News - North Island Credit Union

Coming Soon: A Whole New Landscape for myisland.com

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—(July 2, 2008)—Soon you'll see an entirely new myisland.com. The Island's online branch has been completely renovated—with your comfort in mind. You'll find navigation that's absolutely instinctive, a clutter-free new design, complete details on products and services, and settings that allow you to adjust text for your reading preference. For a quick preview of your new island destination, click on the following snapshots:

NOTE: The new design of myisland.com applies only to our general public site. Online banking members will notice no changes to our secure online banking site.

Ribbon-Cutting at North Island Credit Union's New Branch Location in Imperial Beach

IMPERIAL BEACH, CA—(June 9, 2008)—North Island Credit Union relocated their Imperial Beach office—a move of just a few blocks down on Palm Ave.—and celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, June 9th.

The credit union presented Kiwanis of Imperial Beach and the Imperial Beach Boys & Girls Club with checks for $2,500 each to show their support of their community efforts. Imperial Beach Branch Manager, Cynthia Melcher, shared, "This is a growing and vibrant community and we are pleased to fund two key organizations that give the community its heart." North Island has a strong foundation in the community of IB—the original branch first opened in 1976 and they now serve more than 8,200 members.

Photo caption: Ribbon-cutting participants from left to right: Mike Maslak, North Island President/CEO, Al George, North Island Chairman Emeritus, Cynthia Melcher, Imperial Beach Branch Manager, Kathy Parker, North Island EVP, Branch Administration.

North Island Credit Union Recognizes DSD Business Systems Inc. With "Excellence In Work Environment" Award

Human Resources Award Presented at San Diego Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards Luncheon

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—(May 29, 2008)—North Island Credit Union joined with the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce to present the "Excellence in Work Environment" award to DSD Business Systems Inc. at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Annual Awards Luncheon on May 28.

"We feel San Diego businesses are at the forefront of the workplace excellence movement — and we wanted to recognize that with an award to a company devoted to workplace excellence," said North Island Credit Union CEO Michael Maslak. "The winner, DSD Business Systems Inc., has just this kind of commitment to its employees."

Founded in 1984, DSD Business Systems is San Diego County's leading accounting software and business automation technology provider. Serving mid-market companies with a wide range of annual revenues, DSD's integrated solutions enable growth-oriented companies to turn data into information and to make better decisions in less time.

DSD also provides custom programming and a catalog of Sage MAS90 enhancements, including Multi-Currency and Magnetic Media. With a professional approach and a dedication to integrity, DSD has assisted more than 1,000 companies in addressing their unique business software needs.

The "Excellence in Work Environment" award recognizes San Diego companies that demonstrate their commitment to workplace excellence throughout corporate practices, employee services and support programs. The award is flexible, and may apply to a single human resources initiative or to an overall human resources program. Examples of human resource initiatives include:

Employee training and retention programs
Employee referral programs
Wellness programs
Recognition initiatives
Meeting personal, departmental and/or corporate goals
Mentoring, and/or education programs

"North Island Credit Union is proud to pay tribute to those small businesses that value employees," said Maslak. "Excellence in work environment is a great indicator of success, and those companies that strive to create such an environment will grow to be industry leaders."

The 2008 "Excellence in Work Environment" award marks the sixth year of North Island Credit Union's sponsorship of the Chamber's Small Business Annual Awards Luncheon.

North Island Credit Union Executive Honored for Technological Excellence

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—(May 2008)—David D. Delacalzada, senior vice president and chief information officer at North Island Credit Union, was honored among San Diego County's top technology executives of the year. As part of the senior executive team, Delacalzada is responsible for all information technology initiatives. His division provides all operational support to all lines of North Island's business. In addition, he is part of the strategic council that is directly involved in developing and implementing the credit union's annual strategic plan.

The recognition, sponsored by the San Diego Business Journal, cites Delacalzada farsighted implementation of an effective knowledge management infrastructure that has contributed to North Island Credit Union's growth and profitability, contributing to a service quality index of 89 percent in 2007. Moreover, the credit union's worth has grown from $800 million to $1.5 billion during Delacalzadas tenure.

"Delacalzada promotes an open culture of information management and sharing based on empowering the end-user," said Kim Reedy, executive vice president and chief financial officer, North Island Credit Union. "This lead promotes an effective culture of information sharing that has contributed to effective communication among all the departments that service our 110,000 members."

