit union’s logo and scenes from its early days.
St. Jules CU was formed in 1968 by the parishioners of the St. Jules Catholic Church parish, and it was housed in the church for many years. In 1998, the credit union opened its first and only branch, and it was blessed by St. Jules Church that year and throughout the years leading up to the merger. To continue this tradition, St. Jules Church Deacon Reggie Bollich blessed the branch prior to Pelican’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
On May 8, 2018, the evening preceding the Grand Opening Celebration, Pelican hosted a Financial Wellness Workshop at the St. Jules Church meeting hall, the original location of St. Jules CU. Pelican’s Director of Financial Outreach shared everything guests needed to know about credit reports and scores. This event was free and open to the entire community, and many guests applied to become Pelican members after the presentation.
Guests of the two events also took home a very special keepsake. Former St. Jules employees who are now members of the Pelican team, including Branch Manager Diane Lantier whose mother worked at the credit union for 30 years, shared their accounts of how St. Jules CU got its start and their personal stories intertwined with the credit union. These accounts were then compiled into a blog post and booklet released by Pelican. The booklet was printed and available at the Financial Wellness Workshop and Grand Opening Celebration.
Since 1998, the Select Employer Group-based credit union has been selected as a merger partner by 10 credit unions across Louisiana. “At Pelican, mergers are all about two families coming together to continue to serve credit union members and their communities. Whether our team is supporting a merger, providing free financial education or reviewing a loan, we are committed to listening to the whole story,” added Pelican CEO Jeffrey K. Conrad.
About Pelican State Credit Union
For over 60 years, Pelican State Credit Union has been providing financial services to individuals and their families throughout the state of Louisiana. The credit union is dedicated to improving the lives of its members through safe, competitive products and educational services. Pelican was originally chartered as the Department of Hospitals Credit Union, located in downtown Baton Rouge, to serve Louisiana charity hospitals, mental health centers and state office personnel. Pelican has since grown into the largest state-chartered credit union in Louisiana now serving over 50,000 members. For information, visit pelicanstatecu.com.