Chad

Partner, JC Equity
Member Since 2022

If you drive east on Interstate 64 for a little over an hour, you’ll be in Chad’s hometown of Mt. Vernon, Illinois. But it’s actually St. Louis that he has called home for nearly 25 years, after moving here for a job after college. Both cities have shaped who Chad is and his vision for living a satisfying life. After about five years living here, he moved into the mortgage banking industry, where he learned the ins and outs of real estate lending and capital.

It was during his time as a local mortgage lender that he met his then-client and current business partner Joe, who was focusing on real estate investment in the low-to-moderate-income (LMI) space. Chad was impressed with Joe’s accomplishment of building a great business by using his talent to renovate properties in St. Louis city. “It was invigorating to watch him do that completely independently, with no other resources other than residential lending products,” Chad admires. With Joe’s experience on the real estate side, and Chad’s expertise on the lending side, the two decided to partner: JC Equity was born!

Providing affordable housing is important to Chad, since he grew up in an urban setting, playing sports with friends whose families struggled financially. “Most people don’t understand that the wealth gap in our society creates two economies,” Chad explains. “The wealthiest 2% of the population are recession-proof, but the other 98% are hit hard by recessions.” Ultimately, JC Equity’s goal is to help build a stable community by providing a safe place to live, one that’s clean, comfortable, secure, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They may change the look of the properties they buy, but Chad says, “We don’t change the tenants, because we want the same people who live in that community to stay.

Chad points out that by the tenants paying rent, they’re the ones really paying the bills for the company. So, by keeping costs as reasonable as possible, JC Equity is able to pass on those savings to the tenants, who can then have extra money to invest in what they need to be successful. The key component to that process is having a banking partnership to finance day-to-day operations and support the company’s business plan. Ideally, that partnership “should align with your ideals, be like-minded and have similar values,” Chad lists. He connected with LaTonya and Devera from SLCCU’s Business Services team after receiving a strong recommendation from a community advocate.

Chad says that the credit union cares and does everything it can to make running the business seamless, happy and bearable – which is priceless. “There's never going to be a partner more in alignment with your social vision of helping any community than St. Louis Community Credit Union,” Chad asserts. “Without them, we would have been stuck about five properties ago.”

LaDonna

AVP of Member Experience Delivery, SLCCU
Staff Member Since 2018

LaDonna lives and breathes empathy. “I can relate to a lot of our members, because I can put myself in their shoes quite a bit,” she remembers.

LaDonna’s empathy is what keeps her working at St. Louis Community Credit Union: to be able to help somebody that she can relate to their experience. “We can do different things for members that you don’t see at other financial institutions, because their focus is on getting people in and out the door,” LaDonna observes. “Our staff is able to actually have conversations and get down to what people really need, which develops relationships.” LaDonna believes she’s there to support the staff and help them succeed by giving them the tools to empower the credit union’s members to thrive.

And just like LaDonna believes her role is to support the credit union’s staff, she also receives support from the highest levels of the credit union. “I've never worked for a company where you can relate so much to the CEO or senior team and be on a first-name basis where they remember your children and family,” LaDonna praises. “That alone speaks volumes to the type of company we work for. It just makes you feel so loved – like you are literally a part of this family.”

It's that sense of belonging and feeling of being more than just a number that LaDonna encourages everyone to bank with St. Louis Community Credit Union. “We will do our very best to make sure that you can get what you need,” LaDonna promises. “If you want a sense of belonging, where you can come in and feel the love and not feel like you're going to be treated like a number – you need to come and bank with St. Louis Community Credit Union. We are here for you. We have your best interests at heart and we will do our very best to make sure that you can get what you need.”

She goes on to explain that some other financial institutions say they want to help the community, but don’t back up those words with actions. “We find different avenues where we can help members and extend opportunities.” SLCCU cares about its members and the community it serves.