The Island Goes Green

Signature Art Wrapped Around First-Ever Natural Gas-Electric Hybrid Bus

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—(April 21, 2008)—North Island Credit Union stepped up its commitment to "go green" through a collaborative effort with San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System's first commercial bus with a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric hybrid drive system. The bus is wrapped with The Island's signature Island Paradise artwork making the CNG-Hybrid stand out as a San Diego icon as well as a technological marvel.

At an April 10 unveiling ceremony, San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts, who also represents San Diego on the California Air Resources board of directors, said, "Because the CNG-electric hybrid is the first bus of its kind and is one of the most environmentally-friendly buses in operation, MTS sought out a partner with a strong green initiative to collaborate on the creation of a unique and meaningful graphic element for the exterior of the bus. North Island Credit Union is making very smart and very green contributions all over San Diego County. We're proud to have them as a partner and to bring attention to this new technology."

The prototype bus will cut emissions by 25 percent from the already clean-burning CNG buses in San Diego MTS fleet, provide more power, a quieter ride and significantly improve fuel economy. The bus will not have a specific route, rather it will be assigned routes across San Diego County to that all residents will have an opportunity to experience and learn about the new technology.

"North Island Credit Union employees and members are committed to caring for the environment in San Diego," said Geri Dillingham, executive vice president and chief operating officer of North Island Credit Union. "We are proud to lend our signature artwork to call attention to this technologically-advanced and environmentally friendly bus."

North Island Credit Union is currently constructing a new headquarter complex, which has been designed to qualify for the LEED Green Building Rating System^TM silver level certification, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Operated by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest performance standards. The credit union is also in its second year of a five-year plan to reduce paper consumption by 50 percent.

North Island Credit Union Selected for Malcolm Baldrige Award Site Visit

Credit Union Was One of 14 Companies Visited by a Baldrige Examiner Team

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—(November 20, 2007)—San Diego headquartered North Island Credit Union was one of 14 companies nationwide selected out of 84 applicants to host a site visit by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award team. The Baldrige Award is the nation's highest Presidential honor for organizational performance excellence. North Island Credit Union, a financial membership cooperative, applied in the Non-profit Category which was inaugurated as a new national category this year.

Named for the 26th Secretary of Commerce of the United States, the Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness and performance of U.S. businesses. The award promotes excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies.

"The corporate culture at North Island Credit Union has been modeled on Baldrige quality standards for many years and we are so honored to be recognized for our efforts with a site visit." said North Island Credit Union CEO, Mike Maslak.

North Island's culture shined when, by unfortunate chance, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that conducts the site visits, arrived for the long-scheduled visit during the recent San Diego Wildfires in October.

"I am extraordinarily proud of the North Island team and their ability to manage our member and employee issues through the fire, while undergoing an intense review by the NIST team of examiners," said Maslak.

Applicants are judged in seven categories: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results.

Each year, more than 300 experts volunteer many hours reviewing applications for the award, conducting site visits and providing each applicant with an extensive feedback report citing strengths and opportunities to improve.

In late November, NIST announced five 2007 award recipients. While North Island Credit Union was not selected this year, the team's efforts were validated by making the short list, they will receive significant benefit from the official feedback report for improvement, and they plan to apply again next year.

North Island Credit Union Unveils New 'Island Paradise' Artwork

Interactive Feature Brings Art Alive on Web Site

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—(May 2007)—North Island Credit Union has updated its signature mural artwork and renamed it "Island Paradise" to reflect 20 new landmarks and sites from San Diego to Riverside, including Petco Park, the Gaslamp District sign, the Lemon Grove lemon, the Chicano Park murals, the San Diego State University bell tower, the Carlsbad flower fields and the Temecula vineyards.

Now, with the drag of the mouse, the elements of "Island Paradise" are highlighted and a narrative of each pops up to reveal the story of the landmark and its importance to the San Diego and Riverside communities. The interactive mural is featured under the Island Extras section on the credit union's web site, myisland.com.

The original artwork, known as the "Polymorphous Paradise," was created in 1992 and has been used in North Island's advertising and marketing programs. The new "Island Paradise" artwork will be incorporated in to the credit union's print, collateral and affinity items over the next few months.

