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Every organization has a story. Many are typical accounts of significant financial transactions, notable business acquisitions, facility openings, ribbon-cuttings and the like, generously sprinkled with the obligatory nods to navy-jacketed men and women. But good organizations, actually great organizations, tell stories that capture the audience’s imagination from the very start—stories that make you dream, that stand a paradigm on its head or that expose you to ways of thinking you hadn’t considered before. For many of these organizations, their account spans the decades and even the centuries; for others, their tale has just begun. The genesis for First West’s story occurred several years ago around a kitchen table in Abbotsford when two golfing buddies, who were also CEOs of well-established credit unions, decided there had to be better ways for credit unions to grow and expand in their competitive industry than through traditional mergers. Such traditional mergers were usually an immediate plus for the financial statements but carried a tremendous cost to local brand awareness, local decision-making and local market focus. Not long after, with only an idea and belief that things could be different and better, Valley First and Envision Financial began a journey together to draft the blueprint of a partnership that had the potential to achieve what was to that point only imagined. So the partnership began, with trying, learning, rethinking, recalibrating and on occasion, failing—but always believing. And the outcome was none other than we now call First West. Chapter by chapter, scene by scene, the First West story continues to unfold, with a third partner now on the journey. Enderby & District Financial and its members recongnized the times and led with courage, weaving their hopes into the First West vision of what can be. More than just a credit union and a partnership, First West is a concept and an idea—like the start of an adventure. It’s an experience certain to awaken the mind, heart and spirit to another way of doing financial services in Canada. And so First West’s story, our story, has in many ways just begun.
First Data is the global leader in payment technology and service solutions. With 24,000 owner-associates and operations in 35 countries, the company provides secure and innovative payment technology and services to more than six million merchants and financial institutions around the world, from small businesses to the world`s largest corporations. Today, businesses in nearly 70 countries trust First Data to secure and process nearly 2,000 financial transactions per second, totaling $1.8 trillion a year. First Data`s unparalleled infrastructure and partnerships go “beyond the transaction” with next-generation point-of-sale technology fueled by powerful analytics to detect fraud, gain insights into consumer spending, and strengthen customer loyalty. All day, every day, First Data helps its clients thrive in the evolving world of commerce.
Lease Dimensions is a Portland, OR-based company in the Financial Services sector.
Wanigas Federal Credit Union is a Saginaw, MI-based company in the Financial Services sector.
Cranbrook Associates Inc is a Birmingham, MI-based company in the Financial Services sector.