While Jessica was in graduate school, she was reassessing her banking choices. At that time, the sub-prime mortgage crisis of the late 2000s was happening. Public trust in the overall banking system was obliterated. “I felt like I wasn’t making my own banking choices; the institutions were making them for me,” Jessica remembers. “I felt like I was losing autonomy.”

Jessica knew she wanted a credit union specifically. “It’s more personable. I’m not just a number, I’m a member.” She chose St. Louis Community Credit Union after a friend shared their positive experience with SLCCU. Ten years later, she’s yet to have a negative experience! Jessica says, “Having local people in St. Louis at a company that cares about the people they are working with, is why I chose SLCCU.”

When Jessica wanted to replace the vehicle she owned for 15 years, she knew she’d have to do her research.  When she walked into the credit union’s Southtown office, she remembered the staff being super friendly and welcoming…with zero judgement. Jessica had been in the process of repairing some credit issues.  When the car shopping process began, she wasn’t sure she would qualify for a loan at all. The SLCCU team walked through all of her options.  “It wasn’t a single-transaction conversation,” Jessica says. “St. Louis Community was there with me the whole time throughout the car-buying process.”

It turned out to be longer than she anticipated. Many car-pricing tools, car-buying apps, and spreadsheets later, Jessica finally found a car. The dealership was trying to pressure her into financing the car through them, so she walked away from the table. Jessica took a break from shopping for a while. Then, her car went from bad to worse. Jessica recalls, “I went from ‘I have time to shop around ’ to ‘I need a car, like, today!” With a little patience and a lot of persistence, Jessica finally found her new car and was able to purchase it with peace of mind.

Part of that peace of mind comes with having financed her new car with St. Louis Community Credit Union. Jessica recalled how she never felt pressured or rushed.  “SLCCU had my best interests at heart.” She also reflected on how she felt empowered through her shopping and buying process because she had already independently set up her financing and would be able to buy the car she wanted, on her terms. “Since I had a pre-approved loan, I felt like the power was in my hands as opposed to the dealerships’ hands.”

SLCCU believes in empowering its members, no matter the financial journey. The commitment is for the long haul.

Pastor Andre 

Lead pastor, The Tabernacle and President of the Tabernacle Community 
Development Corporation (TCDC)
Member Since 2024

Pastor Andre’s passion for St. Louis is driving positive change in North St. Louis City. He is committed to bringing affordable housing and vital resources to his community.

In 2021, TCDC opened the Hub, a 15,000-square-foot, renovated elementary school that now offers healthcare, a food pantry, free legal services, case management and cultural experiences like symphonic music. This mission began in 2014 with community events and support services for local neighborhoods such as Jeff VanderLou, the Ville and O’Fallon.

A pivotal moment for Pastor Andre came one day when he was accidentally locked out of his church building for three hours. “I took advantage of that time to walk the neighborhood,” he recalls. “I got to hear what the needs were from people from their perspective.” What he heard repeatedly was a need for safe, secure housing. This inspired TCDC to develop a rental program that led to the purchase and rehab of their first property, the Tabernacle Legacy Center. “We’ve served more than 50 families and created more than 160 jobs,” Pastor Andre says. “We oversee a lot of the construction ourselves.” Today, TCDC owns 59 properties and is developing the first new-construction, for-sale housing project in the area in decades.

Their partnership with St. Louis Community Credit Union has been critical to advancing TCDC’s goals. When the YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis connected Pastor Andre with the credit union, he was able to secure a line of credit and open checking and savings accounts for TCDC. “It came at a critical time, as we needed additional capital to continue moving this affordable housing project forward,” Pastor Andre shares. “The area had not seen housing in decades. You all are playing a vital role in being able to revitalize that.”

Pastor Andre values SLCCU’s genuine investment in the community. “In the past, we’ve encountered people who needed to check a box to be compliant with the Community Reinvestment Act. But with the credit union, we’ve found a partner who actually wants to invest in transformational change.” He adds, “That spills over into the community. People now see their neighborhood being built back up, which increases their confidence and hope.”

