MCCU moves to the fast lane

Members who visited the brand new Members Cooperative Credit Union branch on opening day Monday gave the new facility rave reviews.

"It looks very nice," said Angela Weisz. "Very warm and inviting."

Don Christensen said it was "stunning."

"It's got a real modern flair," the Cloquet Natural Foods owner said of the open plan building, as he sat with a personal banker in one of the partially open offices that line the south side of the building.

MCCU closed its 14th Street building at the end of business on Saturday, and opened first thing Monday morning at its new Cloquet location on Minnesota Highway 33, north of the Shoppes at Cloquet shopping center opposite Walmart.

A lot of thought went into the décor and plan for the new MCCU building, along with a lot of state-of-the-art technology.

Because it was built on land that once boasted a home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the architects aimed for lots of natural light and to "bring the outside in, and the inside out," said Vice President of Member Experience Marisa Conley during a tour of the building. Happily, many of the colors favored by Wright - reds, oranges and blues - were already part of the MCCU logo.

Those colors provide bright spots of warmth in the new building, in furniture as well as walls and ceilings. A giant window spans the back of the building behind the teller pods, giving those inside a view of the forest behind. Open offices along the south wall feature raised wood panels on the side walls, large windows looking outside, and no doors.

They don't need doors to keep the sound in, explained project manager Nate Cedar of Boldt Construction, because each office and many of the other active spaces in the building have a new acoustical ceiling system that stops the sound from carrying across the open space.

While the ceilings don't scream "new technology," the building does utilize some pretty nifty modern technologies.

Members don't need their debit cards to use the ITM, or Interactive Teller Machine - think ATM, but smarter - instead, holding one's palm over a biometric scanner is all that's needed to get started, and the teller pods have the same type of scanner available. If a member is using the ITM and has questions, they can connect with an available teller at any MCCU branch via camera.

Carol and Jim Hagen used the new coin machine, which will not only count coins, but also place them into a particular account, rather than spitting out a receipt that the member has to bring to a teller to complete the deposit. Of course, they did require assistance from processing experience trainer Cam Loberg for their first run, but Carol planned to bring her quarters back soon.

"I think it's really nice," said Jim of the new building, noting that he's been a member since 1948, the year he was born, when his parents put $10 in a savings account for him.

"They've moved a lot since then," he said.

Customers who walk into the branch don't have to wait in line to tell the receptionist or a teller why they are there; they can sign in electronically at a touch screen station, then take a seat on the couch or stools and enjoy a cup of coffee while they wait or catch up with their text messages.

Weisz liked that feature.

"You used to have to stand in line for a teller and maybe you just needed to let them know you were there to see a certain person," she said. "Next time, I'll check myself in."

There are also numerous different spaces and ways members and employees can conduct business. Besides the teller pods and open offices, members and staff can utilize electronic tablets and take a seat on the couch or at a couple of different tall tables located next to an area built for children featuring tablets loaded with Bonzai programs that teach age-appropriate money skills.

"If I'm opening an account, I can sit here and keep an eye on my kids," said Conley.

Collier is excited about the many ways the credit union and building designers focused on sustainability.

The interior lights automatically adjust to the outside light coming in. Instead of using posters, they have 70-inch screens displaying information. They have touch screen computers on the desks, and one that is actually built into a table.

The desks have few drawers, because MCCU wants to discourage people from printing documents. Instead they want as much information as possible to remain in electronic form.

The employee break room has actual dishes and silverware for employees to use, and a dishwasher, rather than using disposable items. There is also a room that nursing mothers can utilize, or any employee who needs a little peace and quiet.

"I truly believe that happy team members mean happy customers," Collier said.

A conference room next to the south entrance can be used by staff and the community, day or night, because access can be limited to the conference room and nearby bathrooms, rather than the entire building. MCCU staff will hold meetings in there, many of them with employees at other branches, using "zoom" technology to talk face-to-face over the internet. That saves employees time for travel, which is more efficient and causes less vehicular pollution.

The list goes on.

Collier encourages members to come in and learn all about their new branch.

"People ask me why we wanted to change buildings," she said. "I believe when people come in, they will see how much all these changes and features benefit them."