"The San Diego landscape has grown over the last 15 years, as have the areas served by The Island. So, we asked original artist David Schweitzer to update his popular artwork to reflect all these changes," said North Island Credit Union's Executive Vice President and COO Geri Dillingham. "Now we have added the interactive element to give the artwork another layer of life."

North Island Credit Union has provided each member with a coupon in their new Island Rewards Booklet for a complimentary 28" x 11" Island Paradise poster. The posters are available (one per member) at all North Island branches.

The Interactive "Island Paradise" Art can be seen here.

North Island Is First Credit Union In San Diego With SBA Preferred Lender Status

SAN DIEGO, Calif.—(April 9, 2007)—North Island Credit Union is now the first credit union in San Diego County to become a member of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) Preferred Lender Program (PLP). The designation streamlines the approval process for certain SBA loan requests, which results in a quicker turnaround time for loan approvals and funding for North Island Credit Union small business members.

"Preferred Lender status is the SBA's premier accreditation," said Jeff Stone, executive vice president of Business Services at North Island Credit Union. "This will allow North Island to offer our small business members the fastest and most professional loan services available in San Diego and Riverside counties."

North Island Credit Union is uniquely able to provide the widest range of business services to its members, including SBA 7(a) and 504 loans. As one of only two San Diego-based credit unions approved for SBA lending, North Island was the first San Diego-based credit union to book an SBA 7(a) and the first to originate a SBA 504 real estate loan in San Diego and Orange counties.

About the Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration, established in 1953, provides financial, technical and management assistance to help Americans start, run and grow their businesses. With a portfolio of business loans, loan guarantees and disaster loans worth more than $45 billion, in addition to a venture capital portfolio of $13 billion, SBA is the nation's largest single financial backer of small businesses.

North Island Credit Union Receives the Prestigious Governor's Award

Local Credit Union Recognized for Receiving Highest Score on Gold-Level Eureka Award

The California Council for Excellence (CCE) awarded North Island Credit Union the Governor's Award for Performance Excellence at a March 18 ceremony in Riverside, Calif. The Governor's Award is reserved for top California Awards for Performance Excellence (CAPE) program recipients that demonstrate consistently superior performance results and organizational excellence in accordance with the national Malcolm Baldrige criteria.

In a letter commemorating the 11th Annual CCE Conference, Californnia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote, "As Governor, I am delighted to see public and private sector organizations reach impressive business objectives to maximize results." He concluded his message, "I also send heartfelt congratulations to North Island Credit Union for receiving top honors today. Your innovation and adherence to the highest standards are exactly what our state needs to reclaim its promise and prosperity."

Mike Maslak, president and CEO of North Island Credit Union, accepted the award, which was presented by Cameron Durckel, director, San Diego Office of the Governor. "We are very excited and gratified to receive this award, as it provides validation that our strategy of focusing on people—our employees and our members—has helped us to refine our business processes to produce world-class business results," said Maslak. "Following the Baldrige Criteria takes discipline and rigor, but everyone wants to be part of a winning team. Baldrige is all about achieving excellence for our members and our organization."

In December 2004, North Island received top honors in CCE's CAPE program, which recognizes the best in business leadership and performance in California. The San Diego-based credit union was named a Gold-level Eureka Award winner in the program, which uses the same criteria as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award is given to companies and organizations that demonstrate continuous improvement and best-in-class performance in several key business areas. North Island Credit Union previously won the Gold-level CAPE award in 1997.

The California Council for Excellence, the non-profit foundation that administers the statewide award program, selected North Island Credit Union for its superior performance in key business categories ranging from leadership to customer/market focus.

North Island Credit Union is one of nine private and public sector organizations that were honored at the 11th Annual CAPE ceremony March 18 at the Riverside Convention Center. The credit union was the first Governor's Award winner since Boeing in 2002.

North Island Credit Union adopted the Baldrige template in 1992 as part of a strategy to achieve superior business results by building a culture of continuous improvement. Doing so has led the credit union to achieve the highest service satisfaction scores among all financial institutions participating in the American Customer Satisfaction Index survey—a national benchmark.

The CAPE program consists of a three-tier award system. The highest award levels include the Eureka Awards and the U.S. Senate Productivity Awards. The Prospector Awards recognize those applicants who have demonstrated a solid approach and deployment of quality-based principles. The California Challenge Awards recognize those applicants that are beginning their Performance Excellence journey but have demonstrated significant gains in terms if their approach to quality and customer satisfaction.