DeAiris  

Member Since 2015

DeAiris is determined to create a stable financial future for herself and her two children, ages 4 and 13. “My kids are able to see how Mom budgets her money. They know that they have savings accounts where they can go save their money,” she shares.

Her journey with St. Louis Community Credit Union began in 2015 when she opened a checking account and a savings account. Since then, she has remained committed to building generational wealth through saving, asset attainment and debt reduction.

After purchasing her home in the Dutchtown neighborhood with support from St. Joseph Housing Initiative (SJHI), DeAiris became eligible for a matched savings program designed to help SJHI clients reduce debt or make home improvements. “This program has helped my family tremendously,” she says.

“It’s awesome to know I have some money set aside, just in case a bill comes up. If an unexpected expense comes up, I know I can use it,” DeAiris explains. She encourages others to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the credit union, adding, “I would tell them to go for it! Don’t give up – you can do anything that you put your mind to. The credit union has the best coaches, the best staff.”

Jenny & Adam

Members Since 2022

Home is what you make of it. For St. Louis transplants Jenny and her husband, Adam, the region has provided fertile ground to plant roots, work, and make a better place for all. “We live in South City, just north of Tower Grove Park with our three rescue chickens:  Dragonette, Florence, and Josephine,” shares Jenny. Per Adam, “Our three chickens are famous at my work. People are delighted to hear stories about them, or at least they tell me that.” 

In addition to tending to home and their flock, both feel that they play a role in building a stronger St. Louis through actions both small and large. Adam believes, “From my perspective, banks do a lot of good in the world. But from the perspective of a local community, it’s kind of like an unfocused good. I wanted to work with St. Louis Community Credit Union so that we could have our money going to serve the people of St. Louis directly and not have it be spread out.”  

In mid-2022, Adam and Jenny opened a Community Impact Deposit (CID) account by moving a portion of their savings to the Credit Union. “It’s nice to have a bit of extra return, but what feels more meaningful to me is that fact that the amount that we have in savings at St. Louis Community Credit Union is actually being put to good use for people,” states Adam. 

Aside from knowing that their savings are doing good for communities they care about, Jenny likes that St. Louis Community Credit Union goes beyond finance. “You also do a lot of things as the credit union. You have the mammogram vans, for example. And the events you do where you’re promoting awareness about different issues and providing resources to the community. I know that y’all are doing really great stuff. That’s what we wanted to support with our savings. It was definitely an easy decision for us.” 

S.J.

Member Since 2019

“I know how hard it is for people with barriers to access banking. To have an organization actively trying to tear down those barriers so that people who are unbanked can become banked and who partner with other organizations, that’s really valuable to me, and that’s the kind of place I want to put my money. That’s why I’m at St. Louis Community Credit Union,” says S.J.

S.J.’s relationship with the Credit Union began when the Benton Park branch opened in South City. “It’s 0.3 miles from my house. I walk there. I bike there. It’s easy to pop by, and I’ll pick up cash now and then.” Aside from having a convenient place to keep their savings, S.J. has been surprised by their relationship with staff. “Over time, I met the tellers there and they’re so great. They know me. They’ll be like, ’What are you doing this weekend?’ It’s kind of funny to think that you can just build up rapport with them. For me, that has not been a part of how I bank.”

For St. Louis Community Credit Union’s staff, knowing our members, providing ease of access through branches and digital tools and creating a sense of belonging is key to achieving our mission. Whether using us as a place to save, like S.J., or getting a checking account to start over, St. Louis Community Credit Union is here to assist everyone in their unique financial journey.

“Sometimes I have to share with my friends that, ‘You don’t even know what a privilege it is to have access to a bank account and all the doors that it can open for you, and all the doors that you don’t even realize could be closed’.” We couldn’t agree more with S.J. We see you. We hear you. We’re here for all your financial needs.