Helping build Alaska, one dream at a time

If you’ve been on most any of Alaska’s highways recently, you know firsthand it’s construction season. Summer is the time for building in Alaska, and we’re hard at work in Wasilla too, though our project won’t be a bother to anyone on the Parks Highway.

On Saturday, Credit Union 1 (CU1) officially broke ground on the future site of our Wasilla branch. We were honored to be joined by community leaders such as Wasilla Mayor Glenda Ledford and Wasilla Chamber of Commerce CEO Jessica Viera along with many friends and neighbors who understand the full value of building Alaska from within. The sunny, 70-degree day made the food and drink supplied by our future Railroad Ave neighbor, Bearpaw River Brewing Company, taste that much better.

As Alaska’s only state-chartered credit union, our roots are firmly planted in the communities we serve. We appreciate the Alaskan lifestyle because we live it, too. And we are committed to helping those who live or work in this state build their own Alaskan dream.

That commitment goes beyond our day-to-day work as a financial institution. It is why we donate to and volunteer time for organizations like Wasilla High School to help them upgrade their library and to the Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc. (WASI) to support their Miles for Meals event. And it is why we support our Leading Change Partner in the Mat-Su, Kids Kupboard, an organization of incredible people who work tirelessly to provide meals to children who need them across the Valley. Last year we were able to give more than $145,000 to 100 nonprofits across the state, and our staff volunteered more than 1,000 hours of their time. We hope to best both of those marks this year as we proudly continue to partner with organizations in small and large ways.

On track to open in a little over a year, the Wasilla Branch will enable us to provide truly local support to our growing membership base in the fastest-growing region of Alaska. The branch will generate 30-40 new jobs with CU1, fueling millions of dollars of economic impact that will stay in the 49th state. CU1’s focus is individuals and small businesses, not commercial ventures.

As part of our continued work with Alaskan nonprofits, a second-floor community room will be available for events and as a working space for local nonprofits.

For more than 70 years CU1 has been helping Alaskans live their Alaskan dream and with more than 90,000 members and soon-to-be 13 branches from Ketchikan to Nome, we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. We follow a simple guiding principle: people helping people. Our goal is to support job creation, economic expansion, and community well-being by supporting people and communities all over the last frontier.

Wasilla, thank you for welcoming us into your community so we can build Alaska together, one dream at a time.

Mark Burgess is the President and CEO of Credit Union